How to Collect Rent Online: Setup, ACH, Auto-Pay and Payment Status

Published 2026-06-24 · Updated 2026-09-18

Online rent collection works best when the tenant knows what is due, how to pay and where to check the result. The landlord needs an equally clear view of money due, payments still processing and settled payments. This guide walks through the setup and the exceptions that matter after the first month.

1. Finish payment setup before inviting a payment

In PropertyFolio, the landlord completes the connected payment-account setup and any required verification before online collection becomes available. A property record alone does not activate payouts. Check connecting your payment account and verification and payouts if setup is still pending.

Confirm the lease, rent amount, due date and payer assignments. For a household with multiple tenants, check each person's configured share instead of assuming everyone will see the whole amount. Tell tenants when the new arrangement starts so they do not also send the same rent through an older method.

2. Choose an appropriate payment method

  • Bank transfer: tenants connect an eligible bank account and pay by ACH. Settlement takes time, and a submitted transfer can later fail or be returned.
  • Card: useful when a tenant prefers a supported card. Review the displayed processing charge before paying.
  • Apple Pay: available where supported in the iPhone payment flow. Its availability depends on the device and payment setup.
  • Offline payment: if rent arrives by cash, check, Zelle, Venmo or another external method, the landlord records what was actually received. This is recordkeeping, not an integration that pulls those transactions automatically.

Fees and eligibility are shown in the payment flow. Whether the landlord absorbs a fee or passes it through depends on the configured arrangement. Check those terms before asking tenants to use a method; a free software plan does not make payment processing free.

3. Invite tenants and explain the first payment

Invite the correct tenant account and confirm it can access the lease and payment schedule. Tenants should open their Payments view, review the amount, select a method and keep the resulting receipt or status. The tenant payment guide is a useful link to send alongside your instructions.

For recurring payments, the tenant chooses whether to enable bank-transfer auto-pay. An invitation is not authorization to debit an account. The auto-pay guide explains the tenant's controls. Recheck the schedule after an effective rent change and avoid starting a second payment for a transfer already processing.

4. Keep due, processing and paid separate

Consider an illustrative monthly rent of $1,500. If a $500 bank payment is processing and no money has settled, $500 is in transit; it is not yet $500 paid. The remaining amount due and the amount currently payable may differ while the transfer is processing. Follow the current payment screen instead of calculating a second charge from an old balance.

A checkout page being opened is not proof of payment. Use transaction history and payment attempts to distinguish an unsuccessful attempt, a transfer in progress and a settled transaction. If a transfer fails, review the updated balance and any applicable return fee before retrying.

5. Record exceptions without double counting

When a tenant pays outside the app, enter the amount, method, date and reference against the correct rent item. A note in a message is not a payment record. Read recording offline payments for the supported workflow.

Keep rent, security deposits and other payment requests clearly identified. Review overdue balances alongside processing transfers before following up. Late fees depend on your configured rules and applicable requirements; enabling reminders does not guarantee that every tenant pays on time.

A monthly rent-collection checklist

  1. Before the due date, review active leases, payer shares and any upcoming rent changes.
  2. After the due date, distinguish missing payments from transfers still processing.
  3. Record money received outside the app once, against the correct item.
  4. Review failed attempts and contact the tenant with the specific next step.
  5. Reconcile settled receipts and payouts with your records before closing the month.

Explore the PropertyFolio landlord app, browse the Help Center, or start a free account. Check the payment setup and plan requirements before collecting live rent.