Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: payment systems?

[Diana Carroll (dianaecarroll]

I'm looking at Intuit's website now and I don't see any option for free
online payments.

https://quickbooks.intuit.com/payments/payment-rates/

I wonder if you are using a special promotion since you are new to the
service? Or...double check your bank that you aren't unknowingly being
charged the fees?

Diana

On Mon, Mar 31, 2025 at 1:54 PM Diana Carroll <dianaecarroll [at] gmail.com>
wrote:

> Leila notes: "Quickbooks does offer the option to debit someone's bank
> account directly.
> They don't (yet) charge for this, but it is something we started using here
> last October. They require you to obtain written authorization and it is
> something that requires a great deal of trust."
>
> ??? Are you sure? I used that Quickbooks auto debit option for several
> years, but a few years ago they started charging 1% for it. What version
> are you using -- Quickbooks online or the desktop version? What service
> level do you have -- maybe you are paying for a higher service level that
> includes free transactions?
>
>  We are using Quickbooks Online Basics which definitely does not include
> *free* online payments.
>
> Diana
>
> On Mon, Mar 31, 2025 at 1:25 PM Leila Tite <leila.tite [at] gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> One drawback of having the banks mail the checks is that the US Postal
>> service has become much more unreliable. The banks often consolidate
>> multiple payments into a single delivery. If an envelope containing the
>> dues checks for multiple households doesn't get delivered, it becomes even
>> more work for everyone.
>>
>> Quickbooks does offer the option to debit someone's bank account directly.
>> They don't (yet) charge for this, but it is something we started using
>> here
>> last October. They require you to obtain written authorization and it is
>> something that requires a great deal of trust.
>>
>> Thanks for spelling out your acronyms! I had never heard of NORC and SPOF.
>> Leila
>>
>> On Mon, Mar 31, 2025 at 12:11 PM Diana Carroll <dianaecarroll [at] gmail.com>
>> wrote:
>>
>> > Agreed on the irony -- why does having a bank print and physically mail
>> a
>> > paper check (with first class postage!) cost me nothing but it costs big
>> > money to perform the same transaction electronically?
>> >
>> > Like you, most of our folks pay via automated paper check and I enter
>> those
>> > manually into Quickbooks. It's not terrible, but it could be so much
>> better
>> > -- in a perfect world, members could pay however they like
>> electronically
>> > with ease, whether that's by credit card (fee to be covered by
>> themselves),
>> > member-initiated transfer, or automatic transfer, and it would all go
>> > straight into quickbooks without manual (i.e. error-prone) involvement
>> from
>> > me. They could also have a record of past payments, view open invoices,
>> > securely put in their banking info, etc. Our condo fees are significant
>> --
>> > $300 - $1300 a month! I can manage all my other big bills (mortgage,
>> > electricity, insurance) and most small ones (Netflix, magazine
>> > subscriptions) this way, why not this one?
>> >
>> > In addition to the convenience both to myself as bookkeeper and to our
>> > members (including me!), it's also not a great look that we are using
>> paper
>> > and snail mail at our "eco village". It's also a totally foreign system
>> to
>> > younger folks at a time when we would really like to attract younger
>> buyers
>> > and renters so as not to become a NORC (naturally occurring retirement
>> > community).  I recently rented my mom's house out to a pair of
>> > 20-somethings who looked at me like I had two heads when I suggested
>> they
>> > could pay the rent by check. (We settled on PayPal, which isn't an
>> option
>> > for the HOA fees because PayPal charges business an outrageous 2.99%.)
>> >
>> > Finally, I am acutely aware that as the bookkeeper, I am (as we say in
>> the
>> > software field), a SPOF (single point of failure). Having automated
>> payment
>> > and bookkeeping systems would make it so much easier and faster to
>> onboard
>> > new folks into my job when needed.
>> >
>> > Diana
>> >
>> > On Mon, Mar 31, 2025 at 12:50 PM roger cunningham <nengaku1 [at] gmail.com>
>> > wrote:
>> >
>> > > Here at Cantine’s Island Cohousing HOA we continue using Quickbooks
>> > online
>> > > but we don’t do online payments. Nearly all of our members have
>> automatic
>> > > payment set up through their banks and I don’t think banks charge for
>> > this.
>> > > We receive a paper check directly from the bank. It’s a little more
>> work
>> > > than direct deposits but we only have 19 households so I really don’t
>> > mind.
>> > > I do find it ironic though. Processing a paper check costs at least
>> ten
>> > > times more than processing a direct deposit. Maybe someday the banks
>> will
>> > > figure that out.
>> > > Cheers
>> > > Roger Cunningham
>> > > Bookkeeper
>> > > Cantine’s island
>> > >
>> > > On Mon, Mar 31, 2025 at 12:39 PM Diana Carroll <
>> dianaecarroll [at] gmail.com>
>> > > wrote:
>> > >
>> > > > Hello, fellow cohousing bookkeepers, accountants, treasurers or
>> > > > trustee-type-folk!
>> > > >
>> > > > Here at Mosaic Commons, we have used QuickBooks for managing our
>> > > community
>> > > > finances for many years.  For a long time, our members were able to
>> pay
>> > > > their HOA fees via QuickBooks bank transfer for no fee, but a couple
>> > > years
>> > > > ago, Intuit started charging a 1% fee for ACH transfers, which is
>> kind
>> > of
>> > > > nuts.
>> > > >
>> > > > Looking around for other options, I see there are HOA management
>> > > platforms
>> > > > that would let us do this much cheaper, e.g. PayHOA which would
>> charge
>> > a
>> > > > much more reasonable $1.95 flat fee per transaction.
>> > > >
>> > > > Does anyone have experience with this or other similar platforms for
>> > > > payments? (Or for general HOA management?) What do you think?
>> > > >
>> > > > I know about Gather and Mosaic cohousing management applications
>> but as
>> > > > best I can tell, neither offer any help with managing payments.
>> > > >
>> > > > Thanks in advance,
>> > > > Diana, on behalf of Mosaic Commons in Berlin, MA
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>> > > >
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