# Making a payment

You can pay your balance in the portal in a few minutes. Here's how.

## Ways to pay

The portal uses Stripe to process payments. The payment form shows the methods Stripe has enabled for your account — typically debit and credit cards, and sometimes US bank account (ACH) if it's been turned on. Your card or bank details go directly to Stripe; we never see them.

## Step 1 — Log in

[Log in](/for-debtors/debtor-portal/logging-in.md) to the portal.

## Step 2 — Click "Make a payment"

From your account dashboard, click **Make a payment**.

## Step 3 — Enter the amount

The form is pre-filled with the full outstanding balance, but you can change it to any amount up to the outstanding balance. You can't enter more than what's owed.

If you want to pay less than the full amount, just type the amount and continue — your account stays open with a smaller balance.

## Step 4 — Continue to payment

Click **Continue to payment**. The Stripe payment form loads. Enter your card or bank details.

For a card, you'll need the card number, expiration date, and security code.

## Step 5 — Pay

Click the **Pay** button. Stripe processes the charge.

If it succeeds, you'll see a confirmation right on the page and Stripe will email you a receipt to the address you entered.

## When will the payment show up

* **Card** — typically clears immediately. The balance on your account updates as soon as the payment confirms.
* **Bank account (ACH)** if enabled — takes a few business days to clear.

## If the payment fails

A few things can cause a payment to fail:

* Wrong card number, expiration, or security code.
* Not enough money in the account.
* Card declined by your bank.
* Card has expired.

If a payment fails, you'll see an error message from Stripe and you can try again with a different method. We do not charge a fee for failed payments. See [My payment failed](/troubleshooting/payment-failed.md).

## Settlement offers

Some accounts have a settlement amount the business that placed the account is willing to accept to close the matter. Settlement offers today are arranged over the phone or by email with us — there's no "accept settlement" button in the portal yet. If you'd like to ask about settling, [send a message](/for-debtors/debtor-portal/messaging-the-creditor.md).

## Cancellations and refunds

Once a payment goes through Stripe, you can't cancel it from the portal. If you paid by mistake, [contact support](/troubleshooting/contact-support.md) right away — refunds are handled case by case, in coordination with the business that placed the account.

## TODO

* Screenshot: payment amount entry.
* Screenshot: Stripe payment form.
* Screenshot: success page.

***

Last reviewed: 2026-05-12 by Customer Success.


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