Tips lets your customers add an optional gratuity when they pay an invoice in the Customer Portal by card or bank account. You choose the suggested amounts, the cap and where the money posts in your books. Biller Genie charges the tip in the same transaction as the payment, records it on its own Sales Receipt in QuickBooks, and reverses it automatically if you refund or void the payment.
Tips is part of the Premium plan at no extra cost. Install it from the Add-ons Marketplace in your Merchant Portal.
What Tips does
- Suggested amounts. Up to three presets, as percentages of the payment or as fixed dollar amounts. Customers can also type their own amount if you allow it.
- A cap. Limit the tip to a percentage of the payment so an accidental extra zero never goes through.
- Your label. Customers see the name of your Gratuity item. It defaults to "Gratuity" and you can rename it.
- Clean books. Tips post to their own income or liability account in QuickBooks, never mixed into your invoice revenue. See How Tips Sync to QuickBooks and How Refunds Work.
- Automatic reversals. Void or refund a payment and the tip comes back with it, in proportion.
- Always optional. No preset is pre-selected and a customer can pay without tipping.
Who can use Tips
| Requirement | Detail |
|---|---|
| Plan | Premium. Merchants on a Premium trial can install it too. |
| Accounting software | QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Desktop, or no accounting software. Not available with Xero. |
| Payment methods | Card and bank (ACH) payments your customers make in the Customer Portal, on payment links and on statements. |
| Permissions | Users who can install add-ons see it in the marketplace; users with the add-on configuration right can change its settings. See Managing Users in Biller Genie. |
| Technology Fees | Works alongside Surcharging and Dual Pricing. Surcharging merchants choose whether the fee also applies to the tip. |
Three switches, all on
A customer only sees a tip prompt when all three of these are true:
- The Tips add-on is installed from the Add-ons Marketplace.
- Enable Tipping is on in Add-ons > Tips.
- Allow Tips is on for that customer. Allow Tips is off for every existing customer until you turn it on, either one customer at a time or for everyone from Customer Defaults.
Why nobody sees a tip yet
The full walkthrough is in Setting Up Tips.
Where customers can tip
Customers see the gratuity block on the invoice payment page, on invoice and statement payment links, on statement payments and on the Pay panel on their Customer Portal home page, for card and bank payments alike. What Your Customer Sees: Adding a Tip at Checkout shows each screen.
Where tips are not offered
- Auto-Pay charges and payment plan installments. Tips are only offered on payments your customer makes themselves.
- PayPal, Venmo and Pay Later. The PayPal checkout offers no tip entry.
- Apple Pay on a statement checkout. Apple Pay tipping works only from the Pay panel on the Customer Portal home page (see Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Digital Wallets in Biller Genie).
- Payments you key in yourself from the Merchant Portal.
- Xero. The Tips add-on is hidden for Xero merchants, and tips never sync to Xero (see Using Xero in Biller Genie).
Frequently asked questions
Does Tips cost extra? No. It is included in the Premium plan.
Can I require a tip or set a default? No. Tipping is voluntary. Nothing is pre-selected, and a customer can always pay the invoice amount alone.
Is the tip taxed? No. Biller Genie never adds tax to a tip. Keep your Gratuity item non-taxable in QuickBooks.
Can I add a tip on a customer's behalf? Not today. Tips are only collected on payments your customers make themselves.
Does the tip count toward my processed volume? Yes. Tips are processed as part of the card or bank payment, so they count in your processing volume and in the gross amount your processor reports on your 1099-K. Paying tips out to staff and reporting wages stay with you and your payroll provider.
What happens when I refund? The tip is refunded in proportion to the amount you refund. A full refund or a void returns the whole tip.
Related articles
- Setting Up Tips
- What Your Customer Sees: Adding a Tip at Checkout
- How Tips Sync to QuickBooks and How Refunds Work
- Customer Defaults: Global and By Customer Type
- Technology Fees: Dual Pricing and Surcharging at a Glance
- Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Digital Wallets in Biller Genie
- Using Xero in Biller Genie
- Managing Users in Biller Genie