Note: Payment Plans are currently in beta and are only available to a limited number of practices. This feature allows you to break a patient’s total balance into smaller, scheduled installments over time.
This guide explains the fees and pricing for PbN Payment Plans, helping your team and patients understand the exact costs involved, whether paying online, in-office, or through automated charges.
Overview of Payment Plan Fees
All transactions processed through a payment plan—whether paid online, manually by the practice, or in person—are subject to one consistent fee: Flat Fee: 3.90% + $0.30 per transaction
What this means:
No need to calculate different rates based on card type (debit or credit).
No difference between online and in-office transactions.
Applies to all pricing models (PbN Payments and ZeroPay).
Keeps the experience simple for both the practice and the patient.
Surcharging Rules
Surcharges are not allowed on payment plan transactions.
This means you cannot add an extra fee at checkout to offset transaction costs.
However, you can include a management fee in the total amount of the payment plan to help recover some or all of the cost of processing.
How Recurring Payments Work
Once a payment plan is set up:
The system will automatically charge the patient’s card on each installment’s due date.
The flat fee of 3.90% + $0.30 applies to every successful payment attempt.
Practices do not need to manually charge each installment unless desired.
Payment Plan Fee Scenarios
To help visualize the impact of the fee, here are examples of how much your practice receives from a $100 installment payment under different circumstances.
Scenario | Installment | Fee (3.90% + $0.30) | Customer Pays | Practice Receives |
Auto-charge on due date (credit/debit) | $100 | $4.20 | $100 | $95.80 |
Patient pays online manually | $100 | $4.20 | $100 | $95.80 |
You charge a saved card from dashboard | $100 | $4.20 | $100 | $95.80 |
In-office POS card-present payment | $100 | $4.20 | $100 | $95.80 |
Key takeaway: Whether a patient pays in-office or online, by debit or credit, or whether the practice or system processes the charge—the fee is always the same.
What About Pay in Full?
The Pay in Full option allows you to offer patients a discount if they choose to pay the entire balance upfront. This is not considered a payment plan, and therefore:
Surcharges are allowed (if permitted by state law).
You can configure your payment settings so that the patient pays the surcharge.
These transactions follow your standard PbN Payments or ZeroPay rates, not the flat 3.90% + $0.30 plan fee.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1: Can I charge patients a separate fee to cover the transaction cost?
No. You cannot add a surcharge on payment plan transactions. However, you can include a management fee within the total payment plan amount.
Q2: What happens if a patient misses a payment?
The system automatically retries the charge up to 5 times (customizable in your Payment Settings).
The patient receives notification after each failed attempt.
After the 5th failure, the payment plan is marked delinquent, and you’ll need to follow up manually with the patient.
Q3: Do in-office card-present transactions have different fees?
No. Previously, in-office payments using a POS system had separate fee structures based on the pricing model and card type. That is no longer the case. All payment plan transactions now follow the same flat fee of 3.90% + $0.30.
Q4: Is Pay in Full considered a payment plan?
No. Pay in Full is a separate feature that gives patients the option to pay their full balance upfront, sometimes with a discount. These payments do not follow the Payment Plan fee structure.
Q5: Can I apply a surcharge to a Pay in Full transaction?
Yes, if your state permits surcharges and you’ve set it up so the patient pays the fee. Just be sure your settings are configured properly.
Summary
Payment Type | Fee | Surcharge Allowed? |
Payment Plan Installments | 3.90% + $0.30 per transaction | ❌ Not allowed |
Pay in Full (upfront) | Standard pricing model rates | ✅ If allowed by law |