Recurring Invoices
Recurring Invoice Generator
Build the whole billing schedule once: every date, every amount and every invoice
number, for retainers, rent, maintenance plans and monthly service work.
Free, no signup, and it runs in your browser. Signed in, the schedule saves to your
dashboard as a template you can reuse.
Recurring invoices, without the software subscription
A recurring invoice is the same charge sent to the same client on a fixed rhythm: a monthly retainer,
a quarterly maintenance plan, weekly cleaning, annual hosting, rent. The work is predictable, so the
billing should be too. What catches people out is not the idea, it is the calendar. Somebody forgets the
first of the month, February has no 31st, a purchase order runs out in August, and a price rise agreed in
January never actually reaches an invoice.
This page builds the run in advance so none of that depends on memory. You get every billing date,
the amount on each one, the due date after your payment terms, and the invoice number that belongs to
each. Download it as a spreadsheet, load the reminders into your calendar, and the schedule does the
remembering.
What goes wrong, trade by trade
Trades and field service
Maintenance contracts are billed monthly but the work is seasonal, and a purchase order from a
commercial client covers a fixed dollar amount. Bill past it and the invoice is rejected weeks later.
Set the PO ceiling and the schedule shows which invoice crosses it.
Freelancers and agencies
Retainers drift. An invoice sent late reads as an afterthought, and a yearly rate rise is awkward
to raise mid-relationship. Schedule the increase and you can name the exact date and amount before
the client sees it on an invoice.
Landlords and property
Rent is due on a date, not a rhythm, and the 31st does not exist in four months of the year. The
end-of-month rule bills the last day instead of skipping, so a tenancy never quietly loses a month.
Cleaning and lawn care
Weekly or fortnightly visits produce a lot of small invoices, and the season stops. Mark the quiet
months and the plan picks up on the right date rather than billing through winter.
Consultants and bookkeepers
Clients pay on a weekly approval run, so an invoice that arrives on the due date is already late.
Set terms and bill a few days ahead of the cycle to land inside it.
Tutors, coaches, studios
Billing follows terms and holidays rather than the calendar. Skipping months and a fixed count of
invoices describe a teaching block far better than an open-ended subscription does.
How to set up recurring invoices
Start with the standing amount and the client, then choose the rhythm and the first date. Add the
payment terms you actually use, because the due date is what your client's accounts team reads. Then
handle the three things that break real schedules: the day rule for short months and weekends, a yearly
increase if your rate moves, and the purchase order ceiling if you bill a company that issues them.
Export the schedule, add the reminders, and send each invoice from the
invoice generator when its day arrives.
Choosing the rhythm
Monthly suits retainers and maintenance plans. Quarterly suits low-touch service agreements where a
monthly invoice costs more in admin than it collects. Weekly and fortnightly fit visit-based work like
cleaning, lawn care and staffing, where the invoice follows the visits. Yearly works for licences,
hosting and insurance-style renewals, and is the one most likely to be forgotten entirely, which is
exactly why it belongs on a calendar.
Getting paid on time
Predictable billing only helps if the money follows. Put a payment link on every invoice so paying is
one tap, and state the late fee in your terms before you ever need it. The
payment link generator and the
late fee calculator cover both, and a recurring schedule makes a
polite reminder easy to send because the date was never in question.
Recurring invoice questions
Can I set up recurring invoices for free?
Yes. This page builds the whole schedule in your browser at no cost: every billing date, the amount each time and the invoice number that goes with it. Nothing is emailed automatically, which is the honest trade for free. You get a plan you can follow, calendar reminders that fire on each billing day, and a saved template on your dashboard when you have a free account.
What is the difference between a recurring invoice and a subscription?
A recurring invoice bills the same client a set amount on a fixed rhythm and still asks for payment each time. A subscription usually charges a card automatically. Retainers, maintenance plans and rent are billed with recurring invoices because the client keeps control of the payment, and many commercial clients will not hand over a card at all.
How do I handle the 31st in a short month?
Pick the end-of-month rule. Bill on the 31st and the schedule moves February to the 28th or 29th rather than skipping. If you would rather never bill on a weekend, the business-day rule slides each date back to the Friday before, which suits clients whose accounts team only processes on working days.
How do I raise prices on an existing recurring invoice?
Set a yearly increase and the schedule shows exactly which invoice carries the new amount, so you can tell the client the date and the figure before it lands. Most disputes about a price rise come from surprise, not from the amount.
Can I stop a recurring invoice for a slow season?
Yes. Landscapers, pool services, snow removal and tutors rarely bill twelve months a year. Mark the months you do not work and the schedule skips them and picks up on the right date, instead of billing through a season when you are not on site.
What happens when the purchase order runs out?
Set the PO number and the amount it covers. The schedule shows the invoice where the remaining balance runs out, so you can request a new PO before an invoice gets rejected. An invoice against a spent PO is one of the most common reasons a large client refuses to pay on time.
Do recurring invoices need a new invoice number each time?
Yes. Each invoice is a separate document for your records and your client's accounts payable system, so each one needs its own number. The schedule numbers the whole run for you from the format and starting number you use now.
How far ahead should I send a recurring invoice?
Send it far enough ahead that it clears the client's approval cycle before the due date. Many accounts payable teams pay on a weekly or fortnightly run, so an invoice that arrives the day it is due waits for the next run. Billing a few days early is the simplest way to get paid on time.
