Cradled's payment plans let you split one client fee across multiple payments — common for postpartum support packages billed as "50% at booking, 50% at birth" or doula fees divided into 3 or 4 installments.
How it works
When you create a payment plan on an invoice, Cradled does two things:
- Generates N invoices, one per installment, each with its own due date and amount.
- Links them together under a single payment plan record so you (and your client) can see them as one thing.
Each installment is a real, standalone invoice. That means:
- Each installment has its own Stripe checkout link.
- Each installment can be paid, refunded, or marked as paid individually.
- Each installment shows up in your invoices list with its own status.
- Your client can pay them in any order if they want to pay ahead.
What your client sees
Connected clients see their payment plan on the home screen of their mobile app as one consolidated card, not as N separate invoices. The card shows:
- A progress indicator ("3 of 5 payments made")
- The next unpaid installment's amount and due date
- A "View invoice" button that opens the next-due installment in their browser
This keeps their inbox clean and the plan feeling like one commitment.
Managed clients receive each installment as a separate email when it becomes due — Cradled doesn't auto-email future installments the moment you create the plan. You control when each email goes out.
Creating a payment plan
- Go to Invoices and click New invoice.
- Fill in line items as usual — the total becomes the plan total.
- Toggle on Split into payment plan.
- Choose how many installments and set a due date for each.
- Save. Cradled generates the installment invoices as drafts.
- Send each installment when you're ready — they don't auto-send.
Refunds and edits
You can refund any installment independently. Edits to a single installment don't affect the others. If you need to restructure a plan mid-way, cancel the remaining unsent installments and create new ones.