---
title: "Send pay links and charge saved methods"
description: "Email a client a link to pay an invoice without signing in, charge a method the client saved, and follow each payment attempt on the invoice."
url: "https://support.outpostplatform.com/client-payments/pay-links/"
product: "depot"
type: "how-to"
status: "draft"
ai_summary: "MSP plan. Invoice emails carry a no-login pay link once a provider is connected. The invoice's Online payments card lists attempts and statuses (Processing, not yet paid is never Paid), decline reasons, surcharge, and excess. Email a pay link sends a new link and stops earlier ones. Charge a saved method charges the balance now. Needs psa:invoice."
availability:
  plans: ["msp"]
  permission: "psa:invoice"
  preview: false
source: "https://gitlab.com/outpostplatform/docs/-/edit/main/src/content/docs/client-payments/pay-links.md"
license: "CC BY 4.0"
---

# Send pay links and charge saved methods

With a payment provider connected, clients pay invoices from a link in the
invoice email, from the client portal, or by autopay. This page covers what
you do from the console: send a fresh pay link, charge a method the client
saved, and read what happened to each payment.

## Before you begin

- A payment provider is connected. See
  [Connect a payment provider](/client-payments/connect-a-provider/).
- Sending a pay link and charging a saved method need `psa:invoice`.
- Charging a saved method takes money now. Only charge a client who has asked
  you to, or who has agreed to it in your terms.

## The pay link in invoice emails

When you finalize an invoice, or send it again, the email carries a pay link.
The client opens it and pays without signing in. The pay page shows the
invoice, its balance, and a link to the PDF, branded as your practice. Card
and bank details are typed into the processor's own fields.

- The link works until the number of days after the due date set in **Pay
  links work for**, 90 by default. See
  [Payment settings and emails](/client-payments/payment-settings/).
- A paid invoice stays viewable through its link until the link expires.
- An invoice with nothing owed, or a client with no provider, gets no link.

After paying, the client can turn on autopay as a separate step on the same
page. See [Set up autopay for a client](/client-payments/autopay/).

## Email a new pay link

Send a new link when a client lost the email or the link expired.

1. Open the invoice: select **Client billing** > **Invoices**, then the
   invoice.
2. In the **Online payments** card, select **Email a pay link**.
3. In **Send to**, enter an address, or leave it blank to use the client's
   billing contact.
4. Select **Send**.

Any link sent before stops working, so only the newest email can be paid from.

## Charge a saved method

1. Open the invoice.
2. In the **Online payments** card, select **Charge a saved method**.
3. In **Method**, choose one of the client's active saved methods.
4. Select **Charge**, which shows the balance.

The charge goes through the processor the method was saved with. Charges to a
saved method never carry a card surcharge.

If the client has no active saved method, the dialog says so. Email a pay link
instead, and they can save a method when they pay.

## Read the payment attempts

The **Online payments** card lists every attempt to pay the invoice online,
with the method, the amount charged, and the status:

| Status | Meaning |
| --- | --- |
| **Waiting on the processor** | Outpost sent the charge and has no answer yet. |
| **Processing, not yet paid** | Accepted but not final, usually a bank payment clearing over 3 to 5 business days. |
| **Waiting on the payer** | The payer has a step to finish, such as a card check by their bank. |
| **Paid** | The money is recorded on the invoice. |
| **Failed** | The charge was declined. The card shows the reason the payer saw, and the processor's code under **Processor said**. |
| **Canceled** | The attempt was abandoned before any money moved. |
| **Returned** | A bank payment came back after it was recorded. The payment is taken off the invoice and the client is emailed. |

Only one payment can be in progress on an invoice at a time. While one is,
the card warns you not to record a payment by hand, and **Charge a saved
method** is unavailable.

An attempt can also show:

- The card surcharge it included. See [Add a card surcharge](/client-payments/surcharges/).
- An amount **over the balance, refund it**. Money that arrives after an
  invoice is already settled is recorded, never refused. Refund the excess.
  See [Refund a payment](/client-payments/refunds/).
- **No answer from the processor yet**, with **Resolve** once 15 minutes have
  passed. See
  [Resolve a payment with an unknown outcome](/client-payments/unknown-outcomes/).

## What the client is emailed

| When | Email |
| --- | --- |
| A payment is recorded | A receipt |
| A bank payment is accepted but not final | A note that it is processing |
| A payment fails after the payer left, or a bank payment is returned | The reason, and a link to pay again |

See [Payment settings and emails](/client-payments/payment-settings/#emails-to-clients)
for every email.

## Verify

When a payment succeeds, the attempt shows **Paid**, the invoice's balance
drops by the amount paid, and the invoice is **Paid** when nothing is left.

## Next steps

- [Set up autopay for a client](/client-payments/autopay/)
- [Refund a payment](/client-payments/refunds/)