Help Center / Invoicing and payments /
Invoice subscriptions - recurring billing
Recurring billing (auto billing) charges a client's saved card automatically on each billing cycle. The client enters their card details once during the first payment, and every future cycle charges the stored card without any client action. This is the Subscription (auto billing) option when creating a subscription.
Setting up auto billing
- Open the Subscriptions page from the main menu (under Financials), or press
Cand select Subscription. - Add line items with amounts, descriptions, quantities, tax rates, and discounts.
- In the right panel, set the Subscriber and optionally link to a project.
- Under Schedule, set the repeat interval (every X days, weeks, months, or years) and a Start date.
- Under Billing method, select Subscription (auto billing).
- Select a payment method that supports recurring payments. Stripe and Square both support auto billing. PayPal and bank transfer do not appear as options for auto billing subscriptions.
- Click Create subscription. A confirmation dialog shows the amount, billing type, schedule, and start date.
How auto billing works
Once created, the client receives the first invoice with a payment link. The client pays and their card details are stored securely by the payment provider. From that point, every future billing cycle charges the stored card automatically. On each successful charge, the client receives a receipt instead of an invoice.
Recurring billing vs recurring invoicing
Recurring invoicing (manual billing) generates and sends an invoice each cycle, and the client pays manually every time. Recurring billing (auto billing) charges the saved card the moment the invoice is generated, with no client action needed. Both use the same subscription setup; the only difference is the Billing method you select.
Failed charges and retries
When an automatic charge fails (declined card, insufficient funds, or an expired card), the invoice is still generated and sent to the client with a payment link so they can pay manually or update their card details. You can retry a failed charge from the subscription detail page. After repeated failures (up to 10 retries), the subscription status changes to Failed.
Supported payment providers
Auto billing requires a payment provider that supports saving cards and charging them on a schedule. Currently:
- Stripe - supports auto billing (card and ACH).
- Square - supports auto billing (card).
- PayPal - does not support auto billing.
- Bank transfer - does not support auto billing.
