Collecting Payments

Overview

Tracking what members owe is only half the job — at some point the money has to actually change hands. For most clubs that has meant a patchwork of personal Venmo handles, a stack of checks in the treasurer's glovebox, and a monthly reminder email that everyone learns to ignore. Centerline closes that loop by letting members pay their balance from the same screen where they see their charges, so the ledger and the bank account stay in sync without anyone re-keying a payment.

There are two independent ways to collect: you can simply publish your payment instructions (Zelle, Venmo, mailing address for checks) for members to follow on their own, or you can connect a Stripe account and let members pay by card or bank transfer directly inside Centerline. You can use either, both, or neither — clubs that handle money entirely outside Centerline can leave all of this off. Everything described here requires Billing to be enabled and is managed by the Account Owner under Setup → Payments.

Payment Instructions

The simplest option is to tell members how you'd like to be paid. On the Setup → Payments tab, the Payment Instructions editor lets you write free-form rich text — Zelle email, Venmo handle, the address to mail a check to, or whatever combination your club uses.

Whatever you enter appears on every member's Charges tab, right above their entries, so the answer to "how do I pay this?" is always one screen away. Formatting (bold, lists, links) is preserved, so you can lay out multiple payment methods clearly.

Payment instructions work with or without Stripe. Many clubs start here and add online payments later.

Online Payments with Stripe

Connecting Stripe lets members pay their balance by card or bank transfer (ACH) without leaving Centerline. When a payment succeeds, Centerline automatically records a matching credit on the member's ledger, so you never have to reconcile a payment by hand.

Centerline uses Stripe Connect, which means the money goes directly into your club's Stripe account. Centerline never holds your funds and takes no cut of member payments — the only fees are Stripe's standard processing fees, billed to your account.

Connecting Your Stripe Account

1. Go to Setup → Payments.
2. In the Online Payments section, click Connect with Stripe.
3. You'll be taken to Stripe to either sign in to an existing account or create a new one. Stripe will ask for the business and banking details it needs to pay out to you.
4. When you finish, Stripe returns you to Centerline and the connection status updates.

Until onboarding is fully complete on Stripe's side, the connection may show as pending and the Pay Now button stays hidden from members. Once Stripe reports the account as ready, members with a balance will see the option to pay.

What Members See

Once Stripe is connected, members see a Pay Now button on their Charges tab whenever they carry an outstanding balance. They choose a payment method, review the amount, and complete the payment through Stripe's secure checkout. The resulting credit posts to their ledger automatically and is flagged with an Online badge in your billing list so you can tell online payments apart from checks and manual adjustments. See Paying Your Balance for the member's side of this flow.

Optional Fee Pass-Through

Card and bank payments carry processing fees. By default those fees come out of what you receive — a $100 payment nets you slightly less than $100. If you'd rather receive the full balance owed, Centerline can add the processing cost to the member's payment as a surcharge.

Each method is controlled separately on the Setup → Payments tab:

• Bank transfer (ACH) surcharge — A small, capped percentage added to ACH payments. This is a simple on/off toggle.
• Card surcharge — Added to card payments so the club nets the full amount. Because card surcharging is restricted in some states (including Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Maine) and governed by Visa/Mastercard rules, enabling it requires a one-time legal acknowledgment confirming you understand and accept responsibility for compliance. Until you check that box, card surcharging cannot be turned on.

However you configure fees, the credit posted to the member's ledger always equals the original balance owed. The surcharge exists only in the Stripe checkout — it's what the member pays on top, not part of the club's books. Members always see a clear breakdown of the base amount and any fee before they confirm.

Required Role

Only the Account Owner can connect Stripe, edit payment instructions, and configure fee pass-through. Members can view instructions and pay their own balance, but cannot change any of these settings.

Tips

• Start with instructions, add Stripe when you're ready. Publishing your Zelle or check details costs nothing and immediately answers the most common billing question. Online payments are a convenience you can layer on later.
• Complete Stripe onboarding in one sitting. The Pay Now button won't appear for members until Stripe reports your account as fully ready to accept payments and pay out.
• Decide on fees deliberately. Passing card fees through keeps the club whole, but check your state's rules first — the acknowledgment step exists because the responsibility for compliance rests with the club.
• The ledger is the source of truth. Online payments post credits automatically, but checks and cash still need a manual credit entry (see Managing Billing Entries) so a member's balance reflects everything they've paid.