Installment Plans
Create payment installment plans and track scheduled payments for patients
Overview
Installment plans in SehaFile allow patients to pay for expensive treatments or procedures over multiple monthly payments. The system auto-generates a schedule of installments with due dates, tracks which installments have been paid, supports partial payments on individual installments, and automatically marks plans as completed when all installments are settled.
Creating an Installment Plan
- Navigate to Installments: Go to Financial > Installments from the sidebar and click + New Plan.
- Select Patient: Choose the patient in the Patient field.
- Link to Invoice (Optional): Select a specific Invoice to tie the installment plan to. For insured patients, the system validates that the total_amount does not exceed the patient's copay.
- Enter Total Amount: The total amount to be paid through installments. For insured invoices, this must be less than or equal to patient_copay.
- Set Number of Installments: Enter the Installments Count (e.g., 3, 6, or 12 months). The system automatically calculates the amount per installment (total / count).
- Set Start Date: Enter the Start Date for the first installment due date.
- Add Notes (Optional): Any relevant terms or conditions.
- Create: Click Create Plan. The system:
- Creates the plan with status "active"
- Auto-generates individual installment records with sequential due dates (monthly intervals from start_date)
- Each installment has: installment_number, due_date, amount, paid_amount (0), status "pending"
Paying an Installment
- Open the Plan: Navigate to Financial > Installments and click on the plan.
- View Installments: See the full schedule with due dates, amounts, and statuses.
- Click Pay Next: Click the Pay button. The system automatically selects the next pending installment.
- Enter Amount (Optional): Leave blank to pay the full installment amount, or enter a partial amount.
- Confirm: Click Record Payment. The system:
- Updates paid_amount on the installment
- Sets status to "paid" (if fully paid) or "partial" (if partially paid)
- Records the paid_date
- If all installments are paid, plan status changes to "completed"
Monitoring Installment Plans
The installments list shows all plans with:
- Patient name
- Total amount and amount per installment
- Total paid and remaining balance
- Plan status (active/completed)
Tip: The due dates are calculated as monthly intervals from the start date (e.g., start = Jan 15, installments are due Feb 15, Mar 15, etc.). Schedule start dates that align with the patient's pay cycle for better collection rates.
Warning: For insured invoices, the installment total_amount cannot exceed the patient_copay. The system will reject plans that attempt to schedule more than what the patient owes.
Installment plan detail showing patient info, total amount, payment schedule with due dates and statuses, and pay button
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a patient have multiple active installment plans?
Yes. Patients can have multiple concurrent plans for different invoices or treatments.
What happens if a patient misses a payment?
The installment remains in "pending" status past its due date. The system does not automatically charge penalties, but you can track overdue installments by checking due_dates against today's date.
Can I cancel an installment plan?
Plans remain active until all installments are paid (status becomes "completed"). Currently, plans cannot be cancelled through the UI - contact administration to handle exceptional cases.
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