Get paid when they sign: payments on signing is live in Siggy

A signed engagement letter with no payment behind it is a chase waiting to happen. The signature says yes; the invoice, the reminder and the follow-up call come later, and the gap between them is where cash flow goes to die. From today, Siggy closes that gap: when you send a document, you can ask one of the signers to pay as they sign. They are told up front, they sign, they pay through Stripe's secure checkout, and the signed copies go to everyone the moment the money is in.

It is on every Professional, Business and Enterprise plan. The money goes straight to your own Stripe account; Siggy never holds it. Siggy keeps a platform fee of 0.5% of each payment, capped at $5 on a one-off payment, and Stripe's own processing fees apply as they would on any Stripe payment. The payer always pays exactly the amount you set.

How it works, start to finish

• Connect your Stripe account once. Open Security in your dashboard and click Connect Stripe. If your practice already has a Stripe account, pick it; if not, Stripe walks you through creating one with your ABN and bank details in about ten minutes. Admins only.
• Tick Request a payment on Review and send. Choose one-off, recurring, or a payment now plus a recurring one; type the amount; say what it is for (the payer sees this on their receipt); choose which signer pays. Templates keep the payment, so an engagement letter template can carry its fee every time.
• The payer is told before they sign. Their invitation email says a payment of that amount comes with the document and that the signed copies are sent once it is paid. Nobody else's email changes. The review screen repeats it before they submit.
• They sign, then pay. A Pay button opens Stripe's checkout right after their signature: card, or bank debit (BECS) once you have switched that on in Stripe. They can pay there and then, or later from the same link.
• Everyone gets the signed copy when the money is in. Card payments land in seconds. A bank debit takes two to three business days to clear, and the envelope shows Payment processing meanwhile. Either way, the envelope completes, the sealed PDF and Certificate of Completion go out, you get a Paid email, and Stripe emails the payer a receipt.

A signed-but-unpaid document never leaves the building

This is the part we think matters most, and it is the reason we built it this way. If the signed copies went out at the signature, a signer could sign, receive the completed agreement, and simply not pay. So the completion waits. The signature is saved and the audit trail records it; the sealed document and the certificate are produced and sent only when the payment clears. The certificate then carries the payment itself: what was paid, when, and the Stripe reference, next to the signatures.

You stay in control while you wait. The envelope page shows Awaiting payment, who was asked and when, with a Resend payment request button. If they have paid you another way, or the payment is no longer needed, an admin can click Release without payment: the envelope completes on the signatures it has, the copies go out, and the audit trail records who released it. Refunds happen in your Stripe dashboard, and the envelope shows Refunded within a minute.

Where practices are using it

• Accountants and bookkeepers: the engagement fee. The engagement letter goes out with the first fee attached. The client signs the letter and pays the fee in one sitting, and you start the work with the money in your account instead of a signed letter and a 30-day invoice.
• NDIS providers: the first service period. A service agreement with the first fortnight (or the plan-managed co-contribution) collected at signing, so support starts on a paid footing. Participants who self-manage can pay by bank debit without a card.
• Builders, trades and consultants: the deposit. A quote acceptance or a works contract with the deposit due on signature. The client cannot hold a signed contract and a deposit you are still chasing.
• Agencies, advisers and consultants: the retainer. Payment now plus recurring: the first month at signing, then monthly, running in your Stripe account from there. Cancel or change it in Stripe whenever the engagement changes.
• Clinics, studios and gyms: memberships and programs. A membership agreement or treatment plan with the recurring fee set up as they sign, by card or bank debit.
• Anyone taking a booking fee. Event hire, venue terms, equipment rental: the terms and the deposit in one envelope, one link, one audit trail.

A few things worth knowing

• Only a signer can be asked to pay. Copy recipients receive the finished document and nothing else.
• Recurring payments keep running in your Stripe account after the first one. Manage, pause or cancel them from your Stripe dashboard.
• The payment link stays valid for 30 days; a reminder goes with every Resend.
• Bank debit (BECS) is a setting on your Stripe account, not in Siggy. Turn it on under Stripe's payment methods and Siggy picks it up on its own.
• Disconnect at any time from the same Security card. Envelopes already waiting on a payment cannot be paid until you reconnect.

Try it on your next engagement letter

The step-by-step guide has a screenshot for every click, from connecting Stripe to the envelope page while you wait. Connect your account, open a template you already use, tick Request a payment, and send it to yourself first to see what your client sees. If you are on Starter or the free plan, Professional unlocks it along with templates and identity verification.