v2026-02-07a
Booking & Payments

Book Sessions. Get Paid. One Step.

Stop juggling Calendly, Stripe, and invoicing spreadsheets. Clients book sessions and pay in one click. Session packages, group bookings, and subscription billing — all integrated.

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Booking and Getting Paid Shouldn't Be Separate

You're a coach, not an accountant. Yet you spend hours matching payments to bookings.

Juggling Calendly + Stripe + Invoicing

Calendly for scheduling, Stripe for payments, spreadsheets for tracking. Three tools that don't talk to each other. You're the integration layer — and it's eating your time.

Payments Disconnected from Booking

Someone books a session but hasn't paid. Or pays but doesn't book. Or books, pays, then cancels — and you have to reconcile it all manually. The admin work never ends.

No Package or Tier Management

You offer 4-session packages, monthly retainers, and one-off consultations. But your tools don't understand packages — so you're tracking remaining sessions in your head or a spreadsheet.

Manual Follow-Up After Sessions

After every session, you need to send notes, action items, and schedule the next one. It's the most important part — and the first thing that slips when you're busy.

How Booking & Payments Works

One integrated system — clients book, pay, and get follow-up without you lifting a finger.

Booking
One-Click Booking with Payment
Clients see your availability, pick a time, and pay — all in one step. No separate payment links, no manual invoicing. The session is confirmed and paid before it hits your calendar.
Packages
Session Packages & Group Sessions
Sell 4-session packages, monthly retainers, or group coaching slots. The system tracks remaining sessions, handles renewals, and lets clients book from their package balance automatically.
Payments
Stripe Integration
Powered by Stripe for secure payments. One-time session fees, recurring subscriptions, package purchases — all managed automatically. See your revenue dashboard without logging into Stripe separately.
Billing
Subscription Billing & Upgrades
Members on subscription tiers get automatic billing. Upgrades and downgrades prorate automatically. Failed payment handling and dunning emails keep your revenue flowing without manual chasing.

Get Paid Without the Admin Work

When booking and payments are one step, you eliminate the busywork that eats into your coaching time. Focus on delivering value — the platform handles the rest.

  • Book and pay in one step — no chasing payments
  • Session packages with automatic balance tracking
  • Subscription billing with automatic renewals and upgrades
  • Revenue dashboard — see earnings without logging into Stripe
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Time Saved

Sessions per week20
Admin time per session15 min
Weekly time saved5 hours
Monthly hours reclaimed20 hours

Payments & Payouts FAQ

How money flows on Counsel — from member payment to your bank account.

You are. Counsel uses a Merchant of Record (MOR) model where each coach is the merchant of record for their own transactions. When a member pays for a subscription, cohort, or workshop, the charge appears on their statement under your business name — not Counsel's. You connect your own Stripe account, and funds go directly to you.

All payments are processed through Stripe. When a member pays, the full amount is charged to their card. Stripe deposits the funds into your connected Stripe account, minus two deductions:

  • Stripe processing fee — 2.9% + 30¢ per transaction (standard Stripe rate, paid to Stripe)
  • Counsel platform fee — depends on your plan: Starter (10%), Growing (5%), or Pro (0%)

For example, on a $100 cohort registration on the Starter plan: Stripe takes ~$3.20, Counsel takes $10, and you receive ~$86.80.

Funds follow Stripe's standard payout schedule. After a payment is processed, Stripe holds funds briefly (typically 2 business days for established accounts) and then deposits them directly to the bank account linked to your Stripe account. You can view your payout schedule and history in your Stripe dashboard at any time.

Counsel supports three payment models through Stripe:

  • Recurring subscriptions — monthly membership tiers with automatic billing and renewal
  • One-time payments — cohort registrations, workshop fees, and session packages
  • Session bookings — pay-per-session with integrated calendar booking

All payment methods supported by Stripe (credit/debit cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, etc.) work automatically.

As the merchant of record, you control refund decisions. When you issue a refund:

  • Full refunds — the member receives the full amount back. Counsel's platform fee is also reversed, so you are not charged a fee on refunded transactions.
  • Partial refunds — you can refund a portion of the payment. The platform fee is adjusted proportionally.

Refunds are processed through Stripe and typically appear on the member's statement within 5-10 business days. Note that Stripe's processing fee (2.9% + 30¢) is not returned on refunds — this is standard Stripe policy.

Since you are the merchant of record, chargebacks and disputes are handled through your Stripe account. If a member disputes a charge with their bank:

  • Stripe notifies you and temporarily holds the disputed amount
  • You can submit evidence (receipts, communication, service records) through your Stripe dashboard
  • The card network (Visa, Mastercard, etc.) makes the final decision

Stripe charges a $15 dispute fee (refunded if you win). To minimize disputes, communicate clearly about what members are paying for and issue proactive refunds when appropriate.

Yes. During onboarding, you connect a Stripe account through Stripe Connect. If you don't have one, Stripe will guide you through creating one in minutes. This is what makes the MOR model work — payments go directly to your account, giving you full visibility and control over your revenue. Counsel never holds your funds.

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