Recurring billing

Keep the business context together

Each recurring schedule connects a client, frequency, start and end dates, next run and reusable lines. Review whether a run creates a draft or sends an invoice automatically. A schedule forecasts billing; it does not prove delivery of work or create a settled payment. Paused and ended schedules remain available for review.

Decide whether each recurring arrangement produces a draft for review or an invoice ready to send. A variable service charge may need a bookkeeper to inspect the period before issue. A fixed retainer can use the agreed automatic path when its customer terms, dates and payment permissions have been configured and checked.

Give each decision a clear owner

Owner / Admin controls automatic charging and payment-provider permissions. Bookkeeper maintains agreed schedules within those controls. Each occurrence needs a stable schedule-and-date identity, so overlapping workers or a retried job cannot create a second invoice for the same billing period.

Missing a scheduled run requires a clear catch-up decision. The team may need the missed period billed separately, or may need to review whether the service was actually provided. Preserve the intended occurrence date when processing the delayed work; the day a worker retries the job must not become a second billing occurrence.

Handle exceptions with the original record

An overdue job must apply the configured catch-up policy and stop at the end date. Editing future template lines leaves older invoices unchanged. A missing payment mandate or unavailable provider leaves the invoice open with an actionable result rather than recording a successful charge.

Pausing a schedule stops future generation. It does not cancel already issued invoices, remove an overdue balance or imply that a payment mandate has been withdrawn. Review those records separately when a customer suspends service, and retain the pause date so the team can explain exactly which periods were billed.

Find the work that needs attention

The schedule view shows start, end and next run dates together. A next run beyond the agreed end date should never generate another invoice. Where an arrangement has no final date, retain its cancellation and pause controls and review customer changes before the next occurrence is claimed by the scheduler.

Configure it around your business

Use Proto to configure the supported frequency, calendar behavior, catch-up policy and line descriptions for each arrangement. Verify the first two occurrences and a pause/resume example against the agreement. The desired outcome is predictable billing with one identifiable invoice per period, including when a job is interrupted or processed again.