Splitting an invoice into a payment schedule

One invoice can be paid in stages. A deposit to hold the date and a balance before delivery is the classic shape for weddings, and you can split a big job into as many as twelve payments.

Setting up a schedule

1. In the invoice editor, add your line items first.
2. Below the items, set Payment type to Payment schedule.
3. CoreHue starts you with two payments, split evenly. Adjust the label, amount or percentage, and the due date of each.
4. Choose Add another payment for more, up to twelve in total. The bin icon on a row removes it.
5. Save the invoice.

The invoice needs a total above zero and an Invoice Date before you can switch to a schedule. If either is missing, CoreHue tells you.

Switching back to Full payment brings back the single Terms and Due Date fields.

What each payment has

• Label. What your client sees beside the payment. A new schedule calls the first one Deposit and the last one Balance. Leave a label empty and it reads "Payment 2 of 3".
• Amount and Percentage. Two ways to set the same thing. Type either and the other follows.
• Due date. Dates run in order, so a payment can't fall due before the one in front of it or before the invoice date. A date that breaks the order shows a message under the field.

The last payment is always the balance: whatever the earlier payments leave. You can't type its amount, which is what keeps the schedule adding up to the total.

Change the invoice total later and the schedule spreads itself again, so it's easiest to add items first and split afterwards.

When a payment is late

As soon as any scheduled payment passes its date unpaid, the whole invoice shows as Overdue. A missed deposit counts, even if the balance isn't due for months. Once that payment comes in, the invoice goes back to Partially paid. See Invoice statuses.

Reminders follow the current payment

On Plus and Pro, automatic reminders chase the payment that's due now, using its date and amount. Before the deposit is paid, reminders are about the deposit. Once it's in, they move on to the next payment. Your client is always asked for what's actually due, not the whole total.

What your client sees

The invoice email leads with Next payment and its due date, with the Invoice total and Total outstanding for context. If a payment is late, it leads with Amount overdue instead.

On the invoice page, a Payment schedule section lists every payment with its label, date and amount, marked Paid, Next payment, Overdue or Upcoming.

The pay button asks for the payment that's due, with the amount beside it: Pay deposit, Pay installment or Pay balance. A small arrow next to it offers Pay in full for a client who'd rather clear everything at once.

They use the same link every time. It always shows what's left.

When a schedule helps

• Weddings and anything booked far ahead. A deposit commits your client and covers the date you turned others away for.
• Large commercial jobs. Thirds across commission, shoot and delivery is a shape accounts teams know.
• Anything you'd rather not chase in one lump at the end.

Proposals can carry a schedule too, set in percentages, with amounts worked out when your client accepts. See Adding a contract and payment schedule to a proposal. For payment taken when a client books online, see Pricing, deposits and payment deadlines.

Frequently asked questions

Can my client pay more than the payment that's due?

Yes. On a scheduled invoice, Pay in full clears the whole balance in one go. A payment you record yourself can be any amount up to the balance, and it's applied to the schedule in order, earliest payment first.

Can I change the schedule after sending?

Yes. You can change a payment schedule after sending, as long as no payment has been recorded. After the first payment, the invoice can't be edited. See Editing, cancelling or writing off an invoice.

What's the most payments I can add?

A payment schedule can have up to twelve payments, including the final balance.

Does a late deposit stop my client paying the rest?

No. Your client can still pay what's due, or choose Pay in full. The invoice just shows as Overdue until the late payment is made.