Start from the problem, not the feature list
Let a client pay a large invoice in installments
The job came in at $6,000. The client is happy with the work and wants to pay, but asks whether they can split it up. You would rather say yes than wait months for one check that may never come.
The situation
You are a contractor. You finished a bathroom remodel and sent a $6,000 invoice. The homeowner calls: they can pay $1,500 now and the rest over a few months, if that works for you.
Saying yes is easy. Keeping track of it for half a year is the hard part: who paid what, what is due next, and what to say when a payment does not arrive.
What goes wrong today
Most payment plans are a text message and a note on the fridge. The amounts are rounded by hand and never quite add up to the invoice. There is no record of what the client agreed to, so a dispute three months in is your word against theirs.
Reminders go out for the whole $6,000 even though only one payment is late, which feels like an accusation to a client who is mostly on time. And your receivables report shows the full balance as overdue the day the first payment slips.
How it works in Invoice My Clients
On the Professional plan and above, open the invoice and set up a payment plan: a $1,500 down payment on the start date, then 6 monthly payments of $750. You see every payment, to the cent, before you save, and the payments always add up to the invoice exactly. Choose whether automatic card payments are off, offered to the client, or required. Offer the plan, then send or resend the invoice link yourself: nothing is emailed for you.
The homeowner opens the link on their phone. They see the schedule and the exact terms, type their name, tick the box and accept. The record keeps the time, a fingerprint of the wording, their IP address and browser. Because you offered automatic payments, they authorize their card on the same page. No interest or fees are added, and the plan says Invoice My Clients is not a lender.
Each payment, the down payment included, is charged to the card on its due date, and each gets a normal receipt. The invoice page always shows what is paid, the amount due now, the next payment and the payoff amount, and the client can pay more or pay off early at any time.
In month three the card is declined. The charge is retried, up to twice within 7 days. If automated reminders are on, the reminder asks for that $750 payment only, not the whole balance. Ten days after the due date the payment counts as missed and you are told. Your aging report shows $750 late and the rest of the plan in Current. If the plan looks at risk, a "Payment plan at risk" case opens in Escalations with a reminder drafted by AI, which you edit and send or dismiss; it is never sent on its own.
When it does not fit
| Situation | What happens | What you do |
|---|---|---|
| You are on the Free or Starter plan | Installment plans are on Professional and above | On Starter, accept partial payments on the invoice and track the dates yourself, or upgrade to Professional |
| The client wants automatic payments from a bank account | Automatic charges are card only | They pay each payment on the invoice page instead |
| The client owes on several invoices | A plan covers one invoice | Put each invoice on its own plan |
| You want to charge interest for paying over time | A plan adds no interest or fees, and there is no setting for it | Offer the plan interest-free, or do not offer it |
| The job is still an estimate | A plan cannot sit on an estimate | Convert it to an invoice first; a deposit paid on the estimate counts as the down payment |
| The client stops paying altogether | After the missed payments you set (2 by default), the plan ends and the remainder is due at once; it is not charged to the card automatically | Reinstate the plan on a new schedule, or follow up as you would on any overdue invoice |
Where this lives in the product
Free tools
Questions people ask
Does my client need an account?+
No. They accept the plan, authorize a card if they want automatic payments, and pay, all on the invoice link you send.
Can the client switch automatic payments off?+
Yes, on their invoice page at any time, and you are told when they do. You can switch them off too, but only the client can switch them on.
Can I set the plan up by asking the AI assistant?+
Not yet. Creating a plan through the assistant by text or voice is built but not available yet. Today you set it up on the invoice; the "Suggest terms" button proposes terms from the client’s payment history by fixed rules, and you change anything before you save.