To set up online payments, go to Settings > Finance & payments, select Activate payments, and complete four steps: Business, Owner, Payments, and Review. Handoff then reviews your application, which usually takes 1-2 business days.
Available on the Flex, Pro, Scale, and Business plans. You need permission to edit Company settings. Works on desktop and in the mobile app.
Before you start
Online payments need an active, paid plan. A free trial can't activate them. Have these ready:
Your legal business name, tax ID (EIN, or SSN for a sole proprietor), phone, email, and address.
Each owner's date of birth, Social Security number, and home address.
Your business bank account login. Handoff connects to it through Plaid and never sees your bank password.
Your typical payment amount, largest expected payment, and expected monthly volume.
Activate payments
Go to Settings > Finance & payments.
Select Activate payments.
In the Business step, confirm your Legal business name and enter your Type of work, Business type, and tax ID. Add your business phone, email, and address. Website is optional.
Select Next.
In the Owner step, enter your name, date of birth, Social Security number, and home address. Handoff pre-fills what it already knows.
If someone else owns 25% or more of the business, select Yes, add more owners and add each one. You can add up to 3. Otherwise select No, just me.
Select Next.
In the Payments step, select Connect bank account and sign in to the account that should receive your deposits. The account must be in your business name.
Select Next, then enter your Average payment amount, Largest single payment, and Total payment volume per month.
Select Next.
In the Review step, check each section and select Edit to fix anything. Check I agree to the Terms of Service.
Select Submit.
Handoff shows Application submitted for review and returns you to Finance & payments. Your progress saves as you go, so you can stop and select Continue setup later. Handoff also sends you reminders until you submit.
What each status card means
After you submit, the card on Finance & payments shows where your application stands.
Finish setting up payments: you started but haven't submitted. Select Continue setup to pick up where you left off.
Application under review: Handoff is reviewing your information, which usually takes 1-2 business days. Select View submitted info to see what you sent. You can't edit it while it is under review.
Action required: Handoff needs something fixed or confirmed before it can approve you. Select Review and fix, follow the prompts, and submit again. Handoff also sends you a notification when it needs more information.
Payments are active: you're approved. Handoff sends you a notification, and your clients now see Pay now on invoices.
Bank account needs attention: there may be a problem with the account that receives your payouts. Select Contact support.
Payments paused: your account is on hold while something is reviewed. Select Contact support.
Application declined: your application wasn't approved. Select Contact support if you think this is a mistake.
Account deactivated: your account can no longer process payments. Select Contact support if you think this is a mistake.
We had an issue setting up payments: something went wrong with your status. Select Contact support.
Change your bank account
You can change the bank account in the Payments step until you submit. After you submit, Handoff locks the bank account, so contact support to change where your payouts go.
If you started setting up payments before June 2026, you may see an older setup form instead of these four steps. Contact support if your screens don't match.