For collection agencies and creditor rights law firms managing debt collection payment plans, one problem keeps surfacing: the balance changes after the plan is set up. Interest accrues. Court costs get added. The final amount isn't what it was when the consumer agreed to pay.
One operations manager at a national law firm told us: "We don't allow those files to make payment plans on the portal, because if judgment gets entered, the balance is going to change."
A creditor rights attorney described it plainly: "We'll set up a stip for $200 a month, they go in to pay and they set up post dates for $150. Sometimes they do more, mostly they do less."
The result? Law firms manually suppress payment plan access on in-suit accounts. HOA agencies can't use fixed plans because assessments change month to month. Consumers who want to pay are blocked from setting up their own self-service payment arrangements.
Autopay is a new type of automated payment plan with no fixed end date. The consumer picks their payment amount and frequency. The system schedules one payment at a time and keeps going until the balance reaches zero.
If the balance increases (court costs, interest, additional fees), the plan adjusts. No manual intervention. No mismatch between what was agreed and what gets paid.
This approach aligns with Regulation F (12 CFR Part 1006) requirements for clear and accurate consumer communication about payment obligations, since the consumer always sees their current balance and next payment rather than a stale schedule.
Key capabilities:
Creditor rights law firms handling post-suit, pre-judgment accounts where costs and interest may be added after judgment entry. Autopay lets consumers start paying immediately without locking into a fixed schedule that will become inaccurate. This is especially relevant as firms prepare for regulations like the NYC DCWP Shield Rule taking effect September 2026.
HOA collection agencies where assessments change monthly. Fixed payment plans don't work when the balance is a moving target. Autopay adapts automatically.
Any collection agency or firm with accounts where the final balance isn't known upfront. Interest-bearing accounts, accounts with pending cost awards, or accounts where additional fees may be assessed over time.
Autopay can be enabled globally for your organization or per account using the enable_autopay metadata flag. Contact your account manager to enable it on sandbox first so you can test the consumer experience before going live.
In Console, you'll see the Autopay badge on all open-ended plans, and reporting includes the new "Custom Autopay" checkout type so you can track adoption and performance separately from standard payment plans.
Alongside Autopay, we shipped several other updates:
For the full release notes, visit whatsnew.tratta.io.
Contact your account manager to enable Autopay on sandbox, or reach out to our team to learn more about how open-ended payment plans can work for your portfolio.
