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Set up billing and payment processing

In this article:

    Choose and Connect a Payment Processor


    Gymdesk processes payments through an integrated payment processor, which stores your members' card and bank details—not Gymdesk. Storing payment details with your processor helps with PCI compliance. Those details stay with the processor even if you move to different gym management software.

    To choose and connect a payment processor:

    1. Go to Settings → Billing → Payment Processor.
    2. Select the tab for the payment processor you want to connect: Gymdesk Payments, Square, Stripe, Authorize.net or GoCardless.
    3. Follow the steps on that tab to connect your account. Once connected, a check mark appears on the tab.

    !
    Important
    Each location can have only one payment processor connected at a time. To switch processors, disconnect the current one first.

     

    Gymdesk Payments
    Gymdesk's own payment processor, for gyms in the United States and Canada.
    The only processor that lowers your Gymdesk subscription price
    2.9% + $0.30
    card transactions
    3.5% for American Express
    1%
    ACH payments
    (PAD in Canada)
    Capped at $5
    $5
    monthly account fee
    2 days
    payout to your bank
    *Gyms in Canada pay the same rates in Canadian dollars.
    ✓ Cards and bank payments. ACH in the US and pre-authorized debit in Canada.
    ✓ Pass card fees on to members. The only processor in Gymdesk that supports surcharging, where the law allows it.
    ✓ Help with switching. The Gymdesk Payments team moves your members' payment details from your current processor.
    ✓ Card reader available. The Clover Compact ($225). Not available in Canada yet.

    Apply for Gymdesk Payments 

    1. Select the Gymdesk Payments tab from the available payment processors.
    2. Complete and submit the application. Incomplete applications will not be processed.
    3. The Gymdesk Payments team will contact you by phone or email to finish setting up your account.

    Note: Canadian applications take 4 to 7 business days to approve.

    To see how much you can save with Gymdesk Payments, see our Pricing. For more information about payouts, funding times, refunds, or card terminals, see Gymdesk Payments - FAQs.

       

      Other payment processors supported by Gymdesk

      To connect one of the processors below, open its tab and connect your existing account or follow the steps to create one. Payouts typically reach your bank in 1 to 3 business days. If you already use one of these processors, connecting your account also syncs your members' saved payment methods.

      • Stripe: cards plus local bank payments such as ACH, SEPA, BECS, and pre-authorized debits, in 46 countries. See Stripe’s pricing.
      • Square: cards only, in 8 countries: the US, Canada, Australia, Japan, the UK, Ireland, France, and Spain. See Square’s pricing.
      • GoCardless: bank payments only (no cards), in over 25 countries.
      • Ezypay: recurring bank and card payments in Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Hong Kong. Its tab appears only for gyms in those countries. Processing fees are billed to your members, not your gym. Apply through Ezypay’s Gymdesk page.
      • Authorize.net: best if you already take card payments through your bank or another provider and want to keep that setup. Authorize.net links that account to Gymdesk, and also supports ACH through its eCheck feature (0.8% fee). Don’t have an account? Gymdesk partners with Friendly Payments, which offers US gyms rates from 2.75% + 25¢ and next-day funding.

      To connect Authorize.net:

      1. Open the Authorize.net tab.
      2. To use Friendly Payments, apply with the application form link on that tab and wait for approval. If you have your own Authorize.net account, skip this step.
      3. Enter the API Login ID and Transaction Key from your processor, then click Connect Account.



      Connect a card reader (optional)

      Card readers work with Gymdesk Payments, Stripe, and Square. Follow the steps below to connect your reader and start accepting card payments through point of sale.

      1. Go to Settings → Billing → Payment Processor and open your processor's tab.
      2. Click Connect reader and follow the instructions on screen.

      Processor Card reader Cost Good to know
      Gymdesk Payments Clover Compact $225 USD Ordered through your Gymdesk Payments sales rep and not returnable. Not available in Canada until early 2027.
      Stripe BBPOS WisePOS E No longer sold Stripe stopped selling this reader in September 2026. Readers you already own still work. Can also save a card to a member's profile.
      Square Square Terminal $299 USD The only Square device that works with Gymdesk. Can't save cards on file for members or sign-up forms.


      Configure Billing Settings


      After connecting your payment processor, go to Settings → Billing to configure your payment schedule, taxes, and other billing preferences. If you're moving from other software, you can also review how to import existing payment information into Gymdesk.

      Gymdesk Settings menu with Billing selected, showing the Billing Settings page: Billing Settings, Payment Notifications, Payment Schedule, Tax Settings, Invoice / Receipt Customization, Payment Processor, and Import Payment Data.

       

      Enable or disable payment processing

      Keep payment processing off while you set up billing, so no one gets charged by accident. Turn it on when you’re ready to start collecting payments.

      1. Go to Settings → Billing → Billing Settings.
      2. Turn Enable payment processing on or off.
      3. Click Save Settings.

      While processing is off, scheduled payments aren’t charged. On their due date they’re marked Paid with the payment method Skipped.

      Billing Settings with the Enable payment processing toggle turned on and the Currency set to United States Dollar.

      Choose the currency

      Select your gym’s billing currency in Settings → Billing → Billing Settings. Gymdesk supports more than 135 currencies. Currencies marked with * aren’t accepted by Mastercard.

       

      Set up taxes

      Set the tax rate Gymdesk adds to payments, and how it appears on invoices and receipts. You'll make these changes in Settings → Billing → Tax Settings.

      • Invoice Label: what tax is called on invoices. The default is “Tax,” but you can use your region’s name for it.
      • Rate and Applies To: apply a rate to all payments or just product sales. You can still adjust the tax on each payment.
      • + Add Secondary Tax: add a second rate if you need one (for example, PST and GST in parts of Canada).
      • Tax Type: choose how tax is added to your prices. For a $100 membership with 6% tax, Tax Exclusive adds tax on top, so the member pays $106. Tax Inclusive means tax is already in the price, so the member pays $100 and $5.66 of that is tax. Which one you need depends on your country’s tax laws.

      Tax changes don't affect payments already created. To apply them to scheduled payments that haven't processed yet, check Apply this tax rate to all scheduled payments before you save.

      Tax settings with the Invoice Label, Rate, and Applies To fields, and the option to apply a new tax rate to existing scheduled payments.

       

      Payment schedule and related settings

      Choose when Gymdesk runs automatic payments, and how it handles manual and prorated ones. You’ll make these changes in Settings → Billing → Payment Schedule. Hover over or tap a setting in the visual below to see what it does. 

      Payment Schedule settings: Autopay and Manual and Invoice Payments times, auto-mark manual payments as paid, default payment day, discounts on prorated payments, and daily payment report. Interactive: hover or tap a highlighted setting for a quick explanation.
      • Autopay*: the time of day card payments and direct debits are processed.
      • Manual and Invoice Payments*: the time of day unpaid manual and invoice payments are marked overdue.

      *Payments enter a processing queue at these times, so they can take 20 to 30 minutes (up to an hour) to go through.

      • Automatically mark manual payments as paid: marks cash, check, and other offline payments as paid on their due date. No money is collected.
      • Set a default Payment Day: bills recurring payments on one day of the month. A member’s first payment is prorated to that day.
      • Apply discounts to prorated payments: applies a membership’s discounts to its prorated first payment too.
      • Receive a daily payment report via Email: a daily email showing how many payments were paid on time, how many card payments failed, and how many manual payments are overdue.
      !
      Important
      Only turn on Automatically mark manual payments as paid if members pay you outside Gymdesk (Cash, Check, Venmo, Zelle etc.) and you don't need Gymdesk to track whether manual payments were actually received.

       

      Set late fees and grace periods

      The late fee is set on each membership, so different memberships can charge different amounts. The grace period is one setting for your whole gym: the number of days a payment can be overdue before the late fee is charged.

      To set the grace period:

      1. Go to Settings → Billing → Billing Settings.
      2. Enter the number of days in Late fee grace period (days).
      3. Click Save Settings.

      Late fee grace period (days) field in Billing Settings, set to 5 days.

      To set a late fee, create or edit a membership and go to Pricing → Fees → Charge Late Fees. The "when 5 days overdue" text next to the field shows your gym's grace period, and Edit takes you back to that setting.

      Membership Fees section with Sign-Up Fee and Charge Late Fees fields, showing when 5 days overdue with an Edit link.

       

      Retry failed payments

      When a payment fails or goes unpaid, Gymdesk can follow up for you. For automatic payments, it tries the charge again, which often succeeds once the member has added funds or updated their payment details. For manual and invoice payments, it reminds the member that their payment is overdue. You’ll make these changes in Settings → Billing → Billing Settings.

      1. Turn on Retry failed payments.
      2. For each attempt, choose the Payment Type it applies to (All Payments, Manual and Invoice Payments, or Auto Payments) and set the Retry Period (Days). By default, Gymdesk retries 2, 4, and 7 days after the original payment date.
      3. To add another attempt, click Add Retry Attempt.
      4. Click Save Settings.

      Payment retry settings with three retry attempts for Auto Payments on days 2, 4, and 7, and an Add Retry Attempt button.

       

      Migrate existing payment information into Gymdesk

      To move your members' existing payment details into Gymdesk, see Migrating Member Payment Information to Gymdesk. If you have questions about payment processing, feel free to drop us a line!

      Import Payment Data screen with an upload button for importing historical payment data from a CSV file.

      Customize Invoices, Receipts, and Notifications


      Brand your invoices and receipts, and choose which payment emails and texts Gymdesk sends to members and staff.

       

      Payment notifications

      Choose which payment emails and texts Gymdesk sends to your members and staff. You’ll make these changes in Settings → Billing → Payment Notifications.

      Payment Notifications settings with Email Notifications toggles for invoices, receipts, failed or overdue payments, payment reminders 2 days before the due date, and disputes, plus SMS Notifications toggles for receipts and failed or overdue notices.

      • Send Email invoices by default
        Sets whether new membership payments, including recurring ones, send an Email invoice. You can still change it when you create the payment.
      • Receipt Emails
        Sends an Email receipt when a payment goes through.
      • Failed/overdue payments Emails
        Sends an Email notice when a card payment fails, or a manual payment is past due.
      • Send Scheduled Payment Reminders
        Sends Email reminders before scheduled payments. When it's on, you choose how many days before the due date. Reminders help members have funds ready, or cover a legal notice requirement.
      • Notify client by email when a payment is disputed
        Emails the member when one of their payments is disputed.
      • Notify manager by email when a member removes a payment method
        Emails the gym's managers when a member removes a payment method from their account.
      • Send payment receipts via SMS
        Texts the member a receipt when a payment goes through.
      • Send failed/overdue payment notices via SMS
        Texts the member when a card payment fails or a manual payment is past due.

       

      Customize the look of invoices and receipts

      Add your business details to the invoices and receipts your members receive. You’ll make these changes in Settings → Billing → Invoice / Receipt Customization.

      Invoice / Receipt Customization settings with Business Identifier, Business Address, Invoice Title, Receipt Title, and Payment Details fields.

      • Business Identifier: shows a tax ID on your invoices. Set the label your region uses (for example, Tax ID, ABN, or VAT number) and enter your number.
      • Business Address: the address that appears on your invoices and receipts.
      • Invoice Title and Receipt Title: the heading at the top of each document. The defaults are “Invoice” and “Payment Receipt”.
      • Payment Details: instructions for paying an invoice, such as bank transfer details, who to make checks payable to, or your payment terms. It appears on every invoice.

       

      Frequently Asked Questions

      +What does Automatically mark manual payments as paid do?
      It marks manual payments (cash, check, or other offline payments) as paid on their due date. No money is collected. If it's off, manual payments stay unpaid until a staff member marks them paid, and show as overdue after the due date. Careful: if a membership is set to Manual Payment instead of the card on file, every scheduled payment is marked paid, even if the member never paid.
      +Why are payments marked Paid when payment processing is off?
      When payment processing is off, Gymdesk doesn't charge scheduled payments. Instead, on each payment's due date it marks the payment Paid with the payment method Skipped. No money is collected for these payments.
      +Why was a member marked paid when they were supposed to be charged?
      If a member's membership is set to Manual instead of a card on file, and Automatically mark manual payments as paid is on, Gymdesk marks their payments as paid without charging them. This can happen by mistake, for example when a sign-up form has Payment Information turned off. To fix it, add a card to the member's membership.
      +What's the difference between the Autopay and Manual and Invoice Payments times?
      Autopay is the time card payments and direct debits are processed. Manual and Invoice Payments is the time unpaid manual and invoice payments are marked overdue. Payments enter a processing queue at these times, so they can take 20 to 30 minutes (up to an hour) to go through.
      +Will changing my tax settings affect payments that already exist?
      No. Tax changes don't affect payments already created, to avoid accounting issues. To apply the new settings to scheduled payments that haven't processed yet, check "Apply this tax rate to all scheduled payments" before you save.
      +Can I set more than one tax rate?
      Yes. In Tax Settings, click + Add Secondary Tax to add a second rate, for example if your region uses both PST and GST.
      +What happens if a card payment fails?
      If Retry failed payments is on, Gymdesk tries the payment again automatically. By default it retries 2, 4, and 7 days after the original payment date, and you can change those days or add attempts in Settings → Billing → Billing Settings. If Failed/overdue payments Emails is on, the member also gets an email when a card payment fails. The daily payment report shows how many card payments failed that day.
      +How do I connect a card reader?
      Card readers work with Gymdesk Payments, Stripe, and Square. Go to Settings → Billing → Payment Processor, open your processor's tab, click Connect reader, and follow the instructions. Gymdesk Payments uses the Clover Compact, Stripe uses the BBPOS WisePOS E (no longer sold new), and Square uses the Square Terminal. See the card reader table above for costs and details.

      Next: Creating Membership Options