# Setting up a payment plan

If you can't pay the full amount right now, you can arrange to pay over time. Here's how that works today.

## How plans are set up today

There is no "set up a plan" button in the portal yet. Plans are arranged by talking to us — by phone with our agent, or by [sending a message](/for-debtors/debtor-portal/messaging-the-creditor.md) through the portal. Once you and we agree on a plan, we record the terms (down payment, monthly amount, number of months) and the plan starts on the date we agreed.

## What a typical plan looks like

Most plans we agree to look like this:

* A **down payment** today.
* **Monthly payments** for the remaining balance.
* A **plan length** of a few months — usually somewhere between 1 and 12.

There's no extra interest. The total you pay equals your current balance.

## What you'll need to know

Whenever you ask about a plan, it helps to have:

* How much you can put down today.
* How much you can pay each month.
* How many months you'd like to spread it across.

The business that placed the account has some say in what plans they'll accept. We'll let you know if the terms you proposed work, or if they want different terms.

## Paying on the plan

Once a plan is set up, plan payments go through the same payment page as any other payment in the portal — [see making a payment](/for-debtors/debtor-portal/making-a-payment.md). On the agreed dates, you log in and pay the installment. (Automatic recurring charges off a saved card are not yet wired up in the portal — every payment is one you make yourself.)

## If you miss a payment

Talk to us early. The plan stays in place if you can make up the missed amount within a short window. See [What happens if I miss a payment](/for-debtors/payment-plans/what-happens-if-i-miss-a-payment.md).

## Cost

There is no fee from us to set up a plan. Stripe's normal card-processing fees apply to each payment.

## TODO

* Wire up in-portal plan setup with a sliders UI.
* Add a "manage plan" page once plans are set up online.

***

Last reviewed: 2026-05-12 by Customer Success.


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