When an installment plan makes sense
Plans suit treatments that are costly and spread over weeks or months. The treatment itself is already in stages, so payment can follow the stages.
- RCT with crown. Several sittings, then a lab-made crown. Payment can match the root canal sittings, then the crown stage.
- Orthodontic treatment. A long course, commonly 12 to 24 months or more, with a monthly adjustment visit. A down payment and monthly instalments are the usual pattern.
- Implants. Surgery, healing, then the prosthesis. Payment often follows these steps.
- Full-mouth rehabilitation or dentures. Many visits and a significant total.
For small procedures such as a filling or scaling, a plan adds more paperwork than it is worth. Ask for payment at the visit.
Write the plan down
Most disputes about dues come from a conversation nobody wrote down. Use a one-page plan, signed or acknowledged by the patient, with these points:
- Treatment in plain words: “RCT and zirconia crown on tooth 46”, or “Metal braces, upper and lower”.
- Total cost in ₹, and what it includes. Say what is not included: extra lab work, replacement of a broken bracket, a new crown if one is lost.
- Deposit paid at the start, and when treatment begins.
- Instalments: the amount, the due dates or the stage at which each is due.
- What happens if a payment is late, stated simply and fairly.
- What happens if the patient stops treatment, and how the work done so far is billed.
- GST, if it applies to your services. Ask your CA, and read our guide to GST on dental services.
Give the patient a copy. Keep a copy in their file. If the plan changes because the doctor changes the treatment, write a new version rather than overwriting the old one.
Deposit, schedule and stage-based payments
A deposit shows commitment and covers the first costs, such as lab charges. A common approach is a larger first payment and equal instalments after that, but the right split depends on your costs and your patients. There is no standard rule.
| Treatment | A common way to schedule payment |
|---|---|
| RCT with crown | Part at the start; balance when the crown is ordered or fitted |
| Braces | Down payment at fitting; equal monthly instalments through treatment |
| Implant | Part at surgery; balance before the prosthesis is fixed |
| Dentures | Part at impression; balance at delivery |
Tie each instalment to something the patient can see, either a date or a stage of treatment. “Before we place the crown” is clearer than “after some time”. Do not hand over the final prosthesis before the agreed payment unless you have decided to extend credit knowingly.
Keep a ledger, a khata, for every patient
A plan only works if you can see at any moment what has been charged, what has been paid and what is left. Whether you use a notebook or software, the ledger should list each charge and each payment with the date and payment mode, and a running balance.
OPD Sathi supports this with treatment packages, which hold a total cost and a number of installments, and a khata for each patient showing every charge and payment, part payments and the amount due. Reports show you the dues across the clinic, so the owner sees the whole picture without opening every file. Read more about khata and billing.
Reminders that keep plans on track
Most late payments are forgetfulness rather than refusal. A short, polite reminder works well when it arrives before the due date as well as after it.
- Three days before: “Your next instalment of ₹5,000 is due on the 10th. You can pay at your visit or by UPI.”
- At the visit: tell the patient the balance before the doctor starts, not after.
- One day after: a friendly call, not a demand.
- Write down each reminder and the patient’s reply.
Monthly ortho patients are easy, because they come in anyway; make payment part of the adjustment visit. For long gaps between visits, plan the reminder around the due date.
What to do about unpaid dues
Even with a good plan, a few patients fall behind. Respond in steps, from the gentlest to the firmest, and keep a record at each step.
- Ask what happened. Job loss, illness or a family emergency are real. A conversation can lead to a revised schedule.
- Agree a new written date and amount. A smaller instalment paid on time is better than a larger one that is missed.
- Pause non-urgent steps if payment stays overdue, and tell the patient why. Do not stop emergency care, and ask the doctor to decide on clinical grounds.
- Send a written reminder with the balance and the plan’s terms.
- Write off or escalate only after the owner decides, and consider the cost of pursuing small amounts. For larger sums, take legal advice before you act.
Do not threaten patients, share their dues with others or contact their family or employer about it. It damages your reputation and may have legal consequences.
A note on EMI through finance companies
Some clinics partner with finance companies or card EMI schemes so that the patient pays the lender and the clinic receives the money up front. That is a different thing from your own installment plan. Lending is a regulated activity in India, with its own terms, charges and obligations, and the details depend on the lender and the scheme.
This guide only covers payment plans you manage yourself. If you want to offer finance-company EMI, read the lender’s agreement carefully and ask your CA or a lawyer about what it means for your clinic. And do not call your own plan an “EMI” or charge interest on it without understanding the rules that may apply.