Let Customers Pay Straight From Their Banking App
Pool Founder now supports Pay by Zelle. Turn it on and your customers see a Zelle option, complete with a scannable QR code and your payment details, right alongside the invoice. They open their banking app, scan or tap, and send the payment directly to you. No card entry, no checkout page.
Some customers simply prefer to pay bank-to-bank, and Zelle settles outside the card networks so there is no card processing fee on the money that comes through it. Pay by Zelle gives those customers a familiar way to pay while your invoices, service reports, and portal stay the single place they go to settle up.
Where Customers See Zelle
Once enabled, a Zelle card shows your QR code plus the email or phone number enrolled with Zelle at your bank. You choose exactly which customer-facing surfaces display it, and each one toggles independently:
- Invoices - the Zelle card appears in invoice emails and on the online pay page.
- Service reports - the Zelle card is added to your post-visit service report emails.
- Customer portal - the Zelle card shows on the invoice view inside the customer portal.
Because the surfaces are separate toggles, you can, for example, offer Zelle on invoices and the portal but keep it off service report emails. Customers who scan the code from a bank app land on a pre-filled payment to your handle instead of a generic sign-up screen.
How to Turn It On
Pay by Zelle is off by default. You enable it in settings, and there is no image to upload, Pool Founder generates the QR code for you.
- 1Go to Invoice Configuration in your dashboard and find the Pay by Zelle section.
- 2Turn on Accept Zelle payments.
- 3Enter your Zelle email or phone, the email or US phone number enrolled with Zelle at your bank. This is where customers send money.
- 4Optionally set a Recipient name. It defaults to your company name.
- 5Pool Founder generates a QR code automatically and shows a preview. Use the Show on invoices, Show on service reports, and Show in customer portal toggles to pick where it appears.
Test the generated QR code by scanning it inside your own banking app before you turn the surfaces on for customers. That confirms it resolves to the right Zelle handle.
Recording a Zelle Payment
Zelle moves money bank-to-bank, outside of Pool Founder, so the app does not automatically know when a Zelle payment lands. Pay by Zelle is a way to collect the money, and you record it against the invoice the same way you would a check or cash.
When a Zelle payment arrives in your bank account, open the invoice, click Take payment, and choose Record a manual payment. Enter the amount and note it as a Zelle payment. The invoice balance updates and the payment shows in the invoice history, keeping your books tied out.
Because Zelle settles bank-to-bank, there is no card processing fee on what you collect through it. Verify against your own bank's Zelle terms, but nothing is deducted by Pool Founder or the card networks.
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Try Pool Founder free for 30 daysFrequently Asked Questions
Do I need anything special to accept Zelle?
Just an email address or US phone number enrolled with Zelle at your bank. Enter it in the Pay by Zelle section of Invoice Configuration and Pool Founder generates the QR code for you. There is no image to upload.
Is Pay by Zelle on automatically?
No. It is off by default. You turn on Accept Zelle payments in Invoice Configuration, then choose which surfaces (invoices, service reports, customer portal) display the Zelle option.
How does a Zelle payment get applied to the invoice?
Zelle settles bank-to-bank outside the app, so it does not update the invoice on its own. When the payment reaches your bank, open the invoice, click Take payment, and choose Record a manual payment to log it as a Zelle payment against the balance.
Can I show Zelle only in some places?
Yes. Invoices, service reports, and the customer portal each have their own toggle, so you can display the Zelle option on any combination of those surfaces.