Most agencies check each dashboard in turn and then update a spreadsheet or Xero by hand, because every tool pays out in its own batches with its own report. A more lasting fix is to take UK client payments (card, bank payments and direct debit) through one provider that marks invoices paid in your accounting software, and keep Wise or Revolut for clients paying in other currencies.
In this article
The short version
- Agencies often end up with GoCardless for retainers, Stripe for cards, Wise for overseas clients and Revolut as the bank.
- Each tool pays out in its own batches, so no deposit matches a single invoice.
- A single view needs every invoice's status, payouts broken down, invoices marked paid automatically and an accurate overdue list.
- Adfin takes card, pay by bank, bank transfer and direct debit in one place and marks invoices paid in Xero or QuickBooks.
- Clients paying in other currencies can stay on Wise or Revolut, as Adfin collects in pounds only.
How agencies end up with four payment tools
It usually happens one decision at a time. Retainer clients went on GoCardless when you started billing monthly. Stripe arrived when a client wanted to pay a project deposit by card, or the website needed a checkout. Wise was opened for an overseas client who wanted to pay in their own currency. Revolut might be the business account itself, picked for its app and cards.
Each choice made sense on the day. Put together, the question of whether a client's retainer has come in could be answered in any of four places, and the answer for the whole client list lives in a spreadsheet that's only as current as the last time somebody updated it.
What each tool sends to your bank
Each tool pays you in its own way. Card and direct debit providers usually group payments into one payout, often with their fees taken off first, so one deposit can cover several invoices, and each provider has its own report showing what's in it. Wise and Revolut are accounts in their own right, so each one is another set of transactions to reconcile.
So a typical Tuesday might bring a direct debit payout that covers three retainers less fees, a card payout that covers a payment and a refund, and a bank transfer straight into Revolut from a client who never set up their direct debit. None of the deposits matches a single invoice. Somebody has to open each dashboard, work out which invoices each deposit paid, book the fees and mark the invoices paid.
Most of these tools connect to Xero in some form and take on some of that matching. You still have separate places to look, though, and a client who pays the wrong way (a transfer when they're meant to be on direct debit, say) falls between them.
What one view of client payments needs
Whether you build it in a spreadsheet or get it from software, a single view needs to show:
- Every client invoice and its status, however the client paid.
- Each payout broken down into the invoices it covers, with fees shown separately.
- Invoices marked paid in Xero or QuickBooks without anyone doing it by hand.
- What's overdue, client by client, so chasing starts from an accurate list.
A spreadsheet can manage the first and last if someone updates it every day. Points two and three are the slow, manual part, and they are the first to slip in a busy month.
How to get UK client payments into one place
If most of your clients pay in pounds, the spread mostly comes from them using different methods, and that part can sit in one place. Adfin takes card, Apple Pay, Google Pay, pay by bank, bank transfer and direct debit on one account, so a retainer on direct debit and a project deposit paid by card show up in the same list. Each client gets their own bank details for transfers, so a payment is matched to them by where it lands, without relying on the reference they typed.
Payouts arrive every weekday in full, with the fee invoiced separately, and invoices are marked paid in Xero or QuickBooks automatically. That covers points two and three for those payments without anyone opening a dashboard.
Clients paying in other currencies can stay on Wise or Revolut, since Adfin collects in pounds only. If that's a few clients, it's a short list to check by hand each week.
With every UK payment in one place, the overdue list is accurate too, and AI Customer Agents can follow up whatever is still unpaid by email, SMS or WhatsApp, within the rules you set.
Common questions
Can I connect Stripe, GoCardless and Wise to Xero at the same time? Yes, each can connect to Xero, but you then reconcile each one separately.
Why doesn't a card payout match my invoices? Card providers usually pay out a batch with fees, and sometimes refunds, taken off, so one deposit covers several payments. The provider's payout report shows what's in each one.
Why is a direct debit payout less than the invoices it covers? Some providers take their fees before paying out, so the fees need booking as an expense before the payout reconciles.
Can Adfin take payments in other currencies? No, Adfin collects in pounds only. Overseas clients paying in their own currency can stay on Wise or Revolut.
Will retainer clients have to sign a new direct debit if I move from GoCardless? Not if you have 10 or more mandates: they move across through the Bacs bulk change process and clients don't re-sign. With fewer than 10, clients sign a new Adfin mandate.
Does Adfin replace Xero or QuickBooks? No. It handles taking and matching payments and syncs both ways with Xero and QuickBooks, which stay your accounting system.
Sources
- GoCardless Support Centre - Receiving a payout (accurate as of October 2026) https://support.gocardless.com/hc/en-gb/articles/17485089478940-Receiving-a-payout
- Xero App Store - Stripe (accurate as of October 2026) https://apps.xero.com/uk/collection/accounts-receivable-software/app/stripe
- Xero App Store - Revolut Business (accurate as of October 2026) https://apps.xero.com/uk/app/revolut-business
- Adfin - Accept payments (accurate as of October 2026) https://adfin.com/accept-payments
