Payments & Paystack
Accepting payments
CoPortal supports EFT (bank transfer) and online payments via Paystack. Record full payments, partial instalments, and deposits — and track everything from the invoice detail page.
Bank transfer (EFT)
The simplest setup — no integration required. Add your bank details in Settings → Invoice & Tax → Bank details. They appear on every invoice PDF and in the client portal.
Include the following for smooth EFT payments:
- •Bank name (FNB, ABSA, Nedbank, Standard Bank, Capitec, etc.)
- •Account holder name
- •Account number
- •Account type (Current / Cheque / Savings)
- •Branch code
- •Reference format — e.g. “Use invoice number as reference”
Once payment hits your account, mark the invoice as paid manually from the invoice detail page.
Online payments via Paystack
For card, instant EFT, and mobile money payments, connect your Paystack account. Money goes directly from the client to your Paystack balance — CoPortal never holds or processes funds.
Setting up Paystack
- 1Create a Paystack account at paystack.com if you don't have one.
- 2Complete your business verification in the Paystack dashboard.
- 3Go to Settings → API Keys & Webhooks in Paystack.
- 4Copy your Public key (starts with pk_live_).
- 5Paste it into CoPortal → Settings → Invoice & Tax → Paystack public key.
What clients see with Paystack enabled
- •A Pay online button appears on any unpaid invoice in their portal
- •Clicking it opens the Paystack payment popup — no page redirect
- •They can pay with card (Visa/Mastercard), instant EFT, or mobile money
- •After payment, they see a confirmation and the invoice updates to Paid
Recording payments
Open any Sent invoice and use the Payments received panel to record payments. This supports both full payments and partial instalments.
Full payment
Click Mark as paid on any Sent invoice. This records today's date as the paid date and moves the invoice to Paid status. The client portal updates immediately and a confirmation email is sent.
Partial payments
Click Record payment in the Payments received panel. Fill in:
- •Amount — the partial amount received
- •Date — when payment was received (defaults to today)
- •Method — EFT, Paystack, cash, or cheque
- •Reference — optional payment reference or note
The panel shows:
- •Total paid to date
- •Balance remaining
- •A full payment history with dates and methods
When total payments equal the invoice total, the invoice is automatically marked as Paid — no manual step needed. The client receives a receipt email confirming the balance is cleared.
Payment receipts
Every recorded payment (full or partial) triggers an automatic receipt email to the client showing the amount paid, date, method, and remaining balance. This keeps clients informed without any extra effort from you.
Deposit invoices
When a quote is accepted, you can create a deposit invoice for a percentage of the quote total. This is configured in Settings → Invoice & Tax → Default deposit % (defaults to 50%).
On an accepted quote, click Deposit invoice to create a draft invoice pre-filled for the deposit amount. Edit it as needed then send.
See Quotes for the full quote-to-invoice workflow including milestone invoices.
Paystack fees
Paystack charges transaction fees to your Paystack account — separate from your CoPortal subscription. Current South African rates:
CoPortal subscription billing
Your CoPortal plan is billed separately through CoPortal's own Paystack account — not yours. Manage your plan and view billing history in Settings → Billing.
To cancel, go to Settings → Billing → Cancel plan. Your plan stays active until the end of the current billing period — no immediate cutoff.