Recurring invoices automate billing on a schedule you set — weekly, monthly, or a custom cadence. They save time, ensure consistent payment collection, and give clients a predictable experience with reminders and receipts built in.
📣 Note
Recurring invoices can’t be used in lead forms. If you need to collect recurring payments after a lead form submission, set this up through an automation.
Create a recurring invoice
Select the invoice block to open the Settings sidebar > Payment options
Select Recurring for the invoice frequency
Set the first invoice due date
If you're creating a template, the date will be set when you use it in a project
Select how often invoices should be shared — or choose Custom for a non-standard cadence
If you plan to accept bank transfers, the billing cadence must be at least 10 days apart
Set when the recurring invoice should end:
No end date — Invoices generate until you manually stop them
On — Ends on a specific date
After — Ends after a set number of invoices have been shared
Review your other payment settings and make any final changes to the smart file
Share the smart file with your client
Edit a recurring invoice after sharing
You can edit a recurring invoice after it's been shared — even if the client has already made a payment — as long as the invoice isn’t overdue.
Find the project using the search bar, or select Projects in the navigation menu
Open the project workspace, then select the recurring invoice to open its file summary > Edit file
Make your changes — select Preview to review completed and upcoming invoices
Select Update & share
Send your client an email notifying them of the change
Your client will see the updates next time they open the smart file and will be prompted to accept the changes before proceeding
Use recurring invoices with a services block
If your smart file includes a services block that allows or requires clients to make a selection, adding a recurring invoice on a subsequent page will automatically pull in the client's selections and calculate the recurring total. You don't need to add this dynamic section manually — HoneyBook includes it automatically, even if you started from an invoice template.
Stop, resume, or cancel a recurring invoice
Clients can’t stop, resume, or cancel their own recurring invoices — they need to contact you to make any changes.
Stop a recurring invoice
Find the project using the search bar, or select Projects in the navigation menu
Open the project workspace, then select the recurring invoice to open its file summary
In the recurring invoice action summary, select Stop recurring at the bottom > Yes, stop
Send your client an email to notify them
After stopping, your client can still view the smart file and pay any outstanding invoices, but no further invoices will generate unless you resume it
Resume a stopped recurring invoice
Find the project using the search bar, or select Projects in the navigation menu
Open the project workspace, then select the recurring invoice to open its file summary
In the recurring invoice action summary, select Resume recurring > Resume recurring
If any recurring invoice settings were reset, edit the invoice to restore them, then select Update & share to re-share the invoice to your client
Send your client an email to notify them
Cancel a recurring invoice
To cancel a recurring invoice permanently, expire the smart file that contains it. Expiring the file will:
Prevent your client from taking further action
Stop all automatic payments
Cancel future payments not set to autopay
Stop payment reminders
📚 Tip
Select Preview when setting the expiration to see what your client will experience.
What your client experiences
First invoice | The client opens the smart file, enters their payment information, and makes their payment — same as a standard invoice. |
Future invoices |
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What clients can do |
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What clients can’t do |
📣 Note: If a client needs to update or delete a saved card, you must stop the recurring invoice first. Once stopped, the client can update their payment method. Then resume the invoice — the client will be charged for the next invoice due as soon as they save the new payment method. Clients can add a new payment method as early as 3 days before the next due date. |
Billing on the last day of each month
Set the first invoice date to the 31st with a monthly cadence, and HoneyBook will automatically bill on the last day of each month — whether that's the 28th, 29th, 30th, or 31st.
When recurring payments process
If a client has saved their payment information, payments process within 24 hours of the due date — or within 24 hours of when the information is first saved. If a payment becomes overdue because no payment information was saved, it processes within 24 hours of the client adding their information.
Still have questions? Feel free to send us a message by clicking the Question Mark icon on any HoneyBook page. Our team is always happy to help!