> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.bumara.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Recurring invoices

> Automating invoices you raise every month — retainers, subscriptions, rent and standing charges.

If you bill the same customer the same amount every month, set it up once and let Bumara raise it.
Recurring invoices remove the month-end scramble and, more importantly, they remove the month you
forget.

## What to automate

| Good candidates          | Poor candidates                     |
| ------------------------ | ----------------------------------- |
| Monthly retainers        | Project work billed on completion   |
| Subscription fees        | Anything priced per job             |
| Rent charged to tenants  | Variable consumption billing        |
| Maintenance contracts    | One-off sales                       |
| Standing service charges | Anything needing approval each time |

The test is simple: if the amount and the lines are the same every period, automate it.

## Setting one up

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open Recurring from the Invoicing sidebar">
    Choose **New recurring invoice**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Select the customer">
    From your directory.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Build the invoice">
    Line items, quantities, prices and tax rates — exactly as on a normal invoice. This becomes the
    template for every occurrence.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Set the frequency">
    | Frequency | Typical use                     |
    | --------- | ------------------------------- |
    | Weekly    | Short-cycle services            |
    | Monthly   | Retainers, subscriptions, rent  |
    | Quarterly | Periodic service contracts      |
    | Annually  | Yearly licences and memberships |
  </Step>

  <Step title="Set the start date">
    When the first invoice should be raised.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Set the end date, or leave it open">
    Give it an end date if the contract has a term. An open-ended schedule keeps billing until you
    stop it, which is fine if you remember it exists.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Choose automatic or manual">
    | Mode          | Behaviour                                                    |
    | ------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------ |
    | **Automatic** | The invoice is created and sent on schedule                  |
    | **Manual**    | The invoice is created as a draft for you to review and send |
  </Step>

  <Step title="Save">
    The schedule is active from the start date.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Note>
  Start on manual for a month or two. Check what Bumara produces before letting it send to
  customers unattended. Once you trust it, switch to automatic.
</Note>

## Managing schedules

The recurring list shows every schedule with its customer, amount, frequency, next date and status.

| Action     | Effect                                                                     |
| ---------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Pause**  | Stops generating until you resume. Use for a customer on a payment holiday |
| **Resume** | Restarts from the next scheduled date                                      |
| **Edit**   | Changes future occurrences. Invoices already raised are unaffected         |
| **End**    | Stops permanently. The history remains                                     |

## Changing the amount

Editing a recurring schedule affects future invoices only. Anything already raised stands.

If you are increasing prices:

<Steps>
  <Step title="Tell the customer first, in writing">
    A price increase appearing without warning on an automatic invoice damages the relationship
    more than the increase itself.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Agree the effective date">
    Usually the start of a billing period.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Update the schedule before that date">
    Change the line prices.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Check the first invoice after the change">
    Switch to manual for that one occurrence if you want to be certain.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## What to watch

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Customers who have left">
    An automatic schedule keeps invoicing a customer who cancelled six months ago. Review your
    schedules quarterly and end the ones that should have stopped.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Price changes in your catalogue">
    Updating a product price does not retrospectively change a recurring schedule that was built
    with a fixed line price. Check both.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Expired contracts">
    A schedule with no end date outlives the contract it was based on. Set end dates that match
    your agreements.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Duplicate schedules">
    Two schedules for the same customer means two invoices a month. It happens when someone sets
    up a second schedule rather than editing the first.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="ZRA transmission">
    If Smart Invoice applies to you, automatically generated invoices need transmitting too.
    Check they are going through — see [Smart Invoice](/invoicing/smart-invoice).
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## The monthly review

Five minutes, once a month:

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the recurring list">
    Look at every active schedule.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Confirm each customer is still a customer">
    End anything that should have stopped.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Check the amounts are current">
    Against your actual agreements.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Check the invoices raised last month went out">
    And were transmitted to ZRA if that applies.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Check they are being paid">
    Recurring invoices are easy to raise and easy to forget to chase. See
    [Reports and statements](/invoicing/reports-and-statements).
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Warning>
  Automation removes the work, not the responsibility. An unattended schedule invoicing a departed
  customer for a year is worse than no automation at all — you have twelve invoices to credit and
  an awkward conversation.
</Warning>

<Note>
  Related: [Create and send an invoice](/invoicing/create-and-send-an-invoice) for the underlying
  invoice flow.
</Note>