Deposit, payment plan, financing: three different answers to "I can't pay that today".
They get used as if they were the same thing, and they are not. One holds a slot before the procedure, one spreads your own invoice after it, and one hands the credit risk to somebody else. Picking the wrong one is how clinics end up chasing money they were never going to see.
What actually goes wrong
Search for veterinary payment plans and you will find pages written for pet owners, pages written by lenders, and very little written for the person at the front desk who has to decide what the clinic offers.
The three tools solve different problems. A deposit reduces the chance that a booked procedure evaporates. A payment plan spreads a bill your clinic has already earned, and makes your clinic the lender. Third-party financing moves the credit decision (and the risk) to a finance company, at a cost to you or to the client.
Most independent clinics we speak to need the first one and are being sold the third. The deposit is the only one of the three that works before the procedure, which is the moment where the revenue is actually won or lost.
What the owner sees on their phone.
Sample plan with a deposit, routine procedure. Example figures, not our prices.
| Line | Status | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Procedure, anaesthesia and monitoring | Included | $900.00 |
| Day hospitalisation and nursing | Included | $180.00 |
| Medications to go home | Included | $120.00 |
| Recheck at ten days | Recommended | $85.00 |
| Extended pain management pack | Optional | $60.00 |
- Included
- $1,200.00
- Approved total, options ticked
- $1,285.00
- Deposit at signature, 25%
- $321.00
At 25% the owner pays around $320 when they sign and the balance at discharge. That is a deposit. If instead you let them pay the whole $1,285 in four monthly instalments after the procedure, that is a payment plan. And your clinic is carrying it.
Which one fits which situation
A deposit fits anything scheduled: dentals, elective surgery, imaging with sedation, hospitalisation. It is paid before the work, it reduces no-shows, and it never turns your clinic into a lender. Typical range in the plans we see: 25% to 30% of the approved total, or a flat amount. You set it per template and you write your own terms.
A payment plan fits a bill that already exists and a client you know. It is your money, spread over time, with your clinic taking the risk of not being paid and the administrative cost of chasing it. It is a relationship decision more than a financial product, and it works best when it is rare, written down, and capped.
Third-party financing (providers such as CareCredit or Scratchpay are the ones owners ask about) moves the credit decision to a finance company. The clinic is typically paid up front; the client takes on the credit agreement, and there are costs and eligibility rules on both sides. We do not resell or recommend any of them, and we make no claim about their terms: read the current agreement before you put a brochure on your counter.
VetApprove only does the first one. It sends the plan, gets it approved and signed, and collects a deposit into your clinic's own Stripe account before the procedure. It does not lend, it does not spread payments, and we take nothing on the deposit, Stripe's fees apply.
Say it once, the same way, every time.
Copy these lines into your practice manual and change the names. The point is not the wording. It is that everyone at the counter says the same thing.
What to say when a client asks about payment plans
Five lines that answer the question honestly without promising credit you do not offer.
- 1
"We do not run a credit account, but we do split the payment in two: a deposit when you approve the plan, and the balance when you collect."
- 2
"The deposit is 25% (around $320 on this plan) and it comes off the final bill."
- 3
"That is what holds the date. Without it the slot goes back into the diary."
- 4
"If you need to spread it further than that, there are third-party financing companies that offer that; we are not involved in the agreement and you would want to read their terms carefully."
- 5
"If it helps, tell me what you can do today and I will see what we can move on the plan. Some lines are optional."
Questions clinics ask.
Is a deposit the same as a payment plan?
No. A deposit is part of the price paid before the procedure, and it is what holds the slot. A payment plan spreads a bill after the procedure, and it makes your clinic the lender. Deposits reduce your risk; payment plans increase it.
Does VetApprove offer financing or instalments?
No. VetApprove collects one deposit at signature into your clinic's own Stripe account. We are not a lender and not a payment processor: we take nothing on the deposit, Stripe's fees apply.
What about CareCredit or Scratchpay?
Those are third-party financing providers that clients often ask about. We have no partnership with any of them, we do not resell them, and we make no claim about their rates or terms. Read the current agreement yourself before recommending one.
How much of the price should the deposit be?
In the plans we see, 25% to 30% of the approved total, or a fixed amount on anything above a threshold. What matters more than the number is that it is written on the plan, in your words, before the client signs.
Can we set a different deposit for each procedure?
Yes. Deposit rules live on the template: none, a percentage, or a fixed sum. A dental and an emergency rarely deserve the same rule.
Other situations
Ten clinics. Then we close the door for a while.
We are onboarding the first cohort by hand, one clinic at a time, to get the templates right for your species and procedures. Tell us where you are and we'll send the payment link and a 15-minute slot.