Setting Up Payments

New customers (as of December 2024 or later) will be able to add Filevine’s Payments feature on their own by following the subsequent steps.

Users with Org Admin status can access Payments by clicking Main Menu > Advanced > Billing and selecting Payments button in the top right corner.

In a new tab, you will be asked to confirm your information, agree to terms and conditions, and then click Continue.

You’ll be taken to the Payments App. In the Accounts section, click Finish Account Setup to fill out information for the next step: adding an operating account. 

This click routes you to Stripe’s interface, where you’ll be asked for a variety of data, which is used for identify verification and set up of your Payments account.

Operating Account Setup

In the Stripe interface, you will be asked information including: 

• Mobile Number (for verification text)
• Email Address
• Business Specifics including name, entity type, address etc.
• EIN (Employee Identification Number)
• Website address
• Industry type
• Authorized Representative's name and social security number: Note that this should be someone who is authorized to act on behalf of the law firm. Usually this is a partner, but it is up to the discretion of the firm as to who they would like to list here.
• Bank Information: When you are asked for your bank information, select Enter bank details manually instead and provide your routing and account numbers.
  

Note: If this is the first account you are setting up, the bank information must be for an operating account. Once the operating account has been added and setup is complete, you can add your trust account. (This order is required because when you set up your trust account, you must choose an existing account to be your fee account. To comply with IOLTA, that fee account must be the operating account.)

Ensure that everything is correct and that Stripe has not flagged any errors. If you click Agree and Submit before all information is complete, you will be returned to the Payments portal and will need to click Finish Account Setup again to edit or add information.

If there are any issues or missing information, return to the relevant section and click Edit to make corrections. Any missing or incorrect information will be highlighted in red, indicating where edits are needed.

When the information is complete, click Agree and Submit. You will be brought back to the Payments portal in the Accounts section. If you can see your account listed, you have successfully added your operating account. 

Trust Account Setup

Once the operating account has been added, the customer can add a trust account. You must successfully add an operating account before adding a trust account. 

In the Payments app Accounts section, select Add Account.

In the flyout, select Trust Account and enter the name that you would like to call the account. Select the "operating account" from the Fee Account dropdown.

Click Create Account, and you will go through the same process as for your operating account. 

Upon completing the steps, you will see both your operating account and your trust account listed in the Accounts section. You can edit these at any time by selecting the ellipsis next to each account.