Activating Clio Payments lets your firm collect client payments online and route funds to the correct accounts. Activation has two stages: you submit an application with your firm's business, ownership, and banking details, then connect your approved payout accounts to your Clio Manage ledger accounts. Completing both stages verifies your firm as a merchant and turns on payment processing.
Note: Account administrators and the primary subscriber can activate Clio Payments. Before you begin, gather your business registration or incorporation papers, a statement or voided cheque for your firm's bank account, and personal information such as address, personal phone number, and personal email address for each beneficial owner. You can use Save and Exit at any time to continue later.
Start the application
The application covers four steps: business information, ownership information, banking information, and review.
- In Clio Manage, click Online payments.
- Click Activate today.
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Select your Business type.
Note: Depending on your business type, you may need to provide details about the structure of your business.
- Click Next.
- Add your business details using the fields below. The information required depends on your business type and structure.
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Business name: Enter the legal name of your business as per your business registration documentation.
Note: If your firm is a sole trader without a registered business name, use the name on your bank account instead.
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Statement descriptor: Enter a descriptor clients can identify on their credit card or bank statement.
Important: A clear statement descriptor helps reduce disputes and chargebacks. Learn more in Understand Payment Disputes and Chargebacks.
- Australian Company Number (ACN): Applicable to public and proprietary companies. Enter the nine-digit number issued by the Australian Securities Business Register.
- Australian Business Number (ABN): Enter the unique 11-digit business identifier issued by the Australian Business Register.
- Business email: Provide a business email address.
- Country: Select the country where your firm operates.
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Registered business address: Enter your firm's physical address, including city and postcode.
Important: The registered business address must be a physical address. P.O. boxes and private mailboxes are not accepted.
- Business phone number: Provide a business phone number.
- Business website: Provide the business website you use to promote your services.
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- Click Next.
Add personal information to verify that you own or represent the business. The information required depends on your firm's structure and ownership.
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Add your personal details: role at the company (for example, owner, co-owner, executive, senior manager, or director), job title, ownership percentage, legal full name, personal email address, date of birth, country, home address, and personal phone number.
Important: P.O. boxes and private mailboxes are not accepted for your home address.
- Click Next.
- If applicable, add each beneficial owner. A beneficial owner is an individual who holds 1% or more of the firm, or who exercises significant managerial control over the firm, such as a C-suite member, senior manager, managing member, general partner, president, vice president, treasurer, or director.
- For each beneficial owner, click Add person, complete the required details, and click Add person again to save.
- When you have added all beneficial owners, click Next.
Add at least one operating payout account to receive payments through Clio.
Tip: If your firm uses multiple operating accounts to receive payments, learn how to direct payments to your different accounts after you finish your Clio Payments setup.
- Click Add bank account.
- Add your bank account details using the fields below.
- Account type: Select your account type.
- Account name: Add a recognisable name for your account, for internal use.
- Sort code: Find this six-digit number (xx-xx-xx) on a bank statement, bank card, or cheque, or contact your financial institution for this information.
- Account number: Find this number, usually eight digits, on a bank statement, bank card, or cheque, or contact your financial institution for this information.
- Click Add bank account. Your added account appears on the Bank accounts screen. Add more bank accounts at any time, including later, by clicking Add bank account again.
- Select a Primary operating account from the accounts you added. This account receives Clio Payments transactions and debits transaction fees, chargebacks, outstanding balances, and any insufficient funds from other added accounts.
- Click Next.
- Review your information. Click Edit on any section to correct it.
- Check the boxes to accept the Terms of Service and other conditions.
- Click Submit.
Check your application status
Application review takes about one to two days. During review, the application carries a pending verification status.
Note: When Clio needs more information, it emails you, and the Online payments page shows the specific items needed.
- In Clio Manage, click Online payments.
- Click Go to Accounts.
- Click Update for each notification that requires more information, and provide the corrections or documentation.
When your application is approved, you receive an email and the Sign up for Clio Payments section shows a Complete status. You are then ready to connect your accounts.
Connect payout accounts to ledger accounts
After your application is approved, connect each payout account to a ledger account to begin processing transactions.
Important: Payout accounts, added during the application, represent your real-world bank accounts. Ledger accounts, created in the Accounts tab, are the internal records that manage billing and trust. Connect each payout account to a ledger account before Clio Payments processes transactions. Each payout account connects to one ledger account.
Connect your bank accounts
- Go to Set Up Clio Payments, and select Get Started.
- Connect each relevant bank account so your existing payment links continue to work.
- Click Next.
- Read each notification, check its box to confirm you understand it, then click Activate Clio Payments.
- If you have not created ledger accounts yet, create them first, then connect them.
- If your ledger accounts already exist, connect them to your payout accounts. Learn how in Connect Bank Accounts to Online Payments.
Note: To add a new payout account after you activate Clio Payments, create a ledger account from the Accounts tab first, then click Connect to payments for that account and click Add payout account.
Complete identity confirmation for payout accounts
For your protection, connecting a payout account to Clio Payments may prompt you for additional identity confirmation. After you complete the identity verification form, your submission enters processing and review. Once your identity is confirmed, you receive an email confirming acceptance, and you can connect additional payout accounts.
Note: Successful identity confirmation lasts 30 days. To connect additional payout accounts after that period, you may need to verify again.
From the Clio Manage desktop app
If Clio prompts you for additional identity confirmation when you view the Accounts tab, follow these steps from Clio Manage on your desktop:
- Click Verify my identity. This redirects you to Clio's identity confirmation form, sends you an email with a link to the form, and notifies your firm's primary subscriber that you are completing identity confirmation. This notification is not sent when you are the primary subscriber.
- In the identity verification form, select your document type under Document Type, and its issuing country under Country.
- Acceptable forms of identification include a passport, a driver licence (front and back scans required), a photo card (front and back scans required), a New South Wales Driving Instructor Licence (front and back scans required), a Tasmanian Government Personal Information Card (front and back scans required), an ImmiCard (front and back scans required), a Proof of Age card (front and back scans required), and an Australian Defence Force (ADF) identification card (front and back scans required).
- Under Capture Type, upload a photo of the front of your document and a live photo of yourself. For some document types, also upload a photo of the back.
- Under Auto/Manual Capture, select how you take the photo. If Auto has trouble, use Manual instead.
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With Auto, click Capture Photo to use your computer's webcam and camera software.
Tip: Place a contrasting background colour behind your document to help the automatic detection process recognise it.
- With Manual, click Capture to upload photos from your computer.
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- Click Submit.
From the Clio mobile app
If Clio prompts you for additional identity confirmation when you view the Accounts tab, follow these steps from the Clio mobile app:
- Click Verify my identity. This redirects you to Clio's identity confirmation form, sends you an email with a link to the form, and notifies your firm's primary subscriber that you are completing identity confirmation. This notification is not sent when you are the primary subscriber.
- In the identity verification form, select your document type under Document Type, and its issuing country under Country.
- Under Capture Type, upload a photo of the front of your document and a live photo of yourself. For some document types, also upload a photo of the back.
- Under Auto/Manual Capture, select how you take the photo. If Auto has trouble, use Manual instead.
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With Auto, click Capture Photo to use your mobile device's camera.
Tip: Place a contrasting background colour behind your document to help the automatic detection process recognise it.
- With Manual, click Capture to upload photos from your mobile device.
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- Click Submit.
Important: Your personal information stays protected throughout this process. Document images remain stored for one year for auditing purposes, then automatic deletion follows.
Up next
Manage Clio Payments Settings: Add payout accounts, update your payments profile, edit the statement descriptor, and enable surcharging after activation.