Payment processing for firms that bill on relationships
Invoices with payment links, a virtual terminal for phone payments, recurring billing for retainers and payment plans, and interchange-plus pricing with a disclosed markup.
Short answer
Professional services payment processing is how law firms, accountants, consultants and agencies collect on invoices, retainers and payment plans. Most of it happens without the card present, through payment links, a virtual terminal or recurring billing, so the details that matter are consent for stored cards, keeping legal retainers in trust, and invoices clients can pay from their inbox.
Built for professional services
Professional services firms (law offices, accounting practices, consultants, agencies) typically deal with larger invoices, recurring clients, and payment schedules that don't fit a standard retail checkout.
You need a way to take retainer deposits, monthly billing and one-off invoices without stitching three tools together. And when a typical invoice runs to hundreds or thousands of dollars, the pricing model matters: interchange-plus passes each card's actual cost through with a disclosed markup, which can cost less than a single flat rate depending on your card mix and volume.
Features for professional services
Invoices with payment links
Email an invoice with a secure payment link from the virtual terminal. Clients enter their own card, so no card number ever lands in your inbox.
Recurring billing for retainers
Charge monthly retainers or installment plans to a stored card the client agreed to, on the schedule in your engagement letter.
Virtual terminal
Take a payment during a client call by keying the card into a secure screen instead of writing it on a notepad.
Separate trust and operating accounts
Bar guidance such as Washington's calls for one merchant account tied to trust and another to operating when you take both. Your dedicated rep will walk through where deposits, fees and chargebacks land on each before you sign.
QuickBooks Online invoices
Bill from QuickBooks Online? We can set you up on Elavon processing with Benji Pays, so your invoices take card payments and each payment syncs back to QuickBooks.
What does a large invoice cost to take by card?
More than a counter sale, because the card isn't present. On Visa's US interchange schedule effective April 18, 2026, a Traditional Rewards card paid online or keyed in costs 2.04% plus 10 cents, and a corporate or purchasing card in the same situation costs 2.70% plus 10 cents. On a $3,500 invoice, that's $71.50 or $94.60 in interchange alone, before network fees and the processor's markup.
Cards still earn their keep on consultation fees, monthly retainers and clients who pay late. For large invoices from clients who always pay, give them a bank-transfer option too: Clearo offers ACH payment processing, priced on each merchant's quote, and Clearo says ACH payments usually fund the next business day. Our guide to invoice payment terms covers due dates and early-payment discounts.
How should a law firm take card payments for retainers?
Into trust, without the processor's fees or chargebacks coming out of client money. ABA Model Rule 1.15(c) says legal fees and expenses paid in advance go into a client trust account and come out only as they're earned or incurred, and paying by card doesn't change that. The Washington State Bar Association's trust account guidance says a firm that takes cards for both advance fees and earned fees needs two merchant accounts, one tied to trust and one to the business account, and warns against letting a processor take chargebacks out of trust.
The usual trap is net settlement, where the processor deducts its fee from each deposit. Say a client pays a $2,500 retainer and the card costs on that sale come to $75, an assumption for the example. If the fee is netted out, $2,425 reaches trust while the client's ledger says $2,500. Ask any processor, us included, to say in writing which bank account its fees, refunds and chargebacks come from, and check your state bar's version of the rule. Our guide to credit card processing for lawyers goes through the setup.
Can a firm pass the card fee on to clients?
Sometimes. The New York State Bar Association's ethics committee said in Opinion 1258A that a lawyer may pass a processing fee to a client paying by credit card if the legal fee and the processing fee are both reasonable and the client was told and agreed in advance. Card network rules still apply: Visa caps a US surcharge at your merchant discount rate or 3% and wants 30 days' notice to your acquirer, Mastercard caps it at your average effective rate or 4%, and neither allows one on debit or prepaid cards. Some states restrict surcharges, so check our surcharging rules by state, and our surcharging program handles compliance, disclosure and setup if you go ahead. Our view: a fee on a first retainer can sour a new relationship, so always offer a fee-free way to pay.
What should an invoice show so clients pay on time?
Enough that the client can approve it without a phone call: a unique invoice number, the invoice date and an actual due date, what the work was, the total and a payment link. Firms with Canadian clients have one more reason to state terms: the CRA's list of records that support a GST/HST input tax credit includes the terms of payment for purchases of $500 or more. Tell clients a link is on its way and send it from an address they know, since the FTC tells consumers not to click links in unexpected texts that ask for financial information. Our invoicing guide has a full checklist.
Take client payments by phone with our virtual terminal, send secure online payments links with your invoices, and get a free statement review to see what your card payments cost today. Our Commerce Media Group case study follows a Toronto agency that now takes card payments inside its QuickBooks Online invoices.
Professional services payments FAQ
Generally it has to. ABA Model Rule 1.15(c) puts legal fees paid in advance in a client trust account until they are earned, whatever the payment method. The catch is the processor: make sure its fees, refunds and chargebacks come out of your operating account rather than client money, and check your own state bar's version of the rule.
Offer both. A card payment by link is quick but prices at card-not-present rates: on Visa's April 2026 schedule, about $71.50 in interchange on a $3,500 invoice paid with a Traditional Rewards card and $94.60 with a corporate card. For large invoices from clients who always pay, an ACH bank payment is worth offering; Clearo's ACH pricing depends on each merchant's quote.
Yes. Clearo sets firms up with Elavon processing and Benji Pays, so QuickBooks Online invoices take card payments and the payments sync back to QuickBooks Online. Our Commerce Media Group case study describes that setup at a Toronto marketing agency.
Sources
The rates, bar rules and tax records on this page come from these sources, checked in October 2026. Bar rules vary by state, so check your own bar's version before you set up card payments.
- Visa USA Interchange Reimbursement Fees (usa.visa.com)
- Rule 1.15: Safekeeping Property (American Bar Association Model Rules of Professional Conduct) (americanbar.org)
- Managing Client Trust Accounts: Rules, Regulations, and Common Sense (Washington State Bar Association) (wsba.org)
- Ethics Opinion 1258A: Credit Card Fees as an 'Expense' (New York State Bar Association) (nysba.org)
- U.S. Merchant Surcharge Q and A (Visa) (usa.visa.com)
- Mastercard Credit Card Surcharge Rules and Fees for Merchants (mastercard.com)
- Input tax credits (Canada Revenue Agency) (canada.ca)
- How to Recognize and Report Spam Text Messages (FTC) (consumer.ftc.gov)
Disclaimer: general information, not professional advice
This page is general educational information, not legal, tax, accounting or financial advice. Rules and rates vary by place and change, so confirm them with the official source and a qualified professional before you act. Full terms are in our Terms of Service.
Other industries we serve
Clearo works with businesses across the US and Canada. Find your industry below.
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Pricing
See our interchange-plus rates and how we compare
Guides for law firms and other professional services
Industries
Credit card processing for lawyers: trust accounts and fees
B2B payments
How to send an invoice: steps, email template, and timing
B2B payments
Invoice payment terms: common examples and how to choose
Payment basics
Recurring billing: how card-on-file payments work
Online payments
What is a payment link? How it works and when to use one
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