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Real questions inspectors asked our support team, with the answers. Tap a question to open it; each one has its own link you can share.

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Setting up payments

Connect your own Stripe account, then turn on the payment methods you want.
  1. Go to Business Tools → Payments and click Connect with Stripe. Sign in to Stripe or create an account.
  2. Turn on the methods you accept: Accept credit / debit cards (this also allows Apple Pay and Google Pay), Accept ACH bank transfers, Accept Affirm (Buy Now, Pay Later) and Accept other payment methods.
  3. Settings save automatically.
Clients pay from the Payments section of their client portal or from the payment link in your emails. If a client sees an amount due but no way to pay, check that at least one method is turned on.If the Affirm toggle stays grey after you connect, Stripe hasn’t enabled Affirm for your account, often because of your Stripe business category (MCC). Contact Stripe Support to change it.Stripe charges are collected in your business country’s currency: USD for the United States, CAD for Canada. Set Country under Address Information in your profile settings before you take payments.See Set Up Payments and Stripe.
Online payments in Hive run through Stripe only. You can still take payments any other way and record them on the inspection.To skip Stripe, or to offer Zelle, Venmo, Cash App or checks:
  1. In Business Tools → Payments, turn on Accept other payment methods.
  2. Under Custom payment instructions, explain how to pay you, such as your Zelle or Venmo details or who to make a check out to. You can add one Payment instruction image, such as a QR code.
  3. Clients see these instructions in their portal. When the money arrives, record it on the inspection with Record Payment.
If you pass the Technology Fee on to clients, keep Accept ACH bank transfers or Accept other payment methods on, so clients who don’t pay by card can get their discount.See Other payment methods.
You choose who covers the cost of card payments with Absorb credit card fees in Business Tools → Payments:
  • Pass it on (the default): your regular price includes a 4% Technology Fee and you receive 100% of your base price. Clients who pay by bank transfer, cash or check get a matching discount.
  • Absorb it: every client pays your base price, and you pay 3.1% + 30¢ per card payment.
It’s a discount for not paying by card, not a surcharge, so it works the same for credit, debit and prepaid cards. Quote your regular price first, and keep a non-card payment method turned on.To change it for one inspection, open the inspection, click ⋮ on the Fees and Payments card, choose Credit card fee, and pick Absorb the fee or Pass the fee to the customer. This needs Financial Data Access permission.See Technology Fee.

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Getting paid

Stripe sets payout timing, not Hive. Money goes from Stripe straight to the bank account saved in your Stripe account, on the payout schedule you choose there.Your first payouts usually take longer, often a week or more, while Stripe verifies a new account. After that, card payments normally reach you within a few business days. Weekends and bank holidays add time. ACH payments have to settle first, which takes up to 5 business days.To check on money, look up the payment and the payout in your Stripe Dashboard. A payout combines everything that moved in that period, including refunds and fees, so it may not match a single payment. For holds, verification requests or a new bank account, contact Stripe support.See Set Up Payments and Stripe.
Pay at Close lets your client put off the inspection fee until their home closes. You’re paid within 1-2 business days after you publish the report, and Hive handles collection from the title company or the client.
  • Cost: $50 flat per inspection, deducted from your payout. Clients pay no fee.
  • Limits: inspections from $500 (you can change this minimum) up to $1,200.
  • Timing: the client must choose Pay at Close at least 24 hours before the inspection.
  • Setup: online payments must already be on. Our team turns Pay at Close on for your company, so ask in the chat bubble in your dashboard. Once it’s on, set your Minimum Invoice Amount and Applicable Services on the Pay At Close card in Business Tools → Payments.
If the option doesn’t show for a client, check the inspection total against your limits and that the service is in your eligible list.See Offer Pay at Close.

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Payments on an inspection

Yes. Bill them with their own invoice.
  1. Add the person to the inspection first, for example as the buyer’s agent or an additional contact.
  2. On the confirmed inspection, under Fees and Payments, click Add Invoice (split payment with another contact). This shows while a balance is due.
  3. Pick the contact and enter the amount to bill them. They get their own email with a payment link, and the rest stays with the client.
To cancel a split you no longer need, use the cancel icon on it. To let someone pay the whole balance instead, send them the payment link: click Record Payment and use the copy button next to Get Payment via CC, ACH, etc.See Multi-Party Payments.
Use Record Payment on the inspection, on the web or in the mobile app.On the web, open the inspection and click Record Payment under Fees and Payments.
  • To charge a card now, click Get Payment via CC, ACH, etc. and enter the client’s card on the payment page. The copy button next to it copies the payment link so you can text or email it.
  • To record money you received outside Hive, choose the Payment Type (such as Cash, Check, Zelle, Venmo, Cash App or E-Transfer), enter the details and save.
In the mobile app, open the inspection summary and tap Fees & Payments. Tap Pay via Credit Card to enter the client’s card, or Record Payment for cash, check and other payments.If you add a service after the client has paid, click Request balance from customer to email them a link for the difference. Don’t record a payment you haven’t received just to unlock a report; use Manual Lock Override for Reports instead.See Request Balance From Customer.

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Refunds and corrections

Refund from the inspection. Hive never refunds on its own, even when you cancel an inspection.
  1. Open the inspection and click Refund Payment under Fees and Payments.
  2. Choose Refund a service to refund one service or add-on, or Custom amount for any amount up to what was paid.
  3. Confirm. Card payments are refunded through Stripe to the client’s card.
If you pass the Technology Fee on, the matching share of the fee is refunded too. For payments you recorded by hand, such as cash or Zelle, the refund is recorded for tracking only, so return the money yourself.After refunding a service, remove it from the inspection so the invoice total matches what was paid. Otherwise the balance due keeps the report locked. If a refund fails, refund it from your Stripe Dashboard instead. Refunds need Financial Data Access permission.See In-Hive refunds.
Check Stripe first. Your Stripe Dashboard is the record of what was actually charged. If a card payment isn’t there, it didn’t go through. ACH payments show as processing until they settle.
  • The client paid outside Hive (cash, check, Zelle): record it with Record Payment.
  • You recorded a payment by mistake, or a check bounced: under Fees and Payments, click Edit Payment, then Clear Payment & Reset to Pending. Hive regenerates the invoice as unpaid so the client can pay in their portal.
  • The client paid twice: refund one payment with Refund Payment.
Also check that the client didn’t pay on a duplicate inspection for the same address.

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Invoices

Clients find their invoice in the Payments section of their client portal. You can open it from the inspection with Show Invoice under Fees and Payments (or Generate Invoice if there isn’t one yet) and download the PDF.
  • Text on every invoice, such as a license number, tax wording or a thank-you: add it in Invoice Business Text in Business Tools → Payments.
  • Lines and prices: rename, change or add a line with Edit Price or Duration on the inspection. The invoice updates on its own.
  • Sending it to an agent or lender: add {{{invoice_link}}} to an automation email, or download the PDF and forward it.
  • Your starting invoice number: ask in the chat bubble in your dashboard.
For bookkeeping, the Earnings page exports your inspections with their pricing breakdown with Export to CSV.See Invoices and Invoice Business Text.

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Still stuck?

Ask in the chat bubbleOpen your dashboard and use the chat bubble. Our team answers seven days a weekAsk the inspector communityOther inspectors answer in the Facebook group
Last modified on October 18, 2026