Billing Automation: Settings
Billing Automation helps you control when bills are created, when superbills are generated, how billing documents are shared, and whether AutoPay runs for clients who have it enabled. You can automate as much or as little of your billing workflow as you prefer, including generating bills on a recurring schedule, creating monthly superbills for eligible clients, and automatically charging cards on file for clients who use AutoPay.
In this article:
- Where to find Billing Automation Settings
- How Billing Automation Works
- How Bills Are Created
- When Superbills Are Created
- Automatic Sharing for New Clients
- AutoPay
- Client Level Overrides
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Related Resources
Where to find Billing Automation Settings
You will find billing automation settings under Billing Settings > Billing > Billing Automation.
How Billing Automation Works
Billing Automation runs overnight and follows a predictable sequence. Understanding this timing helps you choose the settings that fit your workflow.
- Automated bills are created around 12 am
- AutoPay runs around 12:30 am for clients who have AutoPay enabled
- Delivery delays give AutoPay time to run before billing documents are shared
- Account-level settings apply to new clients, but existing clients may have different client-level settings
This timing is especially important when you use both automatic bill creation and AutoPay.
How Bills Are Created
These settings control when bills are created for sessions with billable services.
Automatic Daily
Bills are created each night for any sessions with billable services. This increases bill volume because each session receives its own bill.
Automatic Monthly
Bills are created once per month. This is helpful for clients who need monthly superbills or prefer a single monthly statement.
Manual
You create bills yourself. This is helpful if you add products or fees to bills, since products cannot be added automatically.
When Superbills Are Created
Superbills for clients who have superbills enabled are created automatically on the day of the month you choose.
- Superbills are generated for the previous month.
- Choose the day of the month
- Superbills only generate for clients who have superbills enabled in their Billing Settings
- Bill creation frequency does not change the superbill creation date
Automatic Sharing for New Clients
These settings control whether new clients automatically receive billing documents and how soon they are delivered. Delivery delays help ensure that AutoPay has time to run before documents are shared.
ℹ️ If you use automatic bill creation and AutoPay, set the bill delivery delay to at least 60 minutes. This gives AutoPay time to run before the bill is shared with the client.
Changing account-level sharing settings will not update existing clients. To change sharing for current clients, update their individual Billing Settings.
Are bills automatically shared with new clients by default?
- Choose Yes or No
- Set a delivery delay
Are superbills automatically shared with new clients by default?
- Choose Yes or No
- Set a delivery delay
Are statements automatically shared with new clients by default?
- Choose Yes or No
- Set a delivery delay
AutoPay
AutoPay attempts to pay outstanding client balances for clients who have AutoPay enabled in their Billing Settings.
- Turn AutoPay on or off at the account level
- AutoPay only runs for clients who have AutoPay enabled
- AutoPay runs around 12:30 am each night
ℹ️ AutoPay is a two-step setting. Turning it on at the account level allows AutoPay to run, but each client must also have AutoPay enabled in their own Billing Settings. AutoPay will not run for clients who do not have it enabled at the client level.
ℹ️ Clients must also have a valid payment method on file, and if the client has a Billing Contact, AutoPay must be enabled in the Billing Contact’s Billing Settings for it to run.
Client Level Overrides
Each client has their own Billing Settings where you can override:
- Bill creation
- Superbill creation
- Automatic sharing
- Delivery delays
- AutoPay
If something is not running as expected, check both the account level settings and the client’s Billing Settings.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the difference between account-level and client-level billing automation settings?
Account-level settings act as defaults for your practice, while client-level settings determine what actually happens for each client. Each type of automation behaves a little differently.
- Bill creation frequency is always at the account level. Manual, Daily, and Monthly bill creation settings apply to all clients.
- Automatic sharing defaults are account-level, but actual sharing is client-level. The account level setting sets the default for new clients. Existing clients keep their existing sharing settings.
- AutoPay requires both account-level and client-level enablement. The account-level toggle allows AutoPay to run. Each client must also have AutoPay enabled in their own Billing Settings.
- Client-level settings take priority. If something is not running as expected, check the client’s Billing Settings first.
Can I have different bill creation frequencies for different clients?
No. Bill creation frequency is a global account setting and applies to all clients in your practice. Manual, Daily, or Monthly bill creation cannot be overridden at the client level.
How do automatic sharing settings work for existing clients?
Automatic sharing settings act as defaults for new clients. Existing clients keep whatever sharing settings are already saved in their Billing Settings unless you update them manually.
Why are sessions from imported clients not included in automated bills or superbills?
Sessions imported from another EHR do not have CPT codes assigned in Sessions Health and will not be picked up by automation. You will need to manually create bills and superbills for any imported historical sessions.
Related Resources
For more help with billing workflows and client-level settings, these resources can guide your next steps.