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Recurring invoices let you automate your billing for ongoing services. Instead of manually creating and sending an invoice every month, you create a template once and the HoopAI Platform generates a new invoice document on your chosen schedule — daily, weekly, monthly, or any custom interval you define.
Recurring invoices require a connected payment gateway to accept online payments. Go to Payments → Payment Integrations to connect Stripe before setting up recurring billing with auto-payment.

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Recurring invoices vs subscriptions

These are two distinct billing methods in the HoopAI Platform, and choosing the right one depends on whether you want to send your customer a formal invoice document each cycle.
FeatureRecurring invoicesStripe subscriptions
Invoice document sentYes — a new invoice is generated each cycleNo — charge happens silently
Customer must actOnly if auto-payment is offNever (charged automatically)
Formal billing recordYes, with a unique invoice numberTransaction record only
Best forRetainers, project billing, service contractsSaaS-style recurring charges
Late feesConfigurable per invoiceNot available
Payment remindersAutomated email/SMS remindersNot available

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When to use recurring invoices

Use recurring invoices when you want to:
  • Send clients a formal invoice document every billing cycle (e.g., a monthly retainer invoice for coaching)
  • Maintain an auditable billing history with sequential invoice numbers
  • Offer payment flexibility — customers can pay manually or you can enable auto-payment
  • Apply late fees to overdue recurring invoices
  • Configure automated payment reminders for unpaid invoices
Use Stripe subscriptions instead when the charge should happen silently without generating an invoice document — for example, a monthly software subscription where the customer expects a background charge.

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Creating a recurring invoice template

1

Open the new recurring template dialog

Go to Payments → Invoices & Estimates, click + New, and select New Recurring Template from the dropdown.This opens the recurring invoice builder, which shares the same layout as the standard invoice editor but includes additional recurrence settings.
2

Name the template

Give the template a clear internal name that identifies the customer and billing purpose — for example, “Acme Corp — Monthly Retainer”. This name appears in your recurring invoice list.
3

Add customer and line items

  • Use the Select customer dropdown to attach a contact from your CRM.
  • Click + Add more products to add line items from your product catalog.
  • Edit quantity and price inline, or add additional line items using the + icon.
  • Apply a discount (percentage or fixed amount) and tax as needed.
  • Add terms and conditions, notes, or attachments in the additional options section.
4

Set the recurrence schedule

In the Recurrence section, choose how often the invoice should be generated:
OptionDescription
DailyA new invoice every day
WeeklyEvery 7 days
Every 2 weeksBi-weekly billing
MonthlySame date each month
Every 3 monthsQuarterly billing
Every 6 monthsSemi-annual billing
AnnualOnce per year
CustomSet a specific interval in days
Then set the start date — the date on which the first invoice is generated.
5

Set an end date (optional)

You can leave the recurring template open-ended so it continues until you manually pause or cancel it. Alternatively, set an end date to stop generating invoices after a specific date, or set a fixed number of occurrences to stop after a set number of invoices.
For a 6-month retainer arrangement, set 6 occurrences at monthly frequency rather than an end date — this ensures exactly the right number of invoices regardless of which day of the month billing started.
6

Choose auto-send or draft mode

  • Auto-send: the system emails the generated invoice to the customer immediately when each cycle runs.
  • Save as draft: the invoice is created in draft status; you review and send it manually. Use this if you want to adjust line items or notes before each invoice goes out.
7

Configure late fees and reminders (optional)

Scroll to Additional options:
  • Late fees — configure a flat or percentage late fee with a grace period; this applies independently to each generated invoice
  • Payment reminders — add a reminder schedule so each generated invoice automatically has follow-up reminders for unpaid balances
8

Save and activate the template

Click Save to create the template. The first invoice will be generated on the start date you specified, and subsequent invoices will follow the schedule automatically.

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Enabling auto-payment on recurring invoices

Auto-payment lets the system charge the customer’s saved card automatically when each recurring invoice is generated — removing the need for the customer to act on every invoice.
Auto-payment requires the customer to have a saved payment method on file. A card is saved when the customer pays a previous invoice and checks the “Save card for future payments” option at checkout. You cannot enable auto-payment on a contact who has not yet provided a card.
1

Open the recurring template

Go to Payments → Invoices & Estimates → Recurring tab. Click the three-dot menu on the template and select View.
2

Open the auto-payment settings

In the Invoice Builder, click the three-dot menu in the upper-right corner and select Manage auto payment.
3

Enable auto-payment and select the card

Toggle the auto-payment switch on. Then choose the payment method to charge:
  • Customer card — the card the customer used to pay a previous invoice
  • Saved card — any card saved to the contact’s profile
  • New card — enter new card details manually
4

Save

Click Update. From the next billing cycle onward, the system will automatically charge the selected card when each invoice is generated. The customer receives a payment confirmation, and the invoice is marked as paid.

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Invoice numbering for recurring invoices

Each invoice generated by a recurring template receives a unique, sequential invoice number from your account’s global invoice number sequence — for example, INV-001, INV-002, INV-003. This keeps your billing records consistent and auditable regardless of whether an invoice was created manually or auto-generated. The invoice name in each generated invoice is derived from the template name plus the generation date for easy identification in your invoice list.

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Managing recurring templates

Navigate to Payments → Invoices & Estimates → Recurring to see all your active and paused templates.

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Recurring template columns

ColumnDescription
Recurring invoice nameThe template’s internal name
CustomerThe contact billed by this template
Last issued onDate the most recent invoice was generated
FrequencyThe billing interval
AmountThe invoice total per cycle
StatusActive or cancelled

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Available actions

Click the three-dot menu on any template to access:
  • View history — see a full list of every invoice generated from this template
  • View — open the template editor to review or edit the setup
  • Pause — suspend invoice generation without deleting the template; resume it at any time
  • End — permanently stop future invoices from being generated (the template remains visible but inactive)
  • Delete — permanently remove the template (only available if no invoices have been sent yet)
  • Clone — duplicate the template to use as a starting point for a similar arrangement
  • Convert to template — save as a reusable invoice template for manual invoices

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What happens each billing cycle

When the scheduled date arrives, the HoopAI Platform runs the following sequence automatically:
  1. A new invoice is created using the template’s line items, discounts, and tax settings
  2. The invoice is assigned the next sequential invoice number in your account
  3. If auto-send is enabled, the invoice is emailed to the customer immediately
  4. If auto-payment is enabled, the saved card is charged immediately
  5. If auto-payment is off and auto-send is on, payment reminder schedules begin (if configured)
  6. If draft mode is selected, the invoice sits in Draft status until you review and send it

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Pausing and resuming a template

If you need to temporarily stop billing a customer — for example, during a project pause or holiday — you can pause the recurring template:
  1. Go to Payments → Invoices & Estimates → Recurring
  2. Click the three-dot menu on the template and select Pause
  3. The template status changes to Paused and no new invoices will be generated
  4. To resume, click the three-dot menu again and select Resume
Pausing a template does not affect invoices that have already been generated. Any outstanding unpaid invoices remain active and will continue to trigger payment reminders.

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Editing a recurring template

You can edit a recurring template at any time to update the line items, price, schedule, or settings. Changes apply to future invoices only — invoices that have already been generated are not modified. To edit:
  1. Go to Payments → Invoices & Estimates → Recurring
  2. Click the three-dot menu and select View
  3. Make your changes in the template editor
  4. Click Save
If you change the billing amount mid-cycle, verify the change took effect by checking the template’s View History and confirming the next generated invoice reflects the updated amount.

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Using recurring invoices for common billing scenarios

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Monthly retainer

A consultant billing a client $2,000/month for ongoing advisory services:
  • Frequency: Monthly
  • Start date: First of next month
  • End date: Open-ended (or set 12 occurrences for an annual contract)
  • Auto-send: On
  • Auto-payment: On (after client pays first invoice and saves card)
  • Late fees: 5% after 10-day grace period

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Quarterly maintenance plan

An IT company billing clients $500/quarter for maintenance coverage:
  • Frequency: Every 3 months
  • Start date: Beginning of the next quarter
  • End date: End of contract year (e.g., 4 occurrences)
  • Auto-send: On
  • Auto-payment: Off (clients prefer to review and pay manually)
  • Payment reminders: 7 days before, on due date, 5 days after

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Weekly cleaning service

A cleaning business billing residential clients $150/week:
  • Frequency: Weekly
  • Start date: Next service date
  • End date: Open-ended
  • Auto-send: On
  • Auto-payment: On

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Recurring invoices and taxes

Taxes configured on the recurring template apply to every generated invoice automatically. If your tax rate changes mid-contract:
  1. Open the recurring template
  2. Update the tax configuration in the line items or tax section
  3. Save — the updated tax applies to all future generated invoices
The HoopAI Platform does not retroactively update tax on invoices that have already been generated. Only future invoices reflect the updated rate.

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Frequently asked questions

Recurring invoices generate a new formal invoice document each cycle. The customer either pays it manually or has auto-payment enabled. A Stripe subscription charges the customer’s card automatically in the background without generating an invoice document on the HoopAI Platform. Use recurring invoices when your customers expect a formal invoice; use subscriptions when you want a silent, automatic charge.
Yes. Open the recurring template, edit the line items or price, and save. The change applies starting with the next generated invoice. Any invoices that have already been sent for the current or previous cycles are not affected.
The system will retry the charge. If all retry attempts fail, the invoice moves to Unpaid status and both you and the customer are notified by email. You can manually retry the charge from the invoice, or ask the customer to update their payment method and pay the invoice directly.
Yes. Go to the Recurring tab, click the three-dot menu on the template, and select Pause. No new invoices will be generated while the template is paused. Click Resume when you are ready to restart the billing cycle.
Yes. When creating or editing the template, set a fixed number of occurrences in the recurrence settings. The template will automatically stop generating invoices once that number is reached. You can also set an end date if a specific calendar date is more practical.
Yes. Each invoice generated by a recurring template is treated as a standalone invoice for all notification purposes. Payment reminders, overdue alerts, and payment confirmations all behave identically to manually created invoices. If you configure reminders on the recurring template, each generated invoice inherits that reminder schedule automatically.
Yes. You can create and activate a recurring template for any contact. However, you cannot enable auto-payment until the contact has a saved payment method on file. The contact can save a card by paying their first invoice through the online payment link and selecting the save card option.
Go to Payments → Invoices & Estimates → Recurring, click the three-dot menu on the template, and select View History. This shows every invoice generated from that template with its date, amount, and payment status.
Last modified on March 5, 2026