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Tips & Strategies8 min read

How to accept payments as a coach: invoices, payment links, checkout pages and recurring billing

Invoices, payment links or a checkout page? How coaches take one-off, recurring and instalment payments, and handle tax. WithMe: $25/month billed annually.

WithMe Team·11 November 2026

Most coaches take payment in one of three ways: an invoice after a call, a payment link sent by message, or a checkout page attached to the offer itself. The checkout page is the one that scales, because the client pays and gets what they bought in one step, and ongoing clients are charged again on schedule without you chasing anyone. Keep invoices for the occasional custom deal, and use recurring billing or a payment plan for ongoing and higher-priced coaching.

WithMe is $25 per month billed annually (UK £25), with a 14-day trial and 0% WithMe commission. Stripe and PayPal fees still apply. More than 8,000 creators use it. Every WithMe product has its own checkout, which runs on Stripe and pays into your own Stripe account.

Invoices, payment links or a checkout page: which should you use?

Each one suits a different kind of sale:

Invoice: best for companies and custom amounts, such as a corporate workshop. It is slow: you chase payment, then give access by hand.
Payment link: a link to pay a fixed amount, sent in a DM or an email. Quick to make, but it only takes the money. It does not book a session, open a programme or start a subscription.
Checkout page: the sales page for an offer, with payment built in. The client chooses the offer, pays and gets what they bought straight away: a booked call, a programme, a course or a membership.

On WithMe, each product's checkout page is also the link you share. Put it in your bio, a DM or an email, and the client pays and gets access in one go. For 1:1 Coaching you can turn on Enable Apply Process instead: people apply first, and Approve & invite to pay emails an approved applicant a payment link.

What about clients who want an invoice?

WithMe does not have its own invoice builder. If you have a Standard Stripe account, which is what creators who connect Stripe now get, the Create invoices tile on the Payouts page takes you to invoicing in your own Stripe dashboard. Stripe charges for invoicing separately.

Money taken through a Stripe invoice or a Stripe Payment Link does not give the client access in WithMe by itself. Once they have paid, use Add Customer on the Customers page to give them the product: a coaching call, a 1:1 Coaching programme, a course or a membership. They get an email and claim it by signing up with that address.

How do you bill clients every month?

Stripe charges the client on the interval you choose, so a retainer does not depend on anyone remembering to pay. On WithMe there are three ways to set it up:

A 1:1 Coaching product set to Recurring, for a monthly retainer with private chat, voice and video notes and shared goals.
Membership tiers, up to three paid tiers billed monthly or yearly, with an optional free trial. Bundle a Coaching Call into a tier and members book sessions without paying for each one.
A paid community, billed monthly or yearly, for group coaching between calls.

Prices can also recur weekly where the product allows it. On a Standard Stripe account, members who want to stop can be cancelled from your Stripe dashboard: the Cancel memberships tile on the Payouts page takes you there.

Should you offer payment plans?

For anything over a few hundred pounds, usually yes. A payment plan lets a client spread a programme over 2 to 24 weekly or monthly instalments, and they get access after the first payment. On WithMe, plans work on Coaching Calls, 1:1 Coaching, courses and communities. Before paying, the client agrees not to cancel during the term, and that access is revoked if a payment fails.

Most coaches charge a little more in total on a plan, because each instalment carries its own fee and some plans are never finished. For one-off sales there is another option: turn on Klarna in your Stripe account where Stripe offers it, and the client splits the cost with Klarna while you are paid through Stripe.

Can you take a deposit?

Not as a deposit followed by a different balance. WithMe payment plans charge the same amount each time, so a plan's first instalment is the closest thing to a deposit. A 3-payment plan on a £600 programme, for example, takes £200 up front and £200 on each of the next two dates.

If you need a true deposit, for example to hold a place on a retreat, take the deposit through a Stripe invoice and the balance through a second invoice, then give the client access with Add Customer.

What do coaches need to know about tax?

WithMe does not calculate, collect or file VAT or sales tax for you. If your Stripe account is a Standard account, the Tax tile on the Payouts page links to Stripe Tax, which can calculate and collect VAT and sales tax on your sales. Stripe charges for Stripe Tax separately.

Tax rules depend on where you and your clients are, and on what you sell. Live coaching and digital products can be treated differently, and digital products sold to consumers in the UK and the EU often carry VAT where the buyer lives. Check with an accountant before you rely on any set-up. This is general information, not tax advice.

What does it cost to take payments?

Every option above runs through a payment processor, and the processor charges a fee on each payment. On Stripe's standard online pricing, checked on 11 November 2026, a standard UK card costs 1.5% + 20p in the UK, a US card 2.9% + 30¢ in the US, and a standard EEA card 1.5% + €0.25 in Ireland. International cards and currency conversion cost more. PayPal, Klarna and other methods have their own rates, and recurring billing, invoicing and Stripe Tax can add Stripe fees of their own.

What varies between platforms is whether they take a cut on top. Many creator platforms charge a transaction fee or a percentage of sales on cheaper plans. WithMe takes 0% commission: Stripe's fee is the only deduction from a sale, and the money goes into your own Stripe account, which pays out to your bank on your Stripe payout schedule.

How do you set up checkout on WithMe?

It takes about as long as setting up one offer:

Connect Stripe from the launch checklist or the Payouts page. You sign in to Stripe, or create an account, through Stripe Connect, and payments go into your own Stripe account.
Set your main currency, the one you price in. Under Default page currency, choose what first-time visitors see, or Automatic. Prices show in GBP, USD, EUR, SEK, AUD, CAD and NZD.
Cards, Apple Pay and Google Pay are available at checkout. To add PayPal, Klarna or Link, open the Payment methods tile and turn them on in your Stripe account, where Stripe offers them in your country.
Create your offers: a Coaching Call for paid or free sessions, a 1:1 Coaching programme with a recurring price, a one-time fee or a payment plan, and membership tiers for ongoing clients.
Add Checkout Fields for intake questions, and turn on your checkout terms in Settings, so clients tick to accept them before they pay.
Optional: turn on Stripe Tax, add promo codes, and add an order bump to offer a second product at checkout.

What is not included?

WithMe has no invoice builder of its own, and payments taken through Stripe invoices or Payment Links need Add Customer to grant access. There are no deposits followed by a different balance amount, no grace period after a failed instalment, and no session packages that count down. WithMe does not calculate or file tax. PayPal works through your Stripe account rather than a separate PayPal business account.

How much does WithMe cost?

WithMe is $25 per month billed annually (UK £25), with a 14-day trial and 0% WithMe commission. Stripe and PayPal fees still apply. Free migration of up to 10 GB of your courses and members comes with the yearly plan. One plan covers courses, memberships, community, coaching, webinars and digital products.

Coach payment questions

What is the best way for a coach to accept payments?

For standard offers, a checkout page attached to the offer, so the client pays and books or gets access in one step. Use invoices only for custom deals, and recurring billing or a payment plan for ongoing and higher-priced coaching.

Can I send invoices from WithMe?

Not from WithMe itself. With a Standard Stripe account, the Create invoices tile takes you to Stripe's invoicing. After the client pays, give them access with Add Customer.

Can clients pay for coaching monthly?

Yes. Set a 1:1 Coaching product to Recurring, or sell membership tiers billed monthly or yearly. Stripe charges the client automatically each period.

Can I take a deposit for coaching on WithMe?

Not as a deposit with a different balance. Payment plans charge equal instalments, from 2 to 24, so the first instalment works like a deposit. For a true deposit, use two Stripe invoices and Add Customer.

What does WithMe cost for coaches?

$25 per month billed annually (UK £25), with a 14-day trial. WithMe takes 0% commission. Stripe and PayPal fees still apply.

Start your 14-day trial at https://www.withme.so/become-a-creator.