Setting a Maximum Payment Plan Duration

Control how long clients can stretch out their payment plans by setting a maximum duration on your invoice templates.

Overview

When clients set up a payment plan on an invoice, they choose their installment amount and frequency. Without a limit, clients could create very long payment plans by choosing a small installment amount. The maximum payment plan duration setting lets you cap how many months a client's payment plan can span, giving you control over repayment timelines while still letting clients choose the plan that works best for them within your limits.

How to Set a Maximum Duration

Go to your invoice template settings. Open the invoice template you want to configure.
Find the Payment Plans section. Look for the "Max payment plan duration" field.
Enter a number of months. For example, entering 4 means clients cannot create payment plans longer than 4 months on invoices using this template.
Save your template. The limit will apply to all new invoices created from this template going forward.

If you leave this field blank, there is no maximum — clients can set up payment plans of any length.

How It Works for Clients

When a client creates a payment plan on an invoice with a duration limit:

They choose their installment amount and payment frequency as usual.
If their chosen combination would result in a plan that exceeds the maximum duration, they'll see a message like: "Payment plans for this invoice are limited to [X] months. Please increase your installment amount."
They can adjust their installment amount or frequency until the plan fits within the allowed duration.

Key Details

The limit only applies to clients. Staff members with a finance role can create payment plans of any length, regardless of the template setting. This lets you accommodate case-by-case arrangements directly.
The limit is set per template. Different invoice templates can have different maximum durations, so you can tailor limits to different types of invoices.
Existing invoices are not affected. The maximum duration is copied from the template when an invoice is created. Changing the template later won't change invoices that were already created.

FAQ

Q: What happens if I don't set a maximum duration?
A: Clients can create payment plans of any length. This is the default behavior.

Q: Can I override the limit for a specific client?
A: Yes — any staff member with a finance role can create a payment plan of any duration directly, bypassing the limit. The restriction only applies when clients set up their own plans.

Q: Does changing the limit on a template affect existing invoices?
A: No. The limit is copied to each invoice when it's created. To change the limit on an existing invoice, you would need to update the invoice directly.