Professional services payments — invoicing that actually gets paid.
Law firms, accounting practices, agencies, and consultants get paid on net-30 invoices that age into net-60. Tabletop sets up the invoicing layer, the ACH option, the recurring retainer engine, and the trust-account-aware workflow so receivables move.
Statement review, savings projection, and full tech stack recommendations.
What we hear on the ground.
What we hear from firm partners and finance leads:
- Net-30 invoices aging into net-60 because clients have no easy way to pay online.
- Recurring retainers running on manual invoicing because the firm hasn't set up a recurring engine.
- Trust-account workflows (legal, real estate) where IOLTA compliance matters and most processors don't think about it.
- Card surcharge questions: 'Can we pass the fee to the client?' — with most processors giving a confused answer.
- Processing fees on $20,000 invoices that quietly cost $600+ each — with no negotiation room because the firm hasn't shopped it.
How Tabletop solves it.
Concrete service layer:
- Invoicing with payment links. Invoice goes out by email; client pays by card or ACH from a link. Days-sales-outstanding drops measurably.
- ACH option included. Large invoices on ACH cost the firm fractions of a percent instead of 2-3%. Many clients prefer it once they know it's an option.
- Recurring retainers. Monthly retainers run on a recurring engine with card-on-file or ACH. No more chasing same-amount invoices every month.
- Trust-account-aware workflows. For legal, real estate, and other firms where IOLTA or trust-account compliance matters, we configure the workflow so trust funds and operating funds don't cross-contaminate.
- Surcharge program guidance where it fits. Some firms can pass card fees to the client legally; some can't. We confirm what's allowed in your state and your professional ethics framework before recommending.
The stack we deploy.
Common pieces in a professional services build:
- Payarc CRM — invoicing, recurring retainers, payment plans, ACH, trust-aware workflows.
- Rise CRM — client relationship and engagement layer.
- Surcharge program — where state law and professional rules permit it.
- Calanderise — scheduling and intake for client-facing booking flows.
- Practice financing — for firm expansion or technology investment.
What you actually save.
Real savings depend on your average invoice size, your client mix, and your current AR aging. Typical surfaces:
- Processing fees on large invoices. A $20K invoice on card at 2.9% costs $580. On ACH it costs maybe $5. Moving even half your large-invoice volume to ACH is real money.
- Receivables aging. Net-30 invoices that age to net-60 cost working capital and sometimes never collect. Pay-by-link plus ACH typically pulls average DSO inside net-30 within 90 days.
- Recurring retainer leakage. Manual invoicing of recurring retainers introduces delay, error, and sometimes missed cycles. Recurring engine eliminates that.
Illustrative figure ranges only. Actual savings depend on your statement, your card mix, and the program you select.
Questions, answered.
Can we pass the credit card fee to the client?
It depends on the state and your professional rules. Most states permit credit card surcharge with proper disclosure; some bar associations have specific rules for legal-industry surcharging. We confirm what's allowed before recommending.
How does ACH work for our invoices?
Client clicks the payment link; chooses ACH; enters bank info or uses Plaid-style instant verification. Funds settle in 2-3 business days at a fraction of a percent in fees. Most large clients (corporate, institutional) prefer ACH once they see it.
Will the system handle trust accounts properly?
Yes — for legal, real estate, and other trust-account-required workflows, we configure the gateway and the deposit routing so trust funds and operating funds stay segregated. We are not your IOLTA compliance vendor — but we configure the workflow correctly so your compliance team isn't fighting the payments stack.
How does recurring retainer billing work?
Client signs a one-time recurring authorization at engagement. Monthly retainer charges run automatically on the schedule. Failed-payment recovery is built in. Reporting rolls up by client for partner review.
Can clients pay invoices from their phone?
Yes. Payment links are mobile-optimized; clients can pay from email, text, or a saved link. The friction reduction is the point — the easier you make it to pay, the faster you get paid.
Get a real cost picture for your firm.
Send your most recent processor statement and your AR aging report. We will model what your fee structure should look like and where ACH plus pay-by-link would change the receivables picture.
Complimentary Cost AnalysisStatement review, savings projection, and full tech stack recommendations.