Help Center / Invoicing and payments /
Online payments - bank transfer
Clients can pay an invoice by bank transfer in three different ways, depending on how you want the payment to flow and how you want the details to appear. All three options show up on the same invoice page alongside Stripe, PayPal, and Square, so clients choose how to pay in a single view.
Three ways to accept bank payments
Plutio supports three bank-style payment paths, and they solve different problems. Most workspaces use the built-in bank transfer method, but ACH and content blocks have a place depending on the scenario.
- Built-in bank transfer. A dedicated payment method where you store one or more bank accounts in settings, then select them on each invoice. The client clicks to pay, sees your bank details in a popup, and can click I've paid to send you a notification once they've made the transfer. You then verify the funds in your bank and record the payment yourself. Best for wire, BACS, SEPA, or any manual transfer where you want a repeatable, structured setup.
- ACH via Stripe. Plutio's ACH payments option runs a real automated US bank transfer through Stripe. The client enters their US bank and routing number on the invoice and the payment clears digitally in 3-5 business days, so no manual marking is needed. USD invoices only.
- Content block on the invoice. For one-off or ad-hoc situations, you can drop a text block into the invoice and type bank details directly into it. There's no I've paid button for the client to click and the details aren't reusable, so this path is best for rare cases rather than a standing setup.
Configuring the built-in bank transfer method
Bank accounts are configured under Settings > Integrations > Bank account (manual), and the full bank transfer setup guide walks through every field. Each account stores an Account name (how it appears in the invoice Payment method dropdown) and a free-form list of detail rows. Every detail row is a Field name and Value pair you type yourself, so you can label fields exactly how your bank and region need: "Account number", "Sort code", "Routing number", "IBAN", "SWIFT", or anything else. Add as many rows as you need and toggle the account Active.
How bank details appear on invoices
Each bank account you configure becomes its own option in the invoice Payment method dropdown, listed by its account name. To offer it on an invoice, open the invoice, pick the bank account (and any other payment methods) from the Payment method field, and save.
When the client opens the invoice and clicks to pay with the bank account, a popup displays the Bank name (set from the account name), every detail row, and the invoice reference. The client can then click I've paid if they've already sent the transfer, or Pay later if they haven't yet. Both buttons send you a notification so you know the client saw the details; neither button changes the invoice status. The whole flow stays on the invoice page, with no external redirect.
Marking payment as received
Because the built-in bank transfer and the content block path both happen outside Plutio's payment rails, the invoice never updates automatically when funds land in your bank. You always close the loop yourself by opening the invoice and clicking Record payment, filling in the amount (full or partial), payment method, date, optional note, and the Send a receipt toggle. Plutio then creates a transaction and a receipt and moves the invoice to paid once the full amount has been recorded.
If the client has clicked I've paid on the bank popup, that sends you a notification so you know to check your bank and record the payment. The button itself does not change the invoice status.
ACH via Stripe is the exception. Since Stripe processes the payment digitally, the invoice updates itself once Stripe confirms the funds have cleared.
Bank transfer skips the Stripe, PayPal, and Square processing fees that card and online payments carry, which makes it especially useful for larger invoices where those fees would add up. Your own bank may still charge for receiving the transfer.
