Commerce Objects

The Essence

The Payment is the moment money moves — the financial transaction that fulfills Invoice obligations. It's not the request (that's the Invoice), not the commitment (that's the Order), but the actual exchange of value.

Payments complete the commercial loop. When Payment architecture is clean, financial reconciliation becomes straightforward; when it's messy, every month-end becomes an exercise in detective work.

"Payments complete the commercial loop: something was purchased, something was delivered, something was billed, and now something was paid. When Payment architecture is clean, financial reconciliation becomes straightforward."

The Complete Revenue Flow

Payment is the final step

Deal Quote Order Invoice Payment ✓

The loop is complete:

  • Deal → Sales conversation and commercial opportunity
  • Quote → Formal proposal with terms
  • Order → Actual commitment made
  • Invoice → Billing request sent
  • Payment → Money received. Commercial cycle complete.

Unified View Contribution

💰

Revenue View

Explore

Primary contributor. Payments represent cash received — the ultimate validation of revenue. Payment timing affects cash flow. Payment patterns reveal collection health. Payment data reconciles with bank statements and accounting systems.
👥

Customer View

Explore

Supporting contributor. Payment history indicates financial relationship health. Consistent on-time payments signal stable partnership. Payment issues may indicate customer financial stress worth understanding proactively.
⚡

Team Enablement

Explore

Supporting contributor. Payment notifications inform teams that commercial cycles are complete. Payment failures trigger follow-up workflows. Commission calculations often tie to Payment receipt.
🧠

Business Context

Explore

Supporting contributor. Payment patterns reveal operational intelligence — which payment methods customers prefer, average payment timing, collection efficiency by segment.

Sarah's Story

When Sarah's organization paid the first Invoice for CVP Implementation, the Payment record captured the transaction:

Payment 1: Kickoff Milestone

Amount: $19,000
Date: 18 days after Invoice (within Net 30)
Method: ACH Bank Transfer
Status: Completed
Invoice: INV-2024-0847-1
Reference: Transaction # from their system

The Payment automatically updated the Invoice status to "Paid." The Order record reflected the payment against total commitment. The Company record updated with payment history context.

For Sarah's Finance Team

  • Receipt confirmation
  • Transaction reference for their records
  • Reconciliation data matching their bank statement

For Value-First's Finance Team

  • Cash receipt documentation
  • Revenue recognition trigger
  • Reconciliation with bank deposits
  • Commission calculation basis

When Sarah looked at her portal, she could see: Payment confirmation, updated Invoice status (Paid), updated Order balance (remaining milestones), and receipt download.

No ambiguity about whether payment was received. No wondering if the check cleared. The Payment record documented the completed exchange.

What It Holds

Transaction Identity

Payment ID, date, reference number. These basics identify the specific financial transaction and connect it to external records (bank statements, customer payment references). The bridge between HubSpot and your banking.

Amount and Currency

How much was paid, in what currency. This may differ from Invoice amount for partial payments, currency conversions, or payment discounts. The actual money that moved.

Payment Method

How was payment made? Credit card, ACH, wire, check. Payment method informs processing time, fees, and reconciliation approach. Different methods have different workflows.

Status

Pending, Processing, Completed, Failed, Refunded. Status tracking enables cash flow visibility and issue identification. A failed payment needs different handling than a completed one.

Processing Details

Authorization codes, gateway responses, settlement dates. For electronic payments, processing details enable troubleshooting and reconciliation. The technical underpinning of the transaction.

Source Context

Which Invoice does this Payment apply to? Which Order? This context enables proper allocation and reconciliation. Payment without context is just a number; Payment with context tells a story.

What It Connects To

Primary Associations

To Invoice

The billing document this Payment applies to. The direct connection that enables reconciliation.

To Order

The commercial commitment (via Invoice). Order balance updates based on Payment activity.

To Company

The organization that made the Payment. Payment history rolls up to Company financial profile.

To Contacts

The person who authorized/made the Payment. Important for follow-up on failed payments.

Payment-to-Object Labels

Paid Invoice
1

Invoice this Payment applies to

Source Order
1

Order context (via Invoice)

Paying Company
1

Organization that paid

Authorizing Contact
1

Person who approved

Association Context

Payments are relatively simple in association — they pay Invoices. The Invoice provides context to Order, Deliverables, and commercial history. Payment associations are primarily about reconciliation accuracy.

One Invoice may have multiple Payments (partial payments). One Payment typically applies to one Invoice.

Common Patterns

The Simple Payment Pattern

One Invoice, one Payment:
  1. Invoice created and sent
  2. Customer pays full amount
  3. Payment record created
  4. Invoice status → "Paid"

The most straightforward path through the revenue flow.

The Partial Payment Pattern

One Invoice, multiple Payments:
  • Invoice: $10,000
  • Payment 1: $5,000 → Invoice balance: $5,000, Status: "Partial"
  • Payment 2: $5,000 → Invoice balance: $0, Status: "Paid"

Both Payments associate to the same Invoice. Balance due updates with each Payment.

The Subscription Payment Pattern

Automatic recurring Payments:
  1. Subscription billing cycle triggers
  2. Invoice generated automatically
  3. Payment charged to stored payment method
  4. Payment record created (Completed or Failed)

For subscription businesses, Payment creation is often fully automated.

The Failed Payment Pattern

Payment attempts that don't succeed:
  1. Payment attempted
  2. Gateway declines → Payment status = "Failed"
  3. Customer notified of failed payment
  4. Retry logic triggered (if configured)
  5. Follow-up task created

Failed Payments are still recorded — they're important for troubleshooting and customer communication.

The Refund Pattern

Reversing previous Payments:
  • Original Payment: $10,000 (Completed)
  • Refund initiated
  • Refund Payment: -$10,000 (or partial amount)
  • Associated to original Invoice
  • Invoice balance updated accordingly

Refunds are typically recorded as negative Payments associated to the original Invoice.

Value-First vs. Industrial-Age

✗ Traditional Thinking ✓ Value-First Thinking
Payments live in accounting system only Payments visible in CRM for relationship context
Payment status requires finance team lookup Payment status visible to customer and team
Failed payments discovered at reconciliation Failed payments trigger immediate workflow
Payment history fragmented across systems Payment history unified in customer view
Customer can't see their payment status Portal shows real-time payment visibility

Why This Shift Matters

When Payments exist only in accounting systems, commercial visibility is incomplete. Account teams can't see if customers paid. Customers can't verify payment receipt. Failed payments aren't discovered until collection escalates. Reconciliation requires exporting and matching.

When Payments are captured in HubSpot, the commercial picture is complete. Teams see payment status alongside relationship context. Customers verify payment in their portal. Failed payments trigger immediate response. Revenue View is truly unified.

In Practice

Implementation details and configuration

What You'll See in HubSpot

Payments live in Commerce → Payments. Each Payment has:

  • Left sidebar: Payment properties, amount, status, method
  • Middle column: Transaction details, processing information
  • Right sidebar: Associated Invoice, Company, Contact

The Payment index supports filtering by status, date, amount, and method.

Key Properties

Key Properties

Native HubSpot Properties

Property Type Purpose
hs_payment_id Native Text Unique Payment identifier
hs_payment_amount Native Currency Transaction amount
hs_payment_date Native Date When Payment was processed
hs_payment_method Native Enumeration Credit Card, ACH, Wire, Check, etc.
hs_payment_status Native Enumeration Pending, Processing, Completed, Failed, Refunded
hs_transaction_reference Native Text External reference number
hs_processing_fee Native Currency Gateway/processing fees

Value-First Custom Properties

Property Type Purpose
vf_payment_source Enumeration Portal, Manual, Subscription Auto-Pay
vf_reconciliation_status Enumeration Pending, Matched, Discrepancy
vf_bank_deposit_date Date When funds were deposited
vf_customer_reference Text Customer's internal reference (PO number, etc.)

Payment Lifecycle

1

Pending

Authorization, verification

Entry Criteria

Payment initiated, awaiting processing

Exit Criteria

Processing begins

Portal Experience

In the My Value Path Portal, Sarah sees her Payments:

Payment History

  • All Payments with date, amount, method, status
  • Connected Invoice for each Payment
  • Receipt download

Billing Summary

  • Total paid to date
  • Outstanding balance
  • Payment history over time

"Sarah never has to wonder 'did our payment go through?' or 'do they have record of our check?' Payment status is visible, real-time, and connected to context."

See It In Action

Experience in the Value Path Simulator

→ Payment Flow: Watch Payment receipt update Invoice status from "Sent" to "Paid." See the cascade to Order balance.
→ Failed Payment: See a failed payment trigger notification and follow-up workflow.
→ Customer View: See Payments from Sarah's portal perspective — clear confirmation that payment was received.

Key Moment: Notice how Payment completion updates the entire commercial picture — Invoice, Order, Company history. No manual reconciliation required.

Experience Payment in the Value Path Simulator

Explore Further

Invoice Object Profile
What Payments apply to
Order Object Profile
The commercial commitment context
Subscription Object Profile
Recurring Payment patterns
Unified Revenue View
How Payment completes revenue visibility