What it does
Helcim provides merchant payment processing and business collection tools for US and Canadian businesses. Invoices, online checkout, recurring payments and in-person acceptance share the merchant account. Registration and approval are required, with no monthly account charge but fees for processed payments.
For an itemized bill, open All Tools, Invoicing and New Invoice. Select a saved customer or enter new details, add products or services, and review discounts, shipping and taxes. Under Actions, Send Pay Now Email lets the customer pay online; Process Now opens staff-entered collection through the virtual terminal.
The signup checklist asks about the business, its products, expected processing volume and owners with at least 25% ownership. Helcim may request supporting documents during review. Once approved, link the bank account and configure the collection route you need.
Processing costs
The US site's card schedule adds these margins to the underlying interchange cost:
| Monthly card volume | In person | Keyed or online |
|---|---|---|
| $0 to $50,000 | 0.40% + $0.08 | 0.50% + $0.25 |
| $50,000 to $100,000 | 0.35% + $0.07 | 0.45% + $0.20 |
| $100,000 to $500,000 | 0.25% + $0.07 | 0.35% + $0.20 |
| $500,000 to $1 million | 0.20% + $0.06 | 0.25% + $0.15 |
| $1 million to $5 million | 0.15% + $0.06 | 0.15% + $0.15 |
These margins sit above interchange. Discounts use the previous three months' average volume; above $5 million requires a quote. Recurring billing adds 0.4% per transaction. Hardware costs extra.
Card deposits can arrive the next business day when the bank supports Faster Deposits and the batch meets the cutoff and size conditions. Standard and initial batches take longer. Bank payments generally take three to five business days after settlement and do not qualify for that faster card-funding route.
Strengths
- QuickBooks Online and Xero integrations can collect payment from invoices maintained in those systems.
- Merchants can choose gross deposits with fees deducted separately or net deposits after fees.
Watch out for
- Refunds do not return the processing fees charged on the original transaction.
- Bank-payment collection cannot cross between US and Canadian bank accounts.
Best for
- US and Canadian businesses comparing interchange-plus processing
- Service businesses sending itemized customer bills
Sources
- Helcim: Payment products and gross or net deposits (Oct 27, 2026)
- Helcim: Invoice creation and payment actions (Oct 27, 2026)
- Helcim: Business application and approval (Oct 27, 2026)
- Helcim: Processing margins and additional service charges (Oct 27, 2026)
- Helcim: Deposit timing and Faster Deposits eligibility (Oct 27, 2026)
- Helcim: QuickBooks Online and Xero payment connections (Oct 27, 2026)
- Helcim: Country-specific bank collection (Oct 27, 2026)