You have 12 clients on monthly retainers. Every month, you open your invoicing app, create the same invoice, line by line, for the same customer, at the same amount, and hit send. Twelve times.
Then you do it again next month. And the month after that.
It's not hard work. It's tedious work. And tedious work is where mistakes happen: a wrong amount, a missed client, an invoice sent a week late because you were traveling and forgot.
What if you could set it up once and never think about it again?
That's exactly why we built Recurring Invoices in ColorInvoice.
The Thinking Behind the Feature
We didn't build recurring invoices because other apps have it. We built it because we kept hearing the same thing from our users:
"I send the same invoice to the same client every single month. Why can't this just happen automatically?"
Fair question. So we started designing around these principles:
1. It Should Be Non-intrusive
The best automation is the kind you forget exists. You set up a schedule, and invoices appear in your client's inbox without you lifting a finger. No daily check-ins, no manual triggers, no "reminder to self" calendar events.
2. It Should Work With Everything You Already Have
Recurring invoices shouldn't exist in a separate universe from your regular invoices. They should use your existing customers, your configured currency, your tax rates, your branding, your SMTP settings. No duplicate configuration.
3. It Should Be Optional, Not Forced
Not every business needs recurring invoices. A wedding photographer doesn't. A SaaS company does. So we made it an opt-in feature that you enable through Settings when you're ready for it, rather than cluttering the interface for everyone.
4. You Should Be Able to Start From an Invoice You're Already Building
Sometimes the realization hits mid-creation: "Wait, I'm going to send this exact same invoice next month too." You shouldn't have to abandon the invoice builder, navigate somewhere else, and re-enter everything. You should be able to flip a switch right where you are.
How Recurring Invoices Works
Enabling the Module
Recurring Invoices is turned off by default. To activate it:
Navigate to Settings
Go to Settings → Workflow Preferences.
Find the Toggle
Scroll past the Estimates settings.
Enable Feature
Toggle "Enable Recurring Invoices" to on.
Complete
Save. A new "Recurring Invoices" item appears in your sidebar navigation.
Because a clean interface is a fast interface. If you don't need recurring invoices today, you shouldn't have to stare at an unused menu item every day. When you need it, it's one toggle away.
Creating a Recurring Schedule
Click the "New Schedule" button in the top navbar (it appears on the Recurring Invoices view, following the same pattern as "New Invoice" and "New Customer").
The creation modal asks for:
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Customer | Select from your existing customer list |
| Frequency | Weekly, Monthly, Quarterly, or Yearly |
| Start Date | When the first invoice should be generated |
| End Date (optional) | When the schedule should stop; leave blank for indefinite |
| Auto-Send | Toggle on to automatically email the invoice to the client on generation |
| Line Items | Add descriptions, quantities, and rates just like a regular invoice |
| Currency | Select the currency for this schedule (defaults to your admin setting) |
| Notes | Optional message that gets included on every generated invoice |
The Estimated Total per Invoice is calculated live as you add line items, including your configured tax rate.
What Happens Behind the Scenes
Once you save a schedule, here's what ColorInvoice does automatically:
Daily Cloud Function
A Cloud Function runs daily at . It scans all active recurring schedules across all tenants.
Invoice Generation
When a schedule's nextGenerationDate matches today (or is overdue), the function generates a full invoice identical in format to one you'd create manually.
Auto-Email Delivery
If Auto-Send is enabled, the invoice is emailed to the customer immediately using your configured SMTP. If you haven't set up custom SMTP, it falls back to ColorInvoice's built-in email service automatically.
Schedule Advancement
The nextGenerationDate advances to the next interval (e.g., one month forward for monthly schedules).
Tracking Update
The invoicesGenerated counter increments, so you can track how many invoices each schedule has produced.
The generated invoices appear in your regular Invoices view: fully searchable, exportable, and manageable just like any other invoice.
The Dashboard: Your Recurring Invoices at a Glance
The Recurring Invoices view gives you immediate visibility with three KPI cards:
Below the KPIs, a table shows every schedule with:
- Customer name and email
- Invoice amount (in the schedule's configured currency)
- Frequency badge (Weekly / Monthly / Quarterly / Yearly)
- Next scheduled invoice date
- Auto-Send status
- Current status (Active / Paused / Completed)
- Total invoices generated so far
- A context menu for Edit, Pause/Resume, and Delete actions
Click any row to open and edit the schedule. Click the three-dot menu for quick actions without opening the full editor.
The "Make Recurring" Toggle: Convert Any Invoice on the Fly
This is one of the details we're most proud of.
When you're creating a new invoice in the invoice builder, you'll see a "Make this a Recurring Invoice" toggle sitting just above the action buttons. Here's how it works:
Build Normally
Build your invoice normally, add a customer, line items, notes, currency, everything.
Toggle Recurring
Toggle "Make this a Recurring Invoice" on. Two inline options appear: Frequency and Start Date.
Configure Schedule
Select your preferred frequency (Weekly, Monthly, Quarterly, Yearly) and the date when the recurring schedule should begin.
Save Invoice
Save the invoice (either as Draft or Finalize & Create).
When the invoice saves, ColorInvoice simultaneously creates the recurring schedule using the same customer, line items, currency, tax rate, and notes. The nextGenerationDate is automatically advanced by one interval because the invoice you just created is effectively the first one in the series.
You'll see a confirmation toast: "Recurring schedule also created!"
"Why this matters: You don't have to leave what you're doing. The thought process is natural: 'I'm creating this invoice, and I know I'll need to send it again next month', and the UI matches that thought process exactly."
Note: The Make Recurring toggle only appears in Invoice mode. It's hidden when creating Estimates, because estimates are one-time proposals by nature. You can also customize the document label to call them Quotes or Proforma Invoices.
Real-World Use Cases
🏢 Monthly Retainers
You run a digital agency. You have 8 clients on monthly retainers ranging from $2,000 to $15,000. Set up 8 recurring schedules with Auto-Send enabled. On the 1st of every month, each client receives a professional, branded invoice in their inbox. You don't touch anything.
🏠 Property Management
You manage 20 rental units. Each tenant pays rent monthly. Create a recurring schedule per tenant. ColorInvoice generates and sends rent invoices automatically. Your tenants get a consistent, professional document every month. You track payments in the Receipts view.
💻 SaaS / Subscription Services
You sell a software product for $49/month per seat. Each customer gets a monthly recurring invoice. When a customer churns, you pause or delete their schedule. When they upgrade, you edit the line items. No billing platform integration needed for small-scale operations.
Business Model Usage
📋 Quarterly Consulting
You provide advisory services billed quarterly. Set frequency to "Quarterly," set the start date, and forget about it. Every 3 months, the invoice generates itself.
🧹 Weekly Services
You run a cleaning company with weekly commercial clients. Weekly recurring invoices handle the billing automatically: 52 invoices per year per client, generated without a single manual action.
📅 Annual Renewals
License renewals, annual maintenance contracts, yearly subscription fees: set them to "Yearly" and they'll generate on the same date every year until you say stop.
Managing Schedules: Pause, Resume, Edit, Delete
Life isn't static, and neither are your billing relationships.
Pause a Schedule
Client going on a 3-month hiatus? Click the three-dot menu → Pause Schedule. The schedule stays in your list with a yellow "Paused" badge, but no invoices are generated until you resume.
Resume a Schedule
Ready to start billing again? Resume Schedule flips it back to "Active." The next invoice generates on the next due date.
Edit a Schedule
Prices changed? New line items? Different frequency? Click any schedule row to open the editor. Update anything: customer, items, rates, currency, auto-send preference, and save.
Delete a Schedule
Client relationship ended? Delete Schedule removes it permanently after a confirmation prompt. Previously generated invoices are untouched: they remain in your Invoices view with full history.
Currency Support
Each recurring schedule has its own currency selector, positioned right next to the Estimated Total in the schedule modal. This means:
- A UK client can get invoices in GBP.
- A European client can get invoices in EUR.
- Your domestic clients get invoices in your default currency.
All without changing your global settings. Each schedule is independent.
Auto-Send With SMTP Fallback
When Auto-Send is enabled on a schedule, the generated invoice is emailed to the customer automatically. The email delivery follows the same fallback logic as the rest of ColorInvoice:
Custom SMTP
If you've configured your own SMTP (Gmail, Outlook, custom domain), invoices are sent from your address.
Site SMTP Fallback
If you haven't configured custom SMTP, ColorInvoice's built-in email service handles delivery automatically.
Your clients receive a professional, branded invoice email regardless of your SMTP configuration.
Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Do recurring invoices use my company branding?
Yes. Generated invoices inherit your company logo, brand color, company name, and all other settings: identical to manually created invoices.
Can my accountant (team member) create recurring schedules?
Yes. Any team member with Accountant access can create, edit, and manage recurring schedules. Learn how to delegate invoicing to your team while maintaining full control.
What happens if the system generates an invoice while I'm offline?
Nothing changes for you. The Cloud Function runs independently at daily. It doesn't require you to be logged in. Invoices generate and send whether you're sleeping, traveling, or on vacation.
Can I have different frequencies for different clients?
Absolutely. Each schedule is independent. Client A can be weekly, Client B monthly, Client C quarterly: all running simultaneously.
What happens when a schedule has an end date and it's reached?
The schedule status changes to "Completed." It stays in your list for reference but stops generating new invoices.
Can I convert an existing draft invoice into a recurring schedule?
Yes. Open the draft in the invoice builder, toggle "Make this a Recurring Invoice" on, set the frequency and start date, and finalize the invoice. The recurring schedule is created automatically alongside the invoice.
Is there a limit to how many recurring schedules I can create?
No artificial limit. Create as many schedules as your business requires.
Does the Make Recurring toggle work with Estimates?
No. The toggle is intentionally hidden in Estimate mode since estimates are one-time proposals. To create a recurring schedule from an estimate, first convert the estimate to an invoice, then use the Make Recurring toggle during the conversion.
Key Takeaways
Recurring Invoices work with all your existing settings and branding Each schedule is independent with its own currency and frequency Auto-Send ensures clients receive invoices automatically The "Make Recurring" toggle converts invoices on the fly Schedules can be paused, edited, or deleted without affecting past invoices
Getting Started in 60 Seconds
Enable the Feature
Go to Settings → Workflow Preferences → Enable Recurring Invoices → Save.
Navigate and Create
Navigate to Recurring Invoices in your sidebar. Click "New Schedule" in the navbar.
Configure Schedule
Select a customer, set the frequency, add line items, choose your currency.
Enable Auto-Send
Toggle Auto-Send on if you want invoices emailed automatically.
Complete Setup
Save. You're done. The next invoice generates on the start date you set.
Or, if you're already building an invoice:
- Toggle "Make this a Recurring Invoice" on (above the action buttons).
- Choose a frequency and start date.
- Save the invoice. The recurring schedule is created simultaneously.
Set It Once. Invoice Forever.
Recurring Invoices isn't about adding complexity: it's about removing the repetition that eats into your week. Set up your schedules once, and ColorInvoice handles the rest: generating invoices on time, sending them to your clients, and tracking every dollar.
Your time is better spent on the work that actually grows your business. Let the invoicing run itself.
Get started with ColorInvoice →
Enable Recurring Invoices in Settings today. Your future self will thank you. And if you love automation, you'll also want to try AI voice invoicing to create invoices in seconds.
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