For software platforms
Embedded payments in the software your customers already use
Embedded payments for software platforms let your customers bill, collect and get paid where the work already happens. BrainMerchant processes the credit card and ACH bank payments behind them.
What BrainMerchant gives your platformCard and ACH payment processing
- Card processingCredit card payments for your customers
- ACH processingBank payments from US bank accounts
- One gatewayTo the card networks and the ACH Network
One provider for both
Why payments
Why software companies add payments
Federal Reserve payment data, two public filings and Visa’s argument for the payment facilitator model help explain why ISVs put the payment next to the bill.
Payments where the work happens
Your customers already create the invoice, take the booking or send the statement in your software. With payments built in, their payers can pay on the same screen, right next to the bill.
Over ¾
Cards lead by number
Cards made up over three-quarters of US noncash payments by number in 2024, according to the Federal Reserve Payments Study released in July 2026.
Almost ¾
ACH leads by value
In the same study, ACH reached almost three-quarters of noncash payments by value for the first time. US payers use both.
37%
Remote payments are routine
About 37% of US consumer payments in 2025 were remote rather than in person, according to the Federal Reserve’s Diary of Consumer Payment Choice.
Cards where checks lingered
Visa’s own case for the payment facilitator model includes bringing card acceptance to sectors that traditionally took cash, checks or bank transfers, and adding payments to the software merchants already use.
What public filings show
Payments-led services made up about three-quarters of 2025 revenue at both Shopify (merchant solutions, about 76%, mostly Shopify Payments fees plus other services) and AppFolio (Value Added Services, about 76%, which also include tenant screening and risk mitigation).
How, or whether, a platform earns from payments depends on its model and contracts; talk to us about yours.
One provider for card and bank
BrainMerchant processes credit card payments and ACH payments for software platforms, so your platform can offer both to its customers. It is the gateway between your platform and the payment networks: the card networks for cards, the ACH Network for bank payments.
Embedded vs integrated
Embedded and integrated payments, explained
- Integrated payments: your software connects to a payment provider, and each of your customers signs up with that provider directly.
- Embedded payments: payments are part of your product, including how your customers sign up to take them.
Both are industry terms, not card-network categories. Under the network rules, what matters is who signs merchants and who touches settlement funds.
A technology provider your customer contracts with directly, such as checkout or other payment software, is what Visa calls a Merchant Servicer: it may not sign merchant agreements for the acquirer or receive your customer’s settlement funds, and your customer must tell its acquirer about it. Visa’s October 2026 third-party agent guidance also lists software that embeds, configures or controls payment acceptance as a Merchant Servicer registered through an acquirer; confirm with your acquirer.
How BrainMerchant fits between your platform and the networks
Northwind StudioInvoice #2210
Amount due$750.00
- Pay by bankACH from a checking or savings account
- Pay by cardCredit card
Pay $750.00
Card and ACH payments processed by BrainMerchant
Platform models
Referral, integrated or embedded: what each asks of you
Three common setups for ISV payment processing. Which one fits depends on your platform, your customers and your contracts.
| Approach | What your customer sees | Who signs the merchant | What your platform takes on |
|---|---|---|---|
| Referral | A separate provider, outside your software | The provider your customer chooses | The recommendation; payments run outside your product, though registration can still apply depending on what you do for the provider |
| Integrated | Payments inside your software, through a provider they signed up with | The acquirer, directly or through an ISO acting as its agent, or a payment facilitator signing for it | Building and keeping the connection; Merchant Servicer registration may apply (Visa, October 2026) |
| Embedded | Payments as part of your product, sign-up included | Depends on the model: the acquirer, or a payment facilitator signing for it | Merchant Servicer registration may apply (Visa, October 2026); the rest depends on the model and contracts. Under network rules, the acquirer stays liable for a payment facilitator and its sub-merchants. |
Payment facilitator, PayFac-as-a-Service and ISO models compared
Before you build
How to add payments to your software: questions to settle first
Work through these before you add payment processing to your SaaS product, and before you choose a provider or a model. The rules are summarized as of October 2026; confirm details with your provider, your bank or the rule source.
- Which flows you need. Collecting from payers, paying out to others, or both.
- Card, ACH or both for each flow. Base it on who pays, how much and how often.
- Consumer or business payers. ACH codes and return windows differ: 60 calendar days for an unauthorized consumer debit, two banking days for a business one.
- Who signs merchant agreements and who touches settlement funds. Those two answers largely decide your role under the card network rules.
- Identity and know-your-business (KYB) checks. Both card networks expect the acquirer, and any payment facilitator acting for it, to screen a business before onboarding it.
- Your PCI DSS scope. Which parts of your software store, process or transmit card data, or could affect its security. See PCI compliance for SaaS platforms.
- Whether you will hold or move funds. Holding or moving your customers’ settlement funds can trigger state money transmission licensing; get legal review state by state.
- Tax reporting if you pay sub-merchants. A payment facilitator that pays them reports their card sales on Form 1099-K, with no minimum dollar threshold.
- Your ACH role with the originating bank (ODFI). It depends on whose name is on the bank agreement; see Third-Party Sender in our glossary.
- Nacha fraud monitoring. Since June 2026, the rules have covered Third-Party Senders and Third-Party Service Providers of any size. Read what Nacha’s fraud monitoring rules ask of platforms.
By industry
Payments by industry
Vertical SaaS payments follow how each industry bills. These pages cover where card and ACH payments fit in the software built for each one.
Property management software
Rent, deposits and other charges, and where card or bank payments fit each one.
B2B invoicing software
Business-to-business invoices and the card and ACH questions they raise.
Healthcare software
Patient statements and the balances due after a visit.
Nonprofit software
One-time donations and monthly gifts from supporters.
Education software
Tuition and fees billed to families each term.
Field services software
Invoices for jobs, paid once the work is done.
FAQ
Questions about embedded payments for software platforms
Does embedding payments mean becoming a payment facilitator?
Not necessarily. Under the card network rules, your role depends largely on whether you sign your customers as merchants or receive settlement funds for them, and our guide to PayFac and ISO models walks through each option.
Do we need to hold our customers’ funds?
Not necessarily: under Visa’s descriptions, neither an ISO nor a Merchant Servicer receives settlement funds, and a platform that would hold or move them needs legal review of state money transmission licensing first. Our guide to payment facilitator and ISO models explains who handles settlement funds in each.
Which payment methods should our software offer first?
It depends on who pays, how much and what your customers bill for, and many platforms offer both so payers can choose. Compare credit card processing for platforms with ACH payment processing for platforms, or read ACH vs credit card payments.
What happens on a first call?
We talk about your platform, who pays whom inside it, and the model you have in mind. Then we’ll walk you through how BrainMerchant, as the payment gateway between your platform and the networks, processes credit card and ACH payments for software platforms.
Talk to BrainMerchant
Turn your software into the place your customers get paid
Tell us how your customers bill and collect today, and which model you are weighing. We’ll walk you through what adding card and ACH processing with BrainMerchant looks like.