Payment plans in Dubsado can be configured in lots of ways, but most setups fall into a few common shapes: pay in full, initial deposit plus balance, equal installments, or milestone-based. The examples below walk through each one so you can pick the closest match and adjust to fit your work — for general payment plan setup, see the main payment plans article.
Pay in full
When 100% of the invoice is due upfront, your payment plan only needs a single installment.
Best used for:
Workshops
Mini-sessions
Recurring invoices
You can't require autopay on a payment plan with only one installment. See the autopay on payment plans article for full eligibility rules.
Setup
Configure one installment with a same-day due date.
Navigate to Invoicing ➔ Payment Plans in the main left sidebar.
Click the + icon at the top of the payment plan list to create a new template.
Give your template a name.
Under Due date, select Relative.
Set the trigger to 0 days after payment plan applied to invoice.
Under Amount due, select Divide equally.
Add payment reminders if you'd like.
If you prefer a percentage-based plan, you can select Percentage and enter 100% instead — the result is the same.
Initial deposit
When you want a fixed deposit on signing and the rest of the balance split equally across later installments, set up a Fixed amount on the first installment and Divide equally on the rest.
Best used for:
Large-scale events
Securing space for limited spots
High-priced packages
Setup
In this example, a $500 deposit is due when the contract is signed, and the remaining balance is split equally across one or more installments before the project starts.
First installment
Navigate to Invoicing ➔ Payment Plans in the main left sidebar.
Click the + icon at the top of the payment plan list to create a new template.
Give your template a name.
Under Due date, select Relative.
Set the trigger to 0 days after contract signed.
Under Amount due, select Fixed and enter $500.
Remaining installments
Click Add installment.
Under Due date, select Relative.
Choose a trigger for the remaining balance, such as 3 days before project start.
Under Amount due, select Divide equally.
Add payment reminders if you'd like.
Repeat to add additional installments as needed.
Equal payments
When you want the invoice total split into equal installments at fixed intervals after signing, use Divide equally on every installment and stagger the triggers.
Best used for:
High-priced packages with a set invoice total
Coaching or educational programs
Setup
In this example, the invoice is split into three equal installments — one due on signing, one due a month later, and one due two months later.
Navigate to Invoicing ➔ Payment Plans in the main left sidebar.
Click the + icon at the top of the payment plan list to create a new template.
Give your template a name.
On the first installment, under Due date, select Relative and set the trigger to 0 days after contract signed.
Under Amount due, select Divide equally.
Click Add installment and set the next installment to 1 month after contract signed, Divide equally.
Click Add installment again and set the third installment to 2 months after contract signed, Divide equally.
Add payment reminders if you'd like.
There isn't an "after the last payment" trigger, so equal-payment timing is calculated relative to the contract date in this example.
Milestone or deliverable
When you don't yet know specific due dates and want to set them as milestones are reached, use TBD due dates and fill them in per invoice as work progresses.
Best used for:
Invoices where you don't have exact dates planned yet
Web designers delivering proof mockups
You can't require autopay on installments with TBD dates. See the autopay on payment plans article for full eligibility rules.
Setup
In this example, 20% of the invoice is due after the first deliverable, and the remaining balance is split equally across two later milestones.
First installment
Navigate to Invoicing ➔ Payment Plans in the main left sidebar.
Click the + icon at the top of the payment plan list to create a new template.
Give your template a name.
Under Due date, select TBD.
Under Amount due, select Percentage and enter 20%.
Add payment reminders if you'd like.
Additional installments
Click Add installment.
Under Due date, select TBD.
Under Amount due, select Divide equally.
Add payment reminders if you'd like.
Repeat for each additional milestone installment.
Editing TBD dates on an invoice
Once you know an installment's actual date, switch it from TBD to Fixed on the specific invoice. Templates and the payment plans on individual invoices are independent, so this change only affects the invoice you edit.
Navigate to Invoicing in the main left sidebar (or open the project and click the Invoicing tab).
Open the invoice that has the payment plan applied.
In the payment plan section, open the TBD installment.
Change the Due date type from TBD to Fixed.
Select the calendar date.
If a payment reminder is set to 0 days before due date and you set the due date to today, the reminder will send immediately.
FAQ
Should I use Divide equally or Percentage?
Use Divide equally whenever possible. It automatically recalculates if the invoice total changes after a client has already paid an installment, so you don't have to manually adjust amounts. Percentage is a good fit when the proportions matter, like a 25/75 split between deposit and balance.
Can I combine Divide equally, Percentage, and Fixed amounts in the same plan?
Yes. You can mix all three amount types in the same payment plan, and the order of the installments doesn't affect the math. Installment amounts are calculated in this order: Fixed first, then Percentage, then Divide equally fills the remainder. For example, if one installment is a $500 Fixed amount and another is 100% Percentage, the $500 is subtracted from the invoice total first and the 100% installment covers everything that's left.
Should I use an equal-installment payment plan or a recurring invoice?
Use an equal-installment payment plan when you have a set invoice total and a set end. Use a recurring invoice when you charge the same amount on a repeating schedule with no defined end date. If your payment plan would have six or more installments, a recurring invoice is usually easier to manage.