Updated Jan 31, 2023
You have the option to require your clients to enroll in automatic payments for recurring invoices. Once enrolled in autopay, your client is automatically charged on the date of each invoice!
For information on payment plans, please see autopay on payment plans.
In this article:
Edit autopay settings
Change your autopay setting in Settings >> Receive Money. For detailed information, see autopay enrollment settings.
⛔ Heads up! Changing autopay enrollment settings won’t interrupt or change active enrollments. Changes only affect future enrollments.
Autopay eligibility
The following are required for autopay to work on recurring invoices:
Stripe or Square set up to Accept Credit Card Payments
⛔ Heads up! Clients can bypass a required autopay by paying with a bank account or PayPal. To prevent clients from bypassing autopay, only allow Accept Credit Card Payments.
What stops autopay on a recurring invoice
If autopay is stopped, both you and your client will get an email. The email is auto-generated by Dubsado and can’t be edited.
The following actions will turn off autopay. Your client must manually re-enroll to go back on autopay:
You disconnect your payment processor (Stripe or Square) from Dubsado.
You end a recurring invoice by clicking End Recurrence. You can’t edit a recurring invoice after it has started.
Your client’s credit card fails for two consecutive overdue invoices. See failed payments.
Your client manually stops autopay.
Manage client payments
Jump to:
Recurring invoice changes
If autopay is set to Required, the following changes occur on the client’s recurring invoice:
The client can’t type in a custom amount to pay
The Pay Now button next to an installment is removed
Tipping is disabled
Clients must accept the autopay enrollment terms before they can pay
If you set autopay to Optional, the autopay enrollment terms will appear, but the client is not required to accept the terms to pay
Change payment method
Your client can go to an invoice at any time and click Change payment method to update the credit card on file. Payment changes won’t disrupt or cancel autopay.
Failed payments
Please see what happens with failed payments while on autopay.
Autopay emails and notifications
To customize your emails, go to Templates >> Canned Emails >> Edit Templates.
Send Invoice: Emails client of each new recurring invoice.
Autopay Failed: Emails client if an automatic payment fails.
Autopay Enrollment Confirmed: Emails client after enrolling in autopay.
Both you and your client will get an email if autopay is stopped on a recurring invoice. The email is auto-generated by Dubsado and can’t be edited.
Notification settings
Change your system notifications under Settings >> Notifications.
Client autopay status
Client autopay status appears inside the client’s project under Invoices >> Recurring Invoices.
Override brand settings
You have the option to override the autopay preference you chose in Settings. Override is useful if you want specific invoices to differ from the overall brand setting.
To override a recurring invoice within a project:
go to Projects.
choose your specific client.
click on Invoices.
click on the Recurring Invoices tab.
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 Brand Settings.
Go to the section containing the overridden autopay.
Click Edit.
Check Reset to brand setting.
Click Update autopay.
FAQ
Why isn’t there an option for autopay on a payment plan within the recurring invoice?
Payment plans added to a recurring invoice are mainly used to create reminder emails and due dates to the client-facing invoice — not for setting up payment installments.
If you want a payment plan for the purpose of having payment installments, please go to autopay on payment plans instead.
What if I have additional questions?
Please see our autopay enrollment settings FAQ page or send us a chat message!