How to accept credit cards as a contractor: the options, the fees and when the money arrives

How to accept credit cards as a contractor: the short answer

To accept credit cards as a contractor, send the customer a pay link with the invoice or tap their card on your phone, through a payment processor that charges a fee on every payment.

Three ways to take a card: pay link, tap on the phone, card on file

Jobber supports all three through Jobber Payments, its built-in card and bank payment processing, run by Stripe.

• Pay link. The client pays from the quote, the invoice or client hub, Jobber’s self-serve page for approving quotes and paying invoices.
• Tap to Pay. On every plan in the US and Canada, through the mobile app: your phone becomes the card reader, with no extra hardware, and Jobber Payments must be on. It takes Apple Pay and Google Pay; Discover works only on iPhone.
• Card on file. The client saves a card in client hub, and from the Connect plan automatic payments charge it for recurring jobs.

You can also type card details by hand or use the Jobber card reader, sold in the US only, with all sales final. Crew members need the Payments permission before they can take a card.

What each payment costs

Jobber charges the same rates on all four plans, as read on October 23, 2026.

As an example, $5,000 collected over 20 invoices costs $151 by card, $141 by Tap to Pay and $50 by bank payment, our arithmetic. The pricing page gives the standard card rate, and the rate shown in your own account is the one that applies.

Jobber says Jobber Payments has no setup fees or monthly charges; plan prices are on Jobber pricing.

When the money reaches your bank

Set up the payout account first. The account owner verifies business details and adds the bank account where deposits land, in a form Jobber says takes under 15 minutes. It must be a checking account, since savings accounts are not supported.

The first payout has a 5 business day period to authorize the account, then cards pay out on a 2 business day schedule in the US and Canada. Bank payments take about four business days. Instant payouts cost an extra 1% and need a qualifying Jobber Payments history in the US or Canada.

Chargebacks, refunds and holds

Jobber may hold funds in reserve to cover chargebacks and refunds, and a reserve does not stop you from accepting payments. A chargeback is a customer’s bank reversing a payment. Jobber’s payment terms make you responsible for reversed transactions, including card-company fees, and the bank withdraws the amount from your account along with a dispute fee.

A refund through Jobber Payments returns the fees charged on that payment to you and takes 5 to 10 business days to show on the client’s statement. After your first payments Jobber may ask for ID again, and a missed deadline freezes payouts.

Jobber Payments, on every Jobber plan, takes cards at 2.9% + 30¢, Tap to Pay on the phone at 2.7% + 30¢ with no extra hardware, and US bank payments at 1%. If every customer pays by check, no processor is needed; a contractor whose customers ask to pay by card needs one.

Jobber’s 14-day trial is a chance to send a sample invoice and see what a customer receives. How to get customers to pay on time covers terms and reminders. The pricing table puts the QuickBooks Online sync on Connect and up; Jobber vs QuickBooks compares the two.