Shelly, Apex Massage
“What I didn't realize going into it, was how much money I was going to save.”
Payment Processor for Consultants
Your invoices are big. Your processing fees don't have to be.
One account for retainers, deposits, milestone billing, and post-project invoicing, with ACH capped at $6, automatic savings on corporate cards, and no monthly fee.
Trusted by 20,000+ merchants
4.1
/5
4.2
/5
4.1
/5
4.2
/5
Best for Affordable Payment Processing
Best Budget Friendly Alternative
Best for Small Business
Best for Overall Payment Processor
Best for Lowest Processing Rates
Best for Custom Rates
Best for Affordable Payment Processing
Best Budget Friendly Alternative
Best for Small Business
Best for Overall Payment Processor
Best for Lowest Processing Rates
Best for Custom Rates
Shelly, Apex Massage
“What I didn't realize going into it, was how much money I was going to save.”
Mike, Britannia Clinic
“The Helcim integration really just works in parallel with our interface.”
Karen, Charleston Healthspan Institute
“Because Helcim is such a great system we don't have to hire as many people to do the job.”
Ilene, Advanced Surgical Physicians
“Without a doubt, we recommend Helcim.”
Mike, Britannia Clinic
“The Helcim integration really just works in parallel with our interface.”
Karen, Charleston Healthspan Institute
“Because Helcim is such a great system we don't have to hire as many people to do the job.”
Ilene, Advanced Surgical Physicians
“Without a doubt, we recommend Helcim.”
Get paid on schedule. Keep your margin.
Flexible payment methods
Helcim lets your consulting firm accept credit and debit cards, corporate and purchasing cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Interac in Canada, and ACH bank transfers, all at lower fees than the billing or accounting software you're using now. On a large invoice you can offer both a card and a bank transfer on the same invoice and let the client's finance team pick.
Get paid at every stage of your service
Helcim lets consulting firms collect upfront deposits, project milestone payments, recurring monthly retainers, post-service invoices, over-the-phone payments, and overdue account receivables with ease.
Invoicing
Send unlimited estimates, quotes, and invoices with a Pay Now button built in, and collect partial payments for deposits and installments.
Payment Links
Text or email your client an invoice payment link to collect deposits, retainer payments, or the final balance you want settled before the deliverable goes out.
Virtual Terminal
Collect payments on a call, process overdue invoices, set up pre-authorized payments, or charge a payment method on file.
Recurring Payments
Set up recurring billing for monthly retainers and installment plans, with failed payments retried for you, so payment receivables don't slip through the cracks.
Eliminate duplicate entry
Connecting Helcim directly to your existing software like Clio, GoHighLevel, QuickBooks, Xero, Wave, or Zoho to process payments with Helcim low rates without leaving your software.
Integrate into your existing software.
The Helcim Payment Extension syncs affordable payments directly with your business software, allowing for one-system reconciliation.
Helcim lets your consulting firm accept credit and debit cards, corporate and purchasing cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Interac in Canada, and ACH bank transfers, all at lower fees than the billing or accounting software you're using now. On a large invoice you can offer both a card and a bank transfer on the same invoice and let the client's finance team pick.
Helcim lets consulting firms collect upfront deposits, project milestone payments, recurring monthly retainers, post-service invoices, over-the-phone payments, and overdue account receivables with ease.
Invoicing
Send unlimited estimates, quotes, and invoices with a Pay Now button built in, and collect partial payments for deposits and installments.
Payment Links
Text or email your client an invoice payment link to collect deposits, retainer payments, or the final balance you want settled before the deliverable goes out.
Virtual Terminal
Collect payments on a call, process overdue invoices, set up pre-authorized payments, or charge a payment method on file.
Recurring Payments
Set up recurring billing for monthly retainers and installment plans, with failed payments retried for you, so payment receivables don't slip through the cracks.
Connecting Helcim directly to your existing software like Clio, GoHighLevel, QuickBooks, Xero, Wave, or Zoho to process payments with Helcim low rates without leaving your software.
Integrate into your existing software.
The Helcim Payment Extension syncs affordable payments directly with your business software, allowing for one-system reconciliation.
“Finally, we don't have to choose between our favorite clinic software and fair payment rates. The workflow is seamless—our staff operates exactly as they always have—but now we are saving significantly on every transaction without compromising the client experience.”
Jedd
Kinetically Whole Therapies.
Protect the margin on every contract you sign
Helcim passes the true cost of each transaction directly to your business. You can access transparent pricing and free payment tools with no monthly fees, contracts, or hidden charges.
Transparent Rates
Gain access to true payment processing rates through an interchange-plus pricing model, with Helcim's margin transparently showing you your statement.
Learn moreVolume Discounts
Get automatic volume discounts, up to 70%, as your monthly card volume grows without having to negotiate or commit to specific processing volume per month. It matters when your firm is growing, or when volume spikes after you close a big contract.
Learn moreACH Transfers
Helcim ACH bank transfers cost 0.5% + 25¢ (capped at $6), helping you keep more profit on high-value invoices and retainers.
Learn moreLevel 2/3 Optimization
When clients pay with corporate or business credit cards, Helcim helps you qualify for lower payment processing fees, as low as 1.45%.
Learn moreHelcim Fee Saver
Pass credit card fees to your clients when they pay invoices or contracts with credit cards over lower-cost options like ACH/EFT.
Learn moreZero Extra Fees
No monthly fees, PCI fees, setup fees, statement fees, cancellation fees, or per-user fees.
Learn more
We make credit card processing affordable
Access credit card processing services with lower rates, no monthly fees, and no contracts.
See full pricing & volume discountsInterchange plus pricing
Effective rates are based on combined card types and a transaction size of $300
1.83
%
+
8
¢
Other card types
2.61
%
+
8
¢
PIN-Debit
1.00
%
+
8
¢
Our margin: Interchange+ 0.40% + 8¢
2.31
%
+
25
¢
Other card types
2.99
%
+
25
¢
Our margin: Interchange+ 0.50% + 25¢
Keep the software you love. Lose the high processing fees.
Helcim integrates with popular business software, so you can keep your existing workflows and get access to lower, interchange-plus rates — saving your business up to 25% on payment processing.
In-person payments
Online payments
QuickBooks Online integration for online invoices
2.50%
2.99% - 3.5%
Xero for keyed and in-person payments
N/A
N/A
Zoho Books
2.9% + 30¢
2.9% + 30¢
| Provider | In-person payments | Online payments |
|---|---|---|
Helcim
|
1.79% + 8¢ Average |
2.31% + 25¢ Average |
|
|
2.50% |
2.99% - 3.5% |
|
|
N/A |
N/A |
|
|
2.9% + 30¢ |
2.9% + 30¢ |
Play
A seamless switch, powered by real humans
Feeling stuck in a contract or equipment lease? We'll cover up to $500 in processing credits to help with the switch. We'll even transfer your customer and card data from your previous processor for free, ensuring no disruptions to your payments.
Frequently asked questions
Consulting businesses choose Helcim for the low interchange-plus rates, ACH bank transfers capped at $6, automatic Level 2/3 optimization on corporate cards, and direct connections to QuickBooks Online and Xero, with no monthly fees or long-term contract. Helcim helps consultants collect deposits, run monthly retainers, bill project milestones, send invoices, take card payments over the phone, and follow up on overdue invoices from one account. Because Helcim's margin drops automatically as monthly volume grows, firms keep more profits on every invoice, without renegotiating a rate or committing to minimum processing volumes.
Yes, Helcim offers payment tools at no monthly cost and no per-user fee for consulting firms so they can run their entire billing cycle from one place.
- Helcim Invoicing sends unlimited estimates, quotes, and invoices with a Pay Now button, partial payments for deposits and installments, and automated reminders.
- Helcim Recurring Payments handles monthly retainers, fractional engagements, and installment plans on large projects.
- Helcim Virtual Terminal takes card and ACH payments from any browser for phone payments, pre-authorizations, and collecting on overdue invoices.
- Helcim Payment Links and Payment Pages let you collect with a single link or a reusable page for workshops and standard engagements.
- Helcim Customer Vault stores client card and bank details securely for one-click billing, and the Customer Manager keeps invoice history, notes, and a self-service client portal in one record.
For in-person work such as workshops and on-site sessions, the Helcim Smart Terminal, Card Reader, and Tap to Pay on iPhone run the same account. Everything reports into one dashboard and connects to QuickBooks Online and Xero.
Yes, Helcim offers native integrations with Xero and QuickBooks. Consulting businesses can create invoices in QuickBooks Online or Xero, which are automatically synced to Helcim and sent to clients. Once clients pay, the invoices in QuickBooks Online or Xero are automatically marked as paid.
Helcim Interchange-plus rates fluctuate every transaction, on average, consulting firms pay from 1.96%+15¢ to 2.31%+25¢ per online non-Amex transaction, and from 1.79%+8¢ to 1.54%+6¢ per in-person non-Amex transaction, depending on the processing volume.
For American Express transactions, on average, consulting firms pay from 2.59%+8¢ to 2.34%+6¢ per online Amex transaction, and from 2.99%+25¢ to 2.64%+15¢ per in-person Amex transaction, depending on the processing volume.
Helcim is one of the most affordable payment processors for consulting businesses because of its interchange-plus pricing model and automatic volume discounts. Helcim passes the exact rates charged by banks and card networks directly to consulting firms so they can access wholesale rates. Additionally, Helcim's volume discounts help businesses lower their processing fees by up to 70%. Explore Helcim pricing here.
Consulting businesses can lower payment processing fees by using Helcim's interchange-plus pricing, which costs less than flat-rate pricing on high-ticket B2B invoices. If the clients use corporate or business cards, Helcim's Level 2/3 optimization automatically submits the extra data those cards need to qualify for lower interchange, as low as 1.45%. Consultants should also suggest that clients pay using ACH/EFT transfers, which cost at least 4 times less than credit card processing. For example, Helcim ACH payments cost 0.5% + 25¢ (capped at $6), allowing consulting firms to keep higher margins on every invoice and contract.
Yes, consulting firms can use Helcim Recurring Payments to handle retainers, fractional engagements, and installment plans on daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly schedules, with saved card or bank details, free trial periods, one-time add-on charges, and automatic retries when a payment fails.
Consulting businesses can pass on credit card fees using Helcim Fee Saver (a credit card surcharging tool). When a client pays a B2B invoice by credit card, the fee is added at payment time so that your credit card fees on that transaction drop to 0%.
Ready to simplify how you bill your clients?
Join thousands of professional service firms who switched to Helcim for transparent pricing, automated invoicing, and no monthly fees. Spend less time on billing logistics and more time advising your clients.
