Recurring invoices let you bill the same customer on a schedule without re-entering line items each time. In Tracksales you create a recurring profile with customer, products, and billing frequency; the system then generates regular invoices from that profile on the dates you set. This guide covers creating profiles, organization settings, automatic generation, and day-to-day management.

What is a recurring profile?

A recurring profile is a template invoice stored in Tracksales. It holds the customer, line items (quantity, rate, discount, tax), payment terms, and schedule (how often invoices should be created). Each time the schedule runs, Tracksales creates a new child invoice by copying the profile. Child invoices appear in your normal Invoices list and follow the same draft/finalized workflow as manually created invoices.

Recurring profiles have their own reference number (e.g. REC-000123) plus a Profile name you choose for easy identification in the list (for example "Acme Corp — monthly retainer").

Profile status

Each profile is either:

  • Active — The schedule is running. Invoices are generated automatically when the next run date is reached (see Automatic generation below).
  • Paused — The schedule is stopped. No invoices are generated until you resume the profile. You can still edit the profile or generate an invoice manually.

When a profile reaches its end date (if you set one), the schedule is deactivated automatically and the profile status becomes paused.

1. Creating a recurring profile

Go to Recurring Invoices in the sidebar (under Invoices) and click Create Profile. Then fill in:

  • Customer — Search and select who will be billed.
  • Profile name — Required. A descriptive name shown in the recurring invoices list (separate from the system reference number).
  • Order # — Optional reference carried to generated invoices.
  • Terms — Payment terms for child invoices (Due on receipt, Net 7, Net 15, Net 30, Net 45, Net 60, or Custom). The due date on each generated invoice is calculated from the invoice date plus these terms.
  • Repeat every — Choose a preset (Week, 2 weeks, Month, 2 months, 3 months, 6 months, Year, 2 years, 3 years) or Custom with your own interval in days, weeks, months, or years.
  • Starts on — The date the schedule begins. The first invoice is generated on the first scheduled run on or after this date.
  • Ends on — Optional. Uncheck Never expires to set an end date after which no more invoices are generated.

Add line items the same way as on a regular invoice: search for products, enter quantity and rate, and optionally discount and tax per line. Add customer notes if you want them copied to each generated invoice.

Click Create Profile to save. You are taken to the recurring invoices list with the new profile’s details panel open.

2. Organization settings

Before or after creating profiles, configure organization-wide defaults under Settings → Preferences → Recurring Invoices:

  • Generate at — Time of day (in your organization timezone) when due profiles create child invoices. Default is 06:00. This applies to all recurring profiles.
  • When an invoice is generated — Choose what happens after a child invoice is created (applies to both scheduled runs and manual Generate invoice now):
    • Create invoice as draft — Child invoice stays in Draft until you finalize it manually.
    • Create and finalize — Child invoice is marked Due immediately so you can record payments.
    • Create, finalize and send invoice to customer's email — Finalizes the invoice and emails it to the customer (requires a valid customer email).

These settings control automation for every profile in your organization. Individual profiles do not override them.

3. Viewing profile details (split view)

From the recurring invoices list, click a row to open its details in the panel on the right. The panel has three tabs:

  • Overview — Schedule summary (frequency, next run date, invoice amount), customer and line items, start/end dates, and payment terms. Use Generate invoice now, Pause, or Resume from the header area.
  • Child Invoices — A table of invoices already generated from this profile. Click an invoice number to open it in the Invoices list.
  • Activity — Generation history (success and failure), pause/resume events, and comments you add to the profile.

4. Generating an invoice manually

To create an invoice outside the normal schedule, open the profile and click Generate invoice now. Tracksales creates a child invoice immediately using today's date (in your organization timezone) and applies your organization's When an invoice is generated setting.

Manual generation does not advance the next scheduled run date. The regular schedule continues unchanged. You are redirected to the new invoice in the Invoices list.

5. Automatic generation

Tracksales checks for due recurring profiles throughout the day. When a profile's next run time is reached and the profile is active, the system automatically creates a child invoice, records the run in Activity, and advances the schedule to the next occurrence.

Generation uses your organization's Generate at time and timezone. If generation fails (for example due to a validation error), the failure is logged on the profile's Activity tab with a user-friendly message; you can fix the profile and try again manually.

After generation, manage the child invoice like any other: finalize if it was created as draft, record payments, or send it to the customer. See Invoice Management and Customer payments.

6. Editing a profile

Open the profile and click Edit profile (opens in a new tab). You can change the profile name, customer, terms, schedule (frequency, start/end dates), line items, and notes. Saving returns you to the recurring invoices list with the profile details open.

Changes to line items and amounts apply to future generated invoices only. Invoices already created are not modified.

7. Pause, resume, and delete

  • Pause — Stops automatic generation. The profile stays in the list with status Paused.
  • Resume — Reactivates the schedule from where it left off.
  • Delete — Removes the recurring profile and stops the schedule. Child invoices that were already generated are not deleted; they remain in your Invoices list.

8. Managing the recurring invoices list

From the Recurring Invoices page you can search by customer, reference, or profile name; filter by status (Active or Paused), location, date range, and amount; and sort columns. Use the Columns button to show or hide columns such as next run date and profile name. Your column preferences are saved for next time.

9. Permissions

Access to recurring invoices is controlled by role permissions: view (see the list and details), add (create profiles), edit (update profiles, generate manually, pause/resume), and delete. If you do not see Recurring Invoices in the menu, ask an administrator to grant the appropriate permissions.

Summary

  • Create a recurring profile with customer, line items, schedule, and payment terms; the system generates child invoices on that schedule.
  • Configure Generate at and When an invoice is generated under Settings → Preferences → Recurring Invoices.
  • Use Overview, Child Invoices, and Activity tabs to monitor each profile.
  • Generate invoice now creates an extra invoice without changing the next scheduled date.
  • Pause stops the schedule; Delete removes the profile but keeps existing child invoices.
  • Child invoices follow normal invoice rules — finalize, record payments, and apply credits as needed.