Set Up Payments
Choose how clients pay for your sessions
Serene supports two payment modes. You can set this up from the payment card on your Dashboard.
| Managed | Self-Managed | |
|---|---|---|
| Who handles billing | Serene | You |
| Platform fees | Processing fee + commission | None |
| Setup | Book a meeting with our team | Paste your payment link or UPI ID |
| Best for | Hands-off billing | Using your own provider |
Managed Payments
Serene handles billing, charges clients directly, and manages payouts to your account. This includes a processing fee from payment partners plus a service commission.
Managed payments is activated on demand. When you select this option, a dialog will appear prompting you to book a meeting with our team. During the meeting, we'll discuss your requirements and enable managed payments for your account.
Once enabled, you'll configure your payout currency and bank details through a guided setup in the payment wizard.
Self-Managed Payments
You provide your own payment details and handle billing independently. No platform fees apply.
Choose one of two options:
Option 1: External Payment Link
Provide a link to your preferred payment or checkout page. After booking, clients are directed to this link to complete payment.
This works with any provider — PayPal, Stripe, Square, Razorpay, Paytm, or any URL that accepts payments.
If you work with insurance providers or third-party billing partners, you can use their payment or claims portal URL as your external link. Clients can complete payment or submit insurance claims through your billing partner's system directly after booking — no need to manage a separate payment flow.
If you accept self-pay clients (paying out of pocket without insurance), you can use any payment platform that gives you a shareable checkout link — Stripe, Razorpay, PayPal, Square, Paytm, or similar. Create a payment link on your provider and paste it into Serene. Clients will be redirected there after booking.
There are two ways to configure your link:
A) Default Payment Link
A single URL used for all your services. Simplest setup — one link, every booking goes there.
Best for: payment pages where the amount is flexible and the client enters it themselves.
Example:
You use https://paypal.me/drsmith as your default link. After booking, your client visits that page, sees your name, and types in the session fee. Whether they booked individual therapy or couples counseling, they land on the same page and enter the correct amount.
This approach works when:
- Your payment page accepts any amount (no pre-set price)
- You trust clients to enter the correct fee
- You want the simplest possible setup
B) Service-Specific Links
A separate URL for each service, with the price pre-configured. Clients pay the exact amount — they can't change it.
Best for: fixed-price payment links from your provider where the amount and currency are already set.
Example:
| Service | Price | Payment Link |
|---|---|---|
| Individual Therapy | $120 | https://buy.stripe.com/individual-120 |
| Couples Counseling | $180 | https://buy.stripe.com/couples-180 |
| Initial Consultation | Free | (no link needed) |
When a client books "Individual Therapy," they're taken directly to the $120 checkout. When they book "Couples Counseling," they see $180. Free services don't need a link.
How to set it up:
- Create your services from Profile Settings first
- In the payment setup wizard, each service appears with its own link field
- Enter the pre-configured payment URL for services that need one
- Leave the rest blank — they'll fall back to your default link
If you haven't created any services yet, you'll see a prompt to add them first. You can always come back and configure service-specific links later.
Which should I choose?
| Scenario | Use |
|---|---|
| One payment page, client enters the amount | Default link |
| Fixed-price links from Stripe, Razorpay, etc. | Service-specific links |
| Mix of both (some fixed, some flexible) | Service-specific for fixed + default as fallback |
If your licensure allows you to accept clients from multiple countries, or your location and practice permits cross-border clients, you may have created services priced in different currencies — for example, one set in USD for US-based clients and another in INR for India-based clients.
Make sure each service-specific payment link resolves to the correct currency for that service.
Example: You're licensed to see clients in both the US and India:
- "Online Therapy (US Clients)" — $120 USD → link opens a USD checkout
- "Online Therapy (India Clients)" — ₹2,000 INR → link opens an INR checkout
Most payment providers (Stripe, Razorpay, PayPal) let you set the currency when creating a payment link. If the currencies don't match — for instance, a client sees ₹2,000 on the booking page but lands on a USD checkout — the experience will be confusing.
Always verify that each link matches the currency you configured for that service in Serene.
Option 2: UPI
If you're based in India and your clients pay via UPI, you can provide your UPI ID directly.
Enter your ID in the format yourname@bankname — for example, drsmith@okicici or drsmith@ybl.
After booking, clients see your UPI details and pay through any UPI app (Google Pay, PhonePe, Paytm, etc.). The amount due is shown on their booking confirmation.
UPI uses a single ID for all your services. Service-specific links are not available with this option.
Payment Configuration
After choosing your payment mode, you'll set a few preferences that control how payments are handled.
Fees & Reminders
These are configured during the payment setup wizard and apply to all payment modes:
| Setting | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Cancellation charge | 50% | Charged when a client cancels within your cutoff window |
| No-show charge | 90% | Charged when a client doesn't attend and doesn't cancel |
| Payment reminders | Enabled | Automatically remind clients about pending payments |
Require Payment Confirmation
This setting is only available for self-managed payments. You can find it in your Booking Configurations under Booking Preferences.
When enabled, clients must upload a screenshot of their payment receipt before their booking can be confirmed. This gives you proof that the client has completed the payment before the session is finalized.
How it works for clients
External payment links:
| Step | What happens |
|---|---|
| 1 | Client taps the payment card to open your link in a new tab |
| 2 | Client completes payment on your provider's page |
| 3 | Client returns to the booking page and uploads a screenshot of the receipt |
| 4 | Only after uploading can the client confirm the booking |
UPI:
| Step | What happens |
|---|---|
| 1 | Client copies your UPI ID from the booking page |
| 2 | Client pays through their UPI app (Google Pay, PhonePe, etc.) |
| 3 | Client taps "Confirm you paid" on the booking page |
| 4 | Client uploads a screenshot of the UPI transaction confirmation |
| 5 | Only after uploading can the client confirm the booking |
What you see as the therapist
When a client submits a booking with payment proof, you can view the uploaded receipt directly from the booking details on your dashboard.
Enable it if you want to verify payment before a booking is locked in — especially useful with flexible-amount links where you need proof the correct amount was paid.
Leave it off if you use fixed-price payment links (the provider ensures the correct amount) or if you prefer a simpler booking experience for clients.