Some clients cannot sign, pay or reply for themselves: a child, or an adult under guardianship or power of attorney. Carepatron records them as dependents. A dependent has a parent or guardian on file, and that person signs forms, receives invoices and gets reminders on the client's behalf. The client keeps their own record, notes and balance.
This article is for practitioners and admins who set up client records. A guardian using the client portal should read the client portal guide instead.
In this article:
Individual or dependent
Every client has a type. You choose it when you create the client, and it shows as a tag beside their name and as a column in the Clients list. Age does not set the type; you do.
Individual | Care decisions are made by the client. They sign, pay and receive messages themselves. This is the default. |
Dependent | Care decisions are made by a parent or guardian. The guardian holds the roles below. A dependent can be a child or an adult. |
Type tag | Shown beside the client's name on their record and in the Type column of the Clients list. An amber warning on the tag means no guardian is linked yet. |
Type filter | The Type chip above the Clients list shows All types, Individual or Dependent. |
Type column | Hide or show it from the Show menu on the Clients list. Hiding the column changes nothing about the client. |
Clients list with the Type column beside Status, a mix of Individual and Dependent tags, and the Type filter chip visible.
Note: Age does not set the type. A client whose date of birth makes them a minor stays an individual until you choose Dependent.
What a guardian can do
A guardian is a contact linked to the dependent through a relationship. Six switches on that relationship decide what they do for the client. A dependent cannot hold these roles themselves.
Signs on the client's behalf | Signs consent and intake forms for the client. Intake forms are sent to this person. |
Billing contact | Invoices for the client are billed to this person. New invoices default to them. |
Receives reminders and notifications | Appointment reminders and messages. Reminders can go to more than one person. |
Portal access | Invites the guardian to the client portal with their own login. |
Share information access | Lets the guardian see the client's information. |
Emergency contact | The person to contact in an emergency. |
Permissions & responsibilities for a first guardian: all six switches, Signs on behalf and Billing contact on and locked, with both grey callouts.
Note: The first guardian you add is the only one who can sign or be billed, so those two switches are on and locked. Reminders are on; the other three start off.
Primary billing contact and primary signatory
The first guardian who holds a role becomes the primary holder of it. The Relationships tab shows this as the tags Primary billing contact and Primary signatory. New invoices default to the primary billing contact. Intake forms go to the primary signatory. A second guardian can hold the same role, and the first stays primary until you change it from the current primary's relationship.
If you switch off a primary's role or delete their relationship, nobody is primary until you pick someone. Until then a new invoice for the dependent has no Bill to filled in.
A dependent's Relationships tab with two guardians: one tagged Primary billing contact and Primary signatory, the other with Notifications only.
Where things go for a dependent
Once a guardian holds a role, Carepatron routes the right things to them. The client's record, balance and documents stay on the client.
New invoices | Bill to defaults to the primary billing contact. You can pick someone else on any invoice. |
Invoice emails and reminders | Go to the person in Bill to, including overdue reminders and failed payment notices. |
Intake forms | Addressed to the guardian who signs on the client's behalf. They complete and sign as themselves, for the client. |
Appointments | When exactly one person signs for the dependent, that guardian is added to the booking as an attendee. |
Appointment reminders | Go to the client and to every guardian with Receives reminders and notifications on. |
Client balance | Stays on the dependent's record. The guardian receives and pays the invoice; nothing moves to the guardian's account. |
Secure messages and email | Go to whoever you address them to. Nothing routes to the guardian automatically in this release. |
Important: Changing the billing contact does not change invoices you have already created. Edit each open invoice if a different person should pay it.
Dependents with no guardian yet
A dependent with nobody responsible shows a warning until you add someone. The Clients list counts them and can filter to them.
Open the Clients page. A banner counts the dependents who do not have a parent or guardian yet.
Click Review on the banner to filter the list to those clients only.
Open a client. Their record shows the same warning with an Add parent or guardian button.
Click it and add the guardian. The warning clears once someone is linked.
Clients list banner, Review, the filtered list with the amber Type tag, open the record, Add parent or guardian, warning gone.
Note: The banner reads: dependents don't have a parent or guardian yet. Add one so billing, forms, and notifications go to the right person.
Change a client's type
A client can only be one type. Changing it updates how they are billed, signed for and communicated with. Everyone linked to them stays linked.
On the Clients page, open the row menu for the client and choose Change client type.
Choose Individual or Dependent. A sentence under the cards explains what will change.
Read the notice about linked guardians. When you switch to Individual, a linked guardian keeps every role they hold.
Click Change type. The tag beside the client's name updates straight away.
Change client type dialog with Individual selected and the notice that the linked guardian keeps their roles.
Important: Switching a client to Individual does not remove their guardian or the guardian's roles. Remove or edit the relationship separately if the adult should no longer sign, pay or receive reminders.
Frequently asked questions
Can an adult be a dependent?
Yes. Use Dependent for any client whose decisions are made by someone else, such as an adult under guardianship or power of attorney.
Does the balance move to the guardian?
No. The balance stays on the client's record; the guardian receives and pays the invoice on the client's behalf.
Can two guardians both get reminders?
Yes. Switch on Receives reminders and notifications for each of them.
Does a guardian need a portal login?
Only if you switch on Portal access for them. Invite them from the dependent's Relationships tab so the login is theirs.
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