Manual payments (Venmo, Zelle, check, wire)

Manual rails are the ways a couple can pay you directly: Venmo, Cash App, Zelle, a paper check or a wire. Hailo shows the instructions, the couple sends the money themselves, tells you they did, and you record it when it lands. Nothing moves through Hailo.

Offer a manual rail

Under Settings > Client payment methods > Payment rails, switch on the rail and fill in its details. A rail with the switch on but no details is not shown to couples; each row says so ("Add your handle above, or this rail won't appear on the client's payment menu.").

Rail	What you fill in
Venmo	Your Venmo handle
Cash App	Your $cashtag
Zelle	The email or phone registered with Zelle (either is enough)
Paper check	Who to make the check payable to, and a mailing address (both required)
Wire transfer	Wire instructions (bank, routing, account, SWIFT); Markdown supported, shown verbatim

An optional Memo hint tells couples what to write in the memo line, for example "Include the couple's last name in the memo so I can match the payment to your booking." See Client payment methods.

What the couple sees

On an invoice page each rail is a row with a Copy button beside the handle or address: Venmo ("Send from the Venmo app"), Cash App ("Send to a $cashtag"), Zelle ("Bank-to-bank, no fees", with your email and phone), Mail a check (Payable to and Mail to) and Wire / bank transfer with your instructions. Each ends with "After you send it, confirms receipt and this invoice updates." and an I sent it button with an optional note ("Anything should know? (optional)").

On a booking page the Pay step shows the same rails. Venmo adds a QR code ("Scan with your phone camera to open Venmo prefilled.") and Open Venmo. Each rail ends in I sent it with an optional note ("e.g. Sent from @client-handle") and a Choose different method link.

"I sent it" moves no money

When the couple presses I sent it, Hailo records the claim and tells you. It does not change the invoice's balance or status, because nothing has been checked yet. The couple's page then reads "You told you sent it. Marked as paid by Venmo on . They'll confirm once it lands, the balance below updates then. Nothing else to do."

You get a Payment marked sent notification in the bell (" marked invoice INV-… sent", "They paid via Venmo. Record the payment on the invoice once it lands to mark it paid.") and an email to your studio address with their note.

On a booking, the status pill on the lead's Booking tab reads Client marked paid, needs your confirm until you confirm the receipt on the lead.

Record the real payment

Open the invoice. If the couple pressed I sent it, the rail shows " says they've paid": the amount, the rail, the date and their note, then "Have a look, then tell Hailo what you found."

• It's there: records the full balance by that rail and marks the invoice paid.
• A different amount came in: type the amount, pick the method, click Add it.
• Nothing yet: clears the claim without touching the money. The message reads "Noted, nothing arrived yet. can flag it again from their invoice if they need to."

If nobody pressed I sent it, the rail shows Got paid?: "Cash, a check, Venmo, Zelle, a bank transfer, anything that arrived outside Hailo. Card payments add themselves." Type the amount, pick how they paid, click Add it.

Methods on offer: Cash, Check, ACH / Bank transfer, Venmo, Cash App, Zelle, Wire transfer, Other / Manual. The old form view has the same fields as How much came in?, How did they pay? and When? (optional) with Add payment.

Recording a payment updates the status (partial or paid), and a final payment on a delivered wedding closes the deal.

Message	What to do
"Recorded venmo payment of $X"	Done.
"Payment amount must be positive."	Type an amount above zero.
"That's more than the $X balance remaining. Lower it, or edit/void the invoice first."	The amount exceeds what is owed. If the couple overpaid on purpose, raise the price first.

To remove a payment recorded by mistake, use the × on its row in the old form view ("Remove this payment record?"). Only do this for typos; for money you are giving back, record a refund instead so the ledger stays honest.

Refunds

1. Open the invoice and unfold Give money back ("Send it back first, then note it here so your totals stay right.").
2. Type the amount and pick how you are sending it.
3. Click Record it and confirm "Record this refund? Send the actual money back first."

Only manual rails are offered here. A card refund is issued in Stripe or Square and Hailo records it by itself within a few seconds; recording it by hand as well would count it twice. If you try, Hailo refuses: "Refund card payments in Stripe or Square. Hailo records those for you within a few seconds, and adding one here would count it twice. This form is for cash, check, bank transfer and the app rails."

A refund is its own line on the invoice (added back to the balance), so the original charge stays on the ledger. Paid amounts everywhere in Hailo are net of refunds. A fully refunded invoice becomes void and drops out of what couples owe.

Message	What to do
"Recorded a $X refund."	Done.
"Refund amount must be positive."	Type an amount above zero.
"That's more than the $X currently collected on this invoice, lower it."	You cannot refund more than has been paid, net of earlier refunds.