Overview
When you edit an invoice, you can:
Include a Patient balance so the patient can see what they owe, or what their family owes, beyond this invoice alone
Include a Next appointment reminder for the patient, and for linked family members if you choose
Choose which family members’ balances and appointments are included
Set site defaults so new invoices start with your preferred options already selected
These options appear in the Edit invoice window and, when selected, are included when you print, download as PDF, or email the invoice.
If you do not see Invoice defaults in site Options, or the balance and appointment checkboxes when editing an invoice, the feature may not yet be available for your practice.
What appears on the invoice?
Patient balance
When Show account balance (or Show family account balance) is selected, the invoice includes a Patient balance section.
The amount shown is the patient’s patient balance — what the patient is expected to pay. It does not include amounts expected from insurance.
If more than one family member is included, each selected person (or shared account) is listed, and a Family total may appear.
Amounts owed are shown clearly. A zero balance can still appear.
This is separate from the invoice total for the visit. It gives checkout staff a quick view of the wider account position without opening statements or other screens.
Next appointment
When Show next appointment is selected, the invoice includes a Next appointment section for each selected person who has an upcoming appointment.
Each appointment shows:
Date & time
Appointment (reason)
With (practitioner)
Duration
If none of the selected patients have an upcoming appointment, the printed or emailed invoice omits the appointment section. In the edit preview you may see No upcoming appointments instead.
Where the site has a phone number set, a short reminder footer is included (arrive early / call if they cannot attend).
How to set site defaults
Use site defaults so new invoices open with your preferred options already selected. Defaults do not change choices already saved on an existing invoice.
Go to Settings → Sites.
Open the site you want to configure.
Open the Options tab.
Under Invoice defaults, set:
Include patient balances
Include next appointments
Save your site options as usual.
These settings are under Options, not Payments.
Site defaults apply when an invoice does not yet have its own saved choices. Once you save choices on an invoice, those saved choices are used instead.
How to include balances or next appointments on an invoice
Open the patient record and go to the Account tab.
Open the invoice you want to update (or create a new invoice and open it for editing).
In the Edit invoice window, use the left-hand options:
Turn on Show account balance, or Show family account balance if the patient has linked family members
Turn on Show next appointment if you want appointment reminders included
If either option is on and the patient has linked family members, use INCLUDE PATIENTS to choose who to include:
By default, only the invoice patient is selected. Other linked family members are listed but unticked
All — include every listed family member
Just this patient — include only the invoice patient
Or select or clear individual family members
Review the Patient balance and / or Next appointment sections in the invoice preview.
Click Save.
The invoice patient remains included and cannot be removed from the selection. Additional family members are only included when you select them.
When family members are available, the edit window may show a subtitle such as {lastName} family.
How to print or email an invoice with this information
Edit the invoice and choose the balance and / or next appointment options you want, then Save.
Print, download the PDF, or email the invoice as you normally would.
The same reference sections appear on:
Invoice preview in Edit invoice
Printed invoices
PDF downloads
Email attachments and automated correspondence (where the practice uses them)
Balances and next appointments are calculated when the invoice is shown or generated. They reflect the current account and diary information for the people you selected, not a frozen snapshot from an earlier date.
Automated invoice emails
When an invoice is emailed by an automation rule, the PDF can include account balances and next appointments — the same sections as a manual print or email.
What gets included
Most automated invoices have never been edited, so Dentally uses the site’s Invoice defaults:
Include patient balances
Include next appointments
Set these under Settings → Sites → Options → Invoice defaults.
If someone has already edited the invoice, chosen the options (and family members), and clicked Save, Dentally uses those saved choices instead of the site defaults.
Family members on automated emails
When there is no saved family selection, Dentally includes only the invoice patient in any enabled sections. Other linked family members are not included by default.
To include specific family members (or everyone), open Edit invoice, choose who to include under INCLUDE PATIENTS, and click Save before the automated email is sent.
If the family has 20 or more members available to include, family selection is unavailable and only the invoice patient is included.
Balances and next appointments are looked up when the PDF is generated. They are not frozen when the invoice is created.
Including family members
Patients must already be linked as family members before family selection is available.
Family selection only appears when Show account balance / Show family account balance and / or Show next appointment is turned on.
Only active family members can be selected.
If the family has 20 or more active members, family selection is unavailable. A message explains this, and only the invoice patient can be included.
By default, only the invoice patient is selected. Other family members must be ticked (or use All) to include them.
For family account setup, see How to create and manage family accounts.
Notes
Patient balance means the amount the patient is expected to pay. It is not the full account balance including insurance portions.
Turning these options on does not change invoice totals, payments, or how balances are calculated in Dentally.
There is no separate setting to hide zero balances. A balance of zero can still appear when balances are included.
Next appointment shows only the next upcoming appointment per selected person, not a full future appointment list.
If balances or appointments cannot be loaded while editing, an error message explains that they will not be included. You can still save the invoice and try again.
FAQs
Why can I not see the balance or next appointment options?
The feature may not yet be available for your practice. If it is available, open Edit invoice and check the left-hand panel. Site defaults appear under Settings → Sites → Options → Invoice defaults.
What is the difference between Show account balance and Show family account balance?
It is the same option. The label changes when the invoice patient has linked family members available to include.
Does the Patient balance include insurance?
No. Patient balance is what the patient is expected to pay — not the full account balance. Amounts expected from insurers are not included in this section.
Can I hide zero balances?
No. There is no setting to suppress zero balances. If balances are included, a balance of zero can still appear on the invoice.
What is saved when I click Save?
Dentally saves your choices: whether to include balances, whether to include next appointments, and which family members to include.
It does not freeze the balance amounts or appointment details at that moment. When you preview, print, or email the invoice later, Dentally looks up the current balances and next appointments for the people you selected.
Are the balances on a reprinted invoice the same as when I first saved it?
Not necessarily. Your saved choices (who to include and which sections to show) are reused, but the amounts and appointment details are looked up again at the time you print or email.
Do site defaults force every invoice to include balances and appointments?
No. Defaults only set the starting choices for invoices that do not already have saved options. You can change the checkboxes on any invoice before you save.
Why is a family member missing from INCLUDE PATIENTS?
Only active linked family members are listed. Families of 20 or more active members cannot use family selection.
Who is selected by default under INCLUDE PATIENTS?
Only the invoice patient. Other linked family members are listed but not selected until you tick them or choose All. The same default applies to automated invoice emails when the invoice has not been edited and saved.
Why is there no Next appointment section on the printed invoice?
Either Show next appointment was not selected and saved, or none of the selected patients have an upcoming appointment. In that case the appointment section is left off the printed or emailed invoice.