In this article, you'll learn how to choose how each job in a recurring series gets paid for, and how to change that later. Once it's set, each visit bills itself when it's marked Done, so nobody has to remember to invoice.
Billing is part of the recurring schedule you set on a new job. If you haven't set one up before, start with How to create recurring jobs.
To open the billing options:
- In the menu, click the yellow +, then choose New job.
- Under Scheduled, pick the first job's date and time.
- Click Set recurring schedule.
- The Billing choices sit near the bottom of the Recurring schedule window, under the frequency and the "Total … jobs" line.
Once a schedule is saved, the link reads Edit recurring schedule and a short summary of the schedule shows next to it. The phone app has the same link under the times on the new job screen, and the same window opens.
How billing works
Each job in the series is billed on its own, at the moment it's marked Done. Nothing is charged or sent when the jobs are created ahead of time. That includes the first job, the one you're creating now.
If you tick Automatically mark each job Done on its day, the CRM closes each job on its date. Closing the job is what bills it. This is handy when there's no crew visit to close it, like a storage rental.
A job that already has an invoice isn't billed again. If someone moves a Done job back to another status and marks it Done a second time, it doesn't get a second invoice.
Choosing a billing option
Pick one of the four options, click Save in the window, then finish creating the job. The billing choice is saved along with the job.
Charge the card on file
The customer's saved card is charged each time a job is marked Done. They get a payment receipt after every charge that goes through.
- If the customer has no card saved when you create the series, the CRM texts and emails them a link to add one.
- If a job is marked Done and there's still no card, they get that job's invoice link instead, plus another request to add a card.
Send an invoice
Each job's invoice goes out when the job is marked Done. It's emailed if the customer has an email address and texted if they only have a phone number. The customer opens the link and pays online. If there's nothing owed on the job, nothing is sent.
Collect manually
The CRM still makes an invoice for each job when it's marked Done, but leaves it as a draft and doesn't send it. You collect the money however you normally do and record the payment yourself. See Recording cash and other offline payments.
No billing
The jobs keep repeating and nothing gets billed. Use this when the work is prepaid or paid for some other way.
Changing how a series is billed
You can change the billing option from any job in the series.
To change it:
- Open any job that belongs to the series.
- Scroll down to Recurring Schedule, just under the job's times.
- Pick a new option from the Billing drop-down. It saves as soon as you pick it.
The new option applies from the next job marked Done. Jobs that were already billed stay as they are. The job page in the phone app has the same Billing drop-down.
When a charge fails
If a card charge doesn't go through, the CRM sends the customer that job's invoice link so they can still pay. Your team gets a push notification titled Recurring job billing needs a look. The reason shows as a Last billing note under Recurring Schedule on the job, on the web and in the phone app. The same note appears when a job was billed with no card on file, or when the customer has no phone or email to send a link to.