Using Deposits & Payment Plans on Invoices
Bloom allows you to split an invoice into multiple payments using deposits and payment plans. This gives you control over how and when clients pay, while keeping everything organized on a single invoice.
With payment plans, you can:
Collect deposits
Split an invoice into multiple scheduled payments
Use percentages, fixed amounts, or equal payments
Schedule payments based on invoice due dates or project dates
Auto-charge saved payment methods
Offer a discount for paying in full
How Deposits & Payment Plans Work
When you add a deposit or payment plan to an invoice, Bloom breaks the total into multiple payments based on your settings. As payments are collected, the invoice automatically updates to reflect what’s been paid and what remains due.
How to Add a Deposit or Payment Plan
Create an invoice for the full total amount
Click Options
Select Add Deposit / Payment Plan
Payment Split Options
You can choose one of the following methods:
Percentages
Split the invoice using percentages (for example, 50% now and 50% later).
All percentages must add up to 100%.
Fixed Amounts
Set exact dollar amounts for each payment (for example, $100 now, $200 later).
Equal Payments
Automatically divide the invoice total into evenly sized payments.
Adding Multiple Payments
Click Add Payment to include additional installments
Bloom validates that all payments together equal the invoice total
If the totals don’t match, you’ll see a message explaining what needs to be adjusted
Understanding the Offset
The first payment in a payment plan is due on the invoice due date. The invoice due date is set by you when creating or editing the invoice.
The Offset controls when the next payment is due, relative to the first payment.
For example:
Invoice due date: March 1
Offset: 30 days
Second payment due date: March 31
In short:
The invoice due date controls when the first payment is due
The offset controls how many days after that first payment the next payment is due
Scheduling Payments Based on Project Dates
Instead of scheduling payments based on the invoice due date, you can base them on project dates (such as an event date or milestone).
Step 1: Add a Project Date
Before using project-based billing, you’ll need to add a project date:
Open the project
Click + Dates and Events
Add the relevant project date (for example, Wedding Date, Engagement Date, or Event Date)
Step 2: Use the Project Date in the Payment Plan
Create or edit an invoice
Add a Deposit / Payment Plan
Change the trigger from Invoice Due Date to Before Project Date or After Project Date
Select which project date the payment should be based on
Bloom will then schedule payments relative to that project date instead of the invoice due date.
Auto-Charging Payments
You can enable Auto-charge every transaction on the due date.
When enabled:
Bloom automatically charges the client’s saved payment method
Payments are processed on their scheduled due dates
Auto-charge requires that the payment has a due date set
Offering a Pay-in-Full Discount
You can optionally offer a discount if the client chooses to pay the full invoice upfront.
Discounts can be set as a percentage or fixed amount
The option appears to the client when viewing the invoice
What Happens When You Change the Invoice Total?
If you change an invoice total after collecting a payment, the remaining payment amounts will adjust differently depending on whether you're using Percentages or Fixed Amounts.
Percentages
With percentage-based payments, Bloom recalculates each installment based on the updated invoice total.
For example:
Original invoice total: $50,000
Payment plan: Four payments of 25% ($12,500 each)
First payment collected: $12,500
Updated invoice total: $55,000
Each 25% installment is now $13,750. Since the first payment was $12,500, an additional $1,250 will be due toward that installment. The remaining installments will also update to $13,750 each.
Fixed Amounts
With fixed-amount payments, the existing payment amounts stay the same. Any increase to the invoice total is added to the Final Payment.
For example, if you have four payments of $12,500 and increase the invoice total from $50,000 to $55,000 after collecting the first payment, the Final Payment increases from $12,500 to $17,500. The other payment amounts remain unchanged.
Understanding the Final Payment
When setting up a payment plan, Bloom displays the Final Payment separately from the numbered payments.
For example, if you add Payment 1, Payment 2, and Payment 3, there is also a Final Payment, making four installments in total.
The Final Payment is automatically calculated based on the invoice total and the other payment amounts.
Can You Edit a Payment Plan After Collecting a Payment?
Once a payment has been collected on an invoice, the payment plan settings become locked and cannot be modified.
You can still update invoice line items and adjust the invoice total. Bloom will automatically update the payment amounts according to the payment plan type, as explained above.