Create and send recurring invoices
About recurring Square Invoices
Recurring invoicing allows a merchant to charge a customer’s credit card for goods or services on a prearranged, recurring schedule. Recurring invoicing requires obtaining a one-time consent from the cardholder to charge the payment card on file on an ongoing basis until the cardholder withdraws permission.
Before you begin
Recurring invoices will follow an ID convention similar to 000001-R-0001.
If you schedule a recurring payment for a future date with the Card on File feature, your customer’s card will be automatically charged at 10:00 AM in your local time zone on the date you’ve selected.
Invoices are always free to send. With a Invoices Plus subscription, you can enjoy advanced, time-saving features as well as a reduced card processing per transaction. Learn more about Square Invoices pricing.
Create a recurring invoice
For detailed information on invoice creation, learn how to create and send invoices.
- Sign in to your Square Dashboard and click Payments > Invoices > Recurring series.
- Click Create recurring series and choose a template, if applicable.
- Select an existing customer or a new customer to the invoice with a name, phone number, and email address.
- Add custom invoice details, such as a title, custom invoice ID to match your records, a message, and an optional date of service.
- Recurring schedule: Select how often the recurring invoices will be sent. You can include a custom start date, end date, and recurring invoice due date.
- Fill out the rest of the invoice information.
- Once finished, you can Preview what the invoice will look like on your customer’s end, Save as Draft, or Send. If you’re scheduling the recurring invoice for a future start date, click Schedule.
- When your client receives the recurring invoice, they can complete the payment securely online. If their card was already on file, it’s charged automatically. Your funds will be deposited according to your transfer schedule. Learn how to set up and edit transfer options.
- From the Home or Invoices page, tap (+) > Send invoice. From the Square POS app, tap ≡ More > Invoices > (+).
- Add a new or existing customer and add the line items.
- Under Payment schedule, tap Make this invoice recurring.
- Choose Recurring and select the recurring options.
- Tap the back arrow to fill out the rest of the invoice information. Tap Continue.
- Review the invoice details, including communication preferences.
- Tap Send invoice or tap (•••) to Save as Draft. If you’re scheduling the recurring invoice for a future start date, tap Schedule invoice.
When your client receives the recurring invoice, they can pay you securely online. If their card was already on file, it’s charged automatically. The money is usually transferred into your bank account in one or two business days from the processing date.
Manage recurring invoices
To edit, end, or view recurring invoices:
- Sign in to your Square Dashboard and click Payments > Invoices > Recurring series.
- Click (•••) next to the recurring series or click into the recurring series to modify.
- Choose to Edit recurring series, End recurring series, or View recurring series.
When you edit an active recurring series, edits will apply to all future invoices. When you end a recurring series, once confirmed, no future invoices will be sent from this series. Any outstanding invoices will still apply.
Editing a recurring series will impact all recurring invoices in that series.
- From the Square Invoices app, tap Invoices.
- Tap the Filter: All.
- Under Recurring Series, change the filter to Active and tap Save.
- Tap on an active series.
- To make edits to the recurring series information (customer information, line items, payment method, etc.), tap Edit to make changes, then tap Update recurring series.
- You can also tap (•••) to View recurring invoices or End recurring series.
Allow customers to save bank account information for a recurring series
To allow your customers to save their bank account for a recurring series and enable auto charge, you will need to check the Allow automatic payments with card or bank on file option when creating a recurring series.
Once the customer opens the invoice, they can select Pay by bank transfer.
The customer will then go through a flow with Plaid, our bank verification partner to authorize their bank account.
Through the Plaid flow, the customer can select their bank and enter their credentials. Once complete, there will be a Success screen.
The customer can then check the box for Save my bank on file with [business].
Once complete, the customer can select Confirm and pay. Future invoices in the series will be charged to the bank on file.
Allow customers to remove or update saved card on file or bank account on file
To allow your customers to update their Card on File or Bank on File for a recurring series or remove their card or bank information, you need to set up the recurring series as delayed charge, meaning their payment is due later than the invoice date. On each invoice date, your customers with Card on File or Bank on File enrolled will receive an email with the option to Make early payment or Update payment method.
Have you customer open their email and follow these steps:
Your customer should select Update payment method in that email to go to the Pay Page, then select either Update card, Update bank transfer (ACH), or Remove card/ bank on file.
If the customer selects to update their card or bank, they can enter their updated card or bank information.
The customer will then check the box for Save my card or bank on file with [business].
Once complete, your customer can Confirm. Future invoices in the series will be charged to the updated card or bank on file.