Payment receipts: what clients get and when

Client Billing 3 min read Updated Oct 12, 2026
On this page
  1. Before you begin
  2. Step-by-step instructions
  3. Step 1: Record a payment by hand
  4. Step 2: Decide whether to email a receipt
  5. Step 3: Save the payment
  6. Step 4: Send a receipt again
  7. Step 5: Turn on receipts for a recurring plan
  8. Step 6: Let the client choose
  9. What happens next
  10. Troubleshooting
  11. Related articles

Who this is for: Firm owners, admins, managers and staff who take payments in Debits.
What you’ll learn: Which payments email your client a receipt, how to control it, and how to send a receipt again.

Before you begin

Every receipt email has the PDF receipt attached. Whether a receipt is sent depends on how the payment was made:

  • A payment you record by hand (cash, check or bank transfer you enter yourself): a receipt is sent when Email the client a receipt is ticked. It is ticked by default.
  • A card payment on a recurring plan’s invoice: a receipt is sent only if Email the client a receipt after each payment is turned on for that plan. It is off by default.
  • A card payment on any other invoice: a receipt is always sent.
  • An ACH bank payment: a receipt is always sent once the payment clears.
  • Send Receipt: always sends a receipt, whenever you choose.

The client’s receipt email is the only thing these settings change. Your own payment notification is sent either way.

Step-by-step instructions

Step 1: Record a payment by hand

Go to Billing > Invoices, open the row menu on the invoice and select Record Payment.

Record Payment highlighted in an invoice row menu

Step 2: Decide whether to email a receipt

Enter the Payment amount and Payment method. Email the client a receipt is ticked by default. Untick it if you are back-entering old payments and don’t want to email the client.

Email the client a receipt checkbox highlighted, ticked by default

Step 3: Save the payment

Select Record payment. If the box was ticked, the client gets an email with the PDF receipt attached.

Record payment button highlighted

Step 4: Send a receipt again

For a paid invoice, open the row menu and select Send Receipt. This emails the receipt PDF to the client again, for example if they lost the first one.

Send Receipt highlighted in a paid invoice row menu

Step 5: Turn on receipts for a recurring plan

Go to Billing > Recurring and edit the schedule. Tick Email the client a receipt after each payment, then select Update Schedule.

Email the client a receipt after each payment checkbox highlighted in Edit Recurring Schedule

Step 6: Let the client choose

Clients can turn receipts on or off for a plan themselves. On their billing page, they tick Email me a receipt after each payment. On a business’s plan, only the person the bills are addressed to can change it. A client with no portal login can only be opted in by you.

Email me a receipt after each payment checkbox highlighted and ticked on the client billing page

What happens next

From then on, every payment that qualifies emails the client a receipt with the PDF attached. Clients can also download receipts from Payment history on their billing page. A bank payment that is still clearing shows After it clears until its receipt is ready.

Troubleshooting

  • A client on a recurring plan stopped getting receipts: Recurring plans don’t email card receipts unless the box is ticked. Turn it on in the schedule, or ask the client to.
  • The receipts box unticked itself: Moving a plan to another client, or changing its contact person, turns receipts off. The new recipient has to choose again.
  • A plan has Auto-Send off and Auto-Charge on: The client is charged each period with no email at all unless receipts are turned on. Turn them on if the client should hear about each charge.
  • Send Receipt isn’t in the menu: It appears only on paid invoices.
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