Accept in-person card payments with a terminal reader

A terminal reader lets you charge a client’s card in person, right from TaxDome, instead of recording an offline payment or sending a payment link. This article covers buying a reader, registering it, and using it to take a payment.

Note

This feature is available to US firms on TaxDome Payments , rolling out gradually. If you don’t see the Accept in-person card payments box on Settings > Integrations > Payments, it’s not available for your firm yet—see TaxDome feature lifecycle .

If you already have a Stripe Terminal reader, skip Step 1 and go straight to Step 2 to register it.

Step 1: Order and pay for a reader

Tip

See terminal reader pricing and terms for processing rates, fees, and hardware ownership terms before you order.

To buy a reader without leaving TaxDome:

1. Go to Settings > Integrations > Payments from the left menu bar.

2. On the TaxDome Payments card, in the Accept in-person card payments box, click Terminal shop.

3. In the Shop tab, click a reader—Stripe Reader S700 or S710—then click Add to cart.

Info

The S700 and S710 have the same hardware, but the S710 adds built-in cellular (4G/LTE) for places where Wi-Fi isn’t reliable, like a client’s office or a pop-up desk. Cellular is off by default— turn it on for the location before you register the reader. For a reader that stays at your front desk, the S700 is enough.

4. Click View cart, then complete checkout: enter your shipping information and pay for the reader with a card.

5. Track your order in the Orders tab. Each row shows the date, status, total, and shipping address; click an order to see its full shipping and payment details, or to cancel it.

Readers typically arrive within 3–7 business days, shipped directly to your office.

Note

Only firm owners and admins can order a reader.

Step 2: Register and set up the reader

Registration always happens in your Stripe dashboard, not in TaxDome, and only once the reader arrives—checkout doesn’t offer the option to pre-assign it to a location, so this applies whether you bought it through TaxDome or elsewhere.

Create a location

A location—the physical place in Stripe where you accept in-person payments—is required first: readers must be assigned to a location before they can be registered.

If you don’t have one yet, in your Stripe dashboard:

1. On the Terminal > Locations page, click Create Location.

2. Enter a name and a valid address.

3. Click Done.

If your firm has more than one office, create a location for each one—locations are set up and managed separately in Stripe.

Tip

See Stripe’s guide on managing locations for more detail.

Register the reader

To register, in your Stripe dashboard, go to Payments > Terminal, then:

• Reader ordered through TaxDome: On the Hardware orders tab, find your order once its status is Shipped or Delivered, click the three dots (⋯) next to it, then click Register. Select the reader, click + Register, then give it a name and choose a location.

• Reader bought elsewhere: On the Readers tab, click Register reader, then register it by pairing code, serial number, or order number.

Note

If you’re already using one of these readers with a different Stripe account or payment provider, reset the device and disconnect it from that account first, then register it to your TaxDome Payments account as described above.

Complete first-time setup

An internet connection is required both to set up and to use the reader—Wi-Fi, Ethernet through the optional hub or dock, or cellular on the S710. On first launch, after choosing a language and connecting to Wi-Fi, the reader may need a firmware update—this can take up to 20 minutes.

Customize your reader

Add your firm’s branding to the reader with a custom splash screen —the screen it shows between payments. You can also rename the reader, set a custom admin passcode, and change the screen timeout— see all options .

Step 3: Charge a client on the reader

Once a reader is registered, it’s available as a payment method. Clients can pay with any major debit or credit card, including American Express.

To charge a client:

1. Open the invoice and click Pay invoice—for example, from the three-dots menu next to the invoice in Billing > Invoices. You can also select and pay off multiple invoices within the same client account.

Note

If an invoice already has a payment in progress—for example, an ACH payment that takes a few business days to clear—it shows as In progress and can’t be charged again until that payment finishes. Wait for it to clear, or refresh the invoice to check its current status.

2. Under In-person payment methods, select the reader you want to use. Readers are listed by name and Stripe location.

3. Click Charge $[amount]. The amount to charge is editable, so you’re not limited to charging the full balance due—use this to split a payment between cash and card, for example. The payment technology fee doesn’t apply to terminal payments, and no other charge can be added on top—the client pays exactly this amount.

4. Ask the client to tap, insert, or swipe their card on the reader while TaxDome shows Waiting for card. You can still click Cancel at this point if needed.

Once the payment succeeds, TaxDome confirms the invoice was paid and updates its status automatically—no manual step is needed to record it. The reader never prompts for a tip. Terminal payments reconcile the same way as online payments, so your existing QuickBooks integration keeps working without changes.

Note

The terminal has no printer. If the client has an email address on file, they receive an emailed payment confirmation; if not, the payment still succeeds but no confirmation is sent.

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