Allow community donations to credit a client's WHMCS balance (game server use case)

[Vulca]

Hi everyone,

I run a hosting service that provides game servers (like ARK, Minecraft, etc.), and I'm looking to implement a system where a user can receive public donations from their community, which would be automatically credited to their WHMCS account balance.

Here’s the idea:

• A client purchases a server from our platform.

• They receive a unique donation URL or form that they can share with their community (e.g., players of their ARK server).

• When someone uses this link, they can make a payment/donation (ideally without needing to register), and the funds are automatically added to the original client’s credit balance in WHMCS, which they can then use to pay their invoices.

I'm aware of the AddCredit API function and that it's possible to implement this with custom development. But before diving in, I wanted to ask:

• Has anyone already built or implemented something like this?

• Does a module already exist that achieves this?

• Is there a best-practice or advice from someone who’s done something similar?

The goal is to allow communities to easily fund the hosting of game servers without forcing every donor to register on WHMCS.

Thanks a lot for any insight or pointers!

[Kian]

Your idea is technically doable in WHMCS, but there are some important fiscal and accounting issues to be aware of. The main challenge is that the money would come from someone who is not your client, while the credit is assigned to a third party (your actual client). This creates a mismatch between the payment and the service, meaning you would legally need to issue a receipt or invoice to the donor even though the benefit goes to someone else.

On top of that, VAT and taxes can get tricky. If the donation is treated as payment for a service, VAT normally applies, but calling it a "pure donation" isn't straightforward, since the money is effectively being used to pay for another person's services. And when your client eventually uses the credit to pay for their server, that counts as a separate transaction requiring its own invoice, which could create accounting confusion or even potential tax issues (double taxation) if not handled carefully.

So, while WHMCS can handle the technical side, the real challenge is making sure this setup is compliant from a fiscal perspective.

That being said, personally I would avoid playing with real money. Instead I'd create an alternative currency (credits, tokens or coins) that donors purchase and for which you issue an invoice.

The beneficiary who receives the donation can then use those tokens at payment time to reduce the total of an invoice, for example by redeeming a discount coupon that adds a negative line on the invoice. That way you avoid the mismatch of receiving money from one party and assigning credit to another, and you eliminate the risk of double invoicing or double VAT payments.

Edited 6 hours ago by Kian