Recurring invoices: a quick guide

If you already rely on invoicing as part of your billing process, but are looking to add some efficiency and automation, you might want to consider recurring invoices. Recurring invoices are invoices that are automatically generated and sent to customers at regular intervals, such as weekly, bi-weekly, and monthly. 

Autobooks offers an easy way to create recurring invoices that can be sent to customers via email. These invoices can be paid online with a credit or debit card or even by ACH payment. 

The following guide includes updates that have been made to the Autobooks invoicing template, as of February 2024. View recent product updates.

The benefits of recurring invoices 

Recurring invoices are ideal when you need to bill a customer for the same amount on a regular, predetermined basis. They’re commonly used by many kinds of businesses, but especially those that sell through subscriptions, lease or rent properties, or provide ongoing services (to name just a few).  

The benefits of recurring invoices are many. By relying on recurring invoices, your business can save time, gain some clarity around cash flow, and even make it more convenient for paying customers.  

How to set up recurring invoices with Autobooks 

Most Autobooks users can simply click on Send an invoice inside their online or mobile banking dashboard, then quickly create a new recurring invoice from there. If that option is not available, just select Autobooks from the main menu. 

1. Once you’ve entered Autobooks, select Invoicing from the left navigation. Next click the Invoices tab.
2. At the top of the screen, click the New recurring invoice button on the right. 

The recurring invoice template 

The recurring invoice template offers a ready-made, professional invoice that can be completed in just a few steps.   

Because you are setting up a recurring schedule within your invoice template, you will need to provider some additional information. There are a few required fields labelled with a red asterisk, such as the customer’s name, start date, and price. 

To complete a recurring invoice: 

In the Customer field, add the name of your customer or select them from the list if you’ve billed them before. 

Note: Once you’ve input your customer’s information, your invoice will be automatically saved as a draft (and labelled as such). You can access your draft at any time from your list of invoices, accessed inside the Invoices tab. 

In the Frequency field, select from the list how often you would like to bill your customer: weekly, monthly, or bi-weekly. 

Weekly/Bi-Weekly - For these options, you will choose the day of the week that you would like your invoice sent. 

Monthly - You will choose the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, or last specific day of the month to send the invoice (for example, the 3rd Tuesday of the month). You can also choose a specific date (the 17th, for example) of the month to send the invoice 

In the Start date field, choose the date that the recurring invoice will be sent. Note: if you select a specific date/day of the month for delivery, the invoice will not begin until that qualifying date. 

In the Days until due field, enter the number of days before the invoice is due (sometimes called a grace period).  

In the Frequency option field, provide the number of times you would like to send this invoice to your customer. Or you can instead choose a specific date to end the recurring invoice (invoicing will stop on this date and the schedule will no longer run). 

The rest of the recurring invoice template is identical to the regular invoice template.  

At bottom, you will need enter the Product/Service in the field provided, as well as the Quantity (Qty) and Price. 

Although you are not required to provide a Description, this information can go a long way in helping your customer to make sense of your invoice. 

You also have the option to add line items and even a sales tax. Just click those respective links to add those options to your recurring invoice. Note: When sales tax is turned on, you can decide which line items have sales tax applied. 

To review a draft of your recurring invoice: 

Because your recurring invoice is saved automatically as a draft, you can always exit the template screen and return to it at any time. To access a recurring invoice draft, select the Invoices tab. You will see your draft in the list provided.  

 When you click a specific draft, you will see several options to the right of the list: 

• Edit Draft Invoice 
• Copy Draft Invoice 
• Cancel Draft Invoice 

 If you wish to return to your draft, click the first option, Edit Draft Invoice. 

How to send a recurring invoice to a customer 

 After you have completed your recurring invoice template, just click Send invoice to email your customer. Before sending out, be sure to click the Preview Invoice option to see what your customer will see when receiving this invoice.  

After sending your invoice, you can always review it in your invoices list inside the Invoice Schedules tab.   

Ready to collect payments with a recurring invoice?  

Get started today by logging into your financial institution checking account, and click Send an invoice or just select Autobooks. If you’re new to Autobooks, you’ll see a few prompts to help you get started!