---
title: Creating Recurring Invoices
description: A recurring invoice repeats on a schedule you set, so OneSuite issues a new invoice to the same client every week, month, quarter or year. Use it for monthly retainer agreements, subscriptions, maintenance contracts and any other ongoing service, so…
url: "https://help.onesuite.io/docs/creating-recurring-invoices/"
updated: "2026-10-01"
category: "Invoices & Payments"
---

# Creating Recurring Invoices

A recurring invoice repeats on a schedule you set, so OneSuite issues a new invoice to the same client every week, month, quarter or year. Use it for monthly retainer agreements, subscriptions, maintenance contracts and any other ongoing service, so you never forget to bill.

**In this guide you'll learn how to:**

- Make an invoice repeat and choose its frequency and end
- Find your recurring invoices on the **Recurring** tab
- Pause, resume or delete a recurring invoice
- Edit a recurring template, including a custom frequency and a set number of invoices
- Choose whether each invoice is sent automatically or saved for you to review

## Before you start

- You need permission to create invoices.
- The client must exist in OneSuite.
- Set up your letterhead, defaults and taxes first, because every invoice in the series uses them. See [Invoice Settings & Customization](https://help.onesuite.io/docs/invoice-settings-customization/).
- If you don't see **Invoices** in the sidebar, an admin can switch it on in **Settings**, **Customize Navigation**.

## How to make an invoice repeat

You make any invoice recurring by setting **Repeats** in the side panel of the invoice editor, then choosing a **Frequency** and when it stops.

1. Click **Invoices** in the sidebar.
2. Start the invoice in either of these ways:
   - On the **Overview** tab, click **Create** and set up the invoice as usual. See [Create One-time Invoices](https://help.onesuite.io/docs/create-one-time-invoices/).
   - On the **Recurring** tab, click **Create**. The **New invoice** dialog notes that this invoice will repeat, and you pick how often in the next step.
3. In the invoice editor, find **Repeats** in the side panel and change **Does not repeat** to **Repeats**.
4. Choose a **Frequency**. A new schedule starts on **Every month**.
5. Choose **Until**:
   - **I manually stop it**: invoices keep coming until you stop them.
   - **A specific date**: then set the **End date**.
6. Fill in the client, line items and dates, then click **Save**.

Once the invoice has a recurring template, the **Repeats** section shows a **Recurring settings & history** link.

### Frequency options

| Frequency | How often a new invoice is issued |
| --- | --- |
| **Daily** | Every day |
| **Every week** | Weekly |
| **Every two weeks** | Every 2 weeks |
| **Every four weeks** | Every 4 weeks |
| **Every month** | Monthly |
| **Every two months** | Every 2 months |
| **Every quarter** | Every 3 months |
| **Every six months** | Twice a year |
| **Every year** | Yearly |

For any other interval, use **Custom** in the recurring template, as described in the section on editing a recurring template below.

## Where do I find my recurring invoices?

Every recurring invoice is listed on the **Recurring** tab of the Invoices module, under the title **Recurring invoices**.

1. Click **Invoices** in the sidebar.
2. Click the **Recurring** tab.
3. Type in **Search recurring invoices...** to find one.
4. Click a row to open its template page.

| Column | What it shows |
| --- | --- |
| **Subject** | The invoice subject. |
| **Client** | The client billed. |
| **Kind** | **Tracked time & expenses**, **From an invoice** or **Free form**. |
| **Frequency** | How often a new invoice is issued. |
| **Next issue** | When the next invoice will be issued. |
| **Status** | **Active**, **Paused** or **Ended**. |
| **Auto-send** | **Sends to N recipient(s)** when invoices go out automatically, or **Saved for review**. |
| **Amount** | The amount of each invoice. |

| Status | What it means |
| --- | --- |
| **Active** | New invoices are being issued on schedule. |
| **Paused** | You paused it. No new invoices are issued until you resume it. |
| **Ended** | The schedule has finished and no further invoices are issued. An ended recurring invoice can't be paused or resumed. |

![Invoices, Recurring tab with the Recurring invoices list showing Active, Paused and Ended templates](https://help.onesuite.io/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/creating-recurring-invoices-1.webp)

## How to pause, resume or delete a recurring invoice

You pause, resume or delete a recurring invoice from the buttons at the top of its template page.

1. On the **Recurring** tab, click the recurring invoice.
2. Click **Pause** to stop new invoices. The **Next issue date** reads **Paused**.
3. Click **Resume** to start issuing invoices again.
4. Click **Delete** to remove the recurring invoice.

The template page also shows:

- **Schedule**: **Frequency**, **Duration**, **First issue date**, **Next issue date** and **Last generated**.
- **Sending**: either **Sent automatically**, with the recipients and subject, or **Saved for you to review and send**. Saved invoices appear under **Invoices**, **Overview** and in the list on this page.
- **Amount**: the amount per invoice and how many **Invoices generated** so far.
- **Generated invoices**: every invoice the template has issued, with its **Issue date**, **Invoice**, **Status**, **Amount** and **Balance due**.

## How to edit a recurring template

You change a recurring invoice by clicking **Edit recurring template** on its template page. Changes apply to future invoices only.

1. Open the recurring invoice from the **Recurring** tab.
2. Click **Edit recurring template**. The **Edit recurring invoice** form opens.
3. Under **What kind of recurring invoice is this?**, choose:
   - **Free form**: the same line items every time. Variables like `%month%` fill in the dates.
   - **Tracked time and expenses**: each invoice pulls in the uninvoiced billable hours and expenses tracked since the last one.
4. Under **When should this invoice be issued?**, set the **First issue date** and the **Frequency**. For a custom interval, choose **Custom**, then set **Every** to a number and the **Unit** to **days**, **weeks** or **months**.
5. Choose a **Duration**:
   - **Until I stop it**: invoices keep coming until you pause or delete the template.
   - **Until a specific date**: the last invoice is issued on or before this date.
   - **For a number of occurrences**: the template stops after this many invoices.
6. Under **How should each invoice be handled?**, choose **Send automatically** or **Save as a draft for me**.
7. Fill in what goes on each invoice (see below), then click **Save recurring invoice**.

The client of a recurring invoice can't be changed. To bill another client, stop this one and start a new recurring invoice for them.

On a monthly schedule, an invoice set for the 31st is issued on the last day of shorter months.

If the template was created from an invoice, the page tells you that editing it converts it to a free form template. Its existing invoices are kept.

### Sending automatically or saving for review

| Choice | What happens to each new invoice |
| --- | --- |
| **Send automatically** | It is sent from your account the moment it is generated. Set the **Recipients**, and optionally **Sender**, **CC**, **BCC**, **Message subject** and **Message body**. Leave the body blank to use your default invoice message. |
| **Save as a draft for me** | It waits under **Invoices**, **Overview** for you to review and send. |

### What goes on each invoice

For a **Free form** template, fill in **What goes on each invoice?**:

- **Invoice subject**, for example `Retainer for %month% %year%`
- **PO number** (optional)
- Line items with **Item type**, **Description**, **Quantity** and **Unit price**. Click **Add item** for another line.
- **Invoice notes**, **Payment term**, **Tax**, **Tax 2** and **Discount** as a **Percentage** or **Fixed amount**

For a **Tracked time and expenses** template, choose **Which projects would you like to invoice?**, then set the hours and expenses to bill each time: **All uninvoiced billable hours** or **No hours**, and **All uninvoiced billable expenses** or **No expenses**. You also set **Which hours** and **How to display hours**, as in the invoice wizard. See [Invoice Generation from Billable Hours](https://help.onesuite.io/docs/invoice-generation-from-billable-hours/).

### Title variables

Use these variables in the subject and line items so each invoice shows the right dates:

| Variable | What it fills in |
| --- | --- |
| `%month%` | Month the invoice is generated in |
| `%year%` | Year the invoice is generated in |
| `%last_month%` | The month before |
| `%last_month_year%` | Year of the month before |
| `%next_month%` | The month after |
| `%last_year%` | The previous year |
| `%client_name%` | The client's name |
| `%business_name%` | Your business name |

## Can a recurring invoice draw from a retainer?

No. Recurring invoices don't draw from retainers. To pay an invoice down from a client's retainer balance, use a one-time invoice instead. See [How to Use Retainers](https://help.onesuite.io/docs/how-to-use-retainers/).

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## FAQs

### How do I set up a recurring invoice in OneSuite?

Open or create an invoice, then set **Repeats** in the side panel of the invoice editor and choose a **Frequency** and **Until**. You can also click **Create** on the **Recurring** tab, and the new invoice is set to repeat.

### How do I stop a recurring invoice?

Open it from the **Recurring** tab and click **Pause** to stop new invoices for now, or **Delete** to remove it. You can also give it an end date or a number of occurrences so it ends on its own.

### Can recurring invoices be sent automatically?

Yes. In the recurring template, choose **Send automatically** under **How should each invoice be handled?** and add the recipients. Choose **Save as a draft for me** if you want to check each invoice before it goes out.

### Can a recurring invoice bill the hours tracked each month?

Yes. Choose **Tracked time and expenses** in the recurring template. Each invoice then pulls in the uninvoiced billable hours and expenses tracked since the last one.

### Can I set a recurring invoice to run a fixed number of times?

Yes. In the recurring template, set **Duration** to **For a number of occurrences** and enter how many invoices to issue. The template stops after that many.

### Can I just copy last month's invoice instead?

You can use **Make a copy** on any invoice, but you would have to remember to do it every month. A recurring invoice issues each one on schedule, fills in the dates with variables like `%month%`, and can send it for you.

## What to do next

**Write your invoice emails:** Set the message automatic invoices go out with in [How to Customize Invoice Email Messages](https://help.onesuite.io/docs/customize-invoice-email/).

**Bill ongoing work in advance:** Collect funds up front and draw them down with [How to Use Retainers](https://help.onesuite.io/docs/how-to-use-retainers/).

**Record the payment:** When a client pays, follow [How to Record Invoice Payments](https://help.onesuite.io/docs/how-to-record-invoice-payments/).