Payments on signing for law firms
A set amount, a percentage or the whole fixed fee, paid by card straight after the client signs, into the Stripe or PayPal account your firm connects.
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In QuoteCloud you can ask for a payment on signing: a percentage or a fixed amount, or the full fee. The client pays through Stripe or PayPal right after signing and the document is marked Paid. The money goes to the account your firm connects; QuoteCloud does not operate a trust account, so check your own trust-money rules first.
Where a payment on signing goes, using a fictional firm's costs agreement for Mia and Lachlan Brennan: both buyers have signed, and the $440 payment on signing travels from the agreement to Thistlewood Marsh Lawyers' connected Stripe account, where it shows as received and paid via Stripe. PayPal works the same way if the firm connects it. Below, the firm's trust account is shown as not connected: QuoteCloud does not operate a trust account.
What QuoteCloud takes, and what stays with your firm
A payment on signing is one card payment into your own Stripe or PayPal account. Everything your rules say about trust money stays in your own systems.
In QuoteCloud, on signingEssentials plan and above
- The amount you setA percentage or a fixed amount, or the full fee, set on the template or the document.
- Paid after every party signsThe client pays by card or PayPal straight after signing, in the same visit.
- Into your connected accountThe account your firm connects to Stripe or PayPal. Each team can connect its own Stripe account.
- Marked PaidThe document shows Paid, and you can filter documents by their payment status.
In your firm, outside QuoteCloudUnder your own rules
- Trust moneyMoney for future costs that your rules say must be held in trust. QuoteCloud does not operate or reconcile a trust account.
- Later billsItemised bills and invoices for work done, from your practice-management or accounting system.
- Refunds and transfersHandled in your Stripe or PayPal account and your own accounts.
- Anything after signingQuoteCloud takes one payment on signing: no instalments, reminders or recurring billing.
Payments go to the Stripe or PayPal account your firm connects. QuoteCloud does not operate a trust account; check your own trust-money rules before taking payments for future costs.
The amount is in the agreement they sign
The costs table shows the payment on signing beside the totals, so the client sees it before they sign. Once Mia and Lachlan had both signed, the $440 was paid by card and the agreement was marked Paid.
Choose Stripe or PayPal for each firm or team. The payment needs a connected gateway and the Essentials plan or above; signing alone works on every plan.
- Shown in the costs, before signing
- Paid by card straight after signing
- Certificate of authenticity attached
Payments: Essentials and up
Costs disclosure & costs agreements2. Our costs Fixed fee, plus disbursements at cost
| Item | Basis | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Professional fees | ||
Conveyancing purchase packageContract review to settlement
|
Fixed | $1,650.00 |
| Fixed | $330.00 | |
| Fixed | $220.00 | |
| Disbursements At cost, as incurred | ||
Title, plan and council searchesEstimate
|
At cost | $312.60 |
Water and rates certificates
|
At cost | $96.00 |
Electronic settlement fee
|
At cost | $132.50 |
- Professional fees
- $1,980.00
- Tax on fees (10%)
- $198.00
- Disbursements, at cost
- $541.10
- Total
- $2,719.10
- Estimated range
- $2,719 to $2,719
- Payment on signing
- $440.00
4. Accept and sign 2 of 2 signed
- Mia BrennanBuyer Passcode verified Signed · 4 Nov, 7:12 pm
- Lachlan BrennanBuyer Passcode verified Signed · 4 Nov, 7:31 pm
Certificate of authenticity and audit trail attached
Set the payment that fits the matter
Every template can ask for a different amount, or for nothing at all.
The whole fixed fee
For a fixed-fee package such as wills and powers of attorney, paid in full when the couple signs.
A percentage
Part of a fixed fee for the work, such as 50% of an employment contract review.
A fixed amount
A set figure such as $440 on a conveyancing purchase. Check your trust-money rules if it is for future costs.
No payment at all
Leave it off, as our sample sale agreement does. The agreement is still signed online.
One account per team
Each team can connect its own Stripe account, for example a separate property team.
Paid, at a glance
Documents are marked Paid, and tracking shows when each one was opened, signed and paid.
Connect Stripe or PayPal and send an agreement
Free for 14 days, no credit card. Talk to us about your trust-money rules before you take payments for future costs.
Paid, then passed to your accounts
Zapier's Document Payment Event trigger can pass a payment on signing to your accounting or practice system, or open the matter. Xero and QuickBooks are native integrations on the Business plan, otherwise through Zapier.
Where the money sits after that, and how it is recorded, is up to your firm and your rules.
- Zapier triggers: Recipient Signed Document, Document Payment Event
- Xero and QuickBooks: native on Business, otherwise Zapier
- Zapier, Make and the API: Essentials and up
Activity
- Agreement openedMia Brennan, from the email link
- Comment on the standard termsLachlan asked about a delayed settlement
- Passcode verified · signedMia, then Lachlan, each in their own browser
- Payment on signing received$440.00 via Stripe
- Matter openedIn the firm's practice system, through Zapier
Payment on signing questions, answered
Does a payment on signing go into our trust account?
No. Payments go to the Stripe or PayPal account your firm connects. QuoteCloud does not operate a trust account; check your own trust-money rules before taking payments for future costs. Many legal profession rules require money for future costs to be held in trust.
How much can we ask for when the client signs?
A percentage of the total, a fixed amount, or the full fee. Set it on the template or on each document. The client pays through Stripe or PayPal straight after signing and the document is marked Paid. Payments need a connected gateway and the Essentials plan or above.
Can each practice group use its own Stripe account?
Yes. Each team in QuoteCloud can connect its own Stripe account, so payments for one team go to that team's account. PayPal is the other gateway you can connect.
Can QuoteCloud bill the rest of the fee later?
No. QuoteCloud takes one payment on signing. It does not run instalments, payment reminders or recurring billing, so later bills come from your practice-management or accounting system.
Can we be told when a client pays?
Yes. The document is marked Paid and shows in its activity, and Zapier's Document Payment Event trigger can pass the payment to your accounting or practice system. You can also see it in the documents list, filtered by payment status.
Is a retainer agreement different from a payment on signing?
Yes. A retainer agreement, or engagement letter, is the document the client signs. A payment on signing is money taken through Stripe or PayPal when they sign it. Whether that money must be held in trust depends on your rules, not on QuoteCloud.
More for law firms
Every page of the QuoteCloud legal microsite, from the intake form to the signed agreement.
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Fixed-fee legal packagesWill and power of attorney bundles, employment advice and visa packages, chosen and signed in one document.Explore
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Costs disclosure & costs agreementsFixed fees, estimates, hourly rates and disbursements set out clearly, then signed by every party online.Explore
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Practice management, CRM & accounting integrationsSigned engagements to your practice-management system through Zapier or the API, and to Xero or QuickBooks.Explore
- Matter intake formsThe client's details, other parties and key dates collected inside the document, ready for your conflict check.
- Engagement letters & matter scopeWhat's included, what isn't and the assumptions behind the estimate, from your firm's own approved wording.
- Conveyancing & property costs agreementsA fixed conveyancing fee, searches and settlement costs as their own lines, signed by both buyers.
- Staged litigation estimatesEach stage estimated as a range, counsel and expert fees as disbursements, revised before the next stage starts.
- Signing, passcodes & multiple partiesClients, both spouses or a guarantor sign online, each after a one-time passcode, with a certificate and audit trail.
- Scope changes & revised estimatesWhen the matter changes, send a revised agreement or a new estimate and keep each signed version on record.
- Legal templatesReal QuoteCloud agreement templates, and how your firm's own precedents become QuoteCloud templates.
- QuoteCloud implementation for law firmsPrecedents converted, standard terms locked, fee items in the library, partner approvals and training.
- FAQAnswers to the questions law firms ask most about costs agreements, signing and payments.
Signed and paid in the same visit
Free for 14 days. No credit card required.