---
title: "How do customers pay my invoice?"
description: "Your customer clicks the pay button in your invoice email, enters their email, links their bank and clicks Pay. They don't need a Cleo Pay account. Cleo Pay emails you when the payment starts and again when it's complete."
url: https://cleo-pay.com/help/how-customers-pay-your-invoice
category: "Invoices and getting paid"
audience: [business]
updated: 2026-10-22
support: support@cleo-pay.com
---

# How do customers pay my invoice?

> Your customer clicks the pay button in your invoice email, enters their email, links their bank and clicks Pay. They don't need a Cleo Pay account. Cleo Pay emails you when the payment starts and again when it's complete.

Your customer opens the link in your invoice email and pays from their bank account. They enter their email, link their bank, agree to the bank debit and click **Pay**. They don't need a Cleo Pay account. Cleo Pay emails you when the payment starts and again when it's complete, and the invoice updates in **Get Paid** on its own.

## What your customer does

The email has a button that says "Pay [amount] on Cleo". It opens a page with your invoice, its line items and a PDF they can download. From there:

1. They leave **Pay as guest** selected.
2. They enter their **Email** and their name.
3. They click **Link bank account** and connect their bank in the window that opens. It's run by Stripe, our payments partner.
4. They check the **Authorization** box. It reads "I authorize [your business] to debit my bank account for [amount] via ACH transfer."
5. They click **Pay [amount]**.

The page then shows the payment as submitted, and we email them a receipt with the subject "Your payment receipt from [your business]". When the payment completes, they get "Your payment of [amount] to [your business] is complete".

You can share the same link without the email, too. On the Get Paid page, click **Copy payment link** next to the invoice.

## Customers who use Cleo Pay

If your customer is a business you're connected with on Cleo Pay, the invoice also shows up in their own Cleo Pay account, and they can pay it there like any other bill.

If they open the payment link instead, they should still pick **Pay as guest**. If they sign in and pick a saved bank, they'll see "This business does not accept payments from a saved Cleo bank account. Choose "Pay as guest" to pay by bank."

## Limits

A payment through the link can be up to $5,000. If an invoice is for more than that, email support@cleo-pay.com before you send it.

## Emails you get

We email your team at each step. The subject starts with your business name.

| When | Subject |
|---|---|
| Your customer pays | Payment of [amount] from customer is on the way |
| The payment completes | Payment of [amount] from customer has been completed |
| The payment fails | Payment of [amount] from customer failed |

The "on the way" email tells you when to expect the money. If a payment fails, the invoice stays open and your customer can try again from the same link.

## Messages your customer might see

| Message | What it means |
|---|---|
| Online payment unavailable | Your account can't take payments right now. On a new account, payments turn on after a quick call with our team. See [Why are payments turned off?](https://cleo-pay.com/help/why-are-payments-turned-off) |
| This invoice has already been paid. | The invoice is already paid in full |
| A payment is already in progress for this invoice. | Someone already started paying it. Wait for that payment to finish |
| The invoice amount changed. Please review the updated invoice. | You edited the invoice while they were paying. They should check the new total and pay again |
| This payment link is invalid or the invoice no longer exists. | The link is wrong, or the invoice was removed. Send them a fresh link |

## If something doesn't work

If your customer can't pay, email support@cleo-pay.com with the invoice number, your customer's name and email, and the exact message they saw. A screenshot helps.