Wave Accounting

Process in-person and online payments for your Wave Accounting invoices with Helcim.

Professional services Billing software

Overview

Features & How It Works

Requirements & Setup

FAQ

About Extension

Wave Accounting is a popular billing and accounting platform for small businesses, offering invoicing and basic financial tools. With the Helcim Payment Extension, Wave users can now accept both online and in-person payments—a capability Wave does not offer natively—while benefiting from Helcim’s transparent interchange-plus pricing and smoother payment workflows.

Rate comparison

Helcim's affordable rates

In-person Payments

1.93% + 8 ¢

Average

Online Payments

2.49% + 25 ¢

Average

Explore our Interchange+ pricing

Wave Accounting's processing fees

In-person Payments

Not available

Online Payments

2.9% - 3.4% + 60¢

We are all about transparency.

PCI fees

Cancellation fees

Setup fees

Monthly fees

Deposit Fees

User Fees

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Features

Accept in-person payments

Helcim allows Wave users to take in-person card payments using Helcim’s card readers—something Wave’s own payment tools do not support.

Lower your processing fees

Reduce your cost per transaction by using Helcim’s transparent interchange-plus pricing instead of Wave’s built-in payment processor. You also have the ability to pass on your processing fees for card-present transactions effectively removing the processing fees for the payments.

Smoother reconciliation

All Helcim transactions—online and in-person—sync to your Helcim dashboard for simple tracking and clearer reporting.

How it works with Helcim

Wave Accounting with the Helcim Payment Extension gives your business in-person payment capabilities Wave does not provide. Wave continues to handle invoicing and billing, while Helcim, through the Payment Extension enables both online and in-person payment acceptance using card readers and manual entry (Virtual Terminal). Payments sync back to Helcim for reporting and deposits. Since this integration is payment-focused, invoice amounts and customer details remain managed within Wave. Refunds and payment reconciliation may require manual steps, and multi-currency invoices must match your Helcim account currency.

Requirements

Active Helcim account

Active Wave Accounting account

Helcim hardware (if accepting in-person payments)

Setup

Sign up with Helcim

Create a free Helcim account to access your payment tools and API configuration.

Install the Helcim Payment Extension

Install the Helcim Payment Extension to your browser from the Chrome Store.

Connect your active Helcim account

Grab your Helcim API credentials. You can find this under Integrations > API Access Configurations > New API Access. Then copy-paste it on your Payment Extensions tab in Wave Accounting.

Connect your Helcim hardware (optional)

If you have a Card Reader or Smart Terminal, you can pair it by copy-pasting your 4-digit device code onto your Payment Extensions tab in Wave Accounting.

Frequently asked questions

Can Helcim Payment Extension reduce Wave Accounting payment processing fees?

Yes — Helcim’s interchange-plus pricing is often much cheaper than Wave Accounting’s built-in payment fees.

Can Helcim integrate with Wave Accounting?

Yes — you can integrate Helcim with Wave Accounting using the Payment Extension.

What are the advantages of using Helcim on Wave Accounting?

You get lower fees, ability to process card-present transactions, faster workflows, and reduced manual reconciliation across your invoices.

Is the Helcim Payment Extension an alternative to Wave Accounting?

Not necessarily. You can still use your Wave Accounting as part of your workflow. However, the extension replaces Wave Accounting's built-in payment processor so you can save on costs.