Stripe Invoice Sync Flow

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Overview

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Key Features

• Invoice Synchronization: Automatic sync of FlexPrice invoices to Stripe
• Collection Methods: Support for charge_automatically and send_invoice methods
• Payment Reconciliation: Real-time payment tracking across platforms
• Webhook Processing: Comprehensive webhook handling for all payment events
• Credit/Offline Restrictions: Disabled when invoice sync is enabled
• Metadata Tracking: Uses flexprice_payment_id and flexprice_invoice_id for reconciliation

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Invoice Sync Lifecycle

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Collection Methods

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Charge Automatically

1. Invoice Creation: Creates a draft invoice in Stripe with charge_automatically collection method
2. Auto-advance: Stripe automatically creates a PaymentIntent and attempts to charge the customer’s default payment method
3. Payment Processing: Stripe handles the payment attempt immediately
4. Webhook Events: Listen for invoice_payment.paid and payment_intent.succeeded

• Immediate payment attempt upon invoice finalization
• Uses customer’s default payment method
• Automatic retry on failure (based on Stripe settings)
• Subscription status depends of payment behavior until payment succeeds

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Send Invoice

1. Invoice Creation: Creates a invoice in Stripe with send_invoice collection method
2. Due Date: Sets the invoice due date from FlexPrice invoice
3. Send Invoice: Automatically sends the invoice to the customer via email
4. Customer Action: Customer must manually pay using Stripe’s hosted invoice page
5. Webhook Events: Listen for invoice_payment.paid and payment_intent.succeeded

• Customer receives email with payment link
• Manual payment required by customer
• Subscription status depends on payment behavior setting
• More control over payment timing

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Payment Flows

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Stripe Payment Methods

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1. Invoice Link (Stripe Hosted)

• Trigger: Customer pays via Stripe invoice link
• Action: Creates payment record in FlexPrice
• Reconciliation: Uses flexprice_invoice_id from invoice metadata
• Note: We don’t listen to failure webhooks, only success

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2. Charge Customer (Stripe Direct)

• Trigger: Direct charge to customer’s payment method succeeds
• Action: Updates existing payment record
• Reconciliation: Uses flexprice_invoice_id from invoice metadata

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FlexPrice Payment Methods

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1. Checkout Link (FlexPrice Hosted)

• Trigger: Customer completes payment via Stripe Checkout
• Action: Updates payment status to SUCCEEDED
• Reconciliation: Uses flexprice_payment_id from PaymentIntent metadata
• Note: We get the invoice ID from the PaymentIntent and don’t listen to failure webhooks

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2. Charge Card (FlexPrice Direct)

• Reason: Payment is processed synchronously
• Action: Immediate status update in FlexPrice
• Reconciliation: Direct API response handling

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Webhook Processing

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Webhook Event Types

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Metadata Requirements

• flexprice_payment_id: Links Stripe payment to FlexPrice payment record
• flexprice_invoice_id: Links Stripe invoice to FlexPrice invoice record
• flexprice_customer_id: Links Stripe customer to FlexPrice customer record

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Payment Reconciliation

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Reconciliation Process

1. Webhook Received: Stripe sends webhook with payment event
2. Metadata Extraction: Extract flexprice_payment_id or flexprice_invoice_id
3. Record Lookup: Find corresponding FlexPrice record
4. Status Update: Update payment/invoice status
5. Amount Verification: Ensure payment amounts match
6. Event Triggering: Send internal events for downstream processing

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Restrictions and Edge Cases

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When Invoice Sync is Enabled

• ❌ Credit Payments: Cannot use wallet credits for payment
• ❌ Offline Payments: Cannot mark payments as offline
• ❌ Manual Payment Recording: Must use Stripe payment methods

• Invoice sync requires payment reconciliation with Stripe
• Credit and offline payments bypass Stripe’s payment tracking
• This ensures accurate financial reporting and reconciliation

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Edge Cases

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1. Partial Payments

• Stripe: Handles partial payments automatically
• FlexPrice: Syncs partial payment amounts
• Reconciliation: Tracks cumulative payment amounts

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2. Refunds

• Stripe: Process refunds through Stripe dashboard
• FlexPrice: Manual reconciliation required

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3. Failed Payments

• Retry Logic: Handled by Stripe’s retry mechanism
• Webhook: payment_intent.payment_failed for direct charges only
• FlexPrice: Updates payment status to FAILED
• Note: Invoice payment failures are not tracked via webhooks

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Configuration

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Enabling Invoice Sync

1. Stripe Connection: Configure Stripe integration
2. Enable Sync: Set "invoice": {"inbound": false, "outbound": true}
3. Customer Sync: Ensure customers are synced to Stripe
4. Webhook Setup: Configure webhook endpoints

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Webhook Endpoints

POST /api/v1/webhooks/stripe/{tenant_id}/{environment_id}

• checkout.session.completed
• payment_intent.succeeded
• payment_intent.payment_failed
• invoice_payment.paid

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Error Handling

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Common Errors

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Error Recovery

1. Webhook Failures: Stripe retries failed webhooks
2. Sync Failures: Manual retry via admin interface

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Testing

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Test Scenarios

1. Invoice Sync: Create invoice and verify Stripe sync
2. Payment Link: Generate link and complete payment
3. Direct Charge: Charge customer directly
4. Webhook Processing: Simulate webhook events
5. Reconciliation: Verify payment amounts match

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Test Data

• 4242424242424242: Successful payment
• 4000000000000002: Card declined
• 4000000000009995: Insufficient funds