Recurring invoices
Overview
A recurring invoice is a template, not an invoice. The recurring run creates invoices from it automatically at the agreed cycle — the typical case being a retainer.
The most important decision is the run mode, because it determines how much happens without a person:
| Mode | What the run does |
|---|---|
| Draft only | creates a draft invoice — somebody checks and releases it |
| Finalise & send automatically | draws the number, finalises and sends it by email |
The second mode saves work and is irreversible at the same time: a finalised invoice can only be corrected by reversal. Start with draft only and switch over once the series has run cleanly several times.
Core tasks
Create a series. New recurring invoice requires a label, customer, brand, cycle, run mode, anchor day (1–28), start date, optional end date and payment term in days.
The anchor day is limited to 1 to 28 — deliberately: an anchor on the 30th would have no date in February, and the invoice would be skipped in some months.
Survey what exists. The list shows label, cycle, status, run mode, next run and amount per cycle.
Set an end date. When an agreement runs out, the end date belongs set — otherwise the series keeps invoicing and the customer gets in touch.
Fields in detail
The What it does column answers what changes in the system — not what the field is called. The grey name behind the label is the API field: the same thing runs under that name through automation, import and AI tools.
Creating and editing a series
| Field | Required | Values / format | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|
Title title | no | text, max. 160 characters | What the series is called in the list. For recognition only — it does not appear on the invoices produced. |
Customer customerId | yes | an existing customer | Who receives the invoices. Address, payment terms and language are taken from there afresh on every run. |
Brand brandId | no | one of your brands | Which brand invoices — determines number range, template and bank details of the invoices produced. |
Cycle cycle | yes | weekly, monthly, quarterly, yearly | How often an invoice is created. |
Anchor day anchorDay | no | 1 to 28 | The day of the month. Deliberately capped at 28 — a 31st would not be a day in four months of the year, and a series must not skip a month. |
Start startDate | yes | date | When billing begins. The first run falls on the first anchor day from this date. |
End endDate | no | date | Until when. Empty means open-ended, until you stop the series. |
Run mode runMode | yes | draft or issue automatically | The most important switch on the page. Draft creates the invoice for review and waits; issue automatically turns it into a document at once and sends it through the configured dispatch flows. Automatic means nobody looks at it any more. |
Payment term (days) paymentTermDays | no | 0 or more | Due date of the invoices produced. |
Payment terms paymentTermUlid | no | a configured payment term | Applies to every invoice produced, including its early-payment discount steps. Without a selection the customer record decides, otherwise the global sales default. |
Tax mode taxMode | no | standard, small business, exempt | How VAT is handled; carried onto every invoice produced. |
Tax display taxDisplayMode | no | net, gross, tax free | Whether calculation is net or gross. |
Buyer reference buyerReference | no | text, max. 100 characters | The recipient's reference; carried into every invoice produced. |
Document template documentTemplateId | no | a configured template | Layout of the invoices produced. |
Document discount documentDiscountPercent / documentDiscountAmount | no | percent or amount | Reduction on every invoice produced. Percent and amount exclude each other. |
Line items items | yes | list of items | What every invoice contains — the same fields as on the invoice. The price is determined afresh on each run unless a fixed price is entered. |
Settings & permissions
- Module
module.invoicing. invoicing.recurring.viewto see,invoicing.recurring.manageto create and change.- Generated invoices are ordinary invoices — with number, due date and dunning.
- The run is no substitute for the rule engine. Anyone wanting to react to events uses
FAQ & troubleshooting
No invoice was created. Check status, start date, end date and the next run. A finished or inactive series produces nothing.
The invoice went to the customer unchecked. Then the run mode is finalise & send automatically. That is the documented effect of that mode.
The anchor day cannot be set to 31. Correct — 1 to 28 are allowed, so that every month has a date.
The amount has changed. Adjust the series; invoices already created stay unchanged, because they are documents.