Requesting Payments

Once your client has signed a contract and your Stripe account is connected, you can request payment directly from the event page. Gilded handles the payment link, the client-facing payment page, and the status tracking.

How Payment Requests Work

A payment request sends your client an email with a secure link to a payment page. On that page, they see the amount due, your business name, and the event details. They can pay by credit card or ACH bank transfer — no account required.

Setting Up a Payment Schedule

The payment schedule lives on each document, not on the event itself. Open the Pricing & Payment Schedule panel in the document builder (proposal, agreement, or combined) and define any number of installments — each with a label, amount, and optional due date.

For example, a $6,000 package might have:

• Deposit — $2,000, due at signing
• Second Payment — $2,000, due 90 days before the event
• Final Balance — $2,000, due 30 days before the event

The total of all installments must equal the contract value. Gilded shows a "remaining to allocate" indicator so you can see at a glance if the numbers add up.

If you start the package from a saved template via Use saved package, Gilded auto-creates a two-payment schedule (deposit + balance) based on the template's defaults. You can then add more installments or adjust the amounts.

When the document is approved (proposal) or signed (agreement/combined), its schedule becomes the schedule the event uses for payment requests.

Requesting Each Payment

After the contract is signed, the action panel shows the next payment to request based on your schedule. Gilded walks you through each one in order:

1. The action panel shows Request [Payment Name] (e.g., "Request Deposit")
2. Click it to open the payment request dialog — the label, amount, and due date are pre-filled from your schedule
3. Confirm to send the payment request email to your client
4. Once paid, the next installment becomes available to request

You do not need to remember amounts or due dates. Gilded pulls them from the document's payment schedule.

What Your Client Sees

Your client's payment page includes:

• Your business name and branding
• The event name and details
• The amount due and payment label (e.g., "Deposit" or "Second Payment")
• Payment options — credit/debit card or ACH bank transfer
• A secure checkout powered by Stripe

The page is clean, professional, and does not require your client to create any kind of account. They enter their payment information and submit.

Tracking Payment Status

Payment progress is visible in several places:

• Status badge on the event — shows action-oriented labels like "Request Deposit," "Deposit Requested," or "Request Payment 2"
• Client Workflow timeline — shows each payment as a pair of steps (Requested and Received) so you can see exactly where things stand
• Payments card — lists every payment request with its current status (Pending, Paid, Refunded, or Failed)

The status badge updates automatically when payments are received. You also receive a notification when a payment comes in.

Marking Payments as Received Manually

If a client pays outside of Gilded (by check, cash, or direct transfer), you can mark the payment as received manually from the action panel. Click Mark payment as paid manually and add an optional note explaining the payment method.

Manual payments are tracked the same way as Stripe payments — the workflow advances, the timeline updates, and the next installment becomes available.

Payment Methods

Your clients can pay in two ways:

• Credit or debit card — processed immediately
• ACH bank transfer — takes 3-5 business days to clear, but has lower processing fees

Both options are shown on the payment page. Your client chooses which they prefer.

Receiving Your Money

Payments go to the bank account you connected through Stripe. After processing:

• Stripe deposits funds according to your payout schedule (typically 2 business days for established accounts)
• You receive the full amount of your fee — processing fees are added on top and paid by your client
• You can view all transactions in your Stripe dashboard

Next Steps

Wondering about the fees? Read Understanding Payment Fees to learn exactly who pays what.