If your Direct Debit payments are not being collected from Xero, this will almost always be due to one of the following:
The customer is not linked correctly
The customer has not completed the payment process
The invoice is not set up correctly
Work through the checks below carefully. Most issues are resolved within these steps.
📌Note: In most cases, the issue is either the customer not being linked or the customer not completing the Pay Invoice step. Duplicate email addresses in Xero are also a common cause of linking failures and must be resolved before payments can be collected.
Check the payer is linked correctly
Payments cannot be collected unless the Xero contact is linked to a Direct Debit contract.
Log in to the Middleware.
Go to Manage Contracts.
Select Import.
Search for the customer by name or email.
Check if a contract is linked.
If no contract is linked, use View Suggested Links or manually select one.
If the wrong contract is linked, use View/Unlink and relink correctly.
📌Note: Linking is based on email matching. If multiple contacts share the same email address, auto-linking will not work and you must link the contract manually.
For detailed steps on fixing payer linking issues, see Fix payer linking issues.
Check the customer completed the payment process
Creating a Direct Debit contract does not automatically schedule a payment.
The customer must complete the full process:
Open the invoice.
Click Pay now.
Click Pay by Direct Debit.
Register and confirm their details.
Click Pay Invoice.
📌Note: If the Pay Invoice step is not completed, the payment will not be scheduled.
If this step has been missed, the customer must return to the invoice and complete it.
Check the invoice setup
The middleware will only process invoices that meet the required setup.
Confirm the following:
The correct branding theme is applied
The invoice includes the Direct Debit payment link
The invoice has a valid due date
The invoice has been sent to the customer
📌Note: If the incorrect branding theme is used, the invoice will not be detected by the middleware. If an invoice is edited after processing (for example, if the amount or due date is changed), updates may not apply if the payment has already been submitted and a new invoice may need to be raised.
Check processing timing
Payments are processed on a daily schedule, so timing can affect when your invoice appears.
Invoices are imported once per working day at 4pm
Payments will appear after this run and show as pending
Recently created or sent invoices may not appear until the next 4pm run
If the invoice is still missing after this, check the payer link and invoice setup
Before sending invoices
To avoid issues, make sure you:
Link the customer before sending the invoice
Use the correct branding theme on every invoice
Ensure the customer completes the full payment journey
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is there a contract but no payment?
This usually means the customer has completed the Direct Debit sign‑up but did not finish the final step of the process. A Direct Debit contract is created as soon as the customer registers and confirms their bank details, but no payment is scheduled until they click Pay Invoice on the final screen.
In this situation, everything appears set up correctly, but the invoice will not be collected. The customer must return to the invoice, follow the payment link again, and complete the Pay Invoice step to schedule the payment.
Why is my invoice not appearing in the middleware?
If an invoice does not appear in the middleware, it is usually because it does not meet the required setup. The most common causes are the invoice using the wrong branding theme or missing the Direct Debit payment link.
The middleware only processes invoices that use the correct branding theme and payment configuration. Updating the invoice to use the correct theme and resending it will normally resolve the issue. If the invoice was created very recently, it may also not appear until after the next processing run.
Why can’t my customer be linked automatically?
Automatic linking relies on matching email addresses between Xero and the Direct Debit contract. If more than one Xero contact uses the same email address, the system cannot safely determine which record to link and automatic linking is disabled.
To resolve this, duplicate email addresses must be removed in Xero, or the correct contract must be linked manually through the Import screen.
Why is my payment not scheduled?
A payment will not be scheduled if any part of the setup is incomplete. This typically happens when the payer is not linked to a contract, the customer has not completed the full payment journey, or the invoice does not meet the required setup (such as branding theme, payment link, or due date).
Checking each of these areas will usually identify where the issue is occurring.
What should I check before contacting support?
Before contacting support, please confirm the following:
The customer is linked to a Direct Debit contract
The customer has completed the Pay Invoice step
The correct branding theme has been used
The Direct Debit payment link is present on the invoice
The invoice due date is valid
If all the above checks have been completed and the issue still persists, please contact us via the Access Digital Assistant and request to speak with a member of the support team.