Optional tipping lets clients add a gratuity when paying an invoice—and HoneyBook makes it easy to follow up if a tip isn’t left during checkout. In this article, learn how to enable tips on invoices, control when tip options appear, track gratuity payments, and set up automatic tip reminder emails that send only when no tip is received. All reminders are sent by HoneyBook, so you can encourage gratuity without awkward follow-ups.

Turn on tipping for an invoice

When creating or editing an invoice, select either the invoice or payment page
Select Tip settings:
- Desktop: Use the right-hand sidebar
- Mobile app: Use the bottom pop-up
Turn on Add option to tip. Once enabled, clients will see a tip option when they submit a payment on this invoice.

📣 Note

Gratuity isn’t available on recurring invoices. To accept tips, send a separate one-time invoice.

Choose when the tip option appears

The gratuity option appears only when a client is submitting a payment, not when they first view the file.

In Tip settings, choose when the option displays:

On each payment (desktop) / On every payment (mobile app): Clients can tip every time they submit a payment
On final payment: The tip option appears only on the last scheduled payment

On desktop, you can also choose how tip suggestions are calculated:

Entire invoice, or
Current payment

Preset percentages (for example, 18%, 20%, 25%) are suggestions only—clients may select one or select Custom amount.

Example: How tip suggestions are calculated

Invoice total: $1,500 split into three $500 payments

Tip settings	When tip appears	Suggested tip
On each payment + Current payment	Every payment	$90 each time
On final payment + Entire invoice	Final payment only	$270

View and track tips you’ve received

You can see tip payments in multiple places:

Project workspace: Tips appear in recent activity. Select View payment details for more information.
“Payments” page: From the navigation menu, select Finance > Payments to see tips listed alongside other payments

This makes it easy to track gratuity across projects and reconcile your income.

Set up an automatic tip reminder email

If your client has already completed all payments and didn’t leave a tip during checkout, HoneyBook can help you follow up automatically. You can set up automatic tip reminder emails in invoice settings, or rely on HoneyBook’s default prompts after a project is complete. Reminder emails are sent by HoneyBook—not by you—so you can follow up without the awkward nudge.

📣 Note

Tip reminder emails are available only for projects with one client and one invoice.

When creating or editing a smart file, select either the invoice or payment page
Select Tip settings, then turn on Send email reminder if tip isn’t received
If no tip was received, choose when the reminder email should be triggered:
- Project date
- Invoice fully paid date
- Project date and invoice fully paid
Choose how long after the selected trigger the email should send
- This can send the same day, or up to 2 weeks later
Preview the reminder email
- The preview shows exactly what your client will receive
- The email content can’t be edited
Once enabled, HoneyBook will automatically send the reminder email if no tip is received.

Client experience

When your client receives a tip reminder email:

Selecting Tip [your name] opens a secure payment screen
After submitting a tip, they’ll receive a confirmation email

What happens if you don’t set up an automatic reminder email

Even if you don’t set up an automated reminder email ahead of time, HoneyBook still helps you follow up. If no tip is received, all payments are completed, and the project date has passed, HoneyBook will:

Show a banner in the project workspace
Send a push notification on desktop and in the mobile app 3 days later
From the banner or notification, you can choose to manually send a tip reminder email

Tip reminder settings for smart files and templates

HoneyBook also uses smart files and template settings to control tip reminders.

The Send email reminder if tip isn’t received setting may be:
- Auto-enabled on new blank invoices
- Auto-enabled on templates in the template gallery with tipping
You can choose:
- Whether the reminder is based on the project date or invoice fully paid date
- When it sends. This can send the same day, or up to 2 weeks later.
If this setting is on:
- Default banners and push notifications are skipped
- The reminder email sends automatically at your chosen time
If this setting is off:
- Default banner and push notification behavior applies

Cancel a scheduled tip reminder email

You can cancel a scheduled reminder if a client tips early—or if you change your mind.

You’ll receive a notification 24 hours before the reminder sends
You can cancel the reminder:
- From the alert email, or
- From the notification under Notifications (bell icon) in the top-right corner of your account