TL;DR: StudioPay users can now pass ACH processing fees on to their clients at the company, client, or document level, and Canadian firms can pass ACSS processing fees to clients at checkout. These options join StudioPay’s existing credit card fee passthrough, so interior designers can accept every payment method their clients prefer without absorbing the processing cost on each project.
Key Takeaways
- ACH fee passthrough lets US interior design firms using StudioPay add ACH bank transfer processing fees to the client’s payment instead of paying them out of project margin.
- ACSS fee passthrough gives Canadian firms the same option for pre-authorized debit payments processed through the Automated Clearing Settlement System.
- ACH fee settings are managed separately from card fee settings, so a firm can pass card fees and absorb ACH fees, or the reverse.
- Passed ACH fees appear in StudioPay reporting and reconciliation the same way as other payment fees.
- Together with credit card fee passthrough, these updates give designers a clearer view of what each project actually earns after payment costs.
What is ACH fee passthrough in StudioPay?
ACH fee passthrough is a StudioPay setting that adds the ACH processing fee to the amount a client pays, so the interior design firm receives the full invoice amount. ACH (Automated Clearing House) is the US network that moves money directly between bank accounts. Many design clients prefer it for large payments like furniture deposits and retainers because it avoids card limits.
Every ACH payment carries a processing cost. Without passthrough, the design firm pays that cost from its own revenue or find a workaround to recoup the processing fee. With ACH fee passthrough turned on, the fee is added to the client’s payment at checkout, and the firm’s margin on the project stays intact.
ACH fee settings in StudioPay are managed separately from credit card fee settings. A firm can choose to pass card fees to clients while absorbing ACH fees as a client-friendly incentive, or pass both.
What is ACSS fee passthrough for Canadian design firms?
ACSS fee passthrough lets Canadian interior design firms using StudioPay pass ACSS processing fees to their clients at checkout. ACSS (Automated Clearing Settlement System) is the Canadian payment system behind pre-authorized debit, the Canadian equivalent of a US ACH bank payment.
ACSS fee settings sit alongside a firm’s other payment fee options in StudioPay. Canadian firms can manage card fees and bank payment fees from the same place instead of tracking them in separate tools.
StudioPay applies ACH fee passthrough at three levels, so a firm can set one policy for everyone or decide case by case.
| Level | What it controls | When to use it |
| Company | The default for the whole firm | You want a single fee policy across all clients and projects |
| Client | One client’s payments | A client has a negotiated arrangement or a different payment habit |
| Document | A single proposal or invoice | One large purchase, such as a custom upholstery order, warrants a different approach |
Once a client pays by ACH with passthrough enabled, the processing fee is added to their payment. Passed ACH fees then flow through StudioPay reporting and reconciliation the same way as card fees, so bookkeepers do not need a separate process to match deposits to invoices.
How do ACH and ACSS fee passthrough fit into StudioPay?
ACH and ACSS fee passthrough extend the same principle StudioPay already applies to credit cards: designers should be able to accept any payment method a client prefers without that choice eating into project profit.
StudioPay first introduced credit card fee passthrough, which lets firms add a card processing fee to client payments on proposals and invoices. Bank payments were the remaining gap. A firm could protect its margin when a client paid by card, but absorbed the cost when that same client paid a large invoice by bank transfer.
With ACH and ACSS now covered, StudioPay handles fee passthrough across the payment methods design clients use most:
- Credit card for convenience, rewards, and smaller purchases
- ACH bank transfer for US clients making large deposits or final payments
- ACSS pre-authorized debit for Canadian clients paying from a bank account
Clients pay the way they want, and the firm’s fee policy applies consistently.
Why does fee passthrough help interior designers understand real margins?
Processing fees are a hidden cost that lowers the profit on every project, and fee passthrough makes that cost visible and controllable. Interior design firms often move large sums through their accounts for furniture, fabric, and installation. Even a small percentage fee on those payments adds up over a year.
A firm that collects $40,000 for a furniture order, and the payment carries a 1% processing fee. Without passthrough, the firm absorbs $400 that never appears on the project budget. Across dozens of projects, that unbudgeted cost can quietly reduce the firm’s actual margin below what its markup suggests.
The result is:
Accurate project profitability: The revenue on a project reflects what the firm actually keeps.
Cleaner reconciliation: Passed fees appear in StudioPay reporting, so deposits match invoices without manual adjustments.
Flexible client policy: Firms decide at the company, client, or document level who covers payment costs, instead of applying one rigid rule.
Before passing any processing fee to clients, Studio Designer recommends confirming best practices with your CPA or attorney, since rules on surcharging vary by location and payment type.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between ACH and ACSS? ACH is the US network for bank-to-bank payments. ACSS is the Canadian system that processes pre-authorized debit payments. StudioPay supports fee passthrough on both.
Can I pass ACH fees but not credit card fees? Yes. ACH fee settings in StudioPay are managed separately from card fee settings, so each can be turned on or off independently.
Can I turn on ACH fee passthrough for just one invoice? Yes. ACH fee passthrough can be applied at the document level for a single proposal or invoice, in addition to the client and company levels.
Where do passed ACH fees show up in my reporting? Passed ACH fees flow through StudioPay reporting and reconciliation the same way as other payment fees.
How do Canadian firms pass ACSS fees to clients? Canadian firms using StudioPay can pass ACSS processing fees to clients at checkout. ACSS fee settings are managed alongside the firm’s other payment fee options.
Does fee passthrough remove all of my payment processing costs? Not always. For example, StudioPay’s credit card fee passthrough does not cover failed transactions such as declined cards, which carry a fee the firm still pays. Contact studiopay@studiodesigner.com for details on your account.
Should I check with an advisor before passing fees to clients? Yes. Studio Designer recommends confirming best practices with your CPA or attorney before passing any processing fee to clients.
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