Online Payment FAQ for Housing Societies

Online payment FAQ for housing societies

Plinth connects an issued maintenance bill to Cashfree hosted checkout and accepts payment success only through a signed server callback. Each society first verifies its own bank account through Cashfree Easy Split. The full account number, KYC files, and resident payment credentials are not stored in Plinth.

Does the society need its own bank account?

Yes. Collections must go to the registered society account, not an office-bearer's personal account.

Why does Cashfree call the society a vendor?

Easy Split uses “vendor” for a settlement destination. Here it means the society account, not a supplier in the society vendor register.

Which KYC details are required?

The onboarding form requires the account-holder name, account number, IFSC, contact phone and email, and PAN. GSTIN is included when applicable. Cashfree may request PAN or GST document evidence.

Where are PAN and GST files stored?

The selected file is forwarded to Cashfree and is not persisted by Plinth. Plinth stores only the document review status required to guide the admin.

When do online payments become live?

Only after Cashfree reports the vendor ACTIVE. A signed status webhook updates Plinth automatically, and admins can manually check status.

What happens if Cashfree later blocks the account?

Plinth switches the gateway back to test mode. New live orders remain disabled until the account is active again.

Can an admin mark the account verified manually?

No. Row Level Security blocks client writes, and the gateway-switch function is unavailable to client roles.

What happens when a resident closes checkout?

Closing the modal does not prove payment. Plinth polls the intent briefly while waiting for Cashfree's signed payment callback.

Can a duplicate webhook pay the bill twice?

The settlement contract is idempotent and uses unique gateway payment references. Vendor-status events also ignore stale or duplicate timestamps.

Does Plinth charge a percentage of collections?

Plinth's stated platform policy is zero platform fee on society collections. Cashfree's payment and settlement charges follow the society's provider agreement.

Who can see onboarding status?

Only active admins of that society. Residents and other societies cannot read the payment-account row.

What should a resident do after a debit with no bill update?

Avoid paying again immediately, save the bank reference, refresh after a few minutes, and contact the treasurer if the bank shows success but the bill remains open.

Go deeper with the admin setup guide and resident payment guide.