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Getting Started with AutoPay


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Getting Started with AutoPay

Jazmine
Jazmine
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Getting Started with AutoPay

Jazmine
Jazmine
  • Updated

AutoPay is an easy way to bill your clients and collect credit card payments without having to manually do so after each appointment.

This automation can be enabled on a practice-wide level and customized at the client level, meaning you can enable AutoPay for specific clients based on their personal preference.

Once a client is enrolled in AutoPay, the default card stored in their file will be charged their full invoiced amount overnight between the hours of 12 AM and 2 AM in your local timezone.

Important: An online payments account is required to use AutoPay. For a walkthrough on setting this up, see Getting started with online payments.

In this guide, we'll cover:

Reviewing AutoPay charges

A client enrolled in AutoPay will be charged their full invoiced balance. To confirm the client's balance, review the Client balance in the Client billing summary. 

clientbalance.simplepractice.billing.png

If a client has a credit in their profile that can fully cover their balance, they won’t be charged via AutoPay. If the credit only covers a portion of their balance, then AutoPay will first allocate that credit, and then charge the remaining balance to the client’s card on file.

Additionally, reviewing your Evening Summary Email at the end of each day will provide a detailed breakdown of what exactly your clients will be charged, and will give you an opportunity to make changes before the system processes a payment.

Enabling AutoPay for your practice

Before you can use AutoPay, the feature must be enabled for your practice. To do this:

  • Navigate to Settings > Billing & Services > Settings
  • Scroll down to the AutoPay section
  • Move the toggle to AutoPay is Enabled

autopayenrolled.simplepractice.billing:services.png

  • Click Save

Important: Once you enable AutoPay in your account, all of your clients with cards on file will be pre-selected to be enrolled in AutoPay. You'll want to make sure to deselect the clients that may not want to be enrolled before clicking Save. You can also click Clear all to deselect all clients with cards on file, and then manually enable them one at a time. Because clients with an invoiced balance will be charged that full amount once enrolled in AutoPay, we highly recommend reviewing each client’s balance before enrolling them in AutoPay.

Enabling AutoPay for a client

To enable AutoPay for a client, they need to have a credit card saved to their file. For instructions on how to add a client's card to their profile, see How to add a card to a client's file.

You can enable AutoPay for a client in two places. To enable AutoPay from your Billing and Services page:

  • Navigate to Settings > Billing and Services > Settings
  • Scroll down to the Enroll in AutoPay section
  • Select the box next to the client in question

enrollinautopay.simplepractice.billing:services.png

  • Click Save

To enable AutoPay from a client’s file: 

  • Navigate to the client’s Overview page
  • Click Edit > Billing and Insurance
  • Scroll down to the Credit & Debit Cards section
  • If the client already has a credit card on file, select the AutoPay Enrolled checkbox

enrollinautopay.simplepractice.profile.png

  • Scroll down and click Save Client

Disabling AutoPay 

You can disable AutoPay in two places. To disable AutoPay entirely: 

  • Navigate to Settings > Billing and Services > Settings
  • Scroll down to the AutoPay section
  • Move the toggle to Off
  • Click Save

To disable AutoPay for a specific client:

  • Scroll down to the Enroll in AutoPay section
  • Deselect the box next to the client in question
    • You can click Clear all to disable AutoPay for all clients

clearall.simplepractice.autopay.png

  • Click Save

To disable AutoPay from a client’s file: 

  • Navigate to the client’s Overview page
  • Click Edit > Billing and Insurance
  • Scroll down to the Credit & Debit Cards section
  • Deselect the AutoPay Enrolled checkbox

enrollinautopay.simplepractice.profile.png

  • Scroll down and click Save Client

Once AutoPay is disabled for a client, they’ll accrue a balance as they are invoiced for charges. You can manually charge the client or can allow them to pay their balance through the Client Portal.  

Autopay failed transaction

AutoPay will attempt to charge your client's card 3 nights in a row. If it fails a third time, AutoPay will be disabled for the client. The Account Owner, practice biller, and the client’s primary clinician will be notified of this in their Notifications tabs.

Note: To learn more about notifications, see Using practice notifications.

FAQs

I added a credit card. Why wasn't my client enrolled in AutoPay?

Clients aren’t automatically enrolled in AutoPay when you add a card to their file. This means that you'll need to manually enable AutoPay for that client after adding the card. For instructions, see our section on Enabling AutoPay for a client.

Why does my client's balance look different in the Evening Summary Email?

The Evening Summary Email shows what the client will be billed overnight through AutoPay. The AutoPay total includes both the current balance and any uninvoiced amounts that were set to be auto-generated that evening.

For example, if you have daily invoice creation turned on and the client has a $400 balance and had an uninvoiced session for $100 today, the AutoPay total will be $500.

Why was my client charged again after I refunded them?

When a client is enrolled in AutoPay and a refund is issued, the corresponding invoice will be marked as Unpaid. This amount will then contribute to the client’s overall balance. Since the client is enrolled in AutoPay, they’ll be charged that balance after midnight.

Note: The only instance where a refund wouldn’t be re-charged by AutoPay is if there’s a client credit. If the client has a credit, it’ll be applied to their balance before charging their online card any remaining balance. 

To prevent a duplicate AutoPay charge for the refunded amount, you can do one of the following:

  • Disable AutoPay for the client
  • Perform an appointment level billing change
    • If you want to keep the client enrolled in AutoPay without charging them again for a certain date of service, you’ll want to adjust the appointment fees so that the client balance is $0. To learn more about this process, see Appointment level billing changes.

Can clients turn AutoPay on/off?

Clients can’t turn AutoPay on or off within the Client Portal. Only clinicians can enable or disable AutoPay for a client.

Note: Sometimes clients will say that they’ve enabled AutoPay in the Client Portal, which usually indicates that they entered and saved a credit card on file. However, they’re not able to adjust anything related to AutoPay themselves.

What should I do if my client's card was declined?

If a client's card is declined when an AutoPay transaction is attempted, you'll see a message in your Reminders page letting you know that the transaction failed.

If the client still has a balance due the following night, the card will be run again. For more information regarding credit card declines, see Handling credit card declines.

Important: If the transaction fails 3 nights in a row, AutoPay will be disabled for that client.

How do electronic Payment Reports (ERAs) affect AutoPay?

If an electronic Payment Report reflects a different copay amount than what's entered in your client's Client Owes section of their profile, a fee adjustment invoice will be created, and your client will have a balance of that difference. Electronic Payment Reports will automatically override a client's copay information in their profile.

When an insurance adjustment is generated from a Payment Report, AutoPay will automatically be paused for that client. You'll see a banner indicating AutoPay has been paused for this client, and you can re-enable it for them at any time. 

Important: If an insurance adjustment changes a client’s copay to $0, AutoPay will not be disabled.

How will disputed charges affect AutoPay?

If your client issues a dispute for a credit card charge and they have AutoPay enabled, AutoPay will automatically be paused for that client. You'll see a banner indicating AutoPay has been paused for this client, and you can re-enable it for your client at any time.

I accidentally changed the status of an appointment. Why was my insurance billing client charged the full fee?

If you accidentally change an appointment status to No Show or Late Canceled, the full appointment fee will become part of the client’s responsibility. If the client has AutoPay enabled, they will then be charged the full appointment fee. 

If you change the status back to Show, the full appointment fee will still remain part of the client’s balance instead of the insurance balance. To resolve this, you can perform an appointment level billing change to correct the client’s copay. To do this, see Appointment level billing changes.

I don’t have daily invoicing enabled. Will Autopay still charge my client at the end of the day? 

Until an appointment is invoiced, it’s not part of the client balance. Therefore, it won’t be charged by AutoPay. If you don't have automatic invoicing enabled, you’ll need to manually generate an invoice for your client to be charged automatically.

I have monthly invoicing enabled. Why didn’t AutoPay charge my client?

If you have monthly invoicing enabled, an invoice will be generated overnight on the day you’ve established in your Billing and Services page. However, AutoPay charges your client between 12 AM and 2 AM, and monthly invoices may not be created until 3 AM. This means that your client may be charged via Autopay the following day instead of the same night the invoice was created. 

Note: For more information on invoice automations, see Setting up your billing and automations.

Will inactive clients be charged via AutoPay?

AutoPay is automatically disabled for inactive clients. If a client who has a remaining balance and is enrolled in AutoPay is made inactive, their credit card on file will not be charged.

Before making a client inactive, you can wait until their account balance has cleared. Alternatively, you can manually add a client payment to unpaid invoices to clear their balance. 

Note: When a client’s status is changed to inactive, invoices are still created, but payments aren’t. If a client is switched back to active, AutoPay will charge them overnight if they have a remaining balance.

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