Accepting crypto: payment requests for small businesses
How to ask a customer for a crypto payment properly: quoting the price, BIP 21 and EIP-681 payment links, QR codes, confirmations, refunds and records.
Updated 14 Sept 2026 · Intermediate · 2 min read
In short
- A payment request fixes three things: the address, the amount and how long the quote is valid.
- Standard payment links (BIP 21 for Bitcoin, EIP-681 for Ethereum) let a wallet fill everything in from a QR code, so nothing is mistyped.
- Use a fresh address for each invoice, decide how many confirmations you need, and keep records for tax.
Quote the price, then fix it
Crypto prices move, so a request should state the price in your currency, the crypto amount it converts to at a specific moment, and how long that amount is honoured: 15 to 60 minutes is common. If the customer pays late, you can accept the difference, ask for a top-up or refund them. Our converter and payment request generator do the conversion at the current rate.
Payment links and QR codes
Wallets understand standard payment links, usually shown as a QR code:
bitcoin:bc1q…?amount=0.00123&label=Coffee%20Roasters&message=Invoice%20123For Ethereum and other EVM chains, EIP-681 describes the equivalent for ether and for token transfers such as USDC, including the chain ID so the payer’s wallet picks the right network. State the network in words as well: the same address on the wrong chain can mean a lost or stuck payment.
One address per invoice
Reusing one address for every customer makes reconciliation hard (who paid what?) and shows your takings to anyone who looks. A wallet that creates a new receive address for each invoice, or a self-hosted processor such as BTCPay Server (which Wardcrest itself uses), solves both.
When is it paid?
- Bitcoin: an unconfirmed payment can still be replaced or double-spent. Many merchants accept one confirmation (about ten minutes) for small amounts and wait for more for large ones.
- Lightning: payments settle instantly and cheaply, which suits small amounts. Invoices expire, commonly after an hour.
- Stablecoins on EVM chains: fast and dollar-denominated. Check which chain and which token contract you are receiving on.
Refunds and records
- Refund to an address the customer gives you at the time. Never back to the address a payment came from, which may belong to an exchange.
- Record the value in your own currency at the time of each payment; in many countries that is what matters for tax.
- Screen incoming addresses where your business or jurisdiction requires it. See sanctions screening.