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Billing

Recurring bills

Use recurring bills to bill a client the same amount regularly, such as for retainer billing.
note
For former users of Creative Solutions Practice (CSP), recurring bills were referred to as fixed fee bills.

About recurring billing

The recurring bill process reduces manual billing entry by automatically creating invoices for predefined recurring amounts. Invoice printing and the overall billing workflow otherwise work the same as in the regular billing process.
Recurring bills are often used when a client is billed the same amount regularly. This method is commonly used for retainers.

How recurring billing differs from regular billing

Recurring billing doesn’t provide the options that are available in the regular billing process. For example, you can't compose invoice text during billing, and billing amounts are automatically distributed proportionally across all WIP in the specified engagement. You can't edit that distribution.
Recurring billing doesn’t change how invoice printing works. The detail section of the invoice still appears according to the invoice format and the billed WIP. A recurring bill doesn’t automatically create a single-line or simplified invoice unless you have created a custom invoice format for that purpose.
Recurring billing also doesn’t remove the need to enter WIP before billing unless the recurring bill is specifically set up to do so. If no WIP is entered for a client during a billing period, only the progress bill method lets a recurring bill be created. In that case, additional steps are required later to clear accumulated progress bills against accumulated WIP.
If your firm uses billing approval and posting, recurring billing doesn’t remove the requirement to approve and post invoices on the
Review
 tab.

When to use recurring billing

Use recurring billing when you need to generate invoices for the same amount on a regular schedule and don’t need to customize invoice text or manually adjust how amounts are applied to WIP during billing.
If your firm needs more control over invoice wording, billing allocation, or one-time billing adjustments, the regular billing process may be a better option.

Setup requirements

Before you can generate a recurring bill for a client, you must complete the recurring billing setup for that client or engagement.

Additional considerations

  • There is no limit to the number of times you can generate recurring bills in a month.
  • If you select a recurring bill client by using
    Detail Bill Selected
    , the application prompts you to include recurring bills on the current invoice.
  • If you include the recurring bill, the recurring amount is distributed proportionally across the existing WIP for that engagement, even if a recurring bill has already been generated for that month.
  • To add an extra charge to a recurring bill, use
    Detail Bill Selected
    , include the recurring bill when prompted, and then bill the additional time or expenses.

Invoice format and descriptions

Invoices created through recurring billing use the default invoice format selected for the client on the
Billing & A/R
 tab in client setup, unless you apply a format override during generation.
You can't modify the invoice text in the same way that you can for an invoice created through Detail Billing.
If you use an invoice format grouped by engagement, you can define a default invoice description for the recurring engagement on each client. If you use an invoice format grouped by activity, you can define the description for each activity in setup. Defining default descriptions helps ensure that recurring bill invoices include descriptions for the billed engagement or activities.

This article applies to:

  • Product: Practice CS
  • Subject: Billing,Invoices