How to Use SimplePractice for Superbills, Invoices, and Online Payments
You finish a session, open SimplePractice, and click into Billing, and suddenly you’re looking at invoices, statements, receipts, and superbills.
They all involve money.
They do not all do the same job.
And when you’re building a private practice, billing is one of those things that can feel weirdly intimidating until someone shows you what each piece is actually for.
The good news is that the system becomes much easier once you understand the order.
An invoice tells your client what they owe. A receipt confirms that they paid. A statement gives them a billing history. A SimplePractice superbill gives out-of-network client information they may submit to their health plan when asking for reimbursement.
This guide walks through SimplePractice billing, SimplePractice invoices, superbills, statements, receipts, payments, and the settings worth checking before you automate anything.
SimplePractice Billing Explained in 60 Seconds
SimplePractice currently supports invoices, statements, superbills, and receipts as separate client billing records. Its billing setup guide explains the basic purpose of each.
| Document | What It Does | When You May Use It |
|---|---|---|
| Invoice | Shows what the client owes | When billing for a session or product |
| Statement | Summarizes invoices and payments | When a client needs billing history |
| Superbill | Gives insurance-related service information | When a client seeks out-of-network reimbursement |
| Receipt | Confirms that payment was received | After a payment is recorded |
The distinction matters because sending the wrong document can create confusion for you and your client.
A receipt does not replace an invoice.
A statement is not a superbill.
And a superbill does not guarantee that an insurance company will send your client money.
Once those four pieces are clear, the rest of SimplePractice billing starts to make a lot more sense.
How SimplePractice Billing Works
There is one SimplePractice rule I would understand before touching any automation.
An appointment is not part of the client’s balance until it has been invoiced.
SimplePractice’s invoice instructions state that an appointment remains marked as uninvoked until an invoice is created. That amount does not become part of the client’s overall balance until then.
This matters if you collect payment after each session, use AutoPay, or are trying to figure out why a client balance does not match the appointments you see on the calendar.
SimplePractice also lets you identify clients as self-pay or insurance, depending on how their appointments are billed. The current client settings guide explains that this selection can be set for individual and group appointments.
For this article, we’re mostly talking about the client side of billing.
Insurance claims are a separate workflow from giving a client a superbill.
What Is a SimplePractice Invoice?
A SimplePractice invoice is the document that shows a financial obligation for services or products provided to a client.
According to SimplePractice’s billing document guide, invoices can include client information, provider information, the issue and due dates, dates of service, service descriptions, charges, payments already applied, the remaining balance, and a notes field.
Think of the invoice as the starting point for client billing.
The session happened.
The invoice says what the client owes for it.
How do you create an invoice in SimplePractice?
You can create invoices manually or let SimplePractice create them for you.
If you collect payment during or right after an appointment, SimplePractice’s session billing instructions show an option to select the appointment, choose Create Invoice & Add Payment, select the payment method, and record or charge the amount.
You can also set invoice creation to daily, monthly, or manual under your client billing document settings. The client billing guide says most practices choose daily invoice creation when they collect payment around the time of the appointment.
Daily, monthly, or manual invoices?
There isn’t one setting that fits every private practice.
If clients usually pay after every session, daily invoices may keep the process simple.
If you bill clients together at a set point each month, monthly invoicing may fit the way you work.
Manual invoicing gives you more control, but it also means you have to remember to create the invoice yourself.
And this is where one tiny forgotten step becomes a bigger billing mystery later.
If the invoice does not exist, that appointment is still uninvoiced.
What Is a SimplePractice Superbill?
A SimplePractice superbill is also called a Statement for Insurance Reimbursement.
SimplePractice describes it as a document a client can submit to an insurance payer when seeking reimbursement for out-of-network services. Its superbill guide says the document contains more insurance information than a regular statement, including CPT codes and diagnosis information.
So, no, a superbill and an invoice are not interchangeable.
An invoice tells the client what they owe.
A superbill gives the client documentation for an insurance reimbursement request.
That distinction is worth remembering.
What information appears on a SimplePractice superbill?
SimplePractice’s billing document reference lists information that can appear on a superbill, including:
Client demographic information
Insurance information when it has been added
Provider information
Diagnosis codes
Dates of service
Place of Service codes
CPT codes
Service descriptions
Amount charged
Payments received
Reimbursement recipient
SimplePractice also says you need to enter a diagnosis before creating a superbill. The diagnosis must apply to the dates of service being included. Its superbill instructions explain that if a diagnosis is missing from the document, you should check whether the diagnosis date begins before the applicable appointment.
That is an easy detail to miss when you are creating a superbill for the first time.
Does a superbill guarantee reimbursement?
No.
A superbill gives the client documentation to submit. It does not decide what the health plan covers.
CMS explains in its health insurance terms guide that out-of-network coverage depends on the health plan and that clients generally pay more for out-of-network care when their plan covers it.
Some plans may not cover out-of-network services at all. CMS’s current care planning guide specifically warns that out-of-network providers can cost more and may not be covered by a client’s plan.
That is why I would never promise a client a certain reimbursement amount.
They can contact their insurance company and ask about their own out-of-network mental health benefits.
How to Create a Superbill in SimplePractice
The manual process is fairly short once the client information is ready.
SimplePractice’s current superbill steps instruct clinicians to:
Open the client profile.
Go to the Billing tab.
Choose the date range.
Select New, then Superbill.
Select the appointments to include.
Create the superbill.
Once created, the superbill can be printed, downloaded as a PDF, emailed, or deleted.
Why is an appointment missing?
An appointment can only appear on one superbill at a time.
If an appointment is already attached to an existing superbill, SimplePractice says it will not appear as an option when you create another one. You would need to delete the old superbill before creating a replacement. The same rule appears in the official Superbill FAQ.
What if something on the superbill is wrong?
This is another setting that surprises people.
Once a superbill is created, its associated appointments become locked.
SimplePractice’s appointment instructions explain that if an appointment is locked because of a superbill, you must remove the superbill before editing that appointment.
If you need to preserve the old version for your records, SimplePractice recommends downloading the superbill before deleting it. You can then correct the appointment and create a new superbill.
Can SimplePractice Automatically Create Superbills?
Yes.
If you have clients who need a superbill every month, you do not necessarily need to create one by hand every time.
Under Settings > Client billing and insurance > Client billing documents, SimplePractice allows practices to choose a day of the following month for automatic superbill creation. Its automation guide says the first or second day of the month can work well when payments are recorded at the time of the appointment.
If payments are usually recorded later, choosing a later date may give those payments time to appear correctly.
There is also a client-level setting.
SimplePractice allows you to decide which clients should automatically receive monthly statements or superbills. Its client billing settings show that these choices are separate from the practice-wide invoice settings.
That means you can create a system that fits individual clients rather than sending every billing document to everyone.
Invoice vs Statement vs Superbill vs Receipt
If these documents still feel too similar, use this rule.
Send an invoice when the client owes money.
An invoice creates the client’s financial obligation for the service or product. SimplePractice’s invoice guide confirms that an uninvoiced appointment is not yet included in the client’s overall balance.
Send a statement when the client needs billing history.
A statement summarizes invoices and payments during a selected date range.
SimplePractice says statements can show the beginning balance, itemized invoices, payments, and ending balance. Its statement guide says statements are intended for record keeping and tax purposes rather than insurance reimbursement.
Send a superbill for an insurance reimbursement request.
A superbill contains the service and insurance information an out-of-network client may need when asking their health plan for reimbursement.
Give a receipt after payment.
Receipts confirm that a payment was received.
SimplePractice’s receipt guide says receipts are automatically created when payments are added through the practice account or Client Portal. They show information such as the payment date, amount, provider, and payment method.
Receipts cannot be edited or deleted after creation.
A Simple Cash Pay and Out-of-Network Workflow
If you run a cash pay practice and give clients superbills, the workflow may look something like this:
Appointment → Invoice → Payment → Receipt → Superbill → Client submits the superbill
SimplePractice’s out-of-network guide describes the common superbill process as the client paying the clinician’s full appointment fee, receiving a superbill, and submitting that document to their insurance company.
This does not mean every therapist has to use that exact workflow.
But it gives you a clear picture of where each document fits.
The invoice handles what the client owes you.
The receipt confirms what they paid you.
The superbill gives them the insurance information connected to that care.
Three different jobs.
Three different documents.
How Client Payments Work in SimplePractice
Clients can pay through the Client Portal when online payments are set up, and they have an outstanding balance. SimplePractice explains this in its client billing guide.
You can also record payments from within the practice account.
SimplePractice currently lets practitioners add payments through the calendar, an unpaid invoice, or the client’s billing area. Its payment instructions also cover partial payments and payment allocation.
What about AutoPay?
AutoPay charges clients after invoices are created.
SimplePractice’s AutoPay guide says enrolled clients are charged their full invoiced amount overnight, generally between midnight and 6 AM in the practice’s local time zone.
There is one sentence in that guide I would mentally underline.
If an appointment has not been invoiced, AutoPay will not charge it.
That is why invoice settings come before AutoPay settings.
And before enrolling a client, check their current invoiced balance. You do not want to turn on AutoPay and discover that an older balance was sitting there waiting to be charged.
SimplePractice Billing Mistakes to Check
Billing software can save you a lot of repetitive work.
It can also repeat a mistake very efficiently.
Before turning everything automatic, check these areas.
1. The diagnosis date is wrong.
If the diagnosis begins after the dates of service, it may not appear correctly on the superbill. SimplePractice explains this in its diagnosis instructions.
2. You expect partial payments on a superbill.
SimplePractice states that superbills do not show partial payments. An appointment appears as paid only when its associated invoice is marked paid.
3. You create a second superbill for the same appointment.
One appointment can only belong to one superbill at a time.
4. You forget about uninvoiced appointments.
SimplePractice’s billing summary guide separates uninvoiced amounts from unpaid invoices. If the appointment never became an invoice, it can sit outside the client balance you expected to see.
5. You delete a document without checking the billing effect.
Billing records are connected.
When you change fees, delete invoices, move payments, or recreate superbills, review the client’s billing summary afterward.
6. Your service code or rate is wrong.
Every SimplePractice appointment requires a service code, even when you are not billing insurance. The current service code guide says those codes and descriptions can appear on invoices, statements, and superbills.
Check the rate and code before the appointment becomes part of a billing document.
In the future, you will be grateful.
Review How Billing Documents Reach Clients
Creating the right document is only half the setup.
You also need to decide how clients receive it.
SimplePractice’s billing automation settings allow practices to email billing documents as attachments or send an email that asks clients to sign in to the Client Portal.
When the Client Portal option is used, SimplePractice states that protected health information is not included in the email notification itself.
You can also choose not to send documents automatically and handle delivery manually.
If you are new to the system, I would test the process before turning every automation on.
Create a sample workflow.
Look at what the client sees.
Check the document.
Then automate the parts you actually want automated.
Build the Practice Around the Billing System
Getting your SimplePractice billing organized can remove one very noisy question from your brain.
But invoices and superbills are only one piece of private practice.
You still have the business setup, paperwork, fees, client experience, marketing, and all the other things nobody handed you a neat little checklist for in grad school.
If you’re building those pieces now, visit The Private Practice Pro for practical resources created for therapists building and filling a private practice. If you’re not sure which resource fits where you are right now, you can also contact The Private Practice Pro and tell us what you’re working through.
You do not have to figure every part out today.
You only need the next step.
Frequently Asked Questions About SimplePractice Billing
What is the difference between a SimplePractice invoice and a superbill?
An invoice shows what a client owes for services or products, while a superbill gives out-of-network client information they may submit to an insurance payer. SimplePractice’s billing document guide explains that superbills contain items such as CPT codes, diagnosis codes, and insurance information that regular invoices do not serve the same purpose for.
Does SimplePractice automatically create superbills?
Yes, SimplePractice can create monthly superbills automatically. Its automation settings let practices choose the day of the following month for creation, while client-level settings determine which clients receive automatic monthly superbills.
Does a client need to pay before receiving a superbill?
SimplePractice can create a superbill based on the relevant appointments, but its common out-of-network workflow describes the client paying the full appointment fee before receiving the superbill. SimplePractice also notes that an appointment only appears as paid on the superbill when its associated invoice is marked paid.
Can I edit a SimplePractice superbill after creating it?
Not directly. Creating a superbill locks the associated appointments, so SimplePractice’s superbill instructions say you must delete the superbill before changing those appointment details and then create a new version.
Does a SimplePractice superbill guarantee insurance reimbursement?
No. A superbill gives the client information to submit to the health plan, but it does not decide whether the plan covers the service or how much the client may receive. CMS explains in its insurance terms guide that out-of-network costs and coverage depend on the individual health plan.
