> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.hiveinspect.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Payments, Payouts and Refunds Questions: Hive Inspect FAQ
> Answers about Hive Inspect payments: connecting Stripe, card, ACH and Affirm, the Technology Fee, payouts, Pay at Close, split payments, refunds and invoices.
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.
## 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](/how-tos/payment-settings#step-2-connect-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](/how-tos/payment-settings#other-payment-methods-pay-another-way).
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](/how-tos/technology-fee#for-a-single-inspection).
## 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](/how-tos/payment-settings#step-2-connect-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](/how-tos/pay-at-close#setting-up-pay-at-close).
## 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.
The agent pays their share on the same payment page as the client, by card, bank transfer or Affirm. If they pay you by check instead, cancel their invoice, then record the check with **Record Additional Payment**. The inspection isn't marked paid, and the report stays locked, until every share is paid.
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 [Split the bill](/how-tos/fees-and-payments#split-the-bill-with-an-agent-or-another-contact) and [Multi-Party Payments](/whats-new/may-31-2026#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 [Fees and payments on an inspection](/how-tos/fees-and-payments) and [Request Balance From Customer](/whats-new/sep-14-2026#request-balance-from-customer).
## 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 [Refund a payment](/how-tos/fees-and-payments#refund-a-payment) and [In-Hive refunds](/whats-new/jun-6-2026#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.
See [Edit a payment](/how-tos/fees-and-payments#edit-a-payment) and [Clear a payment](/how-tos/fees-and-payments#clear-a-payment).
## 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 on an inspection](/how-tos/fees-and-payments#invoices), [Invoices](/how-tos/payment-settings#invoices) and [Invoice Business Text](/how-tos/payment-settings#step-5-add-your-invoice-business-text).
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