Payment Links and Automated Reminders

A contractor completes a job and emails a PDF invoice. The client says they’ll send an e-transfer. Three weeks pass. A follow-up call goes to voicemail. A second invoice goes out with “OVERDUE” stamped on it. Meanwhile the framing sub needs payment on net-15 terms and the steel supplier is not interested in extending credit. The cash-flow gap between when money goes out and when it comes in is one of the most consistent profit drains in small BC trades and clinic businesses. Contractors, fabricators, physiotherapy clinics, and therapy practices all carry it, and the fix is straightforward: a payment link in every invoice, with a machine running reminders on a defined schedule.

The stack

Stripe (2.9% + $0.30 per transaction) is the default starting point. Setup takes under an hour, payment links work from day one, and the QBO integration is direct. For businesses below $30k/month in card volume, the flat rate is simple and the monthly overhead is zero.

Helcim is the better pick above $30k/month in card volume. Helcim is Calgary-based, runs interchange-plus pricing, and the math works out to $750–$2,500/year in savings over flat-rate processors at that volume. It supports Interac, which matters for BC clients who prefer debit, and integrates directly with QuickBooks Online. The web dashboard and mobile terminal are both included in the monthly fee.

Moneris raised rates in September 2025 and is no longer competitive for this segment. For businesses already on Moneris, run the numbers against Helcim interchange-plus before the next contract renewal.

ACH (bank transfer) through either processor reduces fees to 0.8% (Stripe, capped at $5) or the Helcim flat ACH rate. For invoices above $10,000 — common in custom fabrication, larger renovation contracts, and multi-session therapy packages — ACH makes material sense and most commercial clients have no objection.

For reminders, the sequence runs through whatever invoicing platform is already in place: JobTread, Knowify, QBO, or a clinic management system. The reminder logic is the same regardless of platform.

How it gets wired

1. Processor setup: Stripe or Helcim business verification, bank account connection, and payment link configuration. For clinics, confirm the processor’s terms allow healthcare payments — both Stripe and Helcim do for self-pay services.
2. Deposit collection: a payment link fires when the job is created or the engagement is booked, set to 50% of the estimated total. This runs before any materials are ordered or appointment time is committed. The client pays upfront; the contractor or practitioner is not financing the job.
3. Invoice with embedded link: every invoice that goes out — from JobTread, Knowify, QBO, or the clinic system — includes a payment link in the body. The client clicks and pays. No login required on the client side, no e-transfer coordination required on the business side.
4. Reminder sequence: automated reminders fire at day 14, day 21, and day 28 from invoice date. Each reminder includes the payment link, the outstanding amount, and — for contractors subject to BC Bill 20 — plain-language reference to the statutory timeline. The sequence stops automatically when payment is received.
5. ACH prompt on large invoices: invoices above $10k include a note explaining the bank transfer option and the fee saving. Most commercial clients will use it when offered.
6. Interac configuration: Helcim’s Interac support is enabled at the account level. For BC residential clients who pay by debit, this removes a common objection to card payment.

Compliance posture

BC Bill 20 — Construction Prompt Payment Act received Royal Assent in November 2025. Regulations are pending, but the framework is set. For contractors and metal fabricators working as GCs or subs on BC construction projects:

• The owner has 28 days from a “proper invoice” to pay the GC.
• The GC has 7 days to pass payment down to subcontractors.
• The holdback period is 46 days (down from 55).
• The BC Builders Lien Act 45-day lien filing window is unchanged.

A “proper invoice” under Bill 20 requires complete scope description, reference to signed change orders, and correct holdback calculation. Invoice templates in JobTread and Knowify need to meet this definition before automated reminders reference Bill 20 timelines. Reminder language at day 21 and day 28 should name the statutory deadline explicitly. These templates get updated once the regulations are finalized.

For physiotherapy and therapy clinics, payment for self-pay services is not subject to specific payment timing legislation, but BC’s health sector privacy requirements under PIPA apply to any client record, including payment records. Stripe and Helcim are PCI-DSS compliant; neither stores card data on your servers.

Stripe and Helcim both operate under Canadian anti-money-laundering rules as payment processors. No additional registration is required for most small BC businesses.

Common pitfalls

Deposit link not sent before work starts. The deposit step only works as a cash-flow tool if it fires before materials are ordered or time is committed. A deposit link sent after the job is 30% complete is not a deposit — it is a partial-progress invoice with all the same collection problems.

Reminder sequence without a payment link. Reminders that say “please pay your invoice” without an embedded link increase friction rather than removing it. Every reminder should land the client one click away from completing payment.

Treating ACH as optional. On large invoices, ACH needs to be in the invoice body, not a footnote. Clients who see a card-only link on a $25,000 invoice will often delay because the card fee is material. Show the ACH option explicitly.

Interac not enabled on Helcim. Helcim accounts default to card-only until Interac is activated. BC residential clients who try to pay by debit and get declined will call rather than use a card. Enable it during initial setup.

Bill 20 language before template review. Using Bill 20 statutory deadline language in reminder emails before the invoice template has been verified as a “proper invoice” under the Act creates a gap: the reminder references rights the invoice does not yet support. Template review comes before reminder automation for construction clients.

When this is worth the setup

The setup makes sense for any business that sends more than ten invoices per month, carries outstanding receivables for longer than 20 days on average, or has lost time to payment follow-up calls. For contractors and fabricators, average collection time dropping from 45 days to under 14 days on a $500k revenue base is worth $8,000–$15,000 per year in cash-flow improvement, before counting the hours recovered from manual follow-up.

For physiotherapy and therapy clinics where self-pay makes up a meaningful share of collections, removing the card acceptance barrier typically increases self-pay revenue by 15–25% in the first 90 days. Clients who would have delayed or forgotten to send an e-transfer pay from the appointment confirmation.

Businesses that operate entirely on corporate accounts with established net-30 terms and reliable payment history will see less benefit. The workflow is designed for the friction case — clients who are slow to pay, not clients who are deliberately withholding payment.