QuickBooks Invoice Operations ยท Online Only
How to Schedule Recurring Invoices in QuickBooks Online
Recurring invoices eliminate the most time-consuming part of monthly billing: remembering to create and send them. QuickBooks Online lets you set up invoices that generate automatically on a schedule you define, with delivery either automatic (sent without review) or as a reminder (drafted for your review before sending). This guide covers the full setup, the scheduling options, and the common mistakes that cause recurring invoices to stop firing silently. Note: this feature is available in QBO Essentials, Plus, and Advanced only. QBO Simple Start does not support recurring transactions.
Create a New Recurring Invoice from Scratch
The cleanest setup path. Use this when you are building a new monthly retainer, subscription, or service agreement from the beginning.
Click the Settings gear icon in the top right, then select Recurring Transactions.
Click New. Select Invoice as the transaction type. Click OK.
Choose the Type:
Scheduled = auto-creates and sends on the schedule without intervention.
Reminder = creates a draft and emails you a reminder to review before sending.
Unscheduled = saves the template for manual use (no automation).
Fill in the Template name (internal reference only, not visible to the customer).
Set the Interval: Daily, Weekly, Monthly, or Yearly. Set the Start date and either an End date or None for indefinite.
Select the Customer, fill in line items (Product/Service, Quantity, Rate), and set payment terms.
If Scheduled: check Automatically send emails to have QBO deliver the invoice to the customer without manual review. Leave unchecked if you want the invoice created but not sent.
Click Save template. The recurring invoice will generate on the next scheduled date.
Convert an Existing Invoice to Recurring
Faster when you already have a one-time invoice that represents the amount and line items you want to recur.
Open the existing invoice from Sales > Invoices.
Click the Make recurring button at the bottom of the invoice.
QBO pre-fills the template with the invoice's customer, line items, and amounts. Set the Type, Interval, and Start date as in Method 1.
Click Save template. The original invoice remains as-is; the recurring template is a separate object.
Edit, Pause, or Delete a Recurring Invoice
Managing existing recurring templates after they are created.
Go to Settings > Recurring Transactions. All templates appear in a list with their status, interval, and next date.
Edit: Click Edit in the Action column. Change amount, line items, interval, or end date. Save.
Pause: Open the template, change the Type to Unscheduled. The template stays but stops generating invoices until you change it back.
Delete: Click Delete in the Action column. This removes the template permanently. Invoices already generated from the template are not affected.
Why Recurring Invoices Stop Firing (and How to Fix It)
The most common support question about recurring invoices is "it stopped working and I did not get a notification." Here are the five reasons.
End date passed. Check the template. If the end date has passed, the template is inactive. Set a new end date or choose None.
Customer email missing or invalid. If "Automatically send emails" is checked but the customer record has no email, QBO creates the invoice but cannot send it. Check the customer record.
Type set to Unscheduled or Reminder. Unscheduled does not auto-generate. Reminder creates a draft only if you have email notifications on. Confirm the Type is Scheduled.
Product/service item was made inactive. If any line item on the template references a product or service you later deactivated, QBO may skip the generation silently. Reactivate the item or update the template.
QBO subscription downgraded. Recurring transactions are not available on Simple Start. If your plan was downgraded, all recurring templates become inactive until you upgrade back to Essentials or higher.
Related QuickBooks Invoice Guides
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