How to Set Up Recurring Invoices in CrmLeaf
All editions. Core feature - no add-on required.
Availability: All editions. Core feature - no add-on required.
Overview
A recurring invoice bills the same client the same amount on a repeating schedule, so retainers, subscriptions and maintenance fees do not have to be raised by hand each period. You set the frequency once and control whether the schedule is active.
How It Works
You define the invoice content and a recurrence frequency. While the recurring invoice is active, invoices are generated on that schedule and follow the normal invoice statuses.
Define invoice → Set frequency → Activate → Invoices generate → Collect payment
- Available frequencies are daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and annually.
- A recurring invoice is either active or inactive. Setting it to inactive stops further invoices being generated.
- Each generated invoice behaves as an ordinary invoice, moving through
draft,unpaid,partial,paidorcanceled. - Clients pay each generated invoice on its own signed public payment page.
Who Can Use This Feature?
User
- Create a recurring invoice and choose its frequency.
- Set the recurring invoice to active or inactive.
- Review the invoices generated from the schedule and record their payments.
Access depends on the modules and role assigned by your Administrator. Invoice visibility follows the ownership-based permission scope set for your role.
Prerequisites
- A client record must exist.
- Invoice settings, including the numbering prefix and due-after days, should be configured.
- Currencies and tax rates must be configured.
- To collect payment online, a payment gateway must be configured for your company.
For Users
Step 1: Open the Invoices screen
What to do: Open the invoices area and go to the recurring invoices list to see which schedules already exist for the client.
What to verify: No duplicate schedule exists for the same billing.
Step 2: Create the recurring invoice
What to do: Select Add and complete the invoice content: the client, the currency, the line items, and the tax rates and discount that apply. This content is used for every invoice the schedule generates.
What to verify: The totals are the amount you intend to bill every period.
Step 3: Set the recurrence frequency
What to do: Select the frequency: daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly or annually. Select Save.
What to verify: The saved record shows the frequency you selected.
Step 4: Activate the schedule
What to do: Set the recurring invoice to active so invoices are generated. Leave it inactive if you want to prepare the schedule without billing yet.
What to verify: The recurring invoice is marked active.
Step 5: Review generated invoices
What to do: Check Sales → Invoices each period to confirm the invoice was generated, then send it and record payment as you would for any invoice.
What to verify: A new invoice exists for the period, with a status that reflects whether it has been paid.
Step 6: Stop or change the schedule
What to do: When the client's contract ends or the amount changes, use Edit to change the frequency or content, or set the recurring invoice to inactive to stop generation.
What to verify: No further invoices are generated after the schedule is set to inactive.
Field and Option Reference
| Field / Option | Description | Required |
|---|---|---|
| Client | The client billed on each cycle. | Yes |
| Frequency | How often an invoice is generated: daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly or annually. | Yes |
| Active / inactive | Controls whether the schedule generates invoices. | Yes |
| Line items | The content repeated on every generated invoice. | Yes |
| Currency | The currency each generated invoice is raised in. | Yes |
Expected Result
The recurring invoice is saved with the selected frequency. While it is active, an invoice is generated for each cycle and appears in Invoices to be sent and paid like any other invoice.
Why This Matters for Service Organisations
A large share of stable service revenue is not project revenue. Retainers, managed services, support agreements and AMC-style arrangements all bill the same amount on the same cycle, and raising each one by hand is both slow and easy to forget in a busy month. A recurring invoice makes that revenue arrive without anyone remembering to trigger it.
How It Supports Professional Services
- Daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and annual frequencies cover the way most retainers and managed service agreements are written.
- Each generated invoice is an ordinary invoice with the standard statuses and its own signed public payment page, so retainer collection is tracked exactly like project billing.
- Setting the schedule inactive stops generation without disturbing invoices already raised, which is how a paused engagement or a client on hold is handled.
- A recurring invoice bills a fixed content, not consumed hours. Service organisations that sell a retainer with an hour allowance typically run the fixed schedule for the fee and bill any excess separately from approved billable timelogs.
- Because the schedule holds its own line items, the fee can be described the way the agreement describes it rather than as an hour count.
Typical Service Workflow
Contract → Recurring schedule → Invoice each period → Payment → Renewal
This is the bill step for continuing revenue. The product generates the invoice on the schedule while it is active; aligning the schedule with a contract term, and stopping it when the term ends, are practices the organisation operates — the contract and the schedule are not linked by the product.
Other Product-Type Use Cases
Any repeating charge fits the same schedule: a software subscription, an equipment rental, or a maintenance plan following a solar or construction handover.
Related PSA Capabilities
- How to Create and E-Sign Contracts — the retainer or managed service agreement the schedule bills against.
- How to Bill Tracked Time on an Invoice — how work beyond a retainer allowance is billed alongside the fixed fee.
- How to Record Payments and Configure Payment Gateways — collecting each cycle's invoice.
- How to Create and Send Invoices — the behaviour every generated invoice follows.
Important Notes
- Menu names and their position can differ between product editions and can be customised for your account, so your sidebar may not match these paths exactly. Use Search or your Quick Access items if you cannot find a screen.
- Setting a recurring invoice to inactive stops future generation. It does not cancel invoices that have already been generated.
- Editing the recurring invoice changes future invoices only. Correct an already generated invoice on the invoice itself.
- Recurring billing through a gateway depends on that gateway supporting it. Confirm the arrangement with your Administrator before promising automatic collection.
Common Scenarios
Example: a monthly retainer. A client pays a fixed monthly fee. You create a recurring invoice with a monthly frequency and set it to active, so the invoice is raised every month without manual work.
Example: pausing a subscription. A client pauses their service for a quarter. You set the recurring invoice to inactive, then set it back to active when the service resumes.
Troubleshooting
| Issue | Possible Cause | Resolution |
|---|---|---|
| No invoice was generated this period | The recurring invoice is inactive | Set the recurring invoice to active. |
| Invoices are generated too often | The wrong frequency was selected | Use Edit to change the frequency to the correct interval. |
| The generated invoice shows the old amount | The recurring invoice was edited after that invoice was generated | Correct the already generated invoice directly, or cancel it and raise a replacement. |
| The client was billed twice | Two recurring invoices exist for the same billing | Set one of the duplicate schedules to inactive and cancel the surplus invoice. |
Frequently Asked Questions
What frequencies are available?
Daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and annually.
How do I stop a recurring invoice?
Set it to inactive. No further invoices are generated, and existing invoices remain unchanged.
Do generated invoices behave like normal invoices?
Yes. Each one follows the standard invoice statuses and is paid on its own signed public payment page.
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