Invoices and Payment Requests on Paysasa: Bill Customers and Get Paid Faster

Getting paid on time starts with asking clearly. A vague message — "please send the money when you can" — is easy to ignore. A clear invoice with an amount, a due date and a one-tap way to pay is not.

Paysasa offers two tools for this: invoices for itemised billing and payment requests for quick collections. Both are available on Paysasa today. Here is how they work and when to use each.

Invoices: professional billing with a built-in payment page

A Paysasa invoice includes everything a customer needs to understand and pay a bill:

• Line items with description, quantity and unit price
• Due date
• Customer details — an email address, phone number or Paysasa pay handle
• Notes for the customer, such as a thank-you message or delivery details

Every invoice comes with a hosted payment page. Customers can pay with M-Pesa without signing in, or with their Paysasa wallet after signing in. That means you can bill people who have never used Paysasa before.

Tracking status

Invoices are tracked as paid, partially paid or overdue, so you always know where you stand. Partial payments are recorded against the invoice, and the remaining balance is shown clearly.

Sending invoices

You can share the payment link directly or have Paysasa send the invoice link by email or SMS. Reminders help you follow up without awkward conversations.

Recurring invoices

For regular charges — a monthly retainer, service fee or membership — you can enable recurring on a template invoice so a new invoice is generated each billing cycle.

Payment requests: quick and simple

Not every collection needs a full invoice. A payment request is a simpler way to ask a contact or recipient for a specific amount. It is ideal for:

• Splitting a shared cost
• Collecting a deposit
• Asking a regular customer to settle a small balance
• Quick one-off charges

The recipient receives the request and pays; the status updates in the app.

Which one should you use?

• Use an invoice when you need an itemised record, due dates, partial payments or recurring billing — typical for B2B services, contractors and agencies.
• Use a payment request when the amount is simple and you just need a quick, trackable way to ask.

Tips for getting paid faster

1. Invoice immediately when the work is done or the goods are delivered.
2. Be specific in line items so there is nothing to query.
3. Set a clear due date — and keep it reasonable.
4. Make paying easy by sharing the hosted payment link.
5. Follow up early, with a friendly reminder before the due date.
6. Accept partial payments when it helps a customer stay on track.

An illustrative example

Imagine a cleaning company in Nairobi serving several offices. At the end of each month it creates an invoice per client with line items for regular cleaning and any extra services. Each client receives the link by email, and the office manager pays by M-Pesa from the hosted page without creating an account. For one client on a fixed monthly contract, the company sets up a recurring invoice so it is generated automatically. The team checks the invoice list each week to spot anything overdue.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Sending invoices to the wrong contact. Confirm who approves payments at the client's side.
• Lumping everything into one line. Itemised bills are queried less often.
• Forgetting partial payments. Record them so the remaining balance is always accurate.
• Waiting too long to follow up. The older an invoice gets, the harder it is to collect.

For developers

Invoices are available in the Paysasa API: create invoices with line items in minor units, retrieve status, send invoices by email or SMS and use recurring templates. Each invoice returns a `payment_url` you can share or embed in your own app. For plan-based billing, the Subscriptions API builds on invoices. See the Paysasa API docs.

Requirements

Collecting as a business requires a business profile on Paysasa and completed KYC verification. Fees are listed on the pricing page.

Conclusion

Clear requests get paid faster. With invoices for itemised billing and payment requests for quick collections — both with easy mobile payment for your customers — Paysasa helps you spend less time chasing money and more time running your business.

Ready to send your first invoice? Learn more about invoices and payment requests or create your Paysasa business account.