Recurring Invoices
Set once, auto-generate on schedule.
Recurring invoices automate repetitive billing. Configure the schedule once — the system generates each invoice at the right time without manual intervention. Use this for subscriptions, monthly retainers, annual contracts billed in installments, rent, maintenance fees, or any billing that repeats on a predictable cycle.
Setting Up a Recurring Invoice
Recurring billing is enabled for the business in Settings → Recurring documents, then configured on an invoice via the Recurring pill, which opens the Make Invoice Recurring dialog.
Navigate to: Sales → Invoices → New → click the Recurring pill
Or on an existing draft: open the draft → click the Recurring pill.
Setup Fields
| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Frequency | Daily, Weekly, Bi-Weekly, Monthly (default), Quarterly, Semi-Annually, or Annually. |
| Repeat every | The interval in units of the frequency — every 2 weeks, every 3 months. |
| On Day | For Weekly and Bi-Weekly: which day of the week. |
| On Day of Month | For Monthly and longer: 1st to 31st, or Last day of month. |
| Start Date | The date the first invoice in the series should be generated. |
| Ends | Never; On Date (set an End Date); or After Occurrences (set the Number of Occurrences, e.g. 12 for a one-year monthly contract). |
| Generation Options | Create as Draft — review before sending. Create as Final — posted, ready to send. Auto-Send — generated, posted and emailed to the customer. |
| Generate how many days before due date | 0 generates on the due date itself; up to 90 days earlier. |
| Notifications | Email me when generated; Remind me before generation (N days before). |
The right-hand side of the dialog previews the next five generation dates. Click Enable Recurring; the invoice header then shows a Recurring badge.
Status Lifecycle
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| ACTIVE | The schedule is running. Invoices generate automatically per the configuration. |
| PAUSED | Generation is temporarily suspended. No invoices are created while paused. Resume to continue the schedule. |
| COMPLETED | The occurrence limit or end date has been reached. No further invoices will be generated. |
| CANCELLED | The schedule was cancelled. No further invoices will be generated. Cannot be restarted. |
Managing a Recurring Schedule
Navigate to: Sales → Invoices → open the template invoice → Recurring Schedule section
The schedule is managed on the invoice that carries it; there is no separate list page. The section shows:
- The frequency and how many invoices have been generated
- The next generation date
- Every run so far, with Success or Failed
Pausing and Resuming
Sales → Invoices → the invoice with the Recurring badge.
The schedule status changes to PAUSED. No invoices generate until resumed. Any invoice already generated is unaffected.
Click Resume. The schedule status returns to ACTIVE and generation continues from the next due date.
Stops the schedule permanently — "Future occurrences will stop. This cannot be undone."
Changes to the schedule (frequency, end rule, generation mode) apply to future generations only. Invoices already generated — whether Draft, Unpaid or Paid — are not modified. Each generated document is independent.
Generation Modes
| Mode | How It Works | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Create as Draft | Invoice is generated as a Draft on schedule. A team member reviews and posts it. | Variable billing where amounts or line items may need adjustment. Businesses that want a review step before revenue is recognized. |
| Create as Final | Invoice is generated and posted. Revenue recognized without human intervention; you send it. | Fixed recurring contracts where the amount never changes. |
| Auto-Send | Invoice is generated, posted and emailed to the customer. | High-volume subscription billing. |
Generation runs once a day; a schedule that fell behind catches up its missed periods on the next run.
Related
- The invoice the schedule copies: Creating an invoice.
- The pill that opens the schedule: Optional field pills.
- A prepaid contract instead of repeated billing: Deferred revenue.
- Repeating a journal rather than an invoice: Recurring journals.