The verdict in three sentences
For a London IT services company waiting 75 days on average to be paid by its 300 clients, an online invoice payment portal costs 20,000 to 50,000 GBP with a UK agency (2026 market estimate) and ships in 6 to 10 weeks. Each invoice carries a payment link (card, Direct Debit, pay by bank), reminders go out automatically, and DSO drops by 15 to 25 days as a 2026 order of magnitude. Fees of 0.3 to 3 % depending on the method are real, but stay below the cost of tied-up cash and chasing time.
Payment methods and their fees in 2026
Payment method choice sets both client adoption and cost per invoice. For a UK B2B client base, you need at least bank transfer, card and pay by bank or Direct Debit. In francophone Africa, the same portal would add Wave and Orange Money at about 1 % per transaction.
| Payment method | Indicative 2026 fees | Time to funds | Best-fit client |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pay by bank (Open Banking) | 0.3 to 1 % | Same day | SMEs, mid-sized invoices |
| Direct Debit (e.g. GoCardless) | about 1 % + 0.20 GBP, capped | 3 to 5 working days | Recurring contracts |
| UK card via Stripe | about 1.5 % + 0.20 GBP | 2 to 7 days | Small clients, one-off invoices |
| International card | about 3.25 % + 0.20 GBP | 2 to 7 days | Overseas clients |
| Bank transfer with unique reference | 0 to 0.50 GBP | Same day (Faster Payments) | Large accounts, high amounts |
Fees are public or negotiated orders of magnitude, to be confirmed with each provider. On a 5,000 GBP invoice, pay by bank at 0.5 % costs 25 GBP versus about 75 GBP by UK card: many firms push pay by bank first.
What the portal includes and what it costs
| Component | Function | Share of budget | Timeline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Invoice import | From invoicing software or ERP, by API or file | 20 % | 1 to 2 weeks |
| Unique payment link | QR code and link on each PDF invoice and email | 15 % | 1 week |
| Payment method integration | Card, Direct Debit, pay by bank, transfer matching | 25 to 30 % | 2 weeks |
| Automatic reminders | D-3, D+1, D+15, D+30 by email or SMS | 15 % | 1 week |
| Client area | Invoice history, receipts, payment confirmations | 10 to 15 % | 1 week |
| Finance dashboard | DSO, late payers, cash-in forecast | 10 % | 1 week |
| Option | Upfront cost | Recurring cost | Limitation |
| Standalone payment links (no portal) | 0 to 300 GBP | transaction fees only | No matching, manual reminders |
| Accounts receivable SaaS | 0 to 5,000 GBP setup | 300 to 1,500 GBP per month | Rigid workflows |
| Custom portal, London agency | 20,000 to 50,000 GBP | 400 to 1,000 GBP per month | 6 to 10 week project |
| Kolonell portal, simple application | 2,500,000 to 4,000,000 FCFA (3,810 to 6,100 EUR) | maintenance 35,000 to 75,000 FCFA per month (50 to 110 EUR) | Remote team in Dakar |
London agency and SaaS prices are 2026 market estimates. Automatic matching is the real win: each payment is tied to its invoice and marked paid in your accounting, with no manual statement ticking.
Mini case study
Oliver, finance director of an IT services company in London, invoices 12,000,000 GBP a year to 300 clients with a 75-day DSO. One day of revenue is about 32,900 GBP.
Assumption: the portal cuts DSO by 20 days, freeing about 658,000 GBP of cash. At a 7 % cost of borrowing, that saves 46,000 GBP of interest a year. Chasing time falls from 80 to 20 hours a month: 60 hours at 35 GBP, or 25,200 GBP a year. On the cost side, if 30 % of revenue goes through card or pay by bank at a 0.8 % average, fees reach 28,800 GBP a year. Net gain: about 42,400 GBP a year, for a 35,000 GBP project plus 7,200 GBP of annual maintenance. Payback in about 12 months (35,000 / 35,200 net per year).
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FAQ
Will our large accounts pay online?
Large accounts often keep paying by transfer, but with the portal's unique reference matching becomes automatic. Smaller clients adopt pay by bank or card in 40 to 60 % of cases as an order of magnitude.
Can we pass fees on to the client?
UK rules ban surcharging consumers, but B2B surcharging is possible if your terms allow it. It slows adoption, so many finance teams absorb pay by bank fees and only surcharge international cards.
Does the portal work with our invoicing software?
Yes if it exports invoices via API (Xero, QuickBooks, Sage) or as CSV. Allow one week of development per non-standard system.
How soon will DSO fall?
First effects show in 2 to 3 months, once automatic reminders cover a full billing cycle. A 15 to 25 day reduction over 6 months is a realistic order of magnitude.
Is payment data secure?
The portal stores no card data: payment happens on the PCI DSS certified provider's secure page. Client access is protected by a unique link or password.
Let's scope your project. Tell us your invoicing software, invoice volume and target payment methods, and we will price a portal within the range of Kolonell web applications, 2,500,000 to 4,000,000 FCFA for a simple application. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
