What is GoCardless?
GoCardless is a partner that we have integrated with to allow you to take Direct Debit payments. GoCardless isn't available in every country, but that list is getting longer, have a look at their global reach here.
How much does it cost to use GoCardless?
When GoCardless payout into your business account, they take their fee. This fee can be seen here
How do I set up GoCardless and take Direct Debit payments?
GoCardless is a partner that we collaborate with to allow you to take Direct Debit payments.
Step by step process
If you have GoCardless already set up, skip to step 5.
Go to System > Settings > Payment Integrations > Direct Debit Payments and click 'Setup direct debit integration'. If this option isn't available then you can contact support@tutorcruncher.com to discuss access.
You can fill in an Authorisation Description if you click the edit icon behind 'GoCardless Authorisation Description'. This text will be shown to your clients when they sign up with GoCardless.
Next sign in with your GoCardless account. If you haven't done this already, click 'Sign Up'.
If your client already has a Direct Debit mandate set up, you can skip the next step.
To set a client upon GoCardless, go to a client's page and click 'Setup Direct Debit'. You will be shown a link that you can send to the client that will enable them to sign up. This will create a Direct Debit mandate on their account.
To pay an invoice using GoCardless, simply go to the invoice and click 'Pay with Direct Debit'.
The payment is now pending, and you simply have to wait for it to be approved before it can be paid into your account.
If the payment fails in any way, the invoice will be marked as unpaid.
More information
What does it mean if the GoCardless mandate is showing as inactive?
If a GoCardless mandate is showing as inactive in TutorCruncher, then it means that the mandate has not been approved yet. You will not be able to receive payments or assign this as a default payment method until the mandate is shown as Active.
How long does it take for my GoCardless account to be approved?
An account typically takes 3-4 working days to be approved but can take longer.
How do I link my current GoCardless account to TutorCruncher?
If you have a GoCardless account, you can simply link your accounts by following the normal set up, as explained in the video above.
How do I link my current GoCardless clients to the clients within TutorCruncher?
If you want to link your current GoCardless clients to the clients you have within TutorCruncher, then you can do this using our ‘Customer Matching’ feature. Once you have set up GoCardless within TutorCruncher, go to System > Settings > Payment Integrations > Direct Debit Matching. Check that the email and name of the user match that in GoCardless, then click the ‘Link’ tab. A green checkmark will appear beside the user's name, this indicates that the clients TutorCruncher and GoCardless account has been successfully matched. You can now go to the client's profile and under the heading 'Payment Details' will be details of the match.
How long does it take for a client's GoCardless account to be approved?
A Direct Debit mandate takes 2 working days to be approved.
I've waited more than a week & a users mandate is still showing as inactive, what can I do?
There are two things you can do to try & make sure that the mandate is active & fully working:
Remove the mandate & resend the invite to setup the direct debit to the client so they can re-enter their details, just in case they were incorrect.
Remove the mandate & try to use the 'Direct Debit Matching Tool'. If the client exists in your GoCardless account, then they will appear there & you can match them so their details are pulled straight to their profile.
If the client still shows as 'Inactive' after using the customer matching tool, then the client would be inactive within GoCardless. TutorCruncher pulls that data & information directly from GoCardless, so that may need to be updated within the GC account. If you match a user and they still appear in this list, it could be that user has no active mandates in GoCardless.
A clients mandate is showing as Active in GoCardless, why aren't they appearing in the customer matching tool?
There are a few reasons why a client might not be showing in the customer direct debit matching tool:
It hasn't reached the Earliest Charge Date setting on the mandate within GoCardless. Transactions can only be processed once it passes this date
The client has already been matched and the mandate details have been assigned to their profile
When can I start taking payments?
As soon as you create your account you can ask your clients to sign up and create payments. You will not be able to receive payments until your account is verified, but clients will still be charged.
How do I ask clients to sign up for GoCardless?
Go to a client's page and click Setup Direct Debit. You can now automatically send out the link that will enable the client to sign up. This will create a Direct Debit mandate on their account.
How long does it take for a payment to get to my account?
Generally, payments take 5 working days to be approved, from the time that you submit the payment from TutorCruncher. If it is the client's first time using GoCardless, it will take an extra day.
Why does my payment request have a different payment status in GoCardless and TutorCruncher?
On rare occasions, a payers bank account sends GoCardless a payment failure report one business day after you have issued the client with a charge. Consequently, as it is not included in the expected failure report, the payment is marked as 'confirmed' in GoCardless, but may still be outstanding in TutorCruncher. You can read more information on this just here.
We will notify you by email that this has happened, but in order to resolve these types of payment requests, you will need to do a Manual Balance Adjustment on the clients profile to remove any credit that may have been added via the payment request. You will then need to issue a Credit Note on the invoice to void that and then resend it again.
What happens when you click 'Pay with Direct Debit'?
As soon as you submit a payment for an invoice, the client receives an email from GoCardless featuring the date they will be charged, usually in 3 working days. They have this time to cancel the payment if they wish. The invoice will then have the status 'Pending'.
There is no button for Pay with Direct Debit on my unpaid invoice, why not?
Either the client's Direct Debit mandate hasn't been created, approved, or you haven't signed up to GoCardless. To check, go to the client's page. If they have a Direct Debit mandate listed, then you can tell if it is inactive by hovering your mouse over the cross if there is one.
More information is available from GoCardless.
How do I use GoCardless to pay Credit Requests?
GoCardless Direct Debit can be used to pay credit requests in the exact same way as payment for unpaid invoices.
Once Direct Debit has been set up for a client, go to Accounting > Raised Credit Requests, select the user's credit request and click 'Pay With Direct Debit'. Just like invoices, the direct debit payment for a credit request will take about 5 days to process.