Originally posted: July 12th, 2022

Welcome to the new form builder experience!

When we began the journey of redesigning our form builder, we had a couple of important goals. First, we wanted to create a more powerful foundation for our form builder that would support many more features and customization options in the years to come. Second, we wanted to give everyone the ability to create beautiful forms without the barrier of needing custom code. So let’s jump in and take a look at what’s new.
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With this release we have added:

All-new form builder design and layout
Breadcrumbs for easy navigation
Preview mode
"Sticky" save button for easier saving on long forms
Inline element adding
Inline text editing
Improved performance with easy dragging of elements
Click to edit settings
Form style panel (plus general form padding options)
Dedicated CSS editor
New sharing panel with one-click copy embed code and link
"Columns" are now called "containers"
Full-width containers
Container background colors and images
Improved image uploader
Container background image opacity
Container padding and margins
"Yes/no" field changed to "Multiple choice" and now allows more than two options
"Private" forms changed to "password-protection" setting
Toggle for the new form builder
Legacy mode option for forms with custom code

These changes give us the stronger foundation we needed to add more of the features and customization options you’ve been asking for.

You can view our keynote webinar all about the new things in this feature release plus a sneak peek at some features coming soon:

In this keynote, we mentioned we were going to share a proposal with you to get you started. Click here to access the form. It might look a little weird on that first screen, but once you click "copy to account" it will show correctly. (Note: You must be logged into Dubsado first before clicking this link)

All-new form builder design and layout

First, we’ve got a brand new layout. We took advantage of the full width of the page to give you more space to focus on building your form. Also, over on the left, you’ll find the element library. You can drag and drop elements from the element library onto the form, or click an element to add it to the bottom - just like in our old builder.

Breadcrumbs for easy navigation

In the top right we have some breadcrumbs that will take you back to your form templates.

Preview mode

We also redesigned our preview mode so that you can preview your form just as your clients will see it, without exiting the builder. It’s easy to toggle back and forth while you’re editing.

"Sticky" save button for easier saving on long forms

The save button will now stick to the top of the page, so you’ll be able to access it more easily when editing long forms.

Inline element adding

Now there’s a new way to add elements to your form. Hover over any existing element and click the + icon to add a new one right inline.

Inline text editing

You can edit text inline, too. Just double click any element with customizable text and you can start making your edits right away. Click the checkmark or click outside the element when you’re finished to save your changes. It works on text boxes, packages, and even question elements.

Improved performance with easy dragging of elements

Dragging elements around the form is still super easy, especially now with our improved performance. Just click anywhere on an element to pick it up and you can drag it around the form. A green bar indicates exactly where the element will land.
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Click to edit settings

Clicking on an element will open its settings in the side panel. This is where you can map your short answer and date select fields, mark a field as required, and adjust other settings as needed.

For general form settings, click on the gear icon in our new side navigation panel. This is where you can adjust all the settings specific to the type of form you are editing.

Form style panel (plus general form padding options)

We have added a brand new form styling panel, which you can access by clicking the palette icon. This is where you’ll find the question styling settings and our new form padding settings that let you control the space at the top and bottom of the form. This is especially useful when you plan to embed your form on a website, and don’t want any extra space above your elements. We can’t wait to add more settings and customization options here!

Dedicated CSS editor

For those of you who love getting creative and styling your forms with custom CSS, we added a dedicated CSS editor in the styling panel! Now, there’s no need to have an invisible code block floating around on your form. Don’t worry, HTML and Javascript are still supported as well. You can add that code to an HTML block element and preview your form to see it in action.

New sharing panel with one-click copy embed code and link

For forms that can be shared publicly, you’ll find the new share panel here on the left-hand side. We made it super easy to copy your embed code or sharing link with a single click!

"Columns" are now called "containers"

Along with our new form builder, we are so thrilled to launch a very exciting update to the old columns element.

The container element is the same as the columns element you already know - it has a new name and some amazing new settings. Select from one, two, three, or four columns, then use the plus icons to add elements directly into your container, or drag them in.

Hovering your mouse over a container element displays a green toolbar. Just click and hold on this toolbar to pick up your container and move it around the form.

Full width containers

But here’s where the real fun starts. You can adjust the width of your container and the width of the content inside.

Container background colors and images (with the new image uploader)

You can now make the container take up the full width of the page, allowing you to create beautiful, colorful sections on your forms. The width of the container is a percentage, so it’s completely responsive. A slider adjusts the width of the content inside your container. It’s also a percentage, so it will adjust automatically based on the size of the container and the screen.

With our new image uploader, it’s even easier to bring an image into your Dubsado form. For a full-width element, we recommend an image 2500px or wider for best results. And the results are so fun. 🎉

Container background image opacity

You can now blend a background color with your image. In the example below, we selected a dark background color and adjust the background image transparency to blend the two together really making the image over it pop!

Container padding and margins

Our new padding and margins allow you to do just that. Adding padding will give some space around our content and show more of the background image. Below you can see we are adding bottom margin to this container to create a little space between the elements below.

"Yes/no" field changed to "Multiple choice"

Previously, this field could only have two options. With this addition, you can add more than just two options for your clients to select from. But they can only select one option on this list.

"Private" forms changed to "password-protection" setting

Same functionality, now with a new name. We changed this to ease any confusion around this feature and make it more clear what it is doing.

Toggle for the new form builder

There are so many ways to take advantage of the new form builder features, especially containers. And this is just the beginning.

As excited as we are to bring you these amazing updates today, we also know that a big change can take some getting used to, especially when you’ve got a business to run! That’s why we added two special features to our form builder to help you adjust.

The first feature is a toggle to turn on the new form builder. You’ll see it when you navigate to Templates > Forms. This toggle allows you to decide when you want to turn the new form builder on for your account. So if you’ve got a few important forms to send out today, don’t worry. You can wait to turn on the new form builder until you’re ready to start exploring - and turn it back off again if you need a little more time. This toggle will be available until January 31, 2023, so you have plenty of time to make the switch. But once you make the switch, we recommend committing to it especially if you use our neat, new features. For example, if you turn the new builder on and create some full width elements with images and color, but then decide to turn it off later, those "new" elements will not show properly.

Legacy mode option for forms with custom code

Our second feature to help you adjust is a legacy mode that we created especially for those of you with custom code on your forms. We love how creative so many of you have gotten with custom coded Dubsado forms, and we wanted to ensure those special forms would continue working for your clients. Custom code, including HTML, CSS, and Javascript, is still supported on new Dubsado forms. However, we had to make a few adjustments behind the scenes to support our new features, which might have an impact on your custom code. As we launch the new form builder, we’ve kept all existing forms in legacy mode to make sure nothing would change overnight.

If your form does NOT have any custom code on it, head to the form settings panel and turn legacy mode off so that you can start using our new features right away! This setting is specific to each form, so that you can update each template one at a time. If you do have custom code on your existing forms, we’ve got a special article that will help you decide if and when to turn legacy mode off.

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FAQ

Why did Dubsado update their form builder?

At Dubsado, we want your brand to be front and center. By redesigning our form builder experience from the ground up, we were able to create a more powerful foundation for adding new customization and design options that will allow you to create beautiful, branded forms.

I’m editing a form, but I don’t see the new form builder. How do I turn it on?

Head to Templates > Forms and use the toggle at the top of the page to turn on the new form builder experience! This toggle will turn the new builder on for the whole brand, so be sure to coordinate with your multi-users if you have them.

Does turning the new form builder on change how my forms appear to my clients?

No, simply turning the new builder on will not make any changes to how your forms appear to your clients. That's why we created legacy mode!

Legacy mode is a setting on each individual form. It will need to be turned off for you to access all of the new features added to the form builder.

Can I turn the new builder off if I need to?

Yes! We added the toggle to give you flexibility as you test and adjust to the new builder. If you ever run into any troubles, or just want to get a form out quickly while you're still learning your way around, you can always turn the new form builder off using the toggle on the Templates > Forms page.

⛔ Heads up! If you decide to turn the new form builder off, all of your forms will revert to legacy mode while you are using the old form builder. Turning the new form builder back on will restore your changes.
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If I have multi-users on my brand, will they be able to see the new form builder?

Yes! The toggle on the Templates > Forms page will turn the new builder on or off for the whole brand. Be sure to give any multi-users on your brand a heads up.

Is custom code still supported on Dubsado forms?

Yes, absolutely! We are blown away by the amazing forms we’ve seen created with the help of custom code, and we want to support your creativity.

Custom HTML and Javascript can be added to your form with our HTML block element (formerly known as a code block). And we added a dedicated CSS editor in the form styling panel for you to manage all of your styles!

To keep Dubsado safe and secure for all, we have implemented additional security measures. While JavaScript is still supported on Dubsado forms, we no longer allow it to run while you are editing your form in the form builder. All you need to do is Preview your form to see it in action.

If I have custom code on my forms, will I need to update it?

In order to have access to all the latest form builder features, and for the best compatibility with the new form builder experience, we do recommend updating your custom code to work with legacy mode turned OFF. You will only need to do this on your form templates. Forms already added to projects can remain in legacy mode and do not need to be updated.

This article will help you decide if and when to turn legacy mode off on individual forms and our updated CSS cheat sheet will help you get started.

If you purchased code from a third party, we recommend reaching out to them for guidance. Please note that Dubsado’s Customer Success team is not able to assist with specific questions or troubleshooting regarding custom code on forms.

Originally posted: July 8th, 2022

Update

• Updates were made to our Yahoo connection. Yahoo is now requiring users to use an “app” password instead of their usual email password when trying to connect through SMTP. Steps can be found below on how to do that and we’ll be updating our help article shortly. Steps to connect a Yahoo email via SMTP with an app password: In your Yahoo email inbox, click on your account name at the top right of the page. Select “Account Info” Navigate to the “Account Security” tab Scroll down til you see “Other ways to sign in” Select “Generate app password” Enter in a name for the app you want to connect Select “Generate Password” Copy and paste the generated password into the password field when signing in via SMTP through Dubsado’s email settings.

Bugfix

• We had a bug where the scheduler sent via email was not logged in the emails tab of the project. We’ve updated it to now be stored in the associated project’s email tab.
• In Dubsado’s general inbox, there was a bit of confusion when archiving/deleting emails because there wasn’t any visual confirmation that an email was removed. Because of this, we’ve added auto refresh functionality that occurs after a user deletes an email to show that the email has been removed.
• Any user with an errored calendar connection broke Cronofy connection for other users. Events didn't export as a result. Cronofy would stop sending events to all working calendars if one calendar failed to send. So if a multi-user calendar got disconnected, other users’ calendars would also stop exporting events. This bug fix prevents the disconnected calendar from interfering with the other calendars in the brand that are still working.
• Error when trying to send a form from the address book. An error was being thrown when attempting to send a form from the address book. You should no longer encounter this error when sending a form.
• We had a bug where the brand owner seeing different form statuses than multi-users. It should now show the same form status for all users in a brand.
• The checkbox selection on the reporting>>invoices was not working correctly. With this fix, the top left selection will select all invoices on the current page. It can then be clicked again on the following page to combine the selection of both pages and so on. The top left selection is not intended to select ALL the invoices in the brand.
• We sped up loading times while signing contract as client. The submit button on a contract used to take a while to load because it would wait for the “contract completed” email to be delivered. Now, the signature will happen right away and the client should see the success message immediately after submitting.
• We had a bug where the send Reminder button on Dashboard Calendar opened an empty email window. Using the Send Reminder email link found on either the Overview or Weekly Calendar view should now populate the correct information that is associated with that event’s invoice and payment plan.
• Before, appointments were disappearing on Calendar before “attempting” to cancel through the calendar. When attempting to cancel an appointment through the calendar, the appointment disappears off the calendar before clicking “Submit” on the cancellation modal. Now, the appointment will remain on the calendar going forward.
• When pressing COMMAND and clicking on a project in Safari it opened the project in 2 tabs instead of 1. We've updated it to only open 1 tab.
• Users were able to drag and drop project statuses even with projects assigned to them. This resulted in projects showing up under the incorrect status. Our update disables that functionality and keeps statuses separate between the lead and job categories.
• Tag color options were different when viewing them from the Projects >> Customize page and from within a project itself. We’ve updated it to now display the same set of tag colors for both views.

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Originally posted: June 14th, 2022

Enroll in our new monthly affiliate payout. With this new feature, you’ll be able to receive a “cash” payout of your affiliate credit every month automatically instead of receiving it as credit towards your subscription. 🤑

Note: this feature is on a slow roll out. If you do not have the feature yet, please check back every few weeks. The roll out is randomized and we do not have an ETA on when specific users might have it.

How to enroll in automatic payouts

To enroll in automatic payouts:

1. Go to Settings > Affiliate Dashboard
2. An affiliate code must be created.
3. Click Connect with PayPal.
4. Enter the PayPal email twice.

Once you are enrolled, you will automatically receive any credit in your account at the start of each month. Enrolling does not initiate an immediate payout. The payout will be sent at the start of the next month.

When the payout is process within 1-2 days from the first on the month, you will receive an email from PayPal, letting you know how much you received and how to add it into your PayPal account. That email will look a little something like this:

Frequently Asked Questions

I do not see the option in my account, how can I get it?
This feature is a slow, rolling release. This means we are releasing to a random set of users over a specific period of time. This is a completely randomized process and we do not have specific dates or ETA's on who will be getting this feature when. To check if you have it, head to Settings > Affiliate Dashboard and refresh your page. If you see a connecting with PayPal option, you have the feature. If not, hang tight just a little longer. We also will be sending out emails to each group of users as the feature gets rolled out so you know for sure, if you have or not.

How do I set up automatic affiliate payouts?
You must opt-in to automatic affiliate payouts to receive the “cash” payout. To set up automatic affiliate payouts go to Settings > Affiliate Dashboard. Here you'll see a new option to “Connect with PayPal”. If you'd like to enroll in automatic monthly payouts, click that button and enter your PayPal email address.

At what frequency do I get the cash payout?
If you have automatic affiliate payouts available and enabled, payouts happen automatically at on the 1st of every month. Payouts take about 1-2 business days to process.

What if I don’t have a PayPal account?
You will need a PayPal account to receive your payout if you decide to enroll. If you do not wish to have a PayPal account or PayPal is not supported in your area, you cannot opt-in and you will continue receiving credits towards your Dubsado subscription.

What happens if I don’t enroll?
Your Dubsado affiliate credit will continue to be applied to your Dubsado subscription. If you have been requesting payouts while on a trial or Forever Plan, you will need to enroll in the new automatic payouts through PayPal to continue receiving your credit.

Can I switch back and forth between payouts and receiving Dubsado credit?
No, once you have opted-in to automatic affiliate payouts, you can no longer switch back to receiving Dubsado credit.

Who will be issuing the tax related documents?
PayPal will be handling any tax related documents that are necessary for reporting any affiliate cash payouts.

For those on the forever plan, will we still be able to get physical checks for our cash out?
No, we will be doing away with the mailing of a check. All new cash payouts will be done via PayPal.

Is there a minimum or maximum we can cash out?
No, there will be no minimums or maximums for cashing out.

I don't have this feature yet, any credits that I receive now, can I use them for future affiliate payouts when I have the feature?
Yes, any credits you are collecting now will be available for cash out once you have the feature (minus any usage of those credits towards your Dubsado subscription within that time)

Once I opt-in to payouts, what happens to the credits I already have?
If you opt-in to automatic payouts and already have credits built up in your account, once opting in, those credits will be part of your cash out balance now.

Originally posted: April 11th, 2022

Update

• Now you’ll be able to download a form as a PDF directly from your “Forms” tab within a project. ⚡️
• We heard you, and we added back the ability to copy and paste your client’s answers when previewing the form. 💪

Bugfix

• Fixed an issue where schedulers weren’t showing the “Add to Calendar” button on the confirmation page.
• Fixed an issue that allowed a client to book within less than the minimum amount of time in advance needed to book. If a client waited on the scheduler invoice screen until after that buffer passed, they were still able to book. Very sneaky. 😱
• Fixed an issue where the status search bar was unresponsive when creating a nee project from the dashboard.
• Fixed an issue where the portal logo, banner, and mobile banner could not be removed. 🚫
• Fixed a rare issue where the date of a custom mapped field was not being properly saved. 📆
• On your transactions page, future ACH payments will now be shown as “e-transfer” instead of “credit”.

Originally posted: March 4th, 2022

Security is always important for us. In a recent update, we updated short answer and free response fields to ensure that only the client can fill them out...not, you, the business owner. However, you can still edit information on the contract before you send it to your clients. If you’d like to include additional information for your client on a form or contract, we recommend using a text box. Text boxes cannot be edited by clients as they are just for you. 🔏

Learn how to navigate this change here:

Update

• Updated short answer and free response fields to ensure that only the client can fill them out, not the business owner. If you’d like to include additional information for your client on a form or contract, we recommend using a text box. Text boxes cannot be edited by clients. 🔏

Bugfix

• Fixed an issue where the payment plan smart field was showing $0.00 for the amount due when previewing a form. It will now show the correct amount.
• Fixed an issue where client-specific portal banners were not showing on mobile. It will now adjust and display properly. 🖼️
• Fixed a rare issue where Microsoft emails were displaying a “viewed” status immediately after they were sent.
• Fixed an issue where a multiuser’s notification settings were being reset when they were removed from a brand. Now the settings will persist.
• Fixed an issue where the date selector on a form would move the date one day ahead depending on the brand time and local time. The date will now show correctly.
• Fixed an issue in the “Receive money” section where a category could not be deselected.
• Fixed an issue where custom text on a form’s submit button was being removed when the form was sent via workflow. ✅
• Fixed an issue where tax payments on the “Transactions” page were not showing the correct categories.
• Fixed an issue with changing form types. If a lead capture form with a workflow was changed to a questionnaire and then that questionnaire was attached to a scheduler, there would be an error. Now it will work properly.

Originally posted: February 7th, 2022

Update

• 🔒New Security Update🔒
• Now when you search for a project in the project search bar, you’ll be able to quickly see if a project is archived. An “Archived” status will be shown next to the project name.
• Now when you edit an email from within a “Send Appointment Scheduler” workflow action, you’ll find the smart fields to send scheduler and scheduler group links. 📤

Bugfix

• Fixed an issue where the client’s name wasn’t appearing on the invoice when paying a booking deposit. Now it will appear as it should. 🧾
• Fixed an issue where subtotals were not displaying properly in various places across Dubsado. But we’ve rounded up all the numbers and they’ve agreed to cooperate. Well, we didn’t round up the numbers. You get it. 🤠🐑
• Fixed an issue where some outgoing emails were being seen duplicated on the receiving side of an email thread. 👯‍♀️
• Fixed an issue where some users reported seeing a “Customer already exists” error payment info with a tax ID.
• Fixed an issue where a duplicate client entry would be created in the address book through a public proposal attached to a scheduler.
• Fixed an issue where you couldn’t remove tags from an “Add Tag” workflow action without applying more tags first. Weird, huh? Now it will work properly.
• Fixed an issue where applying a 100% discount to an invoice would not mark it as paid. Now it will! Additionally, if a payment has already been applied to an invoice, you will no longer be able to apply a 100% discount. 🧮
• Fixed a rare issue where the contract status on the Projects page was not updating. 🔃
• Fixed a rare issue where the signature field on contracts and sub-agreements was allowing clients to select the date. The date will now populate automatically. 📅
• Fixed an issue where recurring invoices could be edited after they started. Not good. Now if you wish to make any changes to a recurring invoice, you’ll have to stop it and start a new one.
• Fixed an issue with signature timestamps. Now the date and time will be displayed according to your brand’s locale settings. 🌎

Originally posted: January 5th, 2022

A small but heavily requested feature for you today! When you search your projects in Dubsado, you’ll now see an archived badge next to any projects that have been archived. This will allow you to quickly see those projects that are active or archived.

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Originally posted: December 23rd, 2021

Update

• Updated Reporting >> Invoices to be read-only. It was always intended to be this way, so...now it is. 😎
• You can now put smart fields into the header and footer of the invoice terms. You can head to Settings >> Receive Money >> Invoice Options >> Edit Terms.
• Now if a client is logged into their portal and you send them a private form, clicking on the form link will automatically take them to that form. Much smoother process. ⛸️⛸️
• Xero users: Now if you apply a payment that is more than the total of your invoice and try to sync it, the error status in Dubsado will display a message saying, “Payment amount exceeds the amount outstanding on this document”.
• You can now only attach files to emails and questionnaires up to 8mb. 📎

Bugfix

• Fixed an issue where the table borders were not properly displaying on a package element. 📦
• Fixed an issue where downloading an invoice as a PDF would remove the notes, invoice terms, and client information. Yeah...that wasn’t supposed to happen. Now everything will be included in the PDF. ✅
• Fixed an issue where the countersignature button on a contract was lingering even after it had been signed. Begone, button! 💥
• Fixed an issue where the view for your tasks would show the ‘Incomplete’ category after deleting a task, even if you were viewing the ‘Completed’ or ‘All’ categories.
• Now hovering over the “Error” status on an invoice found in Reporting >> Invoices will show you the cause of the error. ⚠️
• Fixed an issue with the scheduler where, after selecting a date for an appointment, clicking the back arrow would not allow you to change the date. Now you’ll be able to go back select a new date as desired. 📆
• Fixed an issue with Reporting >> Invoices where a remainder would appear on any invoice with tax and a discount applied. Now all past affected invoices and all future invoices will display properly.
• Now hyperlinks contained in package elements will open in a new tab.
• Now when a scheduler is created within a project and a form is attached, that form will be linked to the project rather than the client’s profile. *This only affects projects moving forward, not past projects.
• Fixed a rare issue where some payment plans were not applying to to recurring invoices.
• Now when you apply a proposal to a project with a primary invoice that’s been paid, the invoice progress bar will adjust to account for any new unpaid line items.
• Fixed an issue where clients could no longer access their invoices via their client portals. This was an issue with the autopay update and has been addressed.
• Fixed an issue where client portals were reading Lisbon, Portugal as Central European Time (CET), when it should be Western European Time (WET). It now correctly shows WET.
• Fixed an issue where the refund tab on an invoice would not open if the scheduler containing the invoice was created inside the project.
• Fixed an issue where the “Discount Type” dropdown wasn’t opening after clicking the down arrow.
• Fixed an issue where the “Apply Discount” section was still appearing on recurring invoices even though discounts cannot be applied to recurring invoices. Sorry for the confusion!
• Fixed an issue where a scheduler with a non-public proposal and a deposit attached would not have a client connected to the deposit transaction. Now a client will be properly assigned to that transaction.
• Fixed an issue where QBO tax codes were not importing over a certain amount. We increased the amount to 200.
• Fixed an issue where a late workflow action would show as if the action was marked, but the checkmark disappeared after a few seconds. Now you will see an error message reading, “Too late to send”.
• Fixed an issue where the date and IP was not showing up on contracts and sub-agreements.
• Fixed a rare issue where the gratuity option was not showing up on some invoices. It was just being shy. ☺️
• Fixed an issue where invoices were automatically syncing to QBO even if automatic syncing was turned off.

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Originally posted: December 14th, 2021

Update

• Removed text that said "No schedule found" for a relevant smart field when a payment plan was missing.
• Now the "Email from name" brand setting has been updated yo "Send email as". If you have a Microsoft email connected, this setting will default to the name set within your Microsoft account.
• Updates have been made to the backend services pulling in calendar events from Cronofy. In English: It will be more reliable now. 💪

Bugfix

• Fixed an issue where the "Apply to Invoice" button was not...well, doing that. You had one job, button.
• If a deactivated brand has a multi-user, they will no longer receive notification emails for any actions within that brand.
• Fixed an issue where a multi-user on Safari would see misaligned text when hovering over a cancelled brand on the brand list page. It was Safari's fault. 🤷
• Fixed an issue where the payment reminder preview was not displaying on mobile.
• Fixed an issue where payment reminders could be edited after they were already triggered. Time paradoxes are dangerous business, folks. ⏳
• Multi-users in a deactivated brand will now be directed to the brand list page.
• If your subscription payment fails, the billing card under your subscriptions will now let you know that the last payment failed.
• Now all free additional brands created for an alternate currency will be labeled "Additional Currency Brand".
• Fixed an issue where a user's billing would fail, then they would cancel the subscription, but Stripe would attempt to retry the payment. Now the subscription will be properly canceled.
• Fixed a rare issue where if a client added a percentage-based tip, it would successfully process on Stripe but not appear on the invoice in Dubsado. 🤑
• Fixed a rare issue where some users reported not seeing a "To" section on the invoice. Spooky stuff.
• Images in email signatures will now be correctly formatted. 🖼️
• Fixed an issue where invoices with percentage-based installments were not showing the calculated amount due when viewing the invoice under Reporting>>Invoices.
• Fixed an issue where public forms under brands

Originally posted: December 8th, 2021

Your clients can now enroll in automatic payments for payment plan installments, as long as the invoice is eligible. Once enrolled in autopay, your client will be automatically charged on each installment due date!

Why we developed it

Our goal for this feature is to help our business owners collect more payments on time with less involvement from their clients. Even with payment reminders, business owners have told us that their clients would like to "set it and forget it" when it comes to payments, and if this feature works for your business, you can now set it and forget it.

Who this feature is for

This feature is perfect for anyone who has a predictable, standardized invoicing process. After they send an invoice to a client, they will not be changing that invoice. So whether you're a photographer and have a payment plan on an invoice, clients can set up autopay leading up to their big day. Or say you're a coach wanting to set up a 6 month coaching package on an invoice, or you are a web designer and payments are due at specific points. This feature can work for many types of businesses.

About this feature

When autopay is available (see criteria below), the option to enroll will appear below the credit card field during the payment process. Clients can start this process by clicking Pay Now on an installment.

In these release notes

• Autopay eligibility
• Managing autopay on a payment plan
• Autopay notifications
• Autopay and invoice changes

Autopay eligibility

Payment plans must meet a few criteria in order to be eligible for autopay. If a payment plan is not eligible for autopay, your client will not see an option to enroll.

The requirements for payment plans are:

• There must be more than one installment in the payment plan.
• All installments in the plan must show a specific due date (no TBD due dates).
• No more than one installment can be overdue.

There are also a few payment requirements:

• You must have Stripe or Square connected to Dubsado.
• Your client must click Pay Now for a specific installment in the plan.
• Your client must choose Pay with Card if shown the option (Stripe e-Check and PayPal are not compatible with autopay).

👋 Here's a tip... if the invoice is eligible, autopay for payment plans will work on invoices you create from scratch, as well as invoices created by proposals or workflows.

Managing autopay on a payment plan

After your client enrolls in autopay on a payment plan, they can return to that invoice at any time to update their payment method or cancel autopay.

You'll be able to see whether autopay is turned on for a payment plan by opening the invoice in the client's project:

Autopay notifications

Automatic email notifications will send whenever there's a change to automatic payments for a payment plan.

Client notifications

There are three client notification emails for autopay:

• Autopay Enrollment Confirmed: sends immediately after your client enrolls in autopay on a payment plan.
• Autopay Cancelled: sends if autopay is cancelled by you or your client.
• Autopay Failed: sends if an automatic payment fails and asks the client to pay the invoice manually to update their payment method.

These emails send automatically and cannot be turned off because they communicate important information to your clients. However, they can be customized under Templates >> Canned Emails >> Edit Templates.

👋 Here's a tip... we recommend customizing the client notification emails to fit your brand voice. As you customize the emails, try to keep the content roughly the same so that your clients receive the correct information.

User notifications

We have two system notification emails for autopay. You can adjust your preferences for these notifications under Settings >> Notifications.

• Alert me when autopay has been cancelled
• Alert me when an automatic payment has failed

Autopay and invoice changes

Once your client enrolls in autopay, we restrict certain invoice and project changes to protect your client from any surprise charges.

Autopay will be turned off for the invoice if you change:

• the invoice total by adding or removing line items or discounts
• the quantity of any invoice line items
• an installment due date
• an installment due amount
• the total number of installments
• the remaining balance by applying a manual payment

If you have payment plan installments watching a project date or contract, autopay will also be turned off if you:

• remove or change the project date
• remove a signed contract

Don't worry, we'll warn you so you can decide whether you'd like to proceed with one of these changes. If you do, autopay for that invoice will be turned off and your client will be notified via email that their autopay was cancelled. Your client will be able to re-enroll in autopay if the invoice still meets the eligibility criteria.

👋 Here's a tip... if you'd like your clients to take advantage of autopay on payment plans, we recommend having an invoicing process that doesn't involve making changing the invoice after it's been sent to the client.

FAQ

Where is my client's credit card information saved?

The payment processor (Stripe or Square) connected to your account will securely save the credit card details needed to process the automatic payments.

What if my client forgets to enroll in autopay on their first payment?

Your client will be able to enroll in autopay on a future payment if there is more than one unpaid installment remaining.

Can I enroll on behalf of my client?

No, your client must turn on autopay after entering their own payment information.

Can my client opt-out or update their billing?

Yes. Your client can turn off autopay or update their credit card from the invoice.

What happens if my client's payment fails?

Your client will receive an email with a link to the invoice so that they can manually pay and update their credit card information. You can edit this automatic email under Templates >> Canned Emails >> Edit Templates >> Autopay Failed.

As long as there is no more than one overdue payment, your client will be able to re-enroll in autopay by paying their missed payment on the invoice.

Does this work on recurring invoices?

Recurring invoices already have an autopay option for that invoice as a whole. You can read more about autopay on recurring invoices here.