Fix a Wrong Copay on a Past SimplePractice Visit
By George Ruan • October 7, 2026
Last reviewed: October 7, 2026.
To fix a wrong copay on a past visit, edit that appointment’s Client owes amount in SimplePractice to what the payer actually assigned, then deal with any money already collected: the overcharge becomes a credit that you can apply or refund to the card. Change the client’s default for future visits too, but only when the cause is something that carries forward, like a met deductible or out-of-pocket maximum.
Sections
Find out why the copay was wrong
The fix depends on the cause. In the “was this copay right?” questions practices send us, the cause is usually one of these:
It was an estimate and the EOB came back different. Copays collected before a claim processes are estimates. When EOBs arrive for past sessions, what the client owes changes, sometimes weeks later.
The deductible or out-of-pocket maximum was already met. A client who has met the deductible may owe $0 for later visits, but the copay in the EHR was never updated.
The amount exceeds what the practice agreed to charge. A client with a capped or flat per-session amount was charged more than the cap on one or more visits.
The claim had not been filed yet. We have found copays charged for visits whose claims had not gone out, so there was no payer answer to compare against.
Base the corrected number on the payer’s answer for that date of service: the EOB or ERA when the claim has processed. An eligibility check is a useful clue but not the final word. In one case, copays were refunded on the belief that the out-of-pocket maximum had been met, and the payer’s later eligibility response still showed a copay for those dates. That is why we reconcile old copays against the remittance before refunding.
Edit the past appointment
Open the client’s Overview > Billing and find the exact appointment, widening the date filter if needed.
Choose Manage > Edit details, confirm the billing type is Insurance, set Client owes to the payer-assigned amount, and save.
Leave the fee, service code, and modifiers alone if only the client’s share was wrong.
Reopen the appointment and its invoice to confirm the new amount and what the client has already paid against it.
The click path follows SimplePractice’s appointment-level billing guide, which also notes that an attached superbill can block editing. If the wrong amount came in with a posted insurance payment, its insurance-payment guide shows where Client owes is set during posting.
Settle the money already collected
Lowering Client owes on a paid visit does not send anything back to the client. The difference becomes a credit on the client’s account. From there you choose: apply it to the client’s next session, or refund it to the card it came from. In SimplePractice, a card refund is something the practice or its biller can issue directly.
When the corrected amount is higher, SimplePractice supports creating a new invoice for the remainder. Before charging it, make sure the client was told; an unexplained second charge for an old visit is the fastest way to a support call.
Check AutoPay before refunding. SimplePractice’s AutoPay guide warns that refunding a payment can reopen an invoice, and an open invoice can be charged again automatically if the balance is still due. Fix the responsibility first, then refund.
Decide whether future visits need the same fix
If the cause was a one-off, such as an EOB that assigned a different amount to a single date, fix that visit and leave the default alone. If the cause carries forward, such as a met deductible, a met out-of-pocket maximum, or a plan whose copay is actually $0, also change the client’s default so the next visit is right. When we make that change, we set responsibility to $0 provisionally until the next EOB confirms it, and only through the end of the benefit year.
Editing the EHR does not change anything the payer has. If the claim itself carried wrong information, that needs a corrected claim.
If the whole account looks off rather than one visit, start with insurance balance vs client balance.
Related Guides
Frequently Asked Questions
The client met their deductible. Should I refund past copays?
Refund what the EOBs show was overcollected for those dates. Compare each visit’s remittance with what the client paid, then refund or apply the difference as a credit.
Does lowering Client owes refund the card automatically?
No. It turns the overpayment into an account credit. Applying that credit or refunding it to the card is a separate step.
Should I change the client’s default copay too?
Only if the reason carries forward, such as a met deductible or out-of-pocket maximum. A single EOB that assigned a different amount to one date does not justify changing every future visit.
Sources
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Founded by George Ruan, Dax Earl, and Andrey Goder, Bomi helps independent therapists and group practices with insurance billing, credentialing, and payer follow-up. Bomi grew out of Dax’s experience helping his mother with her therapy practice, with a clear purpose: reduce the administrative burden of insurance while keeping practice owners in control.
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