Invoices are the starting point for collecting client payments in Blueprint.
Blueprint creates invoices automatically for most sessions, but you can also create or edit invoices yourself anytime.
In this guide, we’ll review:
Before we dive in
If you plan to accept client payments through Blueprint, you'll first need to connect your bank account.
Once your bank account is connected to Blueprint, you can:
Store the client's credit card on file and charge it anytime after a session
Email the invoice to the client with a payment link for them to initiate payment themselves
Payment collected outside of Blueprint (e.g., cash, check, Venmo) can also be recorded in Blueprint, and doesn't require your bank account to be connected.
How invoices are created automatically
When you complete a session and start a Progress Note (whether Blueprint generated the note or you wrote it yourself) Blueprint first determines which service you provided so it knows what to bill for.
It can identify the service in two ways:
From the appointment: If the session is tied to an appointment on your Blueprint calendar with a service selected, Blueprint uses that service and rate on the automatically created invoice.
From a previous session: If there’s no appointment to reference for this specific session, Blueprint uses the service and rate from your most recent session with that client.
If Blueprint can't identify which service was provided then an invoice will not be generated automatically and you'll need to create one manually in order to process the client's payment, create an insurance claim, or record an external payment such as cash or Venmo.
What Blueprint creates also depends on how the client pays, which you can indicate on the client's profile in the "How client pays" section:
Self-pay: Blueprint will create an invoice automatically.
Insurance: Blueprint will create a claim draft. If the client owes a copay or coinsurance, Blueprint also creates an invoice for their portion.
Partner platform or "Don’t track": Blueprint won't create an invoice or claim because billing is handled outside of Blueprint.
Either way, you’re always in control -- you can always edit an auto-generated invoice or claim, delete it, or create them manually.
How to create an invoice manually
If an invoice isn't automatically created, you can create one yourself.
Open the session and go to the Billing tab
Under Service type, select the service you provided
Add any Modifiers, if applicable
Review the Fee. Blueprint fills this in automatically, but you can change it if needed
If you provided more than one service, select + Add to add another line
Select Start billing for this session
Blueprint creates the invoice as a draft. From there, you can edit the invoice, charge the client's card on file, or send the invoice to the client so they can initiate payment themselves.
💡 How Blueprint determines the service rate: Blueprint uses the rate you last charged that client for the selected service. If there isn't a previous invoice/session to reference, it uses your default rate for that service.
How to edit an existing invoice
Open the client’s profile and go to the Billing tab
Select the invoice to open it
From there, you can:
Add or edit the service
Change the amount due
Add a memo specific to the invoice
Delete the invoice
Select Save after making any changes
How to save a client's credit card on file
You can securely save a client’s card so it’s ready when you need to collect payment.
Open the client’s profile and go to the Client tab
Select + Add credit card
Enter the card number, expiration date, and security code
Select Save
💡 You can save a client’s card before or after their session, but remember: an invoice must exist before you can charge the card on file.
How to charge a client's stored credit card, send the client a link to pay, or record an external payment
Once an invoice exists, you can run the client's credit card, send the client an invoice with payment link, or record a payment you received outside of Blueprint.
Open the invoice from the client's profile > Billing tab.
Select Collect Payment.
Choose how you’d like to collect or record the payment:
Charge the card on file (make sure their credit card has been saved to their profile)
Send the client an invoice with a payment link
Record a payment received outside of Blueprint, such as cash, check, or Venmo
After a card payment is processed, Blueprint sends a receipt to the client’s email address on file.
How to issue a refund to your client
Refunds are issued from within the invoice. For step-by-step instructions, check out this guide: How to issue a refund