How does recurring billing work?

Create a service in Smarfle marked 'recurring' with an interval (weekly/monthly/quarterly/annually). When a client signs up via the portal or you generate the first invoice, Smarfle creates a Stripe Subscription on your connected Stripe account. Stripe bills the saved card automatically every cycle. Each successful charge auto-creates a paid invoice in your CRM.

Are payments secure? Where does the money go?

Money goes straight to your Stripe account, not ours. We use Stripe Connect Express. Stripe holds the funds, transfers to your bank on your payout schedule. Smarfle never touches the money. You see the deposit in your bank within 2 business days (Standard payout) or instant (Stripe Instant Payout, fee applies).

What if a recurring charge fails?

Stripe automatically retries failed cards 3-4 times over a week. If all retries fail, Smarfle marks the subscription Past Due and emails the client a Stripe-hosted update-card link. Owner gets a notification too. The recurring invoice stays unpaid until the client fixes the card.

Billing Software for Dermatology owners

Dermatology Billing Software

Q: How does a treatment series bill?

Save the card at the first visit and each session (or each month) bills automatically through Stripe. Every charge lands on the patient's record next to the visit it covers.

Q: What happens when a membership card fails?

Smarfle retries and texts the patient a secure link to update the card. Most lapses recover without the front desk ever making the call.

Q: Can deposits and no-show fees be automatic?

Yes. A deposit holds the consult slot at booking, and the no-show fee charges the saved card under the policy the patient agreed to, no awkward phone call required.

Cosmetic revenue is series, memberships, and deposits; medical revenue is per visit. Dermatology billing has to run both without the front desk running cards by hand.

Start Free Trial See full Dermatology CRM

7 days free · No credit card · Built in Florida

Smarfle CRM. Dermatology Recurring Billing

Next 30 days

$8,420

Active subscriptions

Upcoming auto-charges

Acme Office Park

Monthly maintenance

$485

in 3 days

Riverside Apartments

Quarterly service

$1,200

in 12 days

Downtown Plaza

Monthly recurring

$320

in 18 days

West End Hotel

Bi-weekly contract

$680

in 5 days

Auto-charge enabled · Stripe Connect0.5% platform fee

Real Smarfle UI · Live data from your dermatology CRM

Why generic billing software fails dermatology owners

Generic billing tools weren’t built for dermatology. Smarfle was.

Generic billing software

What everyone else gives you

Recurring billing requires Stripe + Zapier + a spreadsheet
No way to save customer cards for future auto-charge
Failed payments don’t auto-retry or notify the customer
ACH for big invoices means logging into 3 different tools

Smarfle for Dermatology

Built for your actual workflow

Packages sold but never fully billed
Memberships churn on failed cards
No-show fees exist on paper only
Built specifically for dermatology businesses

Step-by-step

How dermatology billing works in Smarfle

From the first touch to the closed loop. No missing pieces.

1
Customer signs up for recurring service
Via portal subscribe button or office-generated first invoice. Card saves to Stripe Customer.
2
Auto-charge runs on schedule
Daily cron processes recurring invoices, charges saved cards off-session. dermatology owner sleeps; revenue lands.
3
Failed cards trigger retries + emails
Stripe auto-retries 3-4 times. If all fail, customer gets an email link to update their card. No manual chase.
4
Customer gets receipt + invoice instantly
Each successful charge fires a receipt email + creates a Paid invoice in Smarfle. Aging report stays clean.
5
Owner sees monthly recurring revenue
Subscription dashboard shows what's coming next 30 days. Cashflow forecasting actually possible.

Where dermatology billing breaks down

The friction every dermatology owner recognizes.

Packages sold but never fully billed

The six-session series was sold at the consult, but sessions get rescheduled and card runs get missed. By session five nobody is sure what was actually charged.

Memberships churn on failed cards

A quarterly Botox membership dies quietly when the card expires. Without automatic retries and a dunning text, the patient does not even know she lapsed.

No-show fees exist on paper only

The policy says $75 for a missed consult. Charging it by hand means an awkward call, so it never happens, so no-shows never change.

The math for dermatology owners

Cut AR by 80% on recurring revenue

Auto-charge saved cards for recurring service contracts. Failed payments auto-retry + email customer. The chasing-payments task disappears.

<24h

AR cycle (recurring)

70%+

Failed payments recovered

5-8h/wk

Hours saved chasing

Based on typical dermatology operations. Your numbers may vary.

Features powering dermatology billing

Each one a deep-dive in its own right.

Recurring billing on auto-pilot

Set up monthly, quarterly, or annual service plans. Customer signs up once, Smarfle bills the same card every cycle, no manual invoicing required.

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Save card on file

Stripe Customer + saved payment method per client. After their first payment, future charges run off-session. No link to click, no card to re-enter.

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Auto-charge saved cards

Daily cron auto-charges saved cards for recurring invoices. Owner gets confirmation email when payment lands; client gets a receipt. Failed cards trigger an email asking the client to update.

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Stripe Connect (your account, not ours)

Money goes straight to your bank via Stripe Connect Express. We charge 0.5% platform fee on top of Stripe's 2.9% + 30¢. ACH for invoices over $1k drops to 0.8% (cap $5).

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