Create your first invoice
Carepatron builds invoices from the appointments you book. Open a client, review the uninvoiced items, send the invoice, take payment. No double-entry and no separate spreadsheet to maintain.
- A client record with at least one booked appointment for a service with a price
- Stripe connected, if you want the client to pay online (lesson 4.1)
Where invoices come from
Every appointment you book in Carepatron creates billing items automatically, one per service for each client. Creating an invoice is really just grouping a client's uninvoiced billing items into one document and sending it.
No re-entering service names or prices: they come straight from the appointment. A service with no price doesn't create a billing item.
Create the invoice
- Go to Clients → select client → Billing tab → New → Invoice.
- The Invoice uninvoiced amounts panel lists every billing item not yet on an invoice. Pick the ones to include (commonly all of them), or choose Blank invoice to start from scratch.
- Review units, price, and tax. They fill in automatically, and you can adjust them.
- If the client has credit, tick Apply account credit.
- Click Create. The invoice lands in the client's Invoices tab, ready to send or take payment against.
Recurring appointments
Recurring appointments don't create billing items automatically. Open the appointment, go to its Billing tab, and click Generate items. You can also use Generate billing items on Billing → Overview.
For group appointments, each client attendee gets their own billing items, so you invoice each one separately.
Send, charge, or both
From the invoice you have two moves:
- Send payment link emails the client a link to pay online via Stripe. In the email window you can also Copy payment link to share by SMS or chat.
- Add payment charges a saved card, takes a new one, or records a manual payment.
To refund a payment, go to Billing → Payments, open the payment's ⋯ menu and choose Refund. To give a client credit without a refund, use + Credit adjustment on their billing balance.
Tick these off in your own workspace before moving on.
Five ways to time your invoicing.
These are examples, not rules. Pick whichever fits your practice.
Save the card at intake. At the end of each session, use Add payment to charge the saved card.
Friday afternoon: create one invoice per active client covering the week's sessions, then send them.
On the first of the month, invoice everyone for last month's sessions in one go.
Book the client's block of sessions, invoice them all at once, and charge the saved card.
Invoice the client for their co-pay portion; separately submit the insurance claim (Lesson 4.5) for the rest.
What are billing items?
Line items created automatically when you book an appointment, one per service for each client. When you create an invoice, you're grouping uninvoiced billing items into one document.
How do I invoice multiple services on one invoice?
From the client's Billing tab, choose New → Invoice, select all the uninvoiced items you want to combine, then Create. Single invoice, multiple line items.
Why aren't billing items being created for my recurring appointments?
Recurring appointments don't create billing items automatically. Open each one, go to its Billing tab and click Generate items, or use Generate billing items on Billing → Overview.
Can I adjust the price after an appointment has been billed?
Yes. Open the appointment's Billing tab and edit the item's units, price or tax. Uninvoiced items update. Once an item is on an invoice, the invoice keeps its own copy; if you lower the price after invoicing, Carepatron offers Issue credit for the difference.
How do I apply a client's account credit?
Tick Apply account credit when creating the invoice. It shows when the client has credit in the same currency, and the credit comes off the invoice total automatically.
Can I invoice directly from the calendar?
Yes. Open the appointment from the calendar and click Create invoice at the bottom of its Overview tab. Useful for quick end-of-session billing without leaving the calendar view.
How do I issue a refund or credit?
To refund a payment, go to Billing → Payments, open the payment's ⋯ menu and choose Refund. Card refunds take 7 to 10 days to reach the client, and the processing fee isn't returned. To give credit without a refund, use + Credit adjustment on the client's billing balance.