Autopay enrollment settings let you decide how clients pay their invoices, whether they must enroll in automatic payments, can choose to enroll, or can't enroll at all. Setting a default for your workspace saves you from configuring autopay one invoice at a time.
Set your default autopay setting
The default autopay setting applies to all eligible future invoices and recurring invoices in your workspace. You can override the default per payment plan or per recurring invoice when an individual client needs different terms.
Navigate to Invoicing ➔ Payment settings, or go to Settings ➔ Payments.
Find the Default autopay setting card.
Click Edit autopay.
In the Edit brand autopay setting modal, choose one of the three options:
Disabled — Autopay will be turned off. Clients currently enrolled in autopay will not be affected.
Optional (default) — Clients will be able to enroll in autopay.
Required — Clients must pay via autopay. For current invoices, clients will be required to enroll in autopay the next time they make a payment.
Click Update setting.
Changing the default does not change clients who are already enrolled. To change a current enrollment, the client must stop autopay and re-enroll, or you can apply a new payment plan to the invoice.
You can also override the workspace default on a per-invoice basis. See autopay on payment plans or autopay on recurring invoices for details on how those overrides work.
Autopay eligibility
A few rules need to be in place for autopay to be available. Some depend on the payment processor and method, and others depend on whether the invoice uses a payment plan or a recurring invoice.
Payment processor and method
Autopay availability depends on the payment processor you've connected and the payment method the client uses.
Dubsado Payments: supports credit card autopay and ACH autopay
Square: supports credit card autopay, does not support ACH autopay
PayPal: does not support credit card autopay or ACH autopay
ACH payments are more likely to fail than credit card payments because the client's bank account must have the funds available when the payment runs. If you accept ACH autopay, pair it with payment reminder emails so clients have time to fund their account before the charge runs. A failed ACH payment may result in a fee.
Invoice structure
Autopay also depends on how the invoice itself is structured. The two main cases are payment plans and recurring invoices.
Payment plans — The plan must have at least two installments, and each installment must have a resolved due date. Autopay can't run on installments with TBD due dates or relative dates that don't yet map to a real date. See the Payment plans article for details on due date types.
Recurring invoices — The recurrence must run long enough to generate at least two invoices. Either leave the end date open, or set an end date far enough in the future that two or more invoices will be created.
Requiring autopay
Requiring autopay means clients must enroll the first time they pay an eligible invoice. Because some payment methods can't be used with autopay, your processor and payment method setup needs to match the requirement so clients can't bypass it.
Don't connect PayPal alongside another processor if you require autopay. PayPal payments can't be enrolled in autopay, so a connected PayPal account would let clients pay outside of the requirement.
If you only want credit card autopay (for example, to avoid ACH failures), turn off ACH on Dubsado Payments. With Square, ACH isn't available, so no extra setup is needed.
Clients have legal protections that allow them to stop automatic payments at any time, even when autopay is required. You'll be notified if a client stops autopay.
What stops autopay
Once a client is enrolled, only a small set of actions cancel that enrollment.
You disconnect or switch the payment processor in Settings ➔ Payments.
A scheduled automatic payment fails.
The client uses Stop autopay on the invoice. You receive a notification when this happens.
You apply a new payment plan template to an invoice that already has autopay running.
Editing a payment plan, editing the invoice, changing project dates, or removing a signed contract don't cancel autopay. Make those changes freely and notify your client when changes affect amounts or dates.
For the full per-invoice detail, see the autopay article for payment plans and the autopay article for recurring invoices.
Re-enrolling in autopay
If autopay stops, clients can re-enroll the next time they make a payment.
Re-enrollment happens when the client makes a manual payment on an open installment or recurring invoice. They can't re-enroll without first making a payment, and the same eligibility rules above still apply: the payment plan must have at least two installments left, or the recurring invoice must have at least two pending invoices remaining.
Payment reminder emails and autopay
Payment reminder emails keep sending even when a client is on autopay. This is intentional, especially for ACH autopay where a reminder gives the client time to fund their account before the charge runs.
If you don't want a reminder to send, remove it from the payment plan or flow before the client enrolls in autopay. For more on managing reminders, see the automated payment reminders article.
Failed payments
The system handles failed payments differently depending on whether the invoice uses a payment plan or a recurring invoice. The shared behavior across both is:
You and the client receive an email when a scheduled payment fails.
The client's email contains a link back to the invoice so they can pay manually.
Failed payments aren't retried automatically.
You can edit the Autopay Failed template at Messages ➔ Default templates.
For payment plans, autopay turns off after a failed payment, and the client can re-enroll if at least two unpaid installments remain. For recurring invoices, autopay stays on for future invoices in the recurrence even after a failure.
The Automatic payment failed notification under Settings ➔ Notifications ➔ Invoices controls whether you receive an in-app notification in addition to the email.
FAQ
Can I enroll my client in autopay on their behalf?
No. Your client must accept the autopay terms themselves before any automatic payments can be scheduled.
Can a client stop a required autopay that's already started?
Yes. Clients have legal protections that allow them to stop automatic payments at any time, even when autopay is required. To stop autopay, the client opens the invoice and clicks Stop autopay. You're notified when this happens.
Does changing the autopay setting affect clients who are already enrolled?
No. Changes to the default autopay setting only affect new enrollments. To change a current enrollment, the client must stop autopay and re-enroll, or you can apply a new payment plan to the invoice.
Can clients make manual payments while they're enrolled in autopay?
Yes. Open installments adjust automatically so the client isn't overcharged.
Where is my client's credit card information stored?
The connected payment processor (Dubsado Payments, Square, or PayPal) stores the payment information securely. Dubsado never has direct access to it.