Once an invoice is built, you need to get it in front of the client. Cradled gives you two ways.
Option 1: Email it through Cradled (most common)
- On the invoice detail page, click Send.
- Cradled emails the client (using the email on their profile) with the invoice summary and a secure Pay button.
- The invoice status moves to Sent.
The email comes from Cradled on your behalf. It includes your business name, invoice summary, due date, and a link to the payment page. Your payment instructions (if you've set them up for manual methods) appear on the payment page alongside the Stripe checkout option.
Option 2: Copy the payment link
If you'd rather email the client from your own inbox, or send via text/Signal:
- On the invoice detail page, click Copy payment link.
- Paste it into your message.
The link points to cradledapp.com/pay/<id> — same page the email button goes to.
What the client sees
Connected clients see the invoice as a card on the home screen of the Cradled app with a "View invoice" button. Tapping opens the payment page in their browser. They also get a push notification when the invoice is sent.
Managed clients only get the email. If they don't have an email on file, use the copy-link approach instead.
Resending
If the client says they didn't get the email, click Resend on the invoice detail. Same link, fresh email. If the issue repeats, check for typos in the client's email or ask the client to check their spam folder.
Rate limits
Cradled caps how many emails you can send per day to protect deliverability. The cap is generous for normal practice use. If you hit it, you'll see an error and can wait until the next day or copy the link manually.