Updated April 9, 2024
Clients can enroll in automatic payments for payment plan installments. Once enrolled in autopay, your client is automatically charged on each installment due date!
For information on recurring invoices, please see autopay on recurring invoices.
Edit autopay settings
Change your autopay setting in Settings >> Payments and invoices. For detailed information, see autopay enrollment settings.
⛔ Heads up! Editing autopay settings only affect future enrollments. Edits won’t interrupt or change clients who are currently opted into autopay.
Autopay eligibility
The following are required for autopay to work on payment plans:
Dubsado Payments, Legacy Stripe, or Square set up to Accept Credit Card Payments
Dubsado Payments can also be set up to Accept ACH Payments in addition to or instead of credit card payments
Payment plans must have two or more installments
Payment plan installments must have a due date specified. Autopay won’t work on TBD dates or Relative dates without a date mapped
No more than one overdue installment
⛔ Heads up!
With Dubsado Payments or Square connected, clients can bypass a required autopay by paying with PayPal. To prevent clients from bypassing autopay, do not connect PayPal.
With Legacy Stripe connected, clients can bypass a required autopay by paying via ACH (bank account) or PayPal. To prevent clients from bypassing autopay, only allow Accept Credit Card Payments and don't connect PayPal.
What stops autopay on a payment plan
If autopay is stopped, both you and your client will get an email.
The following actions will turn off autopay. Your client must manually re-enroll to go back on autopay:
Disconnecting or switching payment processors (Dubsado Payments, Legacy Stripe or Square).
Clicking Edit on a payment plan after autopay has already started.
Clicking Stop autopay on individual payment plans within a project.
Editing the invoice itself within a project, including editing discounts or applying a manual payment.
Your client’s credit card payment or bank payment fails. See failed payments.
Editing or deleting an already applied payment in Projects >> Invoices or in Reports >> Transactions.
Changing or removing the project date (only applies if installments depend on a project date).
Removing a signed contract (only applies if installments depend on a contract).
Your client manually stops autopay.
Manage client payments
Jump to:
Payment plan invoice changes
If autopay is set to Required, the following changes occur on the client’s invoice:
The client can’t type in a custom amount to pay
Tipping is disabled
Clients must accept the autopay enrollment terms before they can pay
If autopay is Optional, the autopay enrollment terms will appear, but the client is not required to accept the terms to pay
⛔ Heads up! You can’t enroll in autopay for your clients. They must accept the autopay terms first to complete the payment.
Change payment method
Your client can go to an invoice at any time and click Change payment method to update the credit card or bank account on file. Payment changes won’t disrupt or cancel autopay.
Failed payments
Please see what happens with failed payments while on autopay.
Custom payments while on autopay
If autopay is required, custom payments aren’t possible.
If autopay is optional or disabled, custom payments are allowed! Your client can type an amount next to the Pay Now button at the bottom of the invoice.
Autopay emails and notifications
To customize your emails to your clients, go to Templates >> Canned Emails >> Edit Templates:
Payment Plan Reminder: Default payment plan reminder email.
Autopay Cancelled: Emails client if autopay is canceled by you or your client.
Autopay Failed: Emails client if an automatic payment fails.
Autopay Enrollment Confirmed: Emails client after enrolling in autopay.
Notification settings
Change your system notifications under Settings >> Notifications.
Client autopay status
Client enrollment confirmation will appear in the payment plan section under Projects >> Invoices.
Override brand settings
You have the option to override the autopay preference you set on the main settings page. Override is useful if you want specific payment plans to have different autopay settings.
Override is possible in multiple places in Dubsado.
Payment plan template
Go to Templates >> Payment Plans and click Override.
Invoices within a project
Go to Projects >> Invoices, then click Edit for the override option to appear.
Proposal forms
Go to Templates >> Forms >> Proposals >> Form settings. Under the Payment plan dropdown, click Create Payment Plan. After you add two or more installments, click Override.
Within a workflow
Go to Templates >> Workflows and choose a workflow. Under the Payment Plan (Optional) dropdown, click Create Payment Plan. After you add two or more installments, click Override.
Reset back to brand settings
If you no longer need an overridden invoice or payment plan, you can revert it back to what you have set in the main settings page.
Go to the specific section containing the overridden autopay.
Click Edit.
Check Reset to brand setting.
Click Update autopay.
FAQ
Can a client pay gratuity while on autopay?
Can a client pay gratuity while on autopay?
To add gratuity, you must have autopay set to Optional or Disabled. Clients can’t add gratuity when autopay is Required.
What if I have additional questions?
What if I have additional questions?
Please see our autopay enrollment settings FAQ page or send us a chat message!