[LSR] Payment Links and Statuses

You can follow the instructions in the article here on Lightspeed Retail R Series support site on how to use "Payment Links" for the purpose of paying invoices and credit accounts when using Lightspeed Payments.

Listed below is additional information obtained from LS support that isn't included in the above article at this time that can shed light on the status of payments performed by customers using "Payment Links".

When the customer clicks the payment link and makes the payment, the invoice balance is reflected and the "Payment Processing" will be reflected on the invoice until the payment hits your account.  At the same time, when the payment clears, the "Payment Pending" status is removed from the invoice and the invoice total of $0 will be reflected in the "Credit Account" list as well as the payment showing in the "Payouts" report and the payments received report.

To tell when a customer has paid on their invoice using the "Payment Link".

You'll get automatic email notifications when customers pay invoices with "Payment Links".  The system sends instant notifications that include the payment amount, invoice number, customer name, and payment timestamp. You can also subscribe employees to receive these same notifications.  Both you and your customer receive email confirmation once the payment is complete. By default, admins always get these notifications, and you can enable store email notifications too if needed.

For example:

A sale was performed for a customer, it was charged to the customer's account, the invoice was sent to the customer (via no-reply@invoicing-send.lightspeedhq.com).

The subject of the email is "Payment due - invoice #XYZ from store name".

When you pull up the invoice in "Customer" -> "Account" -> "View Invoice", you will see the following, as you would expect.

The store received the following email from the same Lightspeed email address with the subject of "Payment received for INV# 179".

By default, Admins always receive an email notification when customers pay using a "Payment Link".  You can also set up the store's email address to receive these notifications by going to "Settings" -> "General" "Options" -> "Email" tab and enabling Store's email in the Email Notifications section.  The emails are sent from your configured "Reply To/From Email Address" that you set up in your email settings.

You will immediately see the payment in "Reports" -> "Payments" -> "Received".

The "Transactions & Payouts" report also reflects the payment.

So, why would a customer's invoice reflect "Payment Processing"?  
 
When an invoice shows "Payment Processing", it typically means the payment is being processed but hasn't completed yet. This can happen for a few reasons:
 

• Payment method delays: If the customer paid via ACH Direct Debit, it takes 5-7 business days to process compared to credit cards which process within minutes or hours.
• Account verification: ACH payments may require the customer to verify their bank account with Stripe, which can cause delays if they haven't completed this step.
• Settlement timing: Payments through payment links can take 2-5 business days to settle to your account, which is longer than your usual settlement schedule.

To confirm the payment status, check your "Financial Services" section in the POS system and look for the transaction amount - this will show details like the last four digits of the customer's card.
 
Since you're using Lightspeed Payments, here's what's likely happening with that "Payment Processing" status:
 

• If your customer paid with ACH Direct Debit, this is totally normal - those payments take 5-7 business days to fully process.
• The customer might also need to verify their bank account with Lightspeed Payments first. If they chose manual verification, they have to wait for a micro deposit (usually 1-2 business days) and then enter a verification code.
• You can check the actual payment status by going to "Financial Services" -> "Lightspeed Payments" -> "Payment links" tab to see if the payment has actually completed on Stripe's end, even if it still shows as processing in your system.
• Credit card payments usually process much faster, so if they used a card and it's still showing as processing, there might be a verification step they haven't completed yet.

 
Since the payment isn't showing in "Financial Services" yet, there are a few likely scenarios:
 

• If it's an ACH payment: The customer may still need to complete bank account verification with Stripe. With manual verification, they have to wait 1-2 business days for a micro deposit, then enter a verification code before the payment can process. Until this is done, the payment won't appear in your "Financial Services".
• Incomplete sale process: Sometimes payments show as processing but the actual sale wasn't completed properly. Check Reports > All Transactions and search for the sale ID to see if you need to click "Continue sale" and then "Finish sale" to complete it.
• Processing delays: Even successful payments through payment links can take 2-5 business days to settle and appear in your account.

We'd recommend checking if your customer completed any required verification steps, especially if they used ACH.