Recurring invoices let you set up an invoice once and have it created, and optionally emailed to your client, on a schedule you choose. It's perfect for retainers, subscriptions, rent, memberships, or any work you bill for on a regular basis.
Note: Recurring invoices are available on the Advanced plan. If you're on another plan, you'll see an option to upgrade when you try to create a schedule.
How it works
A recurring invoice is a reusable invoice template with a schedule attached. Each time the schedule runs, we generate a brand-new invoice from your template with the next invoice number in your sequence and fresh issue and due dates.
You can have each invoice emailed to your client automatically, or created as a draft for you to review and send yourself.
Create a recurring invoice
There are two ways to set one up.
From an existing invoice
Go to your Invoices list.
Open the row menu on the invoice you want to repeat and choose Make Recurring:
Set up the schedule in the dialog (see the options below) and click Save Schedule:
The invoice becomes a recurring template, and future invoices are generated from it automatically.
From scratch
Click Recurring Schedules in the left menu:
Click New Recurring Schedule:
Build the invoice template: choose the client, add your items, taxes, and notes. A client is required before you can set up the schedule.
Open the schedule settings, choose your options, and click Save Schedule.
Schedule options
Frequency. Choose how often the invoice repeats: One time, Daily, Weekly, Bi-weekly, Monthly, Quarterly, or Annually.
Start date. The date of the first invoice. Defaults to today.
Send time. The hour of the day the invoice is created (and sent, if auto-send is on). Times use your local timezone, so the invoice goes out at the time you'd expect wherever you are.
Ends. Decide when the schedule stops:
Never ends. Keeps running until you pause or end it.
After a number of invoices. For example, stop after 12 invoices.
On date. The schedule stops after the run on that date.
Delivery: draft or auto-send
Each schedule has a delivery setting:
Create & send. The invoice is created and emailed to your client automatically at the scheduled time. Your client receives the standard invoice email with a link to view the invoice online (and the PDF attached, if you have that option enabled in your settings). This requires a valid email address on the client.
Create draft. The invoice is created as a draft in your Invoices list. Nothing is sent until you review and send it yourself.
Manage your recurring schedules
Go to Recurring Schedules in the left menu to see all your schedules in one place, including each one's status, delivery type, client, frequency, how many invoices it has created, when it ends, and its next run date.
From here you can:
Pause / Start. Temporarily stop a schedule and resume it later. Paused schedules don't create or send anything.
Edit Schedule. Change the frequency, send time, delivery, or end condition at any time.
Edit. Update the invoice template itself (items, prices, notes). Changes apply to all future invoices.
View Invoices. See every invoice this schedule has generated.
Archive or Delete. Remove schedules you no longer need.
A schedule can be Active, Paused, or Ended. Once a schedule reaches its end condition it's marked Ended and won't run again.
Good to know
Invoice numbers and dates. Each generated invoice gets the next invoice number in your normal sequence. The issue date is the day it's created, and the due date follows your due-date terms.
Month-end dates. If your schedule is anchored to the 29th, 30th, or 31st, months that are shorter use the last day of that month, then return to your original day afterward.
Failed runs. If an invoice can't be sent (for example, the client's email address is invalid), you'll see a warning on the schedule in your Recurring Schedules list so you can fix it.
Attachments. Files attached to your template are included on every generated invoice.
Questions? Reach out to us through the messenger and we're happy to help.