Invoice Automation Guide

What you can automate
What to keep manual

Invoice automation means letting your invoicing software do the repeating steps for you: creating and sending the same invoice on a schedule, reminding clients when a payment is due or late, and recording a payment when a client pays online. You set the rules once and check the exceptions, such as a changed price or a disputed invoice, by hand.

Billed publishes this page. Billed details are quoted from its own pages, opened on October 29, 2026. The rest is practical guidance for any invoicing tool.

What you can automate

Repeat invoices. A client billed the same amount on a schedule, such as a monthly retainer or subscription, can get an invoice created and sent automatically.
Payment reminders. Reminders before and after the due date can go out without you writing each one.
Online payments. A pay button on the invoice lets the client pay by card, and the payment can be recorded against the invoice.
Card on file. For repeat clients, a saved card can make each payment easier.

What to keep manual

The first invoice for a new client, so you can check the details before anything repeats.
Invoices that change each time, such as hourly work or variable usage. Automate the reminder, not the amount.
Price changes, disputes and credits, which need a decision.
Anything legal or tax-related that you're unsure about, which is a question for your accountant.

How to set it up

Clean up client records so names, emails and billing addresses are right before anything goes out automatically.
Save your products and services so recurring invoices pull the right descriptions and prices.
Create a recurring profile for each repeat client, with the frequency, the start date and the number of invoices to send.
Choose whether each recurring invoice is sent automatically or saved as a draft for you to check first.
Set your reminder schedule and the wording of the reminder emails.
Connect online payments, so clients can pay from the invoice.
Test it by sending a recurring invoice to yourself and paying it, before you turn it on for clients.
Review each month: which invoices are paid in full, paid in part or overdue, and any recurring profile that needs to change.

Worked example (sample figures)

A sample consultant, invented for this example, bills a client a $1,500.00 monthly retainer for 12 months.

Recurring profile: monthly, 12 invoices, starting on the first of the month.
Total billed over the year: 12 × $1,500.00 = $18,000.00
Reminders: a reminder before each due date and another if an invoice is overdue.
Exception: in month 7 the client adds extra work for $400.00. The consultant switches that month's invoice to a draft, adds the line, and sends it by hand: $1,500.00 + $400.00 = $1,900.00.
Year total with the extra work: $18,000.00 + $400.00 = $18,400.00

Eleven invoices go out on their own; one is checked and changed before it's sent.

Where Billed fits

Recurring invoices and reminders: Billed's home page says you can "Create Recurring Invoices, setup scheduled payments and send automated payment reminders."
Schedules and drafts: its recurring invoices page says "Invoices are created automatically and sent to your customers according to your settings." It lists: "Choose how many invoices you want to send or send invoices indefinitely." and "Auto send invoices or save them as draft to recheck and send later."
Saved cards: "Your clients can also link their credit cards which makes it easier for them to pay."
Reminder wording: its invoice software page says: "Payment reminders can be customized."
Card charges: its Stripe integration page says that on a recurring invoice, Billed can charge a client's card automatically.

When this guide isn't for you

If you need approval workflows across several people, automatic syncing with accounting software, or billing based on metered usage, check whether a tool's own pages describe those before you choose it.

Frequently Asked Questions

What invoice tasks should I automate first?

Start with invoices that repeat for the same amount on a schedule, then payment reminders, then online payments from the invoice. Keep first invoices, price changes and disputes manual.

Will invoice automation work if my billing changes every month?

Automate the reminders and payments, and create the invoice amount by hand or save each recurring invoice as a draft to check before it's sent. In this page's sample, one month with $400.00 of extra work is changed in draft before sending.

How do I avoid sending a wrong automated invoice?

Clean up client records first, test a recurring invoice by sending it to yourself, and use drafts for any month that might change. Review paid, partly paid and overdue invoices each month.

Does Billed send automatic payment reminders?

Billed's home page says you can send automated payment reminders, and its invoice software page says the reminders can be customized.

Can recurring invoices be paid automatically?

Billed's recurring invoices page says clients can link their credit cards to make paying easier, and its Stripe integration page says that on a recurring invoice, Billed can charge a client's card automatically.

Was this article helpful?

Guide to Invoice Automation (Workflows That Scale)