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Payments and Invoicing — StudioM Platform Guide

Who this guide is for: Anyone sending invoices, collecting payments, or managing billing on the StudioM platform. Time to read: Approximately 14 minutes

What's in the Payments Section?

The Payments section of your StudioM platform handles everything money-related: invoices, estimates, products, subscriptions, payment links, discount codes, and transaction history — all in one place.

Need StudioM Support for This? Your payment gateway (Stripe, PayPal, etc.) is connected and configured by StudioM on your behalf. If payments aren't going through, or you'd like to change your payment processor, contact StudioM Support.

How to Get There

Navigate to: Payments (left sidebar)

Sub-sections include: - Invoices and Estimates - Products - Orders - Subscriptions - Transactions - Payment Links - Gift Cards

Products — Building Your Service and Product Library

Before sending invoices or creating payment links, set up your products. A product is any service, item, or offering you charge for — it becomes reusable across invoices, payment links, order forms, and your online store.

Creating a Product

  1. Go to Payments → Products
  2. Click Create Product
  3. Fill in:
  4. Name — what the customer sees
  5. Description — details about the product or service
  6. Image — optional but recommended for storefronts
  7. Price type:
    • One-Time — single charge
    • Recurring — charged on a schedule (monthly, quarterly, annually, etc.)
  8. Set any applicable taxes (see Taxes section below)
  9. Click Save

Recurring Products

When setting up a recurring product: - Set the billing frequency (monthly, weekly, annually, etc.) - Optionally add a free trial period and/or a setup fee (one-time charge with the first payment) - Optionally limit the number of billing cycles (e.g., "charge 12 times then stop")

Product Variants

Products can have multiple variants — for example, "Basic," "Standard," and "Premium" tiers, each with its own price. Add variants when creating or editing a product.

Invoices — Requesting Payment from Clients

Creating a One-Time Invoice

  1. Go to Payments → Invoices and Estimates → Invoices
  2. Click New Invoice
  3. Fill in:
  4. Client — search for and select the contact
  5. Invoice Number — auto-generated, but you can edit it
  6. Issue Date and Due Date
  7. Click Add an Item to add your products or services
  8. Adjust quantity and price per line item as needed
  9. Click Add Tax next to any item to apply tax
  10. Optional additions:
  11. Discount — click the discount icon on any line item
  12. Tip Settings — allow the client to add a tip
  13. Payment Schedule — split into installments (see below)
  14. Attachments — add up to 10 files (contracts, scope of work, etc.)
  15. Click Send and choose delivery method: Email or SMS

Invoice Statuses

Status Meaning
Draft Created but not sent yet
Sent Delivered, waiting for payment
Overdue Past the due date, unpaid
Partially Paid Some payment received, balance remains
Paid Fully paid
Void Cancelled

Recurring Invoices

Set up invoices that generate and send automatically on a schedule:

  1. Click New → New Recurring Invoice
  2. Fill in client details and add your products
  3. Set the frequency (e.g., every month, every quarter)
  4. Set the start date and how long it should run (number of cycles or an end date)
  5. Save to activate

The platform generates and sends each invoice automatically on schedule.

Payment Plans / Installments

Split a single invoice into multiple payments:

  1. Create or open an invoice
  2. Click Add Payment Schedule
  3. Define each installment by percentage or fixed amount
  4. Set a due date for each installment
  5. Send the invoice — clients can see the full payment plan and pay each installment as it comes due

Partial Payments

Allow clients to pay any amount above a minimum threshold:

This must be enabled in your invoice settings. Once on, clients can pay what they can, and the invoice shows as "Partially Paid" until the balance is settled.

Tips on Invoices

If you'd like to give clients the option to add a gratuity: - Enable tip settings on a per-invoice basis via the three-dot menu - Clients can choose a preset percentage or enter a custom tip amount

Automated Invoice Reminders

The platform can automatically send reminder emails or texts to clients whose invoices are overdue.

Need StudioM Support for This? Invoice reminder sequences require setup in account settings. Contact StudioM Support and we'll configure automated reminders for you.

Estimates — Sending Quotes Before Invoicing

Estimates are quotes you send to clients for approval before work begins. Once a client accepts, the estimate converts to an invoice automatically.

Creating an Estimate

  1. Go to Payments → Invoices and Estimates → Estimates
  2. Click New Estimate
  3. Fill in the same fields as an invoice (client, line items, taxes, terms)
  4. Click Send — the client receives the estimate and can accept or reject it
  5. When accepted, click Convert to Invoice to move it into billing

Payment links let you generate a shareable link or QR code that takes the client directly to a checkout page. No invoice needed.

  1. Go to Payments → Payment Links
  2. Click Create Payment Link
  3. Select the product(s) to include
  4. Configure the checkout page (title, description, image)
  5. Click Create
  6. Share the link via SMS, email, or social media

Payment links are great for: - Collecting deposits quickly - Simple one-product sales - Sharing on social media

Subscriptions — Managing Recurring Billing

Active subscriptions (ongoing recurring charges) are listed under Payments → Subscriptions.

From here you can: - See all active, paused, and cancelled subscriptions - View the next billing date and amount for each subscriber - Cancel a subscription if needed - See the payment history for each subscription

Discount Codes (Coupons)

Create discount codes to offer reductions on your products at checkout.

Creating a Coupon

  1. Go to Payments → Settings → Coupons
  2. Click Create Coupon
  3. Configure:
  4. Coupon Code — what clients type at checkout (e.g., "WELCOME10")
  5. Discount Type — percentage (e.g., 10% off) or fixed amount (e.g., $20 off)
  6. Redemption Limit — maximum number of uses (optional)
  7. Expiry Date — when the code stops working (optional)
  8. Applies to — specific products only, or all products

For recurring products, set the duration: - Once — discount applies to the first payment only - Multiple months — discount applies for a set number of billing cycles - Forever — discount applies to all recurring payments

Displaying the Coupon Field

To let clients enter a coupon code at checkout, ensure "Enable coupon codes" is turned on in your order form or payment link settings.

Taxes

Adding Tax to an Invoice

On any invoice, click Add Tax next to a line item and select from your configured tax rates.

Adding Tax to a Product

When creating a product, attach applicable tax rates — they'll apply automatically whenever that product is used.

Need StudioM Support for This? Tax rate configuration (rates, jurisdictions, inclusive vs. exclusive pricing) is set up in account settings. Contact StudioM Support if you need to add or adjust tax rates.

Transaction History

See a full record of every payment collected:

  1. Go to Payments → Transactions
  2. Filter by date range, contact, payment source, or status
  3. Click any transaction for full details
  4. Export to CSV for accounting purposes

Gift Cards

Sell digital gift cards that recipients can use at checkout.

Gift cards have their own checkout page and can be shared with a link or QR code. Each gift card has a unique code the recipient enters at checkout to apply the balance.

Need StudioM Support for This? Gift card setup (design, denominations, terms) is configured in settings. Contact StudioM Support to get gift cards set up for your account.

In-Person Payments (Mobile / Tap-to-Pay)

The StudioM mobile app supports in-person payment collection: - Tap-to-Pay — accept contactless card payments on your phone (no hardware needed) - Create and send invoices on the go from the mobile app

→ See the Mobile App guide for details.

Common Questions

Q: My client says they paid but the invoice still shows "Sent." What's happening? It can take a moment for payment status to update. Refresh the page. If it still shows "Sent" after a few minutes, contact StudioM Support — there may be an issue with the payment gateway connection.

Q: Can I accept bank transfers (ACH) instead of card? Yes, if your Stripe gateway is configured to accept ACH payments. Contact StudioM Support to confirm this is enabled for your account.

Q: Can I send invoices in different currencies? Currency is set at the account level. Contact StudioM Support if you need to invoice in a different currency.

Q: How do I issue a refund? Go to Payments → Transactions, find the transaction, and use the refund option. Partial and full refunds are supported.

Q: Can clients pay in installments without me setting up a payment plan? Only if you enable Partial Payments in your invoice settings. Otherwise, you (the sender) control the installment structure using the Payment Schedule feature.

Q: How do I mark an invoice as paid if the client paid by cash or bank transfer? Open the invoice and use the "Record Payment" option to manually log the payment.

Need Help?

Contact StudioM Support any time.

  • Email: support@makoa.us (update with your actual support email)
  • Live Chat: Available inside the platform

Related guides: Documents and Contracts · Ecommerce Store · Workflows (Automations)