Templates

Payment details scripts, for how the money arrives

Six messages for how a client pays. Name the methods on a new quote, add the pay-on-the-day line, and ask a transfer client for the invoice number. Offer a payment link, and turn down a cheque. Fill in your details once at the top of this page, and every script below updates.

How a client pays rarely gets decided out loud. It becomes whatever they did last time, or whatever feels easiest. Say it plainly, once, on the quote or the invoice. That stops a client guessing. It also stops a payment landing with no way to tell which job it was for.

These six scripts cover the exchange end to end. Name the methods on a new quote, and add the pay-on-the-day line for work finished on site. Ask a transfer client to use the invoice number. Offer a payment link to someone who keeps forgetting. Decline a cheque politely. Flag a card surcharge before the client picks a method. Fill in your details once at the top of this page. Every script below updates to match.

Scripts

Script 01 · Telling a new client how to pay, on the quote

Subject: One more thing on the quote

Hi [Client name], One more thing for the quote: I take payment by [card, bank transfer, or cash — list what you accept]. [Any detail that matters, like a card fee or your bank details] will go on the invoice once the job’s booked in. [Your name]

Why it works Naming the methods on the quote means a client picks one before the job starts. Waiting for the invoice means they choose after the bill lands.

Script 02 · The pay-on-the-day line for a job finished on site

Text

Hi [Client name], all done for today — [what was done]. I can take card or cash right now if that’s easiest, or I’ll send invoice [Invoice #] for [Amount] if you’d rather pay that way.

Why it works Offering to settle on the spot, while you are still there, gets some clients paying the same day. Otherwise they let an invoice sit.

Script 03 · Asking a transfer client to use the invoice number as reference

Subject: Invoice [Invoice #] — one note on paying by transfer

Hi [Client name], Invoice [Invoice #] for [Amount] is attached, due [Due date]. If you’re paying by bank transfer, please put [Invoice #] as the reference — it’s the only way I can match your payment to this invoice without asking. [Your name]

Why it works Asking for the invoice number as the reference saves a guessing game when an unmarked transfer lands. Ask before the client pays.

Script 04 · Offering a payment link to a client who keeps forgetting

Subject: An easier way to pay invoice [Invoice #]

Hi [Client name], No worries at all — here’s a payment link for invoice [Invoice #], [Amount]: [payment link]. Click through and pay by card whenever suits, no need to log into your bank first. [Your name]

Why it works A payment link removes the “I’ll do the transfer later” step for a client who keeps meaning to. It does not change what the job costs.

Script 05 · Declining a cheque politely, and offering the alternative

Text

Hi [Client name], thanks for the offer — I don’t take cheques, since they take a while to clear. Could you pay by card or bank transfer instead? Happy to send a payment link if that’s easier.

Why it works Naming a plain reason and a real alternative in the same line keeps the no from sounding arbitrary.

Script 06 · Telling a client a card payment carries a surcharge, before they choose

Subject: One note before you pay invoice [Invoice #]

Hi [Client name], Before you pay invoice [Invoice #] for [Amount]: paying by card carries a small surcharge to cover the processing fee. Bank transfer has no surcharge, if you’d rather avoid it. Let me know which works and I’ll send the right details. [Your name]

Why it works Naming a card surcharge before the client picks a method keeps it a stated term. Naming it after reads as a surprise on the invoice.

Questions

Do I have to accept every payment method?

No. Accept whatever suits your cash flow and admin. That can be a card machine, a payment link, bank transfer, or cash. You can refuse cheques. State the ones you take on the quote, before the client is ready to pay.

Should I mention a card surcharge before the job or on the invoice?

Before, if you are going to add one at all. A surcharge named on the quote reads as a stated term. The same line added for the first time on the invoice reads as a surprise. See card surcharge for the mechanism, and why the rules on it vary by place.

What if a client pays by a method I didn’t offer?

Take it if it works for you. Say so plainly if it does not. Declining a cheque, for instance, is a normal boundary. You owe no explanation beyond the one line.

Want a record of each payment, with its method and date?

You still choose which methods to accept, and you still send these yourself. BizBinder does not process a card or hold your bank details. It does record each payment against its invoice, with the method and the date the money landed. You can see those records in your data export.

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