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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. This means you can enable AutoPay for specific clients based on their personal preference.

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

Tip: 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.

In this guide, we'll answer:

Enabling AutoPay for your practice

If you've already set up Online Payments for your account, you can enable AutoPay. To do this:

  • Navigate to Settings > Billing and Services
  • Scroll down to the AutoPay section
  • Move the toggle to On

enableautopay.simplepractice.billing.png

  • Click Save

Important: Once you enable AutoPay in your account, all of your clients with credit 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.

To disable Autopay for your practice:

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

Enabling AutoPay for a client

To enable AutoPay for a client, they first need to have a credit card saved. 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:

  • Your Billing and Services page
    • If AutoPay is enabled, you'll see a list of clients in your AutoPay settings
    • If the checkbox is deselected, the client isn't enrolled. To enable:
      • Select the box next to the client in question
      • Click Save
  • Your client's Billing and Insurance settings
    • Navigate to the client's Overview page
    • Click Edit
    • Choose the Billing and Insurance tab
    • Scroll down to the Credit & Debit Cards section
    • If the client already has a credit card on file, select the AutoPay Enrolled checkbox

autopayenrolled.simplepractice.billing.png

    • Click Save Client

Disabling AutoPay for a client

You can disable AutoPay for a client in two places:

  • Your Billing and Services page
    • If AutoPay is enabled, you'll see a list of clients in your AutoPay settings
    • If the checkbox is selected, the client is enrolled
    • To disable:
      • Deselect the box next to the client in question
      • Click Save 
  • Your client's Billing and Insurance settings
    • Navigate to the client's Overview page
    • Click Edit
    • Choose the Billing and Insurance tab
    • Scroll down to the Credit & Debit Cards section
    • If the client is enrolled, you'll see a checkmark in the AutoPay Enrolled checkbox
    • Deselect the checkbox, then scroll down and click Save Client

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, and the primary clinician for that client will receive a notification in their Reminders tab that it’s been disabled.

FAQs

What does AutoPay charge my client?

If your client is enrolled in AutoPay, your client will be charged the full invoiced balance remaining in their profile. To verify what the client's balance is, check the Client balance in the Client billing summary. 

clientbalance.simplepractice.billing.png

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

Clients aren’t automatically enrolled in AutoPay when you add a credit card on 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 your client has a $400 balance and had an uninvoiced session for $100 today, the AutoPay total will be $500.

I accidentally enabled AutoPay for a client and they were charged. How do I fix this?

You'll want to follow these two steps to unenroll and refund your client:

Why was my client charged again after I refunded them?

When a client is enrolled in AutoPay and a refund is issued for a Show, No-Show, or Late CanceledCancelled appointment, the corresponding invoice will be marked as Unpaid. This amount will then contribute to the client’s overall balance. Since this is an AutoPay client, they’ll be charged that client balance after midnight.

Note: The only instance where a refund wouldn’t be re-charged by AutoPay is if there’s a standing client credit. 

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

  • Disable AutoPay
  • 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.

AutoPay is enabled, why wasn't my client charged?

Balances in SimplePractice are generated by invoices, and AutoPay will charge your clients their full invoiced balance each night. This means that AutoPay will charge the full amount that's been invoiced each night between 12:00 AM and 2:00 AM.

This means:

  • If you have invoices set to be generated Daily,  AutoPay will run your client's card nightly for the invoice that’s set to be created overnight
  • If your invoices are set to be generated Monthly, your client will be charged once per month on the night after the invoice for that month's appointments has been generated
  • If you'd like your client to be charged on a given night, you can create an invoice manually for that appointment so that this contributes to your client's overall balance 
    • For more instructions on how to generate an invoice manually, see: Creating invoices

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.

autopaydeclinereminders.simplepractice.reminderspng.png

Note: For more information regarding credit card declines, see: Handling credit card declines.

If the client still has a balance due the following night, the card will be run again.

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 Cancelled, 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.

My Online Payments account isn’t verified. Will Autopay still charge my clients?

Yes, you can enable AutoPay and begin charging your clients as soon as you’ve set up your Online Payments account. However, you won't be able to receive payouts until your account has been verified. For more information on our verification process, see: Verifying your account and next steps.

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.

Why was my inactive client charged via AutoPay?

AutoPay won’t be automatically disabled for inactive clients. If your inactive client has a remaining balance and is still enrolled in AutoPay, their credit card on file will be charged. If you don’t want to charge the client, you can disable AutoPay. To do this, see: Disabling AutoPay for a client.

Will my client be charged via AutoPay if they have a credit?

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.

Tip: If you typically collect payment before invoicing an appointment, we recommend enabling AutoPay so that you don't have to allocate the payment(s) later.

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