How to Create and Manage Recurring Invoices

Recurring invoices in Inspect Point make it easy to automate repeat billing by generating invoices on a defined schedule, with the option to auto-send them to your customers.

This article provides an overview of the key features of recurring invoices and how to use them in your workflow. Many customers set up recurring invoices for ongoing services such as monitoring or recurring ITM inspections. 

In this article, you’ll learn how to:

• Enable recurring invoices

• Create a recurring invoice and configure Recurrence Settings (including auto-send)

• Edit or update recurring invoice details

• Convert a one-time invoice into a recurring invoice

Enabling Recurring Invoices: 

Before creating recurring invoices, the feature must be enabled in your backend settings.

1. Navigate to the backend Settings.

2. Under the Invoice/Payments section, select Invoice Settings.

3. Scroll down to the list of available invoice settings.

4. Toggle Enable Recurring Invoices.

5. Click Save.

How to Create a Recurring Invoice

1. Navigate to the Building where you’d like to create the invoice.

2. Select the Invoices tab on the building detail screen. 

3. Click New Invoice.

4. Choose Recurring Invoice when prompted.

5. In the Recurrence Settings, set the following details:
   Frequency (e.g., monthly, quarterly, yearly)
   End date or number of occurrences
   Auto-Send Invoice (optional)

6. Click Save.

7. Add line items as you would for any invoice.

8. Save and Send the invoice.

The invoice will now generate automatically on the schedule you set. 

Important: 

• When an invoice is set to recur, Inspect Point will automatically generate a new invoice on the schedule you choose. The only way the recurring invoice will automatically send to the contact is if the Auto-Send box is checked during the creation or editing of a recurring invoice. 

• If there isn't a contact associated with the building, the auto-send option will be greyed out. If you save the invoice, go back to the building and add a contact, you can edit the invoice's recurrence details and check the auto-send option. 

• If you're starting from the Invoices tab on the Navigation bar, the auto-send option will be greyed out. Save the invoice > edit the invoice to update the recurrence details. 

• Recurring invoices are generated overnight, at about 3:00 AM Eastern.

How to Convert a One-Time Invoice to Recurring: 

1. Edit the invoice 
   From the Invoices tab, select the Edit icon 

   

2. Toggle Recurring Invoice 
   On the invoice edit details, toggle the Recurring Invoice toggle
   

3. Set the Recurrence Settings  
4. Save and Continue Invoice Creation
    

How to Edit a Recurring Invoice: 

1. Edit the Invoice 
   From the Invoices tab, select the Edit icon
2. Select the Edit Recurring Invoice option 
   
3. Adjust the Recurrence Details
4. Save and Continue Invoice Creation 
    

How to Send a Recurring Invoice: 

Recurring Invoices will automatically generate on the schedule set, however, if the invoice was not set to auto-send, it must manually be sent by a backend user. This can be done a few ways: 

• From the Invoices tab on the Navigation back, click the envelop icon

  

• Click on the Invoice number, then select the Send option in the upper-right corner 

Notes: 

• From the Invoices tab, use the Recurring Invoice filter.
• If you are unsure the invoice was sent, click on the Invoice No. where you will see the Invoice History section, as well as a a message at the top of the page letting you know the invoice has not been sent. 

👉 Related Article: Introduction to Recurring Invoices  

How the schedule is set

The months a recurring series bills on come from the issue date of the invoice the recurrence was built on. The month is used and the day is ignored. The date the recurrence was set up on is not used, and there is no start date field that sets the cycle.

A quarterly series built on an invoice dated anywhere in July bills in October, January, April and July. Built on an August invoice, it bills in November, February, May and August.

Set the issue date first, then switch on the recurrence. The next date is recalculated from the anchor invoice on every run, so the date can be edited before or after enabling. What matters is that it is not already in the past when the job next runs.

If the next date has already passed, the system does not skip to the following cycle and does not back-date. It generates a single invoice on the next overnight run, dated the day it runs, and that invoice becomes the new anchor, which moves the whole series onto different months. For example, a base invoice dated 30 June set to quarterly works out to 1 September. Enabled after that date has passed, it creates an unwanted invoice dated today and the series then bills in December, March and June.

Editing the anchor invoice keeps working until the series generates its first invoice. After that, the most recently generated invoice sets the schedule.

Recurrence settings including frequency, day of the month, active status and end conditions can be changed at any time. Changing them does not move the series onto different months, because that comes from the anchor invoice. Quarterly schedules accept days 1 to 28, or last day of month.

If you are setting up a large batch, set one up first and confirm it reads the way you expect before building the rest.