A recurring invoice is a schedule for one client: what each invoice carries, how often it's made, and what happens to it once it's made. AspirePro makes each invoice on its date, through the same path as any invoice you create by hand, so numbering, tax, Pay now and QuickBooks all behave the same.
Where to find them#
- Finance → Recurring invoices lists every client's schedules, with filters, saved views and the columns you choose. The Recurring button on Finance → Invoices opens it too.
- A client's Finance tab has a Recurring tab with just that client's schedules, and a New recurring invoice button that starts one for them.
Setting one up#
Choose New recurring invoice and fill in:
- Client and a name for yourself (the client doesn't see the name).
- Agreement (optional). With Bill the agreement's fee on, each invoice carries the agreement's fee as it is on the day — change the agreement and the next invoice follows.
- Lines — products and services from the catalog, or anything typed. Each invoice carries these lines.
- When — every n weeks, months or years; for months and years, the day of the month (or the last day). A day the month doesn't have (the 31st in April) is that month's last day. The form shows the next three dates.
- Ends — never, on a date, or after a number of invoices.
- Sales tax rate — when AspirePro works out sales tax, the rate added on the lines marked Tax (a tax-exempt client is never taxed). When QuickBooks or Xero works out tax, they do it from those lines when each invoice is sent.
- Each invoice — a draft for you to review and send, or sent to the client automatically to the addresses you list, with an optional message.
- With QuickBooks connected, Put it in QuickBooks when it's sent (on by default) pushes each automatically sent invoice to QuickBooks before the email goes, so the client gets QuickBooks' Pay now link. A draft goes to QuickBooks the way any invoice does, once you send it.
- Clients can pay online by (when Pay now is on, or Stripe is connected) — card or bank transfer, bank transfer only, or card only, for every invoice it makes; or leave it to Finance settings. A QuickBooks recurring invoice carries it too; Xero's repeating invoices have no such setting.
A start date already in the past starts from the next date that's due — AspirePro never back-bills the dates before you set it up.
Recurring invoices in QuickBooks#
With QuickBooks connected, its recurring invoices (Sales → Recurring transactions there) show in the same list, marked Runs in QuickBooks. They're read every four hours, and straight away with Refresh on the list. QuickBooks makes, numbers, taxes and sends each of those invoices itself, and they show under their recurring invoice here as they arrive.
- A QuickBooks recurring invoice whose customer isn't linked to a client here is left out — the refresh names it. Link the customer on the client's Finance tab, then refresh.
- Set one up in QuickBooks from here: choose QuickBooks makes each invoice under Runs in when you set it up.
- Edit — QuickBooks can't change a recurring invoice through its API, so saving replaces it there: AspirePro deletes the old one, checks it's gone, then makes the new one. The two never both run. If QuickBooks refuses to delete it (for example, "it has linked transactions"), nothing changes there and Finance → Sync asks you what to do.
- End deletes it in QuickBooks.
- Run it in AspirePro moves it here: AspirePro deletes it in QuickBooks first and checks it's gone, then makes each invoice from the next date QuickBooks hadn't billed — with AspirePro's numbering, tax and Pay now, and in QuickBooks when sent. If it can't be deleted, it stays in QuickBooks.
- An agreement's fee on a QuickBooks recurring invoice is the fee as it is when you save — QuickBooks can't follow the agreement. Save it again after the agreement changes.
Repeating invoices in Xero#
With Xero connected, its repeating invoices show the same way, marked Runs in Xero, and can be set up, changed (replaced — Xero can't edit one either), ended or moved to AspirePro from here.
- Xero runs a repeating invoice on its start date's day of the month, every n weeks or months (a year is 12 months).
- A draft for you to review is a Xero repeating invoice in draft: Xero makes draft invoices to approve. Sent automatically is approved for sending: Xero emails each invoice to the Xero contact's email address.
- The payment terms become Xero's "days after the invoice date".
- The invoices Xero makes stay in Xero — AspirePro doesn't read Xero's invoices in — so the recurring invoice shows its dates, not the invoices.
- A Xero repeating invoice whose contact isn't linked to a client here is left out, and the refresh names it.
Stripe subscriptions#
With Stripe connected, each subscription linked to an agreement shows as a recurring invoice marked Runs in Stripe — its amount, how often, and the next billing date. Stripe bills it, and its invoices stay in Stripe. Change it the way you always have: its amount on the agreement goes to Stripe. It can't be paused, changed or ended from the recurring invoice. Unlinking the subscription from the agreement ends it here.
Two schedules billing one client#
Before AspirePro makes an invoice, it checks for a live QuickBooks or Xero recurring invoice, or a Stripe subscription, billing the same client a similar amount (within a quarter). If there is one, the invoice is held — nothing is made — and Finance → Sync shows "Two schedules bill this client" with three choices:
- Keep AspirePro's — the QuickBooks or Xero one is deleted, and once it's gone the held invoice is made. (Not offered for a Stripe subscription: cancel that in Stripe or on the agreement.)
- Keep QuickBooks' (or Xero's, or Stripe's) — AspirePro's recurring invoice ends; the held invoice is never made.
- They bill different things — keep both — the held invoice is made now, and they aren't flagged again.
When invoices are made#
Each organization's recurring invoices are made once a day, from the hour set on System → Finance settings → Recurring (6:00 AM by default, in your organization's time zone). Each invoice is dated its schedule date.
A period is only ever billed once. If AspirePro was down for a while, it catches up the missed dates when it's back; running again the same day finds nothing new.
Pausing, resuming and ending#
- Pause stops new invoices. Resume picks up from today — the dates it was paused for are not billed afterwards.
- End stops it for good. Invoices it already made are untouched.
- Make next invoice now makes the next date's invoice straight away (as a draft or sent, as the schedule says), and the schedule moves on to the date after.
- Changing how often it runs, or its day, takes effect from the next date that hasn't been billed.
Once a schedule has made invoices, its client stays the same — end it and set up a new one to bill someone else.
When something goes wrong#
The recurring invoice's page lists every invoice it made, with what happened:
- Sent or Draft made — all went well.
- Made, not sent — the invoice exists as a draft, but the email couldn't go (for example, no mailbox connected, or no one to send to). Open the invoice and send it.
- Nothing made — the invoice couldn't be made (for example, the client is archived). Fix the reason, then choose Try again: it makes that same period's invoice, never a second one.
- Held back — another system's recurring invoice bills the same client (see above). Decide on Finance → Sync, or Try again once it's sorted.
Finance managers are notified when a recurring invoice isn't made or isn't sent (Notification preferences → Finance).
Prox#
Prox can set up a recurring invoice, pause, resume or end one, and make the next draft now. It only ever makes drafts — sending invoices to clients automatically is something a person turns on, from the recurring invoice's page.
Permissions#
- Seeing every client's recurring invoices needs Finance access. A client's recurring invoices, on its Finance tab, need the company Finance view permission.
- Setting up and changing them needs Finance manage (or the company Finance manage permission). One that sends to the client automatically also needs the Send invoices permission — to set it up, change it, or make its next invoice now.
- Export CSV on the list downloads what the list shows.
- Recurring invoices are part of Invoices in System → Features: switch invoicing off and none are made.