Collecting payments for recurring jobs

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 you don't have to remember to invoice anyone.

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:

  1. In the menu, click the yellow + (Create new), then choose Job.
  2. Under Scheduled, pick the first job's date and time.
  3. Click Set recurring schedule.
  4. The Billing choices are near the bottom of the Recurring schedule window.
Choosing how a recurring job is billed

You'll find the same window on the phone app. On the new job screen, tap Set recurring schedule.

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 is only billed once. If someone moves a Done job back to another status and then marks it Done again, it isn't billed a second time.

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.
Note: This option needs Stripe. If your company isn't connected, a series set to charge the card sends an invoice instead. See Connecting Stripe to take online payments.

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 don't. The customer opens the link and pays online.

Collect manually

The CRM still makes an invoice for each job when it's marked Done, but it 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:

  1. Open any job that belongs to the series.
  2. Scroll down to Recurring Schedule.
  3. 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.

Tip: Once you've ended a schedule with End schedule, its billing can't be changed any more.

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.

Tip: If a card keeps failing, ask the customer for a new one. See How to add a card on file for clients.

Related articles