Verticals
Middleware Layer
Supported
Use Cases
Timeline
Why Prophet 21 distributors add Payment Hub, and what changes when they do
Prophet 21 is very good at the distribution problem: pricing contracts, branch inventory, blanket orders, will-call and delivered lines on the same order. Payment acceptance was never its center of gravity, and the gap shows up in AR every month.
Most P21 distributors we work with run a familiar setup. Counter staff key card numbers into a terminal that has no idea which P21 invoice is being paid. The AR clerk gets a settlement report from the processor and re-keys cash receipts by hand, matching amounts to invoices as best they can. Customers who want to pay online email a card number or call it in. None of this is wrong, exactly. It is just slow, and it puts card data in places it should not be.
Payment Hub replaces that with one flow. A payment starts in P21, or in a portal that reads live P21 data, and the result posts back to P21 as a cash receipt applied to the correct invoice, in the correct branch, against the correct GL cash account. The AR clerk stops re-keying. The counter terminal becomes an extension of order entry. The customer pays from a link on the invoice you already send.
The reason this matters more for distributors than for most businesses is volume and structure. A mid-sized industrial distributor can post several hundred cash receipts a day across a dozen branches. Small errors in application compound into month-end reconciliation work that never quite finishes. Removing the manual step is where the time comes back.
What stays in P21
P21 remains the system of record for customers, orders, invoices, pricing and cash. Payment Hub does not keep a parallel ledger. It reads customer and open-item data from P21 through the REST API, takes the payment on a PCI-compliant surface, and writes the result back. If you ran a report in P21 before and after, the only difference would be that the cash receipt now exists and is applied.
That also means your existing P21 configuration does not change. Contract pricing, branch structure, sales rep assignment, tax setup and invoice formats all stay exactly as they are. Payment Hub adds a payment link to the invoice format you already use rather than replacing it.
Prophet 21's distribution verticals, all served by Payment Hub
Epicor positions P21 across a specific set of wholesale distribution markets, each with its own order cadence and customer mix. Payment Hub works across all of them, and the payment patterns that matter most shift with the vertical.
& MRO
& PVF
& Dental Supply
& Safety
& Fluid Power
& Gas
& Building
Multi-Line
Industrial and MRO distributors tend to carry the largest open AR and get the most from consolidated invoice payment and Level III interchange savings. HVACR and plumbing distributors live at the counter, so card-present terminals tied to will-call orders matter more. Medical and dental supply distributors need the portal and recurring-payment side, because their customers are practices that want to pay on a schedule without calling anyone.
The point is that P21 customers do not all need the same three features. Payment Hub installs the full set and you turn on what your branches use.
Payment Hub vs native P21 payment, honest side-by-side
Prophet 21 includes credit card processing through Epicor's own payment services and a short list of partnered processors. It handles a card on an order. Payment Hub is the gateway-agnostic option for distributors who need more than that, and it is worth being clear about where the two differ.
| Capability | Native P21 Payment | Payment Hub on P21 |
|---|---|---|
| Gateway / processor choice | ✗ Epicor Payment Exchange or a small set of partnered processors | ✓ 19+ gateways: Worldpay, Adyen, Cybersource, Fortis, PayTrace, Stripe, Braintree, Authorize.Net and more, on your merchant account |
| Customer self-service portal | ✗ Not included. Customers call, email or pay through a separate tool | ✓ Branded portal reading live P21 open items, with pay-many, pay-on-account and saved methods |
| Click-to-pay links on invoices | ✗ Requires a third-party add-on | ✓ Payment link on every P21 invoice format, tokenized, no card data in email |
| Level III line-item data | ✗ Not sent, so B2B card volume settles at higher interchange | ✓ Level III built from oe_line detail on every eligible card transaction |
| Multi-branch merchant routing | ✓ Per-location processing supported | ✓ Routing by branch, merchant ID and GL cash account with one configuration |
| Blanket order and release captures | ✗ Manual re-authorization per release | ✓ Automatic reauthorization and capture as releases ship |
| ACH / eCheck | ✓ Available through select partners | ✓ ACH, eCheck and card on the same portal and the same cash receipt posting |
| Surcharging | ✗ Not available in most configurations | ✓ Compliant surcharging where state law and card brand rules allow, with disclosure handled |
Native processing is the right answer for a single-branch distributor with modest card volume and no interest in a portal. It is included and it works. Distributors move to Payment Hub when they cross into multi-branch operations, want to stop re-keying cash receipts, or start looking at what Level III would save on their B2B card mix. Those three reasons account for most of the P21 conversations we have.
The Missing LinkBetween Paymentsand Your ERP
Clarity Payment Hub closes that gap, connecting your orders, invoices, and payment channels into one flow.
Speak to a Platform ArchitectHow Clarity Connect integrates Payment Hub with Prophet 21
The integration runs on the Prophet 21 REST API exposed by the P21 middleware layer, the same API Epicor uses for its own P21 web and mobile products. Eight capabilities make up the integration, none of which require Business Rules or DynaChange changes in your database.
Prophet 21 REST API integration
Payment Hub reads and writes through P21's documented REST endpoints for customers, orders (oe_hdr / oe_line), invoices (invoice_hdr) and cash receipts. Authentication uses P21 API tokens scoped to a service user, and every call is logged on both sides.
Real-time cash application
A payment taken in the portal, on a link or at the counter posts to P21 as a cash receipt applied to the invoice it settles, in the branch that owns it. Unapplied and on-account payments post with the customer and branch set so AR can apply them without guesswork.
Distribution-aware order-to-cash
Deposits on special-order and drop-ship lines, reauthorization as blanket-order releases ship, will-call capture at pickup, and final capture on the invoice. The pattern follows how the P21 order is actually fulfilled, not a generic checkout.
Level III auto-enrichment
Line-item detail from oe_line, including item ID, quantity, unit price, tax and ship-to, is attached to eligible card transactions so commercial and purchasing cards qualify for Level III interchange. Nobody types it in.
Multi-branch and multi-company routing
Each transaction is routed to the merchant account, bank and GL cash account for the P21 branch on the order or invoice. Distributors running more than one P21 company get the same routing across companies.
Tokenized method vault
Cards and bank accounts are tokenized at the gateway and stored against the P21 customer, so the portal, counter and AR team can reuse a method without card data ever touching P21 or your network.
Recurring and scheduled payments
Customers on a payment schedule, statement autopay, or a fixed monthly draw are handled by the scheduler, with dunning for failed attempts and every successful run posting to P21 as a normal cash receipt.
Compatible with Business Rules, DynaChange and P21 portals
The integration sits beside your existing P21 customizations and Epicor's own portal products. It does not replace P21 web order entry. It adds payment where P21 leaves it to you.
The integration workflow, special-order deposit to applied cash receipt
A concrete walk-through. A regional industrial distributor with nine branches takes a $42,300 order for a plant maintenance customer that mixes stock items for will-call pickup with two special-order pumps on a 30 percent deposit. Payment Hub handles the deposit, the counter payment and the final invoice, all through the P21 REST API.
Inside sales enters the order in P21
The rep creates order OE-88102 in P21 for Northline Manufacturing: $42,300 across six stock lines flagged will-call at the Toledo branch and two special-order pumps on a direct ship from the vendor. Customer terms call for a 30 percent deposit on special-order lines. The oe_hdr record posts with the branch and sales rep set.
P21 Order EntryBranch TOL-03Deposit captured through Payment Hub
The rep sends a click-to-pay link for the $5,760 deposit from inside P21. The customer's AP contact pays it on a purchasing card. Payment Hub tokenizes the card, attaches Level III detail from the two special-order lines, and authorizes and captures at the Toledo branch merchant account.
Click-to-PayLevel IIITokenizedP21 records the deposit against the order
Payment Hub writes a cash receipt to P21 through the REST API, applied as a deposit on OE-88102 and posted to the Toledo cash GL. The AR clerk sees the deposit on the order the moment it lands. No settlement report, no re-keying.
REST APICash ReceiptCustomer picks up the will-call lines
Four days later the customer's driver arrives at the Toledo counter. The counter rep pulls the order, confirms the six stock lines, and takes the $18,900 balance on those lines with the card-present terminal linked to P21. The terminal knows which order it is paying.
Counter SaleCard PresentWill-CallStock lines invoice and cash applies
P21 invoices the picked lines as invoice_hdr INV-311440. Payment Hub applies the counter payment to that invoice as a cash receipt in the Toledo branch. The invoice closes the same day it is created.
invoice_hdrAuto-AppliedSpecial-order pumps ship from the vendor
Three weeks later the vendor confirms the direct ship. P21 invoices the two pump lines for $17,640 net of the deposit. The invoice format already carries a payment link, so the customer gets a payment-ready invoice without anyone doing anything extra.
Direct ShipInvoice LinkCustomer pays the final invoice from the portal
The AP contact logs into the branded portal, sees the open invoice and the applied deposit, and pays the balance on the saved purchasing card. Level III detail is attached again. The portal shows the invoice as paid immediately.
Customer PortalSaved MethodAR is clean at month-end
Every payment on this order exists in P21 as a cash receipt, applied to the right invoice, in the right branch, on the right GL account. The AR aging is accurate without a reconciliation pass, and the processor statement matches P21 to the penny.
Month-EndReconciledThe detail worth noticing is that three different people took payments on this order (an inside rep, a counter rep and the customer themselves) through three different surfaces, and P21 never saw anything but ordinary cash receipts. That is the whole idea.
Payment Hub use cases on Prophet 21
All 11 Payment Hub use cases run on P21. The ones distributors deploy first are highlighted here, and each links to the full use-case page.
Deposits on special-order lines, reauthorization on blanket releases, will-call capture, final invoice capture.
At the branchCounter SalesCard-present terminals that know which P21 order they are paying, with the receipt posting to the branch.
Most deployedB2B Invoice PaymentsA payment link on every P21 invoice format, tokenized, with the cash receipt applied on payment.
Open ARConsolidated Invoice PaymentCustomers pay many invoices in one transaction, or pay on account and let P21 apply by age.
Unit economicsLevel III Interchange Optimizationoe_line detail on every eligible card, so purchasing and commercial cards settle at Level III rates.
Multi-branchMulti-Location PaymentsRouting by branch, merchant account and GL cash account across every P21 location and company.
Technical details, for P21 admins and Epicor partners
The engineering reality of the integration, for IT teams, P21 administrators, Business Rules and DynaChange developers, and Epicor partners evaluating Payment Hub for a P21 customer.
- API layer. Prophet 21 REST API on the P21 middleware layer (P21 API Server), the same API behind Epicor's P21 web and mobile products. Endpoints cover customer, contact, order (oe_hdr / oe_line), invoice (invoice_hdr), cash receipt and item entities. Requires P21 2019 or later with the middleware installed. Earlier versions are handled through a supported connector on a case basis.
- Authentication. P21 API token issued to a dedicated service user with permissions limited to the entities above. Tokens are rotated on your schedule. Payment Hub never holds a P21 database login.
- Data direction. Reads: customers, contacts, open orders, open invoices, branch and company configuration. Writes: cash receipts, deposit applications, payment-method tokens stored as customer attributes. Payment Hub never writes pricing, inventory or order lines.
- Card data. No cardholder data enters P21, your network or Payment Hub's application tier. Entry happens on a PCI DSS Level 1 hosted surface at the gateway, and P21 receives a token and a reference. Your PCI scope shrinks rather than grows.
- Branch and company routing. Configured once as a map from P21 branch and company to merchant account, bank account and GL cash account. Adding a branch is a configuration change, not a project.
- Customizations. No Business Rules, DynaChange rules, triggers or schema changes are installed in your P21 database. Existing customizations, Epicor P21 portals and third-party integrations continue to operate unchanged.
- Deployment. Works with P21 on-premise and Epicor-hosted P21 (P21 Cloud). The Payment Hub service runs in Clarity's environment and reaches the P21 API over TLS through your firewall or Epicor's cloud endpoints.
- Timeline. Standard go-live is 48 hours from API access: connect, map branches, install the invoice link on your invoice formats, test in your P21 test company, cut over. Portal branding and gateway migration add time only if you want them.
- Support. Clarity supports the integration end to end. Epicor partners keep their normal relationship with the customer and their normal P21 delivery model, and nothing about the integration changes that.
Epicor Prophet 21 + Payment Hub FAQ
The questions P21 administrators, AR managers, IT teams and Epicor partners ask before adding Payment Hub to a Prophet 21 deployment.
Does Clarity Payment Hub integrate with Epicor Prophet 21?
Yes. Payment Hub integrates with Prophet 21 through the P21 REST API on Epicor's middleware layer, using standard endpoints and token authentication. Invoice payments, order deposits, counter payments, refunds and on-account payments all post to P21 in real time as cash receipts.
Customers, orders, invoices and cash stay in P21 as the single source of truth. The integration works with P21 on-premise and with Epicor-hosted P21 Cloud.
How is this different from the payment processing built into P21?
Native P21 processing takes a card on an order through Epicor's payment services. It does not include a customer portal, click-to-pay invoice links, Level III enrichment or gateway choice. Payment Hub adds all four on top of whichever gateway and merchant account you prefer, and it applies every payment to the right invoice and branch automatically.
Which P21 versions and deployments does Payment Hub support?
P21 2019 and later with the middleware (API Server) installed, on-premise or in Epicor's cloud. If you are on an older release without the REST layer, we assess a supported connector path before quoting. Most customers we see are already on a version with the API.
Does Payment Hub handle multiple branches and multiple P21 companies?
Yes, and this is usually the first thing a P21 distributor asks. Each payment is routed to the merchant account, bank and GL cash account for the branch on the order or invoice. Distributors running more than one P21 company get the same routing per company from one configuration.
Will Level III interchange savings actually apply to our card volume?
If a meaningful share of your card volume is commercial, purchasing or fleet cards, which is typical for industrial and MRO distributors, then yes. Payment Hub attaches oe_line detail to each eligible transaction so it qualifies for Level III rates. The saving is generally in the range of 0.5 to 1.0 percent on that volume, and it applies automatically once enabled.
Do we have to install Business Rules or DynaChange changes?
No. The integration lives outside your P21 database and uses only the REST API. Your existing Business Rules, DynaChange rules and customizations stay as they are. That also keeps your P21 upgrade path unchanged.
Can we keep our current gateway and merchant account?
Almost always. Payment Hub connects to 19+ gateways including Worldpay, Adyen, Cybersource, Fortis, PayTrace, Stripe, Braintree and Authorize.Net. If your processor is on the list you keep your rates and your relationship. If you want to change processors later, the integration does not change.
What happens at the counter for will-call orders?
The counter terminal is linked to P21 order entry, so the rep pulls the order, confirms the lines being picked up and takes payment against that order. The cash receipt posts to the branch automatically. This is the part that removes the most manual work for HVACR and plumbing distributors.
Does the customer portal read live P21 data?
Yes. The portal reads open invoices, credits and applied deposits directly from P21 through the API, so the customer sees exactly what your AR team sees. Payments made in the portal post back the same way, and the portal reflects them immediately.
How does the integration handle blanket orders and releases?
Payment Hub authorizes once on the order and then captures per release as each one ships and invoices, reauthorizing when an authorization ages out. That mirrors how P21 invoices releases, so the customer sees charges that match their shipments rather than one large charge up front.
What is the implementation timeline for P21?
Forty-eight hours from API access is the standard go-live for the core integration: connection, branch mapping, invoice link on your formats, testing in your P21 test company and cutover. Portal branding, gateway migration and recurring-payment setup are added on top when you want them, and none of them delay the core.
Who supports the integration, Clarity or our Epicor partner?
Clarity supports the integration and the payment side. Your Epicor partner keeps supporting P21 exactly as they do today. We work directly with partners during rollout so nobody is guessing about where a question belongs.