Payment Plans

Help clients manage larger bills with structured payment plans. Praxi automates payment collection and tracking.

Overview

Payment plans allow clients to pay invoices over time:

Feature	Description
Flexible scheduling	Weekly, fortnightly, monthly
Automatic collection	Scheduled card charges
Progress tracking	Visual payment progress
Reminders	Automated before each payment
Failed payment handling	Retry logic and notifications
ACID compliance	Financial transactions use pg-boss for exactly-once processing

Transaction Safety

Payment plan charges are processed through Praxi's pg-boss queue, which provides PostgreSQL-backed transaction guarantees. Each scheduled payment is processed exactly once — no duplicate charges, no missed payments — even in the event of system interruptions. :::

Creating Payment Plans

From Billing Dashboard

1. Go to Billing → Payment Plans
2. Click Create Plan
3. Select client
4. Select invoices to include
5. Configure schedule
6. Create plan

Plan Configuration

Setting	Options	Notes
Frequency	Weekly, Fortnightly, Monthly	Most common is fortnightly
Number of payments	2–104	Up to two years
Start date	Any future date	Allow time for card setup
Minimum payment	Practice setting	e.g., $25 minimum

Payment Collection

Automatic Payments

With Stripe integration:

1. Client's card saved securely
2. Payments charged automatically on schedule
3. Receipt sent after each payment
4. Invoice updated with payment

Manual Payments

For cash or bank transfer:

1. Open payment plan
2. Click Record Payment
3. Enter amount and method
4. Payment applied to plan

Managing Plans

Viewing Plans

Billing → Payment Plans

Filter by:

• Status (active, paused, completed, cancelled, defaulted)
• Client
• Start date
• Amount range

Plan Statuses

Status	Meaning
Active	Payments being collected
Paused	Temporarily stopped (client request or failed payment)
Completed	All payments made
Cancelled	Plan terminated early
Defaulted	Repeated payment failures; manual intervention needed

Processing Instalments Manually

You can manually trigger the next instalment on a payment plan:

1. Open the plan
2. Click Process Instalment
3. The next scheduled payment is charged immediately
4. The plan schedule updates accordingly

This is useful when a client wants to make a payment early or when catching up after a resumed plan.

Pausing Plans

Temporarily stop payments:

1. Open the plan
2. Click Pause Plan
3. Set resume date (optional)
4. Confirm

Paused plans:

• Stop automatic payments
• Resume manually or on set date
• Maintain payment history

Cancelling Plans

To end a plan early:

1. Open the plan
2. Click Cancel Plan
3. Choose handling:
   • Convert remaining to single invoice
   • Write off remaining
   • Mark as settled
4. Enter reason
5. Confirm

Failed Payments

Automatic Retry

When a payment fails, Praxi uses an intelligent retry schedule:

Attempt	Timing	Action
1st failure	Immediate	Notification sent to client
2nd attempt	~1 hour later	Retry with same card
3rd attempt	~1 hour later	Retry with same card
4th attempt	~1 hour later	Final retry
After 4 failures	Immediate	Plan defaulted, manual intervention required

Common Failure Reasons

Reason	Description	Resolution
Insufficient funds	Card declined	Client adds funds or changes card
Card expired	Card past expiry date	Update card details
Card cancelled	Card no longer active	Add new card
Bank block	Issuer blocked transaction	Client contacts bank
Invalid card	Card details incorrect	Re-enter card details
Fraud protection	Bank flagged as suspicious	Client authorises with bank

Failed Payment Notifications

Client receives:

• Immediate SMS and email notification of failure
• Direct link to update payment details
• Clear explanation of what happened
• Reminder 24 hours before retry attempt

Practice receives:

• Dashboard alert for failed payment
• Daily failed payment summary email
• Client contact information for follow-up
• Plan status automatically updated

Resolving Failures

1. Contact client within 24 hours (phone or SMS)
2. Identify the issue (insufficient funds, expired card, etc.)
3. Update payment method through client portal or reception
4. Retry payment manually to verify new details work
5. Resume plan - payments continue on schedule

Best Practice

Configure your payment gateway to send pre-payment notifications 3 days before each scheduled payment. This gives clients time to ensure funds are available.

Client Experience

Client Portal View

Clients can see:

• Payment plan summary
• Payment schedule
• Payment history
• Next payment date and amount

Client Actions

Clients can:

• View plan details
• Update payment method
• Make early payments
• Request plan changes

Notifications

Event	Notification
Plan created	Welcome email with schedule
Payment due	3 days before reminder
Payment collected	Receipt
Payment failed	Update card request
Plan completed	Thank you message

Integration with Accounting

Xero/MYOB Treatment

Payment plans sync as:

• Original invoice (full amount) posted on creation date
• Partial payments recorded as received on payment date
• Balance tracked in accounts receivable until completion
• Revenue recognised on invoice date (accrual accounting)

Revenue Recognition

For Australian accounting standards (AASB 15):

Approach	When to Use	Praxi Setting
On invoice	Most healthcare practices	Default
On payment	Cash-basis accounting	Contact Praxi support
On service	Prepaid packages	Automatic for packages

Reconciliation

Match bank deposits to plan payments:

1. Import bank statement (or connect live feed)
2. System auto-matches plan payments by:
   • Amount
   • Reference number
   • Date proximity
3. Review and confirm matches
4. Clear exceptions manually
5. Plan status updates automatically

Stripe/Tyro Integration

For integrated payment gateways:

• Payments reconcile automatically
• Bank deposits match gateway settlements
• No manual matching required for card payments
• Cash and bank transfers still need manual reconciliation

Best Practices

Setting Up Plans

1. Verify contact details - Ensure we can reach client
2. Save payment method - Card on file before starting
3. Confirm understanding - Client agrees to terms
4. Document agreement - Keep written confirmation

Managing Problem Plans

Issue	Resolution
Repeated failures	Contact for new card, consider direct debit
Client unresponsive	Send reminder, consider pause
Financial hardship	Offer extended plan, reduced payments
Dispute	Review and resolve, adjust if needed

Tips

1. Start plans promptly - Set up before debt grows
2. Keep payment amounts manageable - Affordable = successful
3. Send reminders - Pre-payment reminders reduce failures
4. Monitor actively - Don't let failed plans age
5. Be flexible - Adjust plans when needed

Related

• Billing Overview
• Invoice Management
• Stripe Setup

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