Accepting PayPal, Venmo, and checks

Stripe handles the bulk of online payments, but most communities offer at least one alternative. PayPal (with Venmo bundled in) and paper checks are the most common. This article covers both.

When alternative methods make sense

• Some residents flatly refuse to enter card / bank info into “another app.” PayPal accounts they already have. They’re more comfortable.
• A subset of younger residents only use Venmo. PayPal-with-Venmo lets them pay from the app they’re used to.
• Older residents who want to mail a check. Paper checks are still common in HOAs and aren’t going away. Just plan for it.

You don’t need to enable every method. But making at least one alternative available cuts the number of “I don’t know how to pay” support questions in half.

PayPal (and Venmo)

PayPal Business accounts can also accept Venmo — they’re integrated. If you set up PayPal Business, Venmo support is essentially free.

What you need

• A PayPal Business account for your HOA. (Personal accounts won’t work — you need Business for the merchant features.)
• The HOA’s EIN if registered as a non-profit, or SSN for individual / sole-prop
• A bank account for payouts
• ~10 minutes to connect

Step-by-step

1. Go to Settings → Community Settings → Payment Methods panel
2. Click Connect PayPal
3. You’ll be redirected to PayPal’s authorization flow
4. Sign in with the HOA’s PayPal Business account (or create one if you don’t have it)
5. Authorize HomeHerald to process payments on your behalf
6. Return to HomeHerald — you should see “PayPal Connected” with a green check

Enabling Venmo

Venmo support inside PayPal Business is automatic for US accounts that meet a few requirements. If it’s not appearing as an option after PayPal is connected:

1. Go to your PayPal Business dashboard
2. Settings → Payment preferences → Venmo
3. Enable Venmo as a payment method
4. Wait ~24 hours for it to propagate

Then in HomeHerald, residents will see Pay with Venmo as a checkout option.

Fees

PayPal’s fees are different from Stripe’s:

• Card via PayPal: 3.49% + $0.49 (slightly higher than Stripe cards in some cases)
• Bank via PayPal: Free for the resident; payout fee on your end varies
• Venmo: Same as PayPal card

Pass-through vs. absorb behavior follows whatever you’ve set globally for the community’s payment methods.

Disputes

PayPal handles disputes through their own dashboard, not Stripe’s. When a resident disputes a payment:

• HomeHerald notifies the board via email
• You respond in PayPal’s dispute resolution center, not Stripe’s

The 21-day response window is similar. Don’t ignore disputes — auto-loss is the default if you don’t respond.

Paper checks

Paper checks aren’t a payment “method” you toggle on — they’re an out-of-band flow you accept by communicating where to send checks. The system supports them via manual payment recording.

Setup

Just two things to communicate to residents:

• Payable to: Your HOA’s legal name (e.g., “Maplewood Homeowners Association”)
• Mailing address: Where to send the check (your HOA’s mailing address from Settings → Community Settings)

Some communities print this on every monthly statement; some include it in the welcome email; some put it on the community’s website. All three is best.

Workflow when a check arrives

1. Open the envelope, confirm the check is real and made out correctly
2. Deposit at the bank (most banks have mobile deposit now)
3. Once it clears, record the payment in HomeHerald — see Recording a manual payment
4. The property’s balance updates; the resident sees the payment in their portal

If the check bounces, void the manual payment record and add a NSF fee charge if your bylaws allow it. Communicate with the resident promptly — bounced checks are usually accidents.

Tips

• Use a P.O. box if possible. Mailing checks to a board member’s home address creates problems when boards transition. A P.O. box is community-owned.
• Get checks deposited weekly. Older checks expire (usually after 6 months) and create cleanup work.
• Record promptly. A check that’s been deposited but not recorded leads to “you owe money” notifications going out to residents who already paid. They get angry. Record within a few days of deposit.

Communicating options to residents

Once you’ve set up the methods you support, tell residents. A simple onboarding message works:

How to pay your dues

You have several options:

1. Online via card or bank — log in at homeherald.ai and click Pay on your dues. Bank (ACH) is cheaper than card.
2. PayPal or Venmo — also available in the portal at checkout.
3. Mail a check — payable to “[HOA Name],” sent to [P.O. Box address].

All payments are recorded in your portal so you can see your balance update.

Customize for what you’ve enabled. Don’t over-explain — most residents pick a method and stick with it.

Plan implications

PayPal support is part of paid plans. The Free plan typically only includes Stripe.

Paper checks are always supported (you can record them manually on any plan).

Common questions

“Can residents pay through Zelle?” Not directly. Zelle isn’t integrated. If a resident insists, they can Zelle to the HOA’s bank account out-of-band, and you’d record the payment manually.

“Can we accept cash?” Sure — but record it as a manual payment when you receive it. Get a paper receipt for your records.

“Can residents auto-pay through PayPal?” PayPal supports recurring billing for some setups, but HomeHerald’s automation lives in Stripe. For auto-pay, encourage residents toward Stripe ACH or card-on-file. PayPal recurring is a possible future feature; not currently supported.

“What if a resident pays the wrong amount via PayPal?” Record the payment for what they actually sent. If they overpaid, the property has a credit. If they underpaid, the property still owes the difference. Don’t try to “fix” the PayPal record — it’s already happened.

Where to go next

• Enabling Stripe payments — the primary method
• Recording a manual payment — for paper checks and out-of-band payments
• Payment methods overview — the full menu and fee comparison
• Issuing refunds — when payments need to be reversed