Can I see why a card was declined?

Usually. When Stripe gives a reason (such as insufficient funds), your Payment Failed notification shows it after the invoice number. Your client only sees that the card was declined. The reason is not stored on the invoice, and the payment attempt is also in your Stripe Dashboard.

My client paid another way after the card failed. What do I do?

Record the payment on the invoice yourself with Add Payment, choosing the method they actually used. WorkZen only records card and bank payments automatically when they go through Stripe.

Can a client pay by bank transfer in Canada?

Not online. The Pay by Bank option is only offered to clients of US companies whose Stripe account has bank payments active. Other companies' clients see card only.

Does a failed payment still add the processing fee to the invoice?

No. On a card payment, the processing fee and tip lines are added only after the payment succeeds. On a bank payment they are added while it is pending and removed again if the transfer fails.

Why did a payment fail or stay pending?

Most failed payments fall into one of four cases. Find the one that matches what you or your client saw.

Your client's card was declined online

When your client clicks Pay with Card on the invoice, a payment window opens on the invoice page. They review the total (including any Processing fee (credit cards only)), click Continue to card details, enter their card in Stripe's secure card form inside that window, and click Pay with the amount. A decline shows right there: your client sees "Your card was declined. Please try another card."

What that means for you:

Nothing is charged and nothing is recorded. The invoice keeps its full balance, and no payment appears in your Payments list.
Your client can simply try again. They can enter a different card in the same window, or close it and click Pay with Card again.
WorkZen cannot override a decline. The decision belongs to your client's bank. Common fixes are another card or a quick call to their bank.

WorkZen also sends a Payment Failed notification to the person who created the invoice and to your admins. It names the invoice and, when Stripe gives one, the decline reason.

If the invoice page shows "Unable to process payment. Please try again." before the card form opens, the payment could not be started. A message such as "This invoice has already been paid" means there is no balance left to charge.

The Pay with Card button is missing

The button only appears when online payments are fully working. Check these in order:

Stripe is connected and ready. Go to Settings > Integrations > Stripe Payments (web). The status badge must read Connected. If it reads Pending Verification, Stripe is still reviewing your account, and a Complete Setup button reopens Stripe's onboarding so you can finish anything it still needs. If there is no connection at all, connect Stripe first.
Online payments are not paused. Card payments are included in ZenGrow and ZenAI, not in the free Zen plan. A Paused badge means Stripe is connected but your current plan does not include online payments. Your Stripe account stays connected, so upgrading to ZenGrow or higher resumes charges without reconnecting.
The invoice still has a balance. A fully paid or voided invoice has nothing to pay.
A deposit is due. When the invoice requires an unpaid deposit, the page shows Pay deposit and Pay full balance instead of Pay with Card. That is expected.

If Stripe later stops card payments on your account (usually because it needs more verification information), a Card payments disabled alert appears. See Needs attention alerts for how to clear it.

Tap to Pay fails on your phone

Tap to Pay runs in the WorkZen iPhone and Android apps. On Android, if a collection goes wrong, the sheet shows Payment Failed with the reason underneath and a Try Again button. Try Again starts the payment over from the beginning.

What you see	What it means	What to do
Accept card payments on this phone instead of the payment	Your company's Stripe account is not connected or not ready	An admin connects Stripe on the web under Settings > Integrations > Stripe Payments
Nothing happens when you tap Collect	The app does not have Location permission, which Stripe requires to collect in person	Allow Location for WorkZen in your phone's app settings, then try again
"This phone can't take Tap to Pay payments. Use a card reader or another phone."	This phone cannot act as a card terminal	Use another NFC-capable Android phone, or a card reader
"Turn on NFC in your phone's settings, then try again."	NFC is off on this phone	Turn on NFC in your phone's settings, then tap Try Again
Payment Failed with a card message	The card was declined or the tap did not complete	Ask your client to tap again or use another card

A declined tap records nothing on the invoice, exactly like online.

On iPhone, a failed collection shows Card Declined, Timed Out or Payment Failed with a Try Again button. If the iPhone cannot take Tap to Pay, the app says so: "Tap to Pay requires iOS 17.6 or later" means update the iPhone in Settings > General > Software Update, and "Tap to Pay is not supported on this device. It requires iPhone XS or later." means use a newer iPhone or a card reader (an admin adds one under More > Settings > Card Readers).

A bank payment shows Pending

For US companies, clients can choose Pay by Bank (ACH) instead of a card. Bank transfers take 3 to 5 business days to clear, so the payment does not count right away:

Your client sees Bank Payment Processing after checkout, not a paid confirmation.
You get a Bank Payment Processing notification, and the payment shows as Pending in your Payments list.
The invoice keeps its balance and is not marked paid until the transfer clears. The processing fee and any tip already appear as line items.

When the transfer clears, the payment turns Completed, the invoice updates, and you are notified that the payment was received. If the transfer fails, the payment turns Failed, the fee and tip lines are removed from the invoice, and you get a Payment Failed notification.

Warning

While a bank payment is Pending, do not ask your client to pay the same invoice again. If the transfer then clears, they will have paid twice.

Why the total is higher than the invoice

If you pass processing fees to clients, your client pays a processing fee on top of the invoice when they pay by credit card or bank, and it shows as its own line before they confirm (Processing fee (credit cards only) for cards). A debit card is not charged the fee. That is expected, not an error. Surcharge vs fees explains how the fee and what Stripe keeps compare.

When your client pays another way

If your client gives up on the card and pays by cash, check, or e-transfer instead, record the payment yourself. You can confirm everything that did or did not go through on the Payments page.