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# How to Set Up Automatic Payments (AutoBill)

## Overview

AutoBill lets you charge your client's credit card or bank account (ACH) automatically when an invoice is generated. Before you can enable AutoBill on a recurring profile, you need to save a payment method for the client.

## Prerequisites

- Your **Stripe payment gateway** must be connected and active. Go to **Settings → Payment Gateway** to verify.
- You need the client's payment details (credit card info or bank account info for ACH).

## Adding a Payment Method for a Client

1. Go to **Contacts** (or **Companies**) and open the client's profile.
2. Scroll to the **Payment Methods** section.
3. Click **Add Payment Method**.
4. Choose the method type:

### Credit or Debit Card

1. Select **Card** as the add mode.
2. Enter the card details in the secure Stripe-powered form.
3. Optionally fill in the billing name and address.
4. Check **Set as default** if this should be the primary payment method.
5. Click **Save**. The card is tokenized through Stripe — SWELL never stores raw card numbers.

### ACH Bank Account

1. Select **ACH** as the add mode.
2. Enter the bank details:
   - **Account holder name** — The name on the bank account.
   - **Routing number** — The 9-digit bank routing number.
   - **Account number** — The bank account number.
   - **Account type** — Checking or Savings.
   - **Account holder type** — Individual or Company.
3. Optionally add a billing email and address.
4. Check **Set as default** if this should be the primary payment method.
5. Click **Save**. The bank account is verified through Stripe.

## Enabling AutoBill on a Recurring Profile

1. Go to **Finance → Recurring** and open the recurring profile (or create a new one).
2. Under **Billing Type**, select **AutoBill**.
3. Select the **Payment Gateway** (your connected Stripe account).
4. Select the client's **saved payment method** from the dropdown. Only active, verified methods appear here.
5. Click **Save**.

SWELL will create a Stripe subscription behind the scenes. On each billing cycle, the client's payment method is charged automatically and the invoice is marked as paid.

## Managing Payment Methods

From the client's profile under **Payment Methods**, you can:

- **Set as default** — Make a different payment method the primary one.
- **Edit** — Update billing details or notes.
- **Delete** — Remove a payment method that is no longer needed.

## When Payments Fail

If an automatic charge fails (declined card, insufficient funds, etc.), SWELL will:

- Send you an **email notification** with the failure reason.
- Show an **in-app notification** in your notification center.
- Send a **push notification** if you have push enabled.

The invoice remains unpaid so you can follow up with the client to update their payment method or collect payment manually.

## Client Self-Service Payments

Even with AutoBill enabled, your clients can always pay invoices manually through the secure payment link. The checkout page supports both **credit/debit card** and **ACH bank transfer** — your client chooses their preferred method at checkout.

## Tips

- **ACH payments** typically have lower processing fees than credit cards. Consider using ACH for larger recurring amounts.
- You can store multiple payment methods per client and switch between them on different recurring profiles.
- Payment methods added through the admin panel are immediately verified through Stripe. Methods added by clients during invoice checkout are also saved automatically for future use.