Payment Processing Issues
Troubleshooting•6 min read•Updated January 2025
Fix payment problems quickly and get money flowing again. Most payment issues can be resolved in minutes.
Payment Emergency?
If customers can't pay invoices and you're losing money, email support@toolfy.io immediately. We respond within 1 hour for payment emergencies.
Contact Emergency SupportQuick Payment Health Check
1.Go to Settings → Payments - does it show "Connected" with green dot?
2.Send yourself a test invoice for £1 - does payment work?
3.Check Stripe dashboard - any alerts or required actions?
Common Payment Problems
Customer's card keeps getting declined
Common Causes:
- • Insufficient funds
- • Card expired or blocked
- • International payments disabled
- • Bank fraud protection triggered
- • Incorrect billing address
How to Fix (try in order):
- 1. Ask customer to call their bank and authorize the payment
- 2. Try a different card from same customer
- 3. Verify billing address matches bank records exactly
- 4. For UK cards, ensure 3D Secure authentication works
- 5. Try payment in incognito mode (prevents browser interference)
- 6. Ask customer to enable international payments if you're in different countries
Stripe payments not working at all
Common Causes:
- • Stripe account not connected properly
- • Account needs verification
- • Test mode still enabled
- • Webhook issues
How to Fix (try in order):
- 1. Go to Settings → Payments and check connection status
- 2. Complete Stripe onboarding (bank details, tax forms)
- 3. Ensure you're not in Stripe test mode
- 4. Contact support if verification is stuck
- 5. Check Stripe dashboard for any alerts or required actions
Payments taking too long to reach bank account
Common Causes:
- • Standard bank transfer timing
- • Bank holidays delaying transfers
- • First payment verification delays
- • Weekend processing delays
How to Fix (try in order):
- 1. UK payments: 2-3 business days is normal
- 2. First payment can take up to 7 days for verification
- 3. Enable Stripe instant deposits for same-day transfers (small fee)
- 4. Check Stripe dashboard for exact transfer dates
- 5. Weekends and bank holidays add extra days
Customer says they paid but invoice still shows unpaid
Common Causes:
- • Payment webhook delay
- • Stripe webhook failure
- • Bank processing delay
- • Customer paid wrong invoice
How to Fix (try in order):
- 1. Check Stripe dashboard to confirm payment received
- 2. Refresh Toolfy page - can take up to 5 minutes to update
- 3. Verify customer paid correct invoice number
- 4. Check customer paid full amount, not partial
- 5. If payment shows in Stripe but not Toolfy, contact support
Refund requests from customers
Common Causes:
- • Work not completed satisfactorily
- • Duplicate payment
- • Customer changed mind
- • Billing error
How to Fix (try in order):
- 1. Process refund through Stripe dashboard (funds return 2-5 days)
- 2. Partial refunds available for incomplete work
- 3. Document refund reason in customer notes
- 4. Refunds create credit note automatically in Toolfy
- 5. For duplicate payments, issue immediate refund
Understanding Error Messages
When payments fail, Stripe provides error codes. Here's what they mean and how to help customers:
| Error Code | What It Means | Tell Customer To |
|---|---|---|
| card_declined | Bank declined the card | Try different card or contact bank |
| insufficient_funds | Not enough money in account | Add funds to account or use different card |
| incorrect_cvc | Wrong security code | Check 3-digit code on back of card |
| expired_card | Card past expiry date | Use card with future expiry date |
| processing_error | Temporary bank issue | Wait 5 minutes and try again |
Who to Contact for Help
Contact Toolfy Support
- • Payments not updating in Toolfy
- • Invoices not sending
- • Integration setup problems
- • Customer portal payment issues
- • Toolfy-specific payment features
Contact Stripe Support
- • Account verification issues
- • Payout delays or problems
- • Chargeback disputes
- • Tax form problems
- • Bank account connection issues
Prevent Payment Problems
- ✓Test payment processing monthly by sending yourself an invoice
- ✓Keep Stripe account information up to date
- ✓Monitor failed payment rates in Stripe dashboard
- ✓Ask customers to check their email for payment confirmations
- ✓Set up email alerts for failed payments in Stripe
- ✓Train team on common payment error messages
Related Help Articles
Payment problems costing you money?
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