This quickstart guide shows you how to set up Dext Payments, assign licences, complete regulatory verification, and make your first payment. It applies to both businesses, accounting and bookkeeping practices, and their clients.
Important: Dext Payments is only available for Xero-integrated UK clients.
For accounting & bookkeeping practices and their clients
This guide walks you through setting up the new Payments feature in Dext - from selecting clients to enabling the feature, completing regulatory verification, and making your first payment.
Important: Make sure the clients you want to enable Payments for are integrated with Xero.
1. Purchase Payments licences
Start by deciding which clients will use Dext Payments.
Steps:
Open the client’s account in Dext.
Click Payments in the sidebar.
Click Request a call or Buy Payments.
Complete the purchase flow to buy the necessary number of licences.
2. Assign licences and enable the Payments feature for a client
Once licences are purchased, assign them to each client who will use Payments. Once a licence is assigned, an email is sent to the account owner prompting them to complete the setup.
Steps:
After purchase, you’ll be redirected to the Payments page (locked state).
Alternatively, go to Payments in the client’s account.
If presented, click Refresh.
Click Assign a licence.
Once assigned, both you and your client will see the Welcome to Payments screen in the Payments area.
Enable Payments for businesses
This section applies if you’re a business user using Dext Payments directly, rather than through an accounting or bookkeeping practice.
Important: Your business Dext account must be integrated with Xero in order to enable Payments.
Enable Payments
Before you can use Payments or begin the regulatory verification process, you need to activate Payments for your business account.
Steps:
Click Payments in the sidebar, or go to Business settings > Subscription and locate the Payments tile.
Click Buy Payments.
Follow the checkout steps to activate Payments for your account.
Once Payments is enabled, you can proceed with Payments onboarding and regulatory verification.
Payments onboarding and regulatory verification
This section applies to all users setting up Dext Payments, including practices, businesses, and clients.
Only one user with Admin privileges - ideally the business owner or someone with similar authority - should complete the regulatory verification process. This step is crucial, and the individual who starts the regulatory verification process becomes the Payment Owner. The Payment Owner has exclusive rights to withdraw funds from the wallet.
For more details on access levels, see Payment access, roles and permissions.
Complete regulatory verification
Steps:
Open the Payments space in the Dext account.
Follow the on-screen instructions to upload the required regulatory verification documents.
Complete the wallet setup process.
Once verification is approved, the Payments wallet is activated and ready to use.
You can also refer to the regulatory verification process video for step-by-step guidance:
Make your first payment
After regulatory verification is complete and the Payments wallet is active, you can start making payments.
Prepare Payments
Before sending your first payment, make sure the following setup steps are complete:
Complete the integration with Xero (follow on-screen instructions).
Configure Payments settings, including:
Send your first payment
To make your first payment, complete the following setup tasks if they are not already in place:
Once submitted, the payment will follow your configured approval and processing flow.
For practices: deactivate and reactivate Payments licences
This section applies to accounting and bookkeeping practices managing Payments licences for clients.
Deactivate a Payments licence
You may want to deactivate Payments for a client if they no longer need the feature.
Steps:
Open the client’s account.
Go to Subscription.
Click Deactivate Payments and follow the on-screen steps.
Reactivate a Payments licence
If you choose to reactivate Payments for a client:
A £5 reconnection fee applies only if the client previously had an active Payments wallet.