Recurring Invoices and Retainers

Two ways to bill on a schedule

• Recurring template (Finance → Recurring): generates an invoice from saved line items on a repeating schedule.
• Retainer (Finance → Recurring → 'Retainers & renewals'): sets up the recurring work (an engagement schedule) and its recurring invoice together, adds GST when your firm has a GSTIN, and supports an annual fee uplift.

Create a recurring template

• Open Finance → Recurring and click '+ New Template'.
• Enter a Template name and choose who it bills in 'Bill to'. A client is required.
• Choose the frequency (Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Quarterly, Yearly), an Interval (every N periods) and the start date.
• Add line items with Description, Qty and Price.
• Optionally tick 'Auto-send generated invoice' and 'Auto-charge the client's default saved payment method'.
• Click Save. The invoice is generated automatically when the next run date arrives (checked every 15 minutes).

Important: tax on templates

The template form has no tax-rate field, so its lines are saved at 0% tax. If the invoice must carry GST, use a retainer instead (its tax rate defaults to 18% when your firm has a GSTIN).

Create a retainer

• Open Finance → Recurring, click 'Retainers & renewals', then '+ New retainer'.
• Pick the Client and the Service, and an Engagement title. Writing the period placeholder (double curly braces around period) fills in the month, quarter or year for each engagement.
• Choose Repeats (Weekly, Monthly, Quarterly, Yearly), First run and the Fee per period (before GST).
• Tick 'Email each invoice to the client when it is generated' if you want it sent automatically.
• Optionally set an annual fee uplift, as a percent or fixed amount from a given date.
• Click 'Create retainer'.

What the automatic send does

• Each invoice is created as a draft and only becomes Sent if delivery to the client actually succeeds. With no recipient, or a send failure, it stays a draft for you to send.
• If an admin turned off 'Overdue invoice reminders' in Settings → Finance → Notifications, auto-send is skipped and the invoice stays a draft.
• Auto-charge needs a default saved payment method for the client (Payment Methods page). If none is found, the invoice is still created and the template owner is notified.
• The Run button on a template generates an invoice immediately, after you confirm. Use the Active checkbox to pause or resume. A template stops itself at its last run or end date.

Fee uplift, renewals and failed periods

• On the Retainers page, 'Set fee uplift' or 'Uplift…' lets you add a percent or fixed increase that takes effect from a date. The first invoice on or after that date uses the new fee and the same uplift is queued for next year.
• 'Renewals due' flags retainers with a fee uplift due or soon, ending soon, or on their last runs.
• If a period could not be created, a red box says 'N periods were not created'. Click 'Retry' to generate an invoice now, or 'Mark handled' once you have created it by hand.
• The Active checkbox on a retainer pauses or resumes both the work schedule and the billing.