If you’ve ever tried to get paid on time after closing a B2B deal, you know the pain: emails back and forth, missing invoices, chasing signatures, and then waiting for someone in accounting to finally hit “pay.” If you’re looking for a way to make payments less of a headache—and you want to avoid complicated enterprise tools—you’re in the right place.
This guide is for anyone who wants to use Paperform to set up automated payment workflows for B2B transactions. Whether you’re a freelancer with a handful of clients, or you run a small agency managing multiple contracts, you’ll find practical steps here to get money moving without losing your mind (or your weekends).
Let’s get into it.
1. Know What You’re Really Automating
Before you start clicking around, get clear about what you actually want to automate. “B2B payments” sounds simple, but real-life deals can get messy fast. Here’s what you might want your workflow to handle:
- Sending a branded quote or proposal
- Collecting e-signatures (for contracts, NDAs, etc.)
- Issuing invoices and accepting payments
- Sending receipts and notifications
- Tracking who paid, who didn’t, and when
Pro tip: Don’t try to automate everything from day one. Start with what really slows you down. For most people, it’s collecting signatures and payments.
2. Map Out Your Payment Flow
Grab a notepad (or open a doc) and sketch out the steps from “client says yes” to “money in your account.” Typical B2B payment flows look like:
- Send a quote or proposal.
- Client approves and signs.
- Invoice is sent (sometimes it’s combined with the contract).
- Client pays (credit card, bank transfer, etc.).
- Confirmation and receipts go out.
- Payment data syncs to your bookkeeping tools.
You don’t need to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about your bottlenecks. If your clients always want Net 30 terms, build that in. If you only accept ACH, skip credit card options.
3. Set Up Your Paperform Account and Connect Payment Gateways
First things first: sign up for a Paperform account if you haven’t already. The free trial is enough to play around, but you’ll need a paid plan to unlock payment integrations.
Connect your payment gateway:
- Go to Account Settings > Payments.
- Choose your provider: Stripe is the easiest and most flexible for B2B (credit card + ACH), but PayPal is there too.
- Follow the prompts to connect your account.
What works:
Stripe is reliable, supports a bunch of currencies, and handles both cards and ACH (bank transfers). If your clients are old school and want to pay by check, you’ll need to handle that outside of Paperform.
What to ignore:
Don’t get stuck trying to integrate every possible payment method. Focus on what your clients actually use.
4. Build Your Payment Form (or Contract + Payment Combo)
Paperform is basically a form builder with superpowers. You can build anything from a simple “Pay Invoice” form to a full quote-approval-contract-signature-payment flow.
Keep it simple:
- Start with a template: Paperform has templates for invoices, quotes, and contracts. Use one—don’t start from scratch unless you like pain.
- Add fields you need: Company name, contact, invoice/PO number, payment amount, description of services, etc.
- Attach your contract or T&Cs: Use the built-in e-signature field if you need a signature before payment.
- Set up payment fields: Drag in a payment field. You can make the amount fixed, or let the client enter it (for variable invoices).
Pro tip:
If you want to automate recurring invoices, set your payment field to “subscription” and let Stripe handle the repeat billing.
What doesn’t work:
- Paperform is not a full-blown contract management tool. If you need complex contract logic, or multiple signers, you’ll hit limits.
- Don’t try to replicate a 20-page legal contract in a form—just link to a PDF or upload the contract as a file if needed.
5. Automate Notifications and Receipts
No one likes chasing payments or wondering if the money went through. Automate emails so everyone stays in the loop.
- In the form editor, go to “After Submission” > “Emails & Integrations.”
- Set up automatic emails to:
- Thank the client for payment.
- Send a PDF receipt (attach summary answers or payment confirmation).
- Notify your finance team (or yourself) when payment is received.
Pro tip:
Use answer piping to customize emails with the client’s name, invoice number, and payment details. It makes you look professional and saves time.
6. Integrate With Your Accounting or CRM Tools (Optional, But Worth It)
If you want to avoid copying data between systems, connect Paperform to your other tools.
- Native integrations: Paperform connects directly with Xero, QuickBooks, and a handful of CRMs. Check their integrations page.
- Zapier or Make: If you need more flexibility, use Zapier or Make to push data to almost any tool (HubSpot, Salesforce, Google Sheets, etc.).
- Webhooks: For techies, webhooks let you send payment data anywhere. But be honest—if you’re not comfortable with APIs, skip this.
What works:
Connecting to your accounting tool means payments are logged automatically, and you don’t have to chase paperwork.
What to ignore:
Don’t over-automate. If you have five clients, it’s fine to copy-paste into your books until you grow.
7. Test Your Workflow (Don’t Skip This)
Before you send anything to a client, run through your form end-to-end. Use test payment modes in Stripe or PayPal to make fake payments.
- Check every email, attachment, and notification.
- Make sure all required fields are clear and not buried.
- Try it on desktop and mobile—clients will use both.
Common snags:
- Payment fields not set as required (clients can skip them).
- Emails going to spam (use a business domain if you can).
- Typos in invoice numbers or payment amounts.
Fix anything that feels clunky. You only get one chance at a good first impression.
8. Go Live, But Keep It Flexible
Once you’ve tested, send your form to a client. Watch what actually happens. Does someone get confused? Do you get questions about how to pay? Take notes and tweak your form.
- Share forms as links, embed them on your website, or email them directly.
- For repeat clients, consider pre-filling some fields to make it faster.
- If something breaks, don’t panic—Paperform support is solid, and most issues are fixable without a developer.
What Paperform Can’t (and Shouldn’t) Do
Let’s be honest: Paperform is great for automating straightforward payment flows, but it’s not magic. Here’s where it falls short:
- Complex approval chains: If your clients need three people to sign off, or want to haggle over contract terms, Paperform can’t handle that mess.
- Custom payment schedules: You can set up recurring payments, but if your deals involve milestone-based billing or variable schedules, you’ll need workarounds (or a more specialized tool).
- Deep accounting: Paperform sends data out, but it’s not an accounting system. Don’t try to run your books from inside a form builder.
Bottom line:
If you need bells and whistles—like SOW negotiation, multi-currency reconciliation, or heavy compliance—look elsewhere. For most small B2B teams, Paperform will get 80% of the job done, fast.
Wrapping Up: Keep It Simple, Iterate as You Grow
Automating payments isn’t about showing off how many tools you can connect. It’s about getting paid reliably, with less hassle. Start with a basic Paperform workflow, get feedback from your clients, and improve as you go. Don’t overcomplicate it—simple systems are easier to fix when something goes sideways.
And remember: getting paid faster is great, but not at the cost of confusing your clients. Clarity beats cleverness every time.
Now, go get your weekends back.