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 available for Xero and QuickBooks Online integrated accounts in the UK. In Canada, Dext Payments is in open beta for QuickBooks Online integrated accounts.
For accounting or bookkeeping practices and their clients
This section walks you through setting up the 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 or QuickBooks Online. For steps, go to How to connect Dext with Xero or How to connect Dext to QuickBooks Online
Purchase Payments licences
To purchase Payments licences in your practice account:
Go to Practice settings.
Select Subscription in the sidebar.
Scroll down to Client usage.
Select Request a call or Buy Payments.
Complete the purchase flow to buy the necessary number of licences.
Note: For Canada QuickBooks Online clients, the steps are the same, but Payments is currently a free open beta — there's no charge at checkout. A Practice Admin still needs to add the required licences and then assign one to the practice or a client before Payments unlocks for that account.
To purchase Payments licences from a client account:
Open the client’s account in Dext.
Select Payments in the sidebar.
Select 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.
To assign a licence from the Payments page in the client account:
After purchase, you’ll be redirected to the Payments page (locked state).
Alternatively, go to Payments in the client’s account.
Select Assign licence and confirm.
To assign a licence from the client's Subscription page:
Go to Business settings, then Subscription in the client account.
Select Assign license in the Payments tile.
Once a licence is assigned to a client:
An email is sent to the client account owner prompting them to complete the setup.
Both you and your client will see the Welcome to Payments screen in the Payments area.
Enable Payments for businesses
This section applies to businesses using Dext Payments directly, rather than through an accounting or bookkeeping practice.
Important: Your Dext business account must be integrated with Xero or QuickBooks Online to enable Payments. For steps, go to How to connect Dext with Xero or How to connect Dext to QuickBooks Online
Enable Payments
Before you can use Payments or begin the regulatory verification process, you need to activate Payments for your business account.
Select Payments in the sidebar, or go to Business settings > Subscription and locate the Payments tile.
Select Buy Payments.
Follow the checkout steps to activate Payments for your account.
Note: For Canada QuickBooks Online businesses, this activates Payments directly with no charge at checkout — Payments is currently a free open beta for Canada QBO clients. Once activated, the licence applies automatically, with no separate assign-licence step.
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, go to Dext Payments: 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.
Xero and QuickBooks Online payment walkthroughs
These videos walk through the full Dext Payments process in Xero and QuickBooks Online, from reviewing invoices with Dext shields to creating payment runs, approvals, and reconciliation.
Set up Payments
Before sending your first payment, make sure the following setup steps are complete:
Complete the integration with Xero or QuickBooks Online (follow on-screen instructions).
Review your 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 the approval and processing flow you've set up.
For practices: deactivate and reactivate Payments licences
This section applies to accounting and bookkeeping practices for 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.
Select 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.