Payment Agreement FAQs
1) What are the essential parts of a payment agreement?
Payment agreements vary depending on the terms, conditions, and parties involved. Your payment agreement should accurately reflect and outline provisions, exceptions, or penalties that are specific to your situation.
While your agreement should fit your unique circumstances, there are a few essential elements every payment agreement should include:
- Payment timeline
- Payment method
- Interest rate
- Terms and conditions
- Parties involved
- Contact information
- Dispute resolution policy
- Signatures
By including the information above, you’ll ensure your agreement covers the key factors related to the loan. Including these elements will help your borrowers know exactly what they are agreeing to and protect your organization from potential disputes.
2) Who needs a payment agreement and when?
Payment agreements are a vital part of any financial lending transaction. For any two parties engaged in a loan or lending, having a thorough payment agreement is crucial. These agreements protect both parties and create a clear plan for both to follow.
Common payment agreement users include
- Financial institutions
- Businesses
- Borrowers
- Government entities
Any set of consenting parties that enter into a payment or installment plan should use a payment agreement. These agreements keep both parties accountable for their part of the contract and ensure there are no misunderstandings or issues regarding the terms of payment.
3) How does a payment agreement work?
By signing a payment agreement, both the lender(s) and borrower(s) agree to abide by the terms laid out in the document. If either party breaches these terms, they’re subject to legal action.
Payment agreements are similar to receipts or invoices. However, instead of documenting a single payment, they lay out a structure in which borrowers will pay back lenders over a set period of time. These agreements also hold lenders accountable for the terms set at the inception of a loan, protecting borrowers against any unfair or unforeseen changes.
Since these documents are legally binding, it’s vital that they use clear language to ensure both parties can carefully consider the terms before signing.
4) What are the common use cases of payment agreements?
A payment agreement is a universally used document for any long-term payment transaction. Here are the most common use cases for these types of agreements:
- Car loans
- House loans
- Personal loans
- Payment plans
- Tax payments
- Debt payments
In any situation where you may be lending money to a borrower, be sure to have a payment agreement in place. This type of agreement holds both parties accountable for upholding the terms you’ve agreed upon.
To save time creating these documents, consider using a payment agreement template like this one. A template offers a reusable and customizable resource that saves time, money, and effort during the already-complex lending process.
5) How do I create a payment agreement?
You can create a payment agreement from scratch to ensure your document has the exact language you need. Jotform has the tools to help you make a payment agreement by following these simple steps.
- Open Jotform’s Form Builder.
- Add your organization’s name and logo at the top.
- Change the form title to “Payment Agreement” or whatever fits your needs.
- On the left, click the Add Form Element (+) button to choose your form fields.
- Drag and drop the fields you want into the form.
- Click the blue Form Designer button on the right of the form builder to customize the form’s design.
- Once you’re done designing your form, select the Publish button in the top right to share it with your borrower.
If you’re sending a high volume of agreements or want to streamline the form-creation process, you can use this payment agreement template from Jotform instead. Update the text and fields as necessary, and adjust your visuals to match your brand’s aesthetic. Once your template is complete, you can share it as many times as you need.
6) How do I customize a payment agreement template?
While using templates is a helpful way to save time, most won’t fit your exact needs. However, you can easily customize your template with Jotform in minutes.
For example, to make Jotform’s payment agreement template your own, customize it using the Jotform Sign Builder. Simply click the Use Template button in the upper-right corner of the template to get started. Once you’ve opened the template, you can fill in form fields, update the text, add fields, and customize your visuals to fit your unique needs.
You can also use an existing template. Simply upload it to Jotform Sign and customize the visuals, language, and form fields. You can add e-signature capabilities to streamline the agreement process.