Amilia Payments is fully integrated into SmartRec and manages how your organization collects, settles, refunds, and reconciles transactions.
This article explains:
How payments are processed
What happens after submission
How refunds work (credit card and ACH/eCheck)
What to know about cancellations
How recurring billing is protected with automatic card updates
Key processing rules at a glance
Feature | Amilia Payments |
Automatic capture | Yes |
Same-day cancellation | No |
Credit card refunds | After settlement |
ACH/eCheck refunds | After 5 business days |
Automatic expired card updates | Yes |
1. How payments are processed
When you process a payment in SmartRec — whether at checkout, in the Billing tab, or through recurring billing , the transaction follows the same lifecycle.
Step 1: Authorization |
Step 2: Automatic Capture |
Step 3: Settlement Submission
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2. Payout timing and sales day structure
Amilia Payments uses a Sales Day Payout model.
Each Balance Account is configured according to your organization’s business time zone. Transactions are grouped from midnight to midnight (local time) and included in a single sales day.
Payout timing follows a T+2 schedule.
This means:
That funds are deposited two business days after the sales day in which the transaction occurred.
Transactions processed between 12:00 a.m. and 11:59 p.m. local time on Monday
Are grouped into Monday’s sales day
And are paid out two business days later
Example:
Transactions processed on Monday → Paid out on Thursday
Transactions processed on Friday → Paid out on Wednesday
👉 A T+2 payout schedule provides a short verification window that allows fraud monitoring systems and card networks to identify suspicious transactions before funds are released, helping prevent fraudulent activity and protecting your business.
Other benefits:
Aligns payouts with your local operating day
Simplifies reconciliation
Creates predictable deposit grouping
Ensures accounting records remain consistent
For a detailed breakdown of deposits and payout reporting, visit our Payouts article.
3.Where you can collect payments
Payments can be collected:
During online registration
As a deposit
From the client’s Billing tab
Through payment plans
Through recurring billing
For outstanding balances
In person transactions through a terminal
👉 All transactions generate a receipt and update the invoice status in real time.
4. Cancellations
Because transactions are automatically captured:
Payments cannot be cancelled right after submission.There is no cancellation window.
Corrections must be handled through refunds.
For this reason, always confirm the payment amount and method before clicking Submit.
5. Refunds
Refunds are available after settlement (as soon as the transaction is successful) and must follow SmartRec refund policies.
5.1 Refunding a credit card payment
Refunds are available immediately following the successful transaction.
To issue a refund:
Open the client’s account.
Go to the Billing tab.
Locate the original payment transaction.
Select Issue refund.
Enter the full or partial amount.
Confirm.
The refund is returned to the original card.
Processing notes:
Partial refunds are supported.
Refunds must reference the original payment.
Processing time depends on the cardholder’s bank.
5.2 Refunding an ACH/eCheck Payment
ACH transactions require additional clearing time. There is a 5 business day waiting period before settlement.
👉 ACH/eCheck refunds can only be issued 5 business days after the payment date.
This ensures:
The funds have cleared.
No return codes were received (NSF, account closed, invalid account).
Your organization avoids refunding uncleared funds.
Example timeline:
Payment date: April 1 (Tuesday)
Refund eligible: April 8 (Tuesday)
Until that date, the refund option will not be available.If a client requests an earlier refund, you must wait until the clearing period has passed.
5.3 Negative balances after refunds
If your organization issues more in refunds than it has collected in payments, this will create a temporary negative balance.
5.3.1 Where does the refund money come from?
Refunds are not immediately withdrawn from your bank account.
Amilia Payments allows your organization to issue refunds even if it brings your balance into the negative. This is possible because transactions are processed within a broader platform structure.
Example
Refunds issued: $1000
Payments collected: $500
Resulting balance: -$500
In this case, the refund is still processed successfully, even though your daily payments do not cover it.
5.3.2 How the negative balance is recovered
The negative balance is typically resolved through future activity:
1. Offset by new payments
Incoming payments will automatically reduce the negative balance.
Example:
Current balance: -$500
New payments: $700
Next payout: $200
2. Adjusted payouts
If your balance is still negative, upcoming payouts will be reduced until the balance returns to zero.
5.3.3 Will funds be taken from your bank account?
In most cases, no immediate withdrawal occurs.
However:
If the negative balance is not offset by new payments within a reasonable timeframe
Or if the amount is unusually large
👉 Your organization may be contacted to confirm a recovery plan.
If the balance remains unresolved over time, a bank withdrawal may be initiated. This is typically done only after prior communication.
6. Recurring billing and payment plans
Amilia Payments supports:
Recurring payments use the saved payment method in the client’s Wallet.
6.1 Credit card auto-updater
To reduce failed recurring payments, Amilia Payments includes automatic credit card updating for Visa and Mastercard.
How it works:
Before a recurring payment is processed, the system scans saved credit cards scheduled for billing.
If a card is expired, it checks with the card networks.
If updated information is available, the card is automatically refreshed.
The client does not need to update their card manually in most cases.
Example:
A client’s card expires 05/2026.
Their recurring billing runs 06/15/2026.
Before processing:
The system detects the expired card.
Updated details are retrieved.
The charge processes successfully.
Benefits:
Fewer declines
Higher recurring payment success rates
Reduced administrative follow-up
Improved client experience
If updated information is not available, the payment will decline and standard follow-up procedures apply.
7. Financial controls and risk protection
Amilia Payments reduces operational and financial risk through:
Immediate capture and settlement
Secure tokenization of payment methods
ACH refund clearing controls
Automatic expired card updates
Real-time invoice updates
EMV/Chip enabled payment terminals.
Your organization remain responsible for:
Verifying transaction details before submission
Following refund approval procedures
Communicating refund timelines clearly to clients