Payments & Invoicing

TimberCloud provides comprehensive payment processing and invoice management, integrated with Stripe for secure credit card transactions. Card payments run through Stripe Connect, so funds land directly in your own Stripe account — TimberCloud never holds your money.

Important: Accepting card payments requires a paid plan (Commerce or higher). The Free plan is inquiry/quote-only — Stripe cannot be connected and the storefront collects inquiries rather than payments. See Subscriptions & Plans and The Free Plan.

Overview

The Payments and Balance section in each order provides:

• Invoice generation and viewing
• Multiple payment method support
• Transaction history
• Balance tracking

Invoices

Invoice Types

TimberCloud automatically generates invoices at key points in the order lifecycle:

Automatic Invoice Creation

Invoices are generated automatically:

1. New Quote from Storefront → Quote Invoice Version 1
2. Quote Accepted → Order Acknowledgement Version 1
3. Price Changes on Quote → New Quote Version (previous voided)
4. Price Changes on Order → Order reverts to Quote, new Quote Invoice

Invoice Contents

Each invoice PDF includes:

• Company header with logo and contact info
• Customer billing and shipping addresses
• Order number and date
• Line-by-line product breakdown
• Selected options and specifications
• Subtotal, discount, tax, and shipping
• Total amount due
• Payment terms and instructions

Viewing Invoices

To view or download an invoice:

1. Open the order detail view
2. Navigate to the Documents dropdown
3. Select the invoice type
4. PDF opens in a new tab or downloads

Invoice Versioning

When order pricing changes, TimberCloud maintains an invoice history:

Quote - Version 1  [void]    Created: Jan 15
Quote - Version 2  [void]    Created: Jan 16 (price change)
Quote - Version 3  [valid]   Created: Jan 17 (current)

Only the latest version is marked as valid. Previous versions are void but retained for audit purposes.

Customizing Invoices

Invoice appearance is configured in Product Settings:

• Which fields appear on invoices
• Column ordering
• Display format for dimensions
• Price visibility options

Payment Methods

Supported Payment Types

Credit Card Payments

All credit card transactions are processed through Stripe (opens in a new tab), providing:

Security Features

• PCI Compliant — Meets strictest data security standards
• Encryption — State-of-the-art cryptographic protection
• Fraud Detection — Machine learning prevents fraudulent transactions
• 3D Secure — Additional authentication for high-risk transactions

Saved Payment Methods

Customers can save credit cards to their profile for future orders:

1. During checkout, select "Save card for future use"
2. Card is securely stored in Stripe (not your database)
3. Future orders can use saved cards with one click

Recording Manual Payments

For cash or check payments:

1. Open the order detail view
2. Navigate to Payments and Balance
3. Select payment method (Cash or Check)
4. Enter payment amount
5. Add reference number (check number, etc.)
6. Click Submit Payment

Payment Workflows

Customer Payments (Storefront)

When a customer pays via the storefront:

1. Customer enters card details at checkout
2. Stripe processes the transaction
3. If successful, payment is recorded immediately
4. Customer receives confirmation
5. Order status is updated
6. Balance reflects the payment

Customer payments clear immediately if the card is valid.

Employee-Initiated Payments

When an employee records a payment for a customer:

1. Employee selects payment method
2. Enters amount and details
3. Payment is marked as Pending
4. Customer receives notification to accept/deny
5. Upon acceptance, payment clears
6. Balance is updated

Important: Admins can only accept payments on behalf of customers with explicit permission. Accepting payments without consent violates terms of service and results in account termination.

Payment Terms

Payment terms define when payment is due. Each term is configurable — set the percentage due up front, whether a deposit is required, and the number of days until the balance is due:

Configure payment terms in Order Settings.

Transaction History

Viewing Transactions

Each order maintains a complete transaction history:

Transaction #1001   Credit Card   $500.00   Paid      Jan 15
Transaction #1002   Cash          $250.00   Paid      Jan 20
Transaction #1003   Check #5432   $250.00   Pending   Jan 22

Transaction States

Transaction Receipts

Each successful transaction can generate a receipt PDF:

1. Navigate to transaction history
2. Click the receipt icon next to a transaction
3. Download or print the receipt

Balance Tracking

Balance Calculation

Order balance is calculated as:

Balance = Total - (Sum of Paid Transactions)

The balance section displays:

Balance Status

Refunds

Processing Refunds

To refund a payment:

1. Open the order detail view
2. Navigate to transaction history
3. Click Refund on the transaction
4. Enter refund amount (full or partial)
5. Confirm the refund

Refund Policies

• Credit Card Refunds — Processed back to the original card via Stripe
• Cash/Check Refunds — Recorded manually, physical refund processed separately
• Partial Refunds — Supported for all payment types
• Balance Adjustment — Refunds increase the order balance

Stripe Connect

TimberCloud uses Stripe Connect so each shop collects payments into its own Stripe account:

• You connect your own Stripe account.
• Card payments flow directly to your account — TimberCloud never holds your funds.
• TimberCloud's platform fee is applied automatically as the Stripe Connect application fee on each successful card charge.
• You keep full access to your own Stripe dashboard for payouts, disputes, and statements.

Connecting Stripe

Connecting Stripe requires a paid plan (Commerce or higher) — the Free plan cannot accept payments.

1. Open Settings → Company.
2. In the payments section, click Connect with Stripe (you'll also see a prompt in the dashboard banner if Stripe isn't connected yet).
3. Complete Stripe's onboarding (business details, bank account).
4. Once Stripe marks the account as active, card payments and checkout are enabled.

Note: Until Stripe is connected and activated, Direct Order checkout is unavailable and the storefront stays quote-only. You can also operate in test mode to try checkout end-to-end without real charges before going live.

Stripe Account Status

Platform Fees on Customer Payments

When a customer pays by card through TimberCloud checkout, TimberCloud charges a small platform fee on the successful charge. This fee depends on your plan:

A few important points:

• The platform fee is applied automatically as the Stripe Connect application fee on each successful card charge, and is deducted before funds settle into your Stripe account. It's visible in the transaction details.
• It is separate from, and on top of, Stripe's own processing fee of 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction. Stripe's fee is billed by Stripe; the platform fee is TimberCloud's.
• The fee applies only to card charges collected through TimberCloud checkout — not to quotes, offline deposits, or cash/check payments you log manually.
• Upgrading your plan lowers (or removes) this fee. On Production and Enterprise there is no platform fee on customer payments at all.

Tip: This per-payment platform fee is different from platform charges (see below), which are what your shop owes TimberCloud for things like shipment labels. For the full fee schedule and how it compares across plans, see Subscriptions & Plans.

Stripe Tax Integration

Automatic Tax Calculation

If Stripe Tax is enabled:

1. Tax rates are calculated automatically
2. Based on shipping address
3. Supports multiple tax jurisdictions
4. Compliant with local tax laws

Tax on Invoices

Stripe Tax data is stored on each order:

• Tax calculation ID
• Tax transaction ID
• Breakdown by jurisdiction
• Total tax amount

Platform Charges

Platform charges are amounts your shop owes TimberCloud, billed to the card on file. They are completely distinct from customer order payments (which flow to your Stripe account) and from the per-payment platform fee above.

The most common platform charge is a shipment booking: when you book a label, TimberCloud charges your card for the carrier rate plus a small platform markup and records a charge of type shipping (or freight_shipping for LTL). If booking fails, the charge is automatically canceled and no money is taken.

Charge Types

Charge Statuses

A failed or refunded charge means no net amount was collected — for example, when a shipment booking fails, the pending charge is auto-canceled.

Viewing Platform Charges

Platform charges are recorded separately from order transactions and are visible in your company billing/transactions section. For a full breakdown of charge types, timing, and statuses, see Platform Charges.

Best Practices

For Accurate Accounting

1. Record all payments — Even cash/check payments should be logged
2. Use correct dates — Backdate transactions if payment was received earlier
3. Keep receipts — Download transaction receipts for records
4. Reconcile regularly — Match platform records with bank statements

For Customer Experience

1. Enable saved cards — Repeat customers appreciate convenience
2. Offer multiple methods — Some customers prefer checks or cash
3. Clear payment terms — Set expectations upfront
4. Send confirmations — Automatic receipts build trust

For Security

1. Never store raw card data — Let Stripe handle it
2. Verify large transactions — Manually confirm high-value payments
3. Train staff — Ensure employees understand payment policies
4. Review failed transactions — Investigate patterns of failures

Troubleshooting

Payment Declined

Common reasons for declined payments:

• Insufficient funds
• Incorrect card details
• Card expired
• Fraud prevention triggered

Solution: Ask customer to verify card details or try a different card.

Stripe Not Connected

If you can't accept credit card payments:

1. Confirm you're on a paid plan — the Free plan cannot connect Stripe (it's inquiry/quote-only). See Subscriptions & Plans.
2. Check Stripe account status in Settings → Company
3. Complete any pending verification requirements
4. Ensure a bank account is connected
5. Contact Stripe support if issues persist

Refund Not Processing

Refunds can take 5–10 business days to appear on customer statements:

• Credit card refunds are processed by the card network
• Check with the Stripe dashboard for refund status
• Provide customer with refund confirmation

Next Steps

• Platform Charges
• Subscriptions & Plans
• Notifications
• Order Settings
• Company Settings
• Reports & Transactions