Viewing & paying

This page walks through what your customer experiences when they pay — useful for supporting clients or explaining the flow.

#Opening the document

The customer clicks the link in your invoice email or WhatsApp message. The portal opens to that invoice, showing:

• Your business name and logo.
• The line items, tax, and amount due.
• The due date.
• A clear Pay action.

#Choosing how to pay

The customer taps Pay and sees the payment methods you've set up: Pesapal (card or mobile money, when you've connected it on Starter) and your manual payment details, such as a paybill or bank account.

#Completing payment

Depending on the method:

• Pesapal — they complete payment in Pesapal's checkout, by card or mobile money.
• Manual payment — they pay you directly using your details, then tell you they've paid; you confirm it. See Paying by manual payment below.

The amount is fixed to the invoice, so there's nothing for the customer to key in incorrectly.

#Paying by manual payment

When the business accepts manual payments, the customer pays them directly (M-Pesa paybill or till, bank transfer, cash or cheque) and then tells PaidFast, so the business can check it and send a receipt. They can do this from the pay link or in WhatsApp.

#From the pay link

1. Open the payment link from the invoice email or WhatsApp message and tap Pay.
2. Choose Pay directly to the business. (If the business hasn't added payment details, this option is called Already paid another way.)
3. Step 1 — Pay using these details. The business's details are shown with the invoice number and amount filled in, for example a paybill number and account. Tap Copy payment details if needed, then pay from your phone or bank as usual.
4. Step 2 — Then confirm your payment. Fill in:
   • Amount paid — the full balance or part of it.
   • How did you pay? — Bank transfer, Cash deposit, M-Pesa / mobile money, Cheque or Other.
   • Payment date.
   • Transaction reference — for example the M-Pesa code from the confirmation SMS (like QAB1C2D3E4), the bank reference or the cheque number. This is how the business matches your payment.
   • Note (optional) — anything the business should know.
   • If you withhold tax on this payment, tick withholding tax and enter the amount withheld and the certificate number.
5. Tap Submit payment confirmation. The page shows "Your payment confirmation was submitted. The business will review and confirm it."

#In WhatsApp

1. Message the business's PaidFast WhatsApp number with PAY (or tap Pay an invoice in the menu) and pick the invoice, or Pay all.
2. Choose Paybill or bank to see the payment details, pay, then tap I've paid. Or choose I've already paid if you've paid already.
3. Answer the questions: how you paid (M-Pesa / mobile money, Bank transfer, Cash, Cheque or Other), the M-Pesa code or payment reference (or SKIP), and when you paid (Today, Yesterday or Another date).
4. Check the summary and tap Submit. PaidFast replies "Sent to … to confirm", and the receipt arrives in the chat once the business confirms it.

To pay a different amount, choose Pay a different amount first. Reply CANCEL at any step to stop. See Paying in the chat.

#What happens next

• The business checks the payment and approves or rejects it.
• Approved: the invoice is updated to Paid (or Partially paid) and the customer gets a receipt by email and WhatsApp.
• Rejected: the customer is told the business's reason by email, and on WhatsApp if they confirmed the payment there or have no email on file. On WhatsApp they can reply PAY to send the details again, or CHAT to message the business.
• Only one confirmation per invoice can wait for review at a time; a second one is refused with "A payment confirmation for this invoice is already under review."

#After payment

Once the payment is confirmed:

• The invoice shows as Paid (or Partially paid).
• The customer receives a receipt and can download it from the portal.
• You see the payment in your Activity feed and Overview totals.

#Paying several invoices

A signed-in customer can see all their outstanding invoices in one place and pay them one by one. For a customer with many open invoices, sending a statement first gives them the full picture.

#Partial payments

If your setup allows it, a customer can pay part of an invoice; the balance stays outstanding and the payment link remains valid until it's cleared.

#Helping a stuck customer

• Ask them to retry from the original link.
• Confirm they completed the Pesapal checkout, including any prompt on their phone.
• Check your Activity feed — confirmation usually lands within seconds.
• If they paid outside PaidFast, record it manually.