ClearNow Review (2026): ACH Auto-Debit Rent Collection, Pricing and Limits

ClearNow is a single-purpose rent collection service. It debits each tenant's bank account by ACH on a fixed day and deposits the rent to your bank account three banking days later. It costs $14.95 a month for the first tenant on a monthly debit, plus $2 a month for each extra tenant. Tenants pay nothing for successful payments. There are no setup fees or contracts, and it doesn't take credit or debit cards.

It has been around since 2000, is based in Durham, North Carolina, and still runs the same simple model. It's a reasonable fit if all you want is automatic rent by ACH. If you also want listings, screening built into an app, maintenance requests or card payments, a full landlord app costs about the same or less.

Best for: landlords with a handful of long-term tenants who want rent pulled automatically on the same day every month, with no fee to the tenant and nothing else to learn.

We haven't used ClearNow with our own rentals; this review is based on ClearNow's public pricing, feature and help pages checked Oct 2026.

ClearNow pricing

Sources: ClearNow and its FAQ. Fees are charged only when ClearNow attempts a debit, and your deposit is credited net of ClearNow's fees.

What that costs by tenant count

For monthly debits on one day, the formula is $14.95 + $2 for each tenant after the first:

That's our arithmetic from the published prices. A tenant paid twice a month costs $8 a month ($4 × 2), and a biweekly tenant costs $4 per debit, usually 26 debits a year.

How it works

The FAQ describes the cycle like this:

• Eight days before the debit day, tenants with email get a payment reminder.
• On the debit day, ClearNow debits each enrolled tenant's bank account.
• Three banking days later, your bank account is credited, net of ClearNow's fees.

Tenants enroll once and give permission for the recurring debit. After that, nothing needs scheduling. Tenants don't need a smartphone app, and ClearNow says they don't need a computer either.

What's included

• Income and expense tracking at no extra fee, with profit and loss reports and a "Schedule E Helper" report for tax time
• CSV export of payment data
• Rent reporting to Experian RentBureau and PRBC at no extra fee. Tenants opt in, and data is first furnished after four payment periods.
• Tenant screening through ClearNow's screening partner, free to you, with the applicant paying for the report. ClearNow's pages don't show the applicant price.
• E-signatures through its sister service eSignToday, at $0.50 per e-signature and no monthly fee
• Owner disbursements for property managers, at $2 per tenant
• Support by email and phone at (919) 680-4500

ClearNow can also collect seller-financing payments, condo fees and HOA dues on the same ACH model.

Limits to know before you sign up

• ACH only. There's no card payment option, so tenants without a bank account they're willing to link can't use it.
• No partial payments. The FAQ says ClearNow "does not collect partial rent payments."
• No retry on failed debits. If a debit fails, ClearNow won't re-attempt it. You collect that month's rent another way, such as a check or money order, and may need to update the tenant's payment record. ClearNow may charge the tenant a fee for the failed debit. The amount isn't listed.
• Fixed debit days. Monthly debits run only on the 1st, 5th, 15th or 25th.
• Three-day deposits, comparable to most landlord apps, but slower than the 2-day deposits some offer.
• Not a full property manager. There are no listings, maintenance requests or tenant messaging in the app.
• Dated news page. The most recent item on ClearNow's news list is from January 2023. That doesn't mean the service is inactive, but it suggests few new features.

ClearNow vs the alternatives

At 5 tenants, ClearNow costs $275.40 a year, and tenants pay nothing for ACH.

• RentRedi costs $144 a year on its annual plan for unlimited units. Tenants pay $1 per ACH payment unless you cover it, which would be $60 a year at 5 units. It also includes listings, screening, maintenance and card payments, and deposits typically take 2–3 business days. See RentRedi pricing.
• Baselane Core is free. ACH rent is free when it's deposited into a Baselane account, and Core includes bookkeeping and Schedule E reports. Deposits take 5 business days on Core. See Baselane pricing.
• Avail has a free plan. Our price index shows that tenant-paid ACH on Avail's free plan comes to about $150 a year at 5 units, and you pay nothing.

Baselane is a financial technology company and is not an FDIC-insured bank.

So ClearNow costs more than these options at most sizes. What you get for the money is no tenant fees, a long track record and a very simple process. If you'd rather your tenants never see a processing fee and you don't need anything else, that's a fair trade.

Visit ClearNow

How we checked

On October 28, 2026, we read ClearNow's home page, landlord FAQ, tenant and property-manager pages, income-and-expense page, about page and its eSignToday pricing. The cost tables are our arithmetic from ClearNow's published prices. Comparison prices come from RentRedi's and Baselane's own pricing pages, checked the same day. We haven't used ClearNow with our own rentals and haven't rated it. ClearNow runs an affiliate program, which played no part in this review.

FAQ

How much does ClearNow cost?

$14.95 a month for one tenant on a monthly debit, plus $2 a month for each additional tenant. Twice-monthly and biweekly debits are $4 each. There are no setup fees or contracts.

Do tenants pay a fee with ClearNow?

Not for successful payments. ClearNow may charge the tenant a fee for a failed debit.

Can tenants pay rent by credit card on ClearNow?

No. ClearNow only debits bank accounts by ACH.

How long does ClearNow take to deposit rent?

Your bank account is credited three banking days after the debit day.

Does ClearNow report rent to credit bureaus?

Yes. Tenants can opt in to reporting to Experian RentBureau and PRBC at no extra fee. Data is first furnished after four payment periods.

Related

• Rent collection software
• What rent collection really costs per unit
• RentRedi vs Baselane
• Free landlord software price index 2026