Scheduling Online Payment Transactions For Tenants

Once your Rentec Direct account has an established merchant account, online payments can be set as an option for tenant payments. Most Rentec Direct clients allow tenants to make payments through the tenant portal, but they also have the option to schedule payments on their behalf. 

This article will review:

If you came to this article for information Instant Tenant ACH Debits, click here.

This video gives you step-by-step instructions for scheduling online payments for your residents.

Schedule A Payment For Your Tenant | Rentec Direct Training Series from Rentec Direct on Vimeo.

Scheduling Online Payment Transactions for Tenants 

Scheduling online payments for tenants is simple.


In your Rentec Direct account: 

  1. Click on Tenants
  2. Right-click on the tenant's name and select Post Charge
  3. Check the box for:
    1. Recurring Transactions to schedule weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly transactions with a future begin date or
    2. One-Time Transactions for a single transaction, which will occur on a future date
  4. Use the From This Account dropdown to select the tenant's account payments are to be made from
  5. Enter the Amount
  6. When the payment is to be processed
    1. One-Time Transactions - Enter the Transaction Date
    2. Recurring Transactions - Enter a Start Date for the first future payment
      1. Frequency, or how often payments are to be made, weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly
      2. Interval Day - (The day of the week or month the transaction will occur)

        1. Monthly payments processed on the same day of each month as the Start Date

          (Example: If rent payments are to begin June 1, 2025, monthly payments will be made on the 1st of each subsequent month)

        2. Weekly and Bi-Weekly payments process on the same day of the week as the Start Date
  7. Click on Save Changes

Note: If there are no Payment Accounts for the tenant, click on Payment Accounts at the top of the page to add the tenant's account information.


Important Note: Landlords and Property Managers who are scheduling payments on behalf of tenants are encouraged to obtain written authorization from tenants.

Feel free to download these sample authorization forms and customize them for your use:

Transaction Timing

Payments scheduled in Rentec Direct are submitted for processing three (3) times each day:

  • 3:00 am PST
  • 4:00 pm PST
  • 9:00 pm PST 

Payments batch from CSG Forte's system one (1) time each day at 4:30 pm, PST.   

It typically takes 1-3 business days for funds to transfer.

Troubleshooting Online Payments

There are just a few fields that are required for online payments to process:

  1. Tenants must have a first name, a last name, and a phone number
  2. Tenants must be moved into a property with a complete address, including city, state, and zip code. To ensure a valid address is indicated, begin entering the address and select from the list of addresses displayed by the verification tool.

System Note: Payments will not process if a tenant's status is listed as inactive or archived

Fixing Common Errors: 

  1. Renter must have first [xxxx], last [xxxxxx], and phone [xxx-xxx-xxxx]
    1. This message indicates that one or all of these fields are empty or incomplete. The portion that is not filled in contains the missing information.

    2. This example indicates the last name is missing: first [Jane], last [xxxxxx], and phone [800-881-5139]


      Solution: This error can be resolved by editing the tenant's profile to update the three required fields

  2. Property Address Invalid

    1. This message indicates that the address of the property the tenant was placed in is invalid


      Solution: This error can be resolved by editing the property and selecting the address from the list of verified addresses.

  3. No Property linked to the renter

    1. This message indicates that the tenant is not currently moved into a property


      Solution: This error can be resolved by moving the tenant into a property

Failed Payments

If an online payment fails:

  • You will receive a failure notice directly from CSGForte
  • Rentec Direct will automatically update the tenant's ledger by posting a debit entry to offset the ACH payment on the date the failed payment notification is received to ensure accurate accounting
  • NSF fees can automatically be applied. Click here to learn more about Automated Nonsufficient Funds Fees

Frequently Asked Questions

Q) How can I tell if an online payment has been processed?

The Reports Page of your Rentec Direct software includes a section dedicated to checking the status of scheduled and processed online payments

Q) Why didn't a transaction automatically post to offset the entry?

If your merchant account was established prior to June 2020, you may need to update your settings by following these steps:

In your Rentec Direct account:

  1. Click on Settings
  2. Under Program, click on Program Defaults
  3. Click on Edit Advanced Settings
  4. Under Payment Options, change the setting labeled 'Set returned tenant ach transactions to zero?' to No
  5. Click on Save Changes

Q) Will the software try running a payment again after it fails?

If a scheduled ACH (or Credit/Debit Card payment) fails to process, the software will attempt to run it again the same day if one of the three processing times has not yet occurred.

Note: In compliance with csgForte, failed credit/debit / ACH transactions from the same bank account are limited to 3 attempts per day. After the 3rd failure, they will receive a message indicating "TOO MANY FAILURES," and any further attempts must be from a different card or account.

Q) Will automatically posted management fees automatically be removed from the property ledger?

Management fees that are automatically posted to the property ledger will need to be manually removed

Q) Can an NSF fee automatically be charged to the tenant?

Yes! You can set your software to post an NSF fee for failed online payments automatically.

Click here to learn more about Automated Nonsufficient Funds Fees

Q) Can I manually add an NSF fee?

Yes! If you choose not to have the NSF fee automatically post to the tenant's ledger, you can manually enter the fee using the same process as failed paper checks.

Click here to learn more about manually posting an NSF transaction:  Returned Check, NSF, Failed Payment

Q) Can Tenants pay rent using their savings account or Cash APP?

The interface is set to handle ACH transactions from checking accounts; however, most banks will accept an ACH draft request from a savings or Cash App account by entering the account and routing number.

Important Notes:

  • You may want to verify that the routing number is for payment transactions, as this is not always the same number indicated on deposit slips.
  • If the transaction fails, your tenant's bank may not accept the standard ACH draft, and in that instance, another arrangement should be made with your tenant
  • Rentec Direct employs a rigorous verification process for all online payment methods. Click here for more information about bill pay with CashApp
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