---
title: Getting Started
description: "Learn the five setup steps to start invoicing: connect Stripe, create members, create properties, attach members to properties, and create an invoice schedule."
---
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1. [HOA Start - Empower](https://help.hoastart.app/?hsLang=en)
2. [Support](https://help.hoastart.app/support?hsLang=en)
# Getting Started
This article walks through the five setup steps to start invoicing in Empower, in order: connect Stripe, create members, create properties, attach members to properties, and create an invoice schedule. Connecting Stripe is an Owner-only task. Owners and Org Admins can complete Steps 2 through 5.
An organization must connect Stripe before it can create invoices.
##### **Step 1: Connect Stripe**
**Owner only:** Only the Organization Owner can connect Stripe. If you are an Org Admin, ask your Organization Owner to complete this step.
Stripe is the payment processor. There is no monthly or annual fee. Stripe charges per transaction: credit cards are 3.5% of the payment with no per-transaction charge and no cap, and ACH bank payments are 1% of the payment, capped at $8.00. There is no bank connection fee, because bank accounts are verified with microdeposits. Before you start, gather the organization's EIN, bank account number, and ABA routing number. The person who completes setup should be authorized to sign on the organization's behalf.
1. Click Organization Settings in the left nav.
2. Click the Settings tab, then click Stripe Onboarding.
3. Click Start Stripe Onboarding. Stripe's hosted setup flow opens in a new tab.
4. Complete the Stripe steps: create and secure the account, enter the organization's information, verify the authorized person's identity, connect the bank account, set the statement descriptor, and review and submit.
Approval is usually almost immediate. The Stripe Onboarding page then shows "Stripe Onboarding Complete."
For more detail, see [How Do I Connect an Organization to Stripe?](https://help.hoastart.app/how-do-i-connect-an-organization-to-stripe?hsLang=en).
***Note:*** Members and properties are currently created manually, one at a time. Importing is coming soon.
##### **Step 2: Create Members**
1. Click the Members tab.
2. Click List Actions, then click Add Member.
3. Enter First Name and Last Name. Phone Number and Email Address are optional.
4. Optionally, enter an Email Address. Once an email address is entered, a Send Invitation to Member now checkbox appears. Check it to send the login invitation right away.
5. Click Submit.
A new member has a Status of Created, or Invited if the invitation was sent. The member is not attached to a property yet.
For more detail, see [How Do I Add a New Member to an Organization?](https://help.hoastart.app/how-do-i-add-a-new-member-to-an-organization?hsLang=en).
##### **Step 3: Create Properties**
1. Click the Properties tab.
2. Click List Actions, then click Add Property.
3. Enter Country, Address Line 1, City, State/Province, and Zip/Postal Code. Title, Address Line 2, and Lot Number are optional.
4. Click Submit.
The new property shows a Member Count of 0.
For more detail, see [How Do I Add a New Property?](https://help.hoastart.app/how-do-i-add-a-new-property?hsLang=en).
##### **Step 4: Attach Members to Properties**
1. On the Properties tab, click Actions at the end of the property's row, then click View.
2. Click the Contacts tab, then click Attach Members.
3. Search for the member and check the box next to their name.
4. Click Add Members, then click Add as Owner or Add as Tenant.
A property can have more than one contact, such as two Owners and a Tenant.
For more detail, see [How Do I Attach an Existing Member to a Property?](https://help.hoastart.app/how-do-i-attach-an-existing-member-to-a-property?hsLang=en).
##### **Step 5: Create an Invoice Schedule**
Every invoice comes from an invoice schedule. There is no standalone Create Invoice button.
1. Click Balances in the left nav, then click Invoice Schedules.
2. Click Actions, then click Create Invoice Schedule.
3. Enter an Invoice Name.
4. Choose the Income Type and Asset Type.
5. Enter the Amount. The minimum is $5.00, charged per property.
6. Set Frequency to Once, Monthly, or Annually.
7. Set the Issuance Date and Due Date.
8. To use late fees, configure them now. Late fees lock after the first invoice is issued.
9. Under Select Properties to charge, check each property to invoice.
10. Click Save.
If the Issuance Date is today or earlier, invoices generate immediately. Generated invoices appear in Balances \> Invoice Dashboard, one per property.
For more detail, see [How Do I Create a One-Time Invoice or Charge?](https://help.hoastart.app/create-a-one-time-invoice?hsLang=en) and [How Do I View and Manage Invoice Schedules?](https://help.hoastart.app/how-do-i-view-and-manage-invoice-schedules?hsLang=en).
- [Dashboard & Reporting](https://help.hoastart.app/dashboard-reporting?hsLang=en)
- [Members](https://help.hoastart.app/members?hsLang=en)
- [Properties](https://help.hoastart.app/properties?hsLang=en)
- [Documents](https://help.hoastart.app/documents?hsLang=en)
- [Email & Communication](https://help.hoastart.app/email-communication?hsLang=en)
- [Budgets & Expenses](https://help.hoastart.app/budgets-expenses?hsLang=en)
- [Invoicing & Billing](https://help.hoastart.app/invoicing-billing?hsLang=en)
- [Payments](https://help.hoastart.app/payments?hsLang=en)
- [Bank Reconciliation](https://help.hoastart.app/bank-reconciliation?hsLang=en)
- [Organization Settings](https://help.hoastart.app/organization-settings?hsLang=en)
- [Support](https://help.hoastart.app/support?hsLang=en)
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