Connecting Stripe for Online Payments

Overview

Stripe is the online card-payment provider MyApprentice integrates with. When Stripe is connected, your invoices can carry a payment link the client uses to pay by card from the invoice email or the Client Portal. Stripe handles the card data — MyApprentice never stores card numbers or payment credentials. When Stripe and Xero are both connected, a Stripe payment also flows through to Xero so your accounts reflect it as paid.

Who uses this feature

Connecting and managing Stripe is done from Business Settings → Integrations, so it is available to roles with Business Settings access — Business Owner, Sole Trader, Admin, and Finance. MFA must be set up first. Supervisors, Tradies, and Apprentices do not have Business Settings access and cannot connect or change the Stripe integration.

When to use this feature

• You want to accept online card payments from clients.
• You want clients to pay immediately from an invoice email or the Client Portal.
• You need to link, reconnect, or maintain the Stripe connection.

What you can do with this feature

• Connect MyApprentice to your Stripe account through Stripe’s onboarding.
• Add Stripe to your payment methods so the online payment link appears on invoices.
• Let clients pay an invoice by card from the email or the Client Portal.
• When Xero is also connected, have a Stripe payment automatically recorded against the invoice in Xero.

How the feature works

Prerequisites

Requirement	Detail
MFA enabled	MFA must be set up before Stripe can be connected.
Stripe account	You complete Stripe’s onboarding during the connection — have your business and bank details ready.
Business Settings access	Business Owner, Sole Trader, Admin, or Finance.

Step 1 — Connect Stripe

1. In the left sidebar, select Business Settings.
2. Select the Integrations tab.
3. Locate the Stripe section and select Connect.
4. Enter your mobile number so Stripe can send a verification code to your device.
5. Enter your business details:
   • Legal business name — your registered entity (for example “Joe Blogs Pty Ltd”).
   • Business name — the name you trade under (for example “Joe’s”).
   • ABN and ACN.
   • Business address, business phone number, industry, and business website.
6. Verify your personal details — legal name, email address, job title, date of birth, home address, and phone number.
7. Select the option that applies to you — for example “I own 25% or more of the company”, “I’m a director or member of the governing board”, or “I have significant management control over the company.”
8. Business owners — confirm anyone who owns a percentage of the company, or continue with no other owners.
9. Confirm the business directors, then confirm the business executives.
10. Add bank details — the bank account you want your Stripe payouts paid into — and continue.
11. Complete any unverified fields flagged, including ID verification. You can skip ID verification, but skipping it can limit payouts. If you proceed: agree and continue, scan the QR code, and follow the steps to confirm your identity, then Submit verification.
12. Review the details and submit. Re-check the information and select Agree and submit.
13. Stripe confirms the business is connected and returns you to MyApprentice. The Integrations tab now shows Stripe as Connected.

Step 2 — Add Stripe to your payment profile

Connecting Stripe is separate from making it appear on invoices. To add it as a payment method:

1. Open Business Settings → Sales tab.
2. Scroll to Payment methods and select Add.
3. In Payment method type, select Stripe. The label applied is your bank account.
4. (Optional) Add additional payment instructions — a free-text note shown on the quote/invoice.
5. Select Save.
6. Tick Stripe online payments to enable the payment link to the Client Portal for invoices.
7. Scroll down and select Save all settings.

Setup scenarios — Stripe, Xero, and the Client Portal

How a client pays an invoice depends on three independent switches, and it is worth understanding the combinations before you decide how to set your business up:

1. Stripe connected, with “Stripe online payments” ticked on the Sales tab.
2. Xero connected, with “Use Xero’s Pay Now link on invoices” ticked — this is a checkbox you tick when connecting Xero.
3. The Client Portal on or off.

Stripe and Xero decide the payment link; the Client Portal only decides how the invoice is presented. The Pay Now link is added to the invoice email either way — the Client Portal just controls whether the client views the invoice as a portal page (portal on) or a PDF attachment (portal off). When both a Xero and a Stripe link could apply, the Xero Pay Now link wins (when the Xero setting is on and the invoice is Authorised); otherwise the MyApprentice Stripe link is used.

Stripe online payments	Xero	Client Portal	What the client receives	How they pay	Where the payment is recorded
On	Connected	On	PDF + portal link + Pay Now	Card via the Xero Pay Now link (authorised invoices) or the MyApprentice Stripe link; or bank transfer	Paid in MyApprentice and reflected in Xero
On	Connected	Off	PDF + Pay Now in the email	Card via the Pay Now link in the email; or bank transfer	Paid in MyApprentice and reflected in Xero
On	Not connected	On	Portal link + Pay Now	Card via the Stripe link in the portal; or bank transfer	Paid in MyApprentice
On	Not connected	Off	PDF + Pay Now in the email	Card via the Stripe link in the email; or bank transfer	Paid in MyApprentice
Off	Connected	On / Off	Portal link or PDF; Xero Pay Now link when the setting is on and the invoice is authorised	Card on Xero’s hosted page, or bank transfer	Reconciled in Xero; status syncs back to MyApprentice (use Sync All)
Off	Not connected	On / Off	Portal link or PDF, no online link	Bank transfer or cash	You record it with Mark as Paid in MyApprentice

How the pieces behave

• Emailing authorises in Xero. When Xero is connected, sending the invoice by email authorises it in Xero — that is what makes the Xero Pay Now link work and lets the client pay.
• Invoice delivery with Stripe + Xero. When Stripe and Xero are both connected, the client always receives the invoice PDF. If the Client Portal is also on, the email additionally includes a portal link to view and pay in the portal.
• Stripe payment → Xero (auto). When a client pays by card through MyApprentice’s Stripe and Xero is connected, the paid status can be pushed to Xero automatically so Xero shows the invoice as paid. If the invoice is still a draft in Xero, MyApprentice authorises it first, then applies the payment. This is controlled by the Xero payment account setting — the bank or clearing account used to record card payments collected through MyApprentice as paid in Xero. Leave it empty to not record these payments in Xero; while it is empty the payment records in MyApprentice only and you reconcile with Sync All.
• No double-recording. MyApprentice never pushes a payment for an invoice Xero has already settled (for example, one the client paid on Xero’s own hosted rail).
• Mark as Paid is available only when Xero is not connected. With Xero connected, payment is reconciled in Xero and the status syncs back, so the Mark-as-Paid action is hidden.
• Sync All (next to Send all to Xero on the Quotes & Invoices page) pulls the latest reconciliation status from Xero on demand.

Choosing your setup

• You run your accounts in Xero and want payments reconciled there automatically: connect Xero and turn on Use Xero’s Pay Now link on invoices. Clients pay on Xero’s rail and it reconciles directly in Xero.
• You want clients to pay by card through MyApprentice (you don’t use Xero, or you prefer the MyApprentice flow): connect Stripe and tick Stripe online payments. If you also use Xero, set the Xero payment account so the paid status pushes through.
• The Client Portal is a presentation choice — on gives clients a branded page to view and pay; off sends the invoice PDF with the Pay Now button in the email. It does not change whether online payment is available.
• Watch for double-counting: if your Stripe account also feeds Xero through a bank feed or Xero’s own Stripe service, the automatic push can record the same money twice — review your Xero setup before relying on auto-push.

Role-specific notes

• Business Owner / Sole Trader / Admin / Finance: connect and manage Stripe, and configure the related Xero payment settings.
• Supervisor, Tradie, Apprentice: no access to Business Settings, so cannot connect or change the Stripe integration.

Related workflows

• Connecting and Using Xero
• Creating, Sending, and Tracking Invoices
• Using the Client Portal
• Setting Payment Methods and Terms
• Configuring Business Settings

Important notes

• The connected Stripe account must remain active for payment links to work.
• Stripe charges a per-transaction processing fee (see stripe.com/pricing). Refunds and disputes are managed in the Stripe dashboard.
• Avoid double-counting in Xero. Caution: if your Stripe account also feeds Xero (bank feed or Xero payment service), recording here too can double-count the cash. If that applies to you, leave the Xero payment account empty so the same money is not recorded twice.
• Only Authorised Xero invoices have a usable Xero Pay Now link; draft-synced invoices fall back to the MyApprentice Stripe link until authorised.