Set up your business

Payments settings

Set up how you get paid, bank transfer, card payments, VAT, deposits, and invoice automation.

The Payments tab in Settings is where Barclo learns how your business handles money. It feeds directly into your invoices and the client booking experience. Spend ten minutes here and you'll save yourself hours of admin later.

To get there: Settings → Payments.

Two ways to get paid

  • Card payments via Stripe, clients pay by card online, at the time of booking or when you send an invoice. Requires connecting a Stripe account. Stripe is a secure, widely used payment processor, it handles the card details so Barclo (and you) never see them.
  • Bank transfer, your account name, sort code, and account number are printed on every invoice so clients can pay you directly via internet banking. No setup needed, no fees, just add your details and you're ready.

You can offer both, many owners accept bank transfer from existing clients and use Stripe for new or online-booking clients. Or start with bank transfer and add Stripe later when you're ready.

Setting up bank transfer

In the Bank transfer section, enter your account name, sort code, and account number. Click Save. These details now appear at the bottom of every invoice you send, under a "How to pay" heading, clients can copy them straight to their banking app.

Connecting Stripe (card payments)

To accept card payments, click Connect with Stripe. This opens Stripe's own secure setup flow, you'll create or link a Stripe account and verify your business details. The whole process happens on Stripe's website, not inside Barclo. Once connected, a Stripe "Pay now" button appears on invoices, and you can take deposits at the time of booking.

No pressure on Stripe. Bank transfer works perfectly well, especially for established clients who pay reliably. Stripe is most useful if you want clients to pay online at the point of booking, or if you want to reduce the time chasing payments.

When clients pay · your default timing

Barclo lets you set a default payment timing that applies to all bookings (you can override it on any individual booking):

  • Pay on booking, the full amount is charged when the client books. Requires Stripe to be connected.
  • Deposit on booking, the client pays a percentage upfront, and the rest is due later. You set the deposit percentage. Requires Stripe.
  • Pay on the day, payment is collected at the visit: cash or card, handled by you, not automated.
  • Pay by invoice, Barclo sends an invoice after the service. The client settles it via bank transfer or the Stripe link on the invoice. The most common choice.

Deposits

If you choose "Deposit on booking", set the default deposit percentage in the Default deposit field. For example, 50% means a client booking a £60 grooming session pays £30 at booking time and the remaining £30 on the invoice after the visit. Deposits protect you from last-minute cancellations.

Invoice automation · a big time-saver

This is one of the most powerful settings in Barclo. Invoice automation controls when Barclo creates invoices for completed bookings. The options are:

  • Manually, you create each invoice yourself. Full control, but more admin.
  • When a booking's completed, as soon as you mark a booking as Completed, Barclo automatically creates the invoice. Recommended for most businesses.
  • Daily, Barclo batches up all completed bookings from the day and creates invoices once per day.
  • Weekly / Monthly, useful if you bill clients at regular intervals rather than per session.

There's also a toggle: Email invoices to clients automatically. If this is on, as soon as the invoice is created it gets emailed to the client with a PDF attached. If it's off, invoices are saved as drafts and you choose when to send them, useful if you like to review invoices before they go out.

Recommended setup for most businesses: Set automation to "When a booking's completed" and email automatically. That way you never forget to bill. The moment you mark a dog walk as done, the client gets their invoice. It feels very professional and removes a whole category of admin from your week.

Default payment period

This is how many days clients have to pay after an invoice is issued. A common choice is 7 days. Barclo uses this as the due date whenever you create an invoice without setting a custom date, it calculates the due date automatically so you don't have to.

VAT · do I need this?

VAT (Value Added Tax) is a tax that VAT-registered businesses add to the prices they charge. In the UK, the standard rate is 20%, and you're required to register for VAT once your business's annual turnover exceeds the VAT threshold (check HMRC's current figure, it changes from time to time).

If you're not VAT-registered (which is the case for most solo pet-care businesses starting out): leave the VAT toggle off. Your invoices will show your prices without any VAT addition.

If you are VAT-registered: switch the toggle on, enter your VAT registration number, and set your default VAT rate (usually 20% in the UK). Barclo will then automatically add VAT to all your invoices and show the VAT amount as a separate line, which is a legal requirement.

Not sure if you need to be VAT-registered? This is a tax matter, speak to your accountant or check the HMRC website. Barclo makes it easy to switch VAT on when the time comes.