TL;DR:

Exoserva uses Stripe for payment processing — customers pay your invoices by credit or debit card
Setup uses Stripe Connect to create a new Stripe Express account for your business, finished in Stripe's hosted onboarding
Webhook handling captures payment events automatically — no manual checking of Stripe dashboard
Payment Intents (Stripe's modern API) means 3D Secure and strong authentication are handled automatically

Why Stripe for Field Service?

Field service contractors deal with payment complexity that most retail businesses don't: jobs invoiced before all materials are known, same-day payments collected in the field, recurring billing for maintenance contracts, and third-party payers like property managers who pay for work at tenant properties they own.

Stripe handles this complexity well. The Payment Intents API manages authentication requirements automatically — if a card requires 3D Secure verification, Stripe handles it without you writing custom authentication code.

How the Integration Works

Stripe Express Accounts

Exoserva uses Stripe Connect. When you set up payments, Exoserva creates a new Stripe Express account for your business and sends you to Stripe's hosted onboarding to finish it. This means:

Customer payments are charged on your own Express account, and Stripe pays them out to the bank account you add during onboarding
Exoserva never holds your funds
Setup doesn't link an existing Stripe account — it creates a new Express account even if your business already uses Stripe
Your Stripe Express dashboard, opened from Exoserva, is where you see your payouts and manage the bank account they go to

Onboarding happens on Stripe's site: Stripe asks for your business details, the identity information it needs to verify the business, and the bank account for payouts, then returns you to Exoserva. Customers can pay by card once Stripe has verified the account.

Payment Types Supported

Credit and debit cards — the standard for field service. Customers can pay invoices with any major card (Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover). Payment is processed immediately.

ACH bank transfers are not available. Invoice payments are card only.

Exoserva uses Stripe's Payment Intents API for card payments. Payment Intents handle the full lifecycle of a payment attempt, including authentication requirements, retries, and status tracking.

Webhook Handling

Stripe communicates payment events to Exoserva via webhooks. Events from your Express account are delivered to Exoserva's own Connect webhook endpoint, so there is nothing to register in your Stripe account. When a payment succeeds, fails, or is refunded, Stripe sends a webhook event and Exoserva processes it automatically.

Events Exoserva handles include:

checkout.session.completed — a customer paid from an invoice payment link; the payment is recorded against the invoice
payment_intent.succeeded — payment confirmed; recorded against the invoice if it wasn't already
payment_intent.payment_failed — the payment is marked failed
charge.refunded — a refund made in Stripe updates the payment in Exoserva
account.updated — your payment setup status in Exoserva follows Stripe's verification of your account
payout.paid and payout.failed — payouts are recorded, and you're notified when one fails

Exoserva also handles checkout.session.async_payment_succeeded and checkout.session.async_payment_failed, which Stripe sends for payment methods that settle days after checkout. None are offered today — that is the reason ACH is not on the list of payment types above.

You don't need to monitor the Stripe dashboard for payment statuses — Exoserva updates invoice records automatically when events arrive.

Customer Records

Your customer records stay in Exoserva. Payments on your Express account are not tied to Stripe Customer objects, so a customer's card is not saved for future invoices; Stripe receives the customer's email address with the payment when one is on file.

Setting Up Stripe Integration

Step 1: Create Your Stripe Express Account

In Exoserva, go to Settings → Billing. On the Overview tab, find Accept Customer Payments and click Get Started.

Exoserva creates your Stripe Express account and sends you to Stripe's onboarding. Enter your business details and the bank account for payouts. If you leave before finishing, Continue Setup in the same place takes you back to Stripe.

When you finish, Stripe returns you to Settings → Billing. The status reads Setup In Progress until Stripe has verified the account, then Active. If Stripe needs more information, it reads Action Required, and Resolve Issues takes you back to Stripe.

Step 2: No Webhook Setup Needed

There is no webhook to register or verify in your Stripe account. Stripe delivers your Express account's events to Exoserva's Connect webhook endpoint, which Exoserva operates for every business on the platform, so payments start updating your invoices as soon as the account is active.

Step 3: Collect Your First Payment

Your Express account is live from the start, so every payment is a real charge. Stripe test cards such as 4242 4242 4242 4242 are declined in live mode, and Exoserva has no way to put your account into Stripe test mode. Once the status shows Active:

Send a customer an invoice
When the customer pays it by card, verify the invoice updates to "Paid" in Exoserva

Processing Fees

Two separate fees come out of a customer payment collected through Exoserva: Stripe's processing fee and Exoserva's payment markup.

Stripe's Processing Fee

Stripe's standard pricing applies. You can verify current rates at stripe.com/pricing. Common rates at time of writing:

Cards: 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction

For high-volume businesses, Stripe offers custom pricing. Contact Stripe's sales team directly to negotiate rates based on your volume.

Exoserva's Payment Markup

Exoserva adds a payment markup on top of Stripe's processing fee. It is a percentage of each payment your customers make through Exoserva, and the rate depends on your plan:

Wedge: 0.5%
Growth: 0.5%
Scale: 0.75%
Enterprise: 1%

Stripe collects the markup as an application fee on the same payment, so it comes out of your proceeds alongside Stripe's own fee. For example, a $1,000 card payment on the Growth plan carries Stripe's fee plus a $5.00 Exoserva markup.

The markup is calculated on the invoice amount only. It is never taken from a customer's tip, and cash or check payments you record manually carry no markup. If you turn on customer-paid processing fees, the surcharge your customer sees covers both Stripe's fee and the markup, so you still receive the full invoice amount.

FAQ

Can I use Exoserva with a different payment processor? The current payment integration is built on Stripe. Stripe supports a wide range of use cases for field service businesses. If you have specific requirements that Stripe doesn't meet, contact Exoserva support to discuss your situation.

What happens if a payment is disputed? Stripe's standard dispute process applies to your Express account. Exoserva doesn't process dispute events, so a dispute doesn't change the invoice's status in Exoserva — follow the dispute through Stripe.

Can customers save payment methods for future invoices? No. Payments on your Express account don't save the customer's card, so customers enter their card details each time they pay an invoice.

Related Guides

Ready to Take Payments Through Exoserva?

Setting up Stripe through Exoserva enables card payments directly from your Exoserva invoices. No manual reconciliation — payments update your invoices automatically.

Book a demo to see payment processing in action →

Stripe Payment Processing for Field Service: Setup Guide