Managing repeat billing manually can be time-consuming and error-prone. Recurring invoices simplify this by automatically generating and sending invoices to customers on a set schedule. In this article, you’ll learn what recurring invoices are, how to set them up, how to manage their frequency and status, and how to track payments with ease.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• What is a Recurring Invoice?
  • Key Benefits of Recurring Invoices
  • How to Create a Recurring Invoice
  • Viewing Sent Invoices and Payment Status
  • Downloading PDF for Recurring Invoices
  • Frequently Asked Questions

What is a Recurring Invoice?

A recurring invoice is a pre-scheduled invoice template that automatically sends to your customers based on the frequency you define. Instead of creating and sending invoices manually every billing cycle, you set it up once and let the system handle the rest.

Recurring invoices are especially helpful for businesses that provide ongoing services, subscription plans, or installment-based products. They not only save you time but also ensure your customers receive timely and consistent billing, improving both efficiency and customer experience.

Key Benefits of Recurring Invoices

Recurring invoices provide a reliable and efficient way to manage repeat billing. Instead of handling invoices manually each time, you can automate the process to save effort and give customers a seamless payment experience.

• Time savings: Automate repetitive invoicing tasks and focus on running your business.

• Accuracy: Reduce manual errors by using a consistent template.

• Predictable cash flow: Receive payments on a regular, dependable schedule.

• Customer convenience: Provide customers with clear, consistent billing cycles.

• Professionalism: Strengthen customer trust with timely and organized invoices.

How to Create a Recurring Invoice

Go to the Invoices Tab

Navigate to the Payments section from the left menu and click on Invoices & Estimates. This is where you can manage all your invoices, including recurring ones.

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Create a New Recurring Invoice

Click the New button in the top right corner, then select New Recurring Invoice. This option allows you to set up an invoice that automatically repeats on your chosen schedule.

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Add Business and Customer Details

Enter your business information and select the customer who will receive the invoice. You can also add products or services from your catalog, set pricing, taxes, and quantities.

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Configure Invoice Frequency

Use the How often? dropdown to define how frequently the invoice should be generated (daily, weekly, monthly, yearly, or custom intervals). This setting controls the billing cycle for your recurring invoice.

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Understanding Invoice Frequency

Frequency settings determine how often and when your invoices are generated. Here are some common patterns:

Regular Intervals: Invoices are generated at equal time gaps (for example, every 2 days, every week, or every month). Once you set the interval, invoices will keep generating until you stop them manually. Example, If the first invoice is due on July 5 and you set a 7-day interval, the next invoice will be due on July 12, then July 19, and so on.

Specific Days: Invoices can be scheduled to go out on a particular day, such as the first Monday of every month. This is useful for businesses that align billing with specific dates, such as weekly service providers or monthly retainers. Example, If the first Monday in August is August 1, the invoice will be due that day. You can also set an end condition, such as stopping the cycle after December 5 (the first Monday in December).

Annual Billing: Invoices can be scheduled once a year on the same date, making it ideal for yearly subscriptions, membership renewals, or annual service fees. Example, If you choose December 31, the invoice will be sent on that date each year. If you set the cycle to 5 occurrences, it will end after 5 years.

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Set Start and End Dates

Choose the Start Date for when the first invoice should be sent, and define the End condition (a specific date or after a certain number of occurrences). This ensures the recurring invoice runs only for the desired period.

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Send in Advance

Invoices can be sent to the customer a few days before the actual due date. This ensures customers have enough time to review and complete payment before the due date arrives. Example, If an invoice is due on July 18 but you choose to send it 2 days earlier, the customer will receive it on July 16. The next invoice due on August 1 will be sent on July 30.

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Additional Options for Recurring Invoices

Enhance your invoices with extra details and customizations. These options allow you to add policies, fees, or attachments that make your invoices more professional and tailored to your business needs.

• Terms and Conditions: Add standard policies or important notes that apply to the invoice (e.g., payment timelines, refund policies).

• Charge Late Fees: Automatically include a late payment fee if the customer misses the due date.

• Charge Processing Fees: Pass on payment gateway or transaction fees to the customer (if enabled in your payment settings).

• Include Tipping: Allow customers to add a tip on top of the invoice amount. Useful for service-based businesses.

• Add Attachment: Upload supporting documents, contracts, or additional details that should accompany the invoice.

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Best Practice: Double-check details such as frequency, price, and taxes while the invoice is still in Draft. Once a template becomes Active or Scheduled, these fields cannot be changed.

End a Recurring Invoice

From the More Options (⋮) menu inside the invoice, select End Recurring Invoice. This immediately stops any future invoices from being generated, while preserving the history of invoices already sent.

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View Invoice History

Select View History from the More Options (⋮) menu to see all invoices generated from a recurring template. This provides a complete timeline of invoices sent, their due dates, and their payment status, helping you track customer billing activity with ease.

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Status and Actions in Recurring Templates

Recurring invoice templates can have different statuses depending on where they are in the billing process. Each status determines what you can and cannot do with the template. Understanding these statuses helps you know when changes are possible and when they are locked in.

• Draft: A template is in Draft when it has been created but not yet activated. At this stage, you can freely edit or delete it. This is the best time to make adjustments to pricing, frequency, or product details.

• Active: An Active template is currently generating invoices as per its schedule. You cannot edit or delete it, but you can choose to End it if you want to stop future invoices.

• Scheduled: A Scheduled template is set up to begin generating invoices at a future date. While you cannot edit it, you can still delete or end it before the cycle starts.

• Canceled: A template marked as Canceled will not generate any further invoices. It remains visible for reference, but it can only be deleted if no invoices were ever sent from it.

• Completed: A Completed template has finished generating invoices, usually because it reached its end condition (like a set number of cycles). Like Canceled templates, it can only be deleted if no invoices were actually sent.

Manage Recurring Invoice Templates

From the Recurring Templates list view, click the More Options (⋮) menu next to a template to manage it. Available actions include:

• View History: See invoices generated by the template.

• View: Open the template to review its details.

• End: Stop future invoices while keeping past ones intact.

• Delete: Remove the template (only possible if no invoices have been sent).

• Clone: Duplicate the template for reuse with similar settings.

• Convert to Template: Save the invoice as a reusable template for automation.

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Viewing Sent Invoices and Payment Status

From the Recurring Templates page, click Details to open a side panel showing all invoices generated by that template. Each invoice will have one of the following statuses:

• Sent: Invoice was delivered successfully

• Overdue: Invoice was sent but payment is still pending

• Paid: Invoice has been paid by the customer

• Not Sent: Delivery failed due to a system error and needs to be resent

You can also view these statuses inside the invoice builder when the recurring template is scheduled.

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Downloading PDF for Recurring Invoices

• Go to Payments → Invoices.

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• Locate the active recurring invoice. Click the three-dot (⋮) menu.

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• Click on Copy Link. Open the link in a new tab.

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• Select Click Here and the PDF will start downloading.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Can you cc in recurring invoices?

At this time, GHL Customer Care does not offer a native option to automatically CC (carbon copy) recipients on recurring invoices within the recurring invoice setup flow. You can specify the primary recipient (the customer), but there’s no built-in field or UI setting to CC additional email addresses on each occurrence of a recurring invoice.

Q: Can I pause or modify a recurring invoice after it has been set up?

Yes, you can pause or edit a recurring invoice at any time. Simply navigate to the Recurring Invoices section, select the specific invoice, and update the schedule or details as needed.

Q: Will customers receive automatic reminders for unpaid recurring invoices?

GHL Customer Care does not send automatic reminders for unpaid recurring invoices by default. However, you can set up automated workflows using triggers to send reminders for overdue payments.

Q: Can I add custom notes or terms to recurring invoices?

Yes, you can include custom notes or terms in recurring invoices. This is helpful for communicating important details like payment policies or personalized messages to your customers.

Q: I Voided my Recurring Invoice, but why is the system still sending invoices to the client every month?

When you Void an invoice, you are only canceling that single month's bill. The system's underlying Recurring Schedule remains active and will continue to generate and send a new invoice each subsequent month.

To permanently stop the automated series, you must terminate the entire schedule:

• Navigate to Payments → Invoices & Estimates.

• Select the Recurring tab (on the far right of the screen).

• Find the client's active schedule and click the three dots (...).

• Select End.

Q: Why do setup fees and recurring payments show as separate line items, and will the setup fee be charged again?
Setup fees and recurring payments appear as separate line items because they serve different purposes within the same product. The setup fee is a one-time, upfront charge that is collected only once when the product is first purchased. The subscription (recurring payment) follows its own billing cycle (monthly, annually, etc.) and begins after the initial payment logic is satisfied. Paying the setup fee does not trigger it again, nor does it prevent the subscription from starting—both work together as part of the same product, just with different billing behaviors.

Q: If I add a discount to a recurring invoice, will it stay there forever? 

If you add a "Discount" to the specific Invoice Draft, it only affects that one payment. If you add a discount to the Recurring Template, it will apply to every future payment. For a one-time reduction, always edit the specific draft, not the template.

Q: Why is my first invoice showing both the setup fee and the first month fee, even though I added a trial period?
When you create an invoice for a recurring product, the invoice does not recognize the product’s trial period. The trial applies to the subscription itself, not to invoices.

Why this happens

• Invoices don’t account for trial settings.

• When you add a recurring product with a setup fee to an invoice, the system charges both the setup fee and the first recurring amount immediately.

Recommended solution is to create two separate invoices:

Invoice 1: Setup fee only (mention the trial period in the description).

Invoice 2: Recurring subscription invoice sent after the trial period ends.

This ensures the client is charged only the setup fee upfront and the recurring fee starts after the trial is over.