Recurring Billing Software
How to bill clients on a schedule with recurring invoices in Billed: create a recurring profile for each client, pick the frequency and the number of invoices, send each one automatically or save it as a draft to check, and record the payments against each profile.
Key Takeaways
- Set up a recurring profile once for each client you bill on a schedule, with a daily, weekly, monthly or yearly frequency.
- Choose "how many invoices to send, or keep sending until you stop" (Billed's invoice software page).
- Send each invoice automatically or save it as a draft to check first.
- Clients can pay by card through Stripe or by PayPal, and you can record checks and cash against recurring invoices as offline payments.
What recurring billing is in Billed
Recurring billing means sending a client the same invoice on a schedule, such as a monthly service fee, instead of creating it by hand each time. Billed's recurring invoices page says: "With Billed recurring billing you don’t have to create invoices manually every day, week, month or year. Invoices are created automatically and sent to your customers according to your settings."
It also says: "Billed creates a recurring profile for your customer and keeps all the payments and invoices related to that profile in one place."
Setting up a recurring profile
Billed's invoice software page says: "For clients you bill on a schedule, set up a recurring profile once. Choose the billing frequency (daily, weekly, monthly or yearly) and how many invoices to send, or keep sending until you stop." Its FAQ adds: "You can choose to send them automatically or save them as drafts to check first."
Fixed fees that don't change from one period to the next suit automatic sending. If an amount needs checking each time, choose drafts.
If one client pays two fees on different schedules, Billed's recurring invoices page says "you can create as many recurring profiles as you want for the same client in Billed."
Worked example: three clients on different schedules
These are sample figures. An IT support business bills three clients with recurring profiles.
Client A: a monthly support fee of 1,200.00, sent automatically, with no end date. Over a year, that's 12 invoices, or 14,400.00.
Client B: a 12-month contract at 850.00 a month, set to 12 invoices and sent automatically. That's 10,200.00 in all, and the profile stops after the 12th invoice.
Client C: a yearly maintenance plan of 2,400.00, saved as a draft so the business can check it before it goes out.
Over the year, the three profiles bill 27,000.00. The sample leaves out sales tax; if you charge it, Billed adds it from your saved tax settings.
Payments and follow-up
Billed's invoice software page says: "Connect Stripe and each invoice gets a pay button for card payments, or connect PayPal to add a PayPal option." For checks and cash, Billed's recurring invoices page says "you can record offline payments for recurring invoices from recurring invoices dashboard." Billed's invoice software page also says "After a client pays, you can send them a payment receipt."
Billed's help center says you turn on payment reminders on the invoice, and "You can set a schedule of payment reminders before and after the invoice's due date." Billed's invoice software page says "Invoice reports show which invoices are paid, partially paid or past due."
Taxes and saved items
Billed's invoice software page says: "Save your tax rates and settings once, and Billed calculates taxes automatically when you create invoices and estimates." Billed's features page says you can "Save products and services in Billed App and pull these products quickly in your invoices." So a recurring invoice can be built from the same saved services and tax settings as your other invoices.
Recurring Billing in Billed
A Recurring Profile per Client
Set up a profile once for each client you bill on a schedule, with a daily, weekly, monthly or yearly frequency.
Related Features
Explore the Billed features that power recurring billing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Start Invoicing With Billed
Set up your account and send your first invoice with Billed.
At a glance
| You want to | In Billed |
|---|---|
| Bill a fixed fee every month | Monthly recurring profile |
| Stop after a contract ends | Set the number of invoices |
| Check an amount before it goes out | Save as a draft |
| Record a check payment | Offline payment |
Sources for this page. Billed's capabilities come only from its own pages: Recurring invoices, Invoicing, All features and the help center.
When this isn't for you
If you bill each client a different amount every time, creating each invoice when the work is done is simpler than a recurring profile.