A recurring invoice is an invoice that’s automatically generated and sent to a client on a set schedule, such as monthly or quarterly, without you having to rebuild it each time. You set up the line items and the cadence once, and the system raises a fresh invoice every cycle on its own.
How a recurring invoice works
Instead of creating a one-off invoice by hand, you define a template: the client, the line items, the amount, the tax, and how often it should go out. From there the schedule does the work. Each cycle, a brand-new invoice is created with its own number and due date, ready to be paid like any other.
- Same details, every time — the line items and amount carry over, so a retainer or subscription stays consistent.
- A real schedule — weekly, monthly, quarterly, or whatever rhythm matches the work.
- Each issue is its own invoice — so payments, statuses, and your reports stay clean and trackable per cycle.
When recurring invoices are the right call
Recurring invoicing shines anytime the billing is predictable and repeats. If you find yourself duplicating last month’s invoice and just changing the date, that’s the signal.
- Monthly retainers — a fixed fee for ongoing design, marketing, or development work.
- Subscriptions and care plans — hosting, maintenance, or a support package billed on a cycle.
- Installment plans — splitting a larger project fee into equal scheduled payments.
If your work varies wildly from month to month, or you bill against tracked time and expenses each cycle, a one-off invoice is usually the better fit. It’s worth knowing the trade-offs before you commit to a schedule.
Tip: Pair a recurring invoice with auto-pay and your client’s card is charged automatically each cycle. That’s the difference between billing that reminds you every month and billing you genuinely never think about.
How Fee-Lion handles it
In Fee-Lion, you create a recurring invoice from the Invoices section in the left sidebar, then set the schedule and the line items once.
- Open Invoices and start a new recurring invoice.
- Pick the client, add your line items, and apply your tax and terms — your defaults from Settings → Preferences fill in automatically.
- Choose the cadence, such as monthly, and let Fee-Lion generate and send each cycle’s invoice for you.
- Invite the client to turn on auto-pay so each invoice is charged to their card the moment it’s raised.
Every generated invoice still carries a Pay button and flows through your own Stripe account, so payouts land in your bank just like a one-off. You’ll see each cycle’s invoice and its status in your reports, which keeps your revenue drilldown and aging views honest. Set it up once, and your steady clients bill themselves.
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