The Goal: Configure your system to automatically generate invoices for recurring (scheduled) billing by enabling and tuning the automated billing settings.
Before You Begin:
- You need staff access to billing/finance settings.
- Decide on your lead time (how many days ahead of the Next Bill Date invoices should be created).
- Know whether you want invoices delivered automatically by email, since Invoice before Autopay and Automatic Invoice Emails are mutually exclusive.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Go to Finance, Billing section, click Settings and select General Billing Settings.
- Enable the Use Automated Billing option if you wish the system to automatically generate invoices for recurring billing.
- Enter the Lead Time Days. Lead time days is the number of days ahead of the Next Bill Date that invoices are created when Use Automated Billing is enabled. You will either deliver invoices from Pending Delivery under Finance, Billing section to actually send the invoices, or configure your system to automatically deliver, via email, your renewal invoices. This lead time gives you time to review invoices, apply credits, and apply un-applied payments, etc. before sending out the invoices. NOTE: Billings that have stored payment profiles will be charged on the actual Next Bill Date.
- Set Months Back Allowed: This setting allows you to set the number of months back you will be able to look back for invoices that need to be created, when manually running upcoming billing from Upcoming Billing in the Billing module.
- Configure Auto Apply Credits to Newly Created Invoices: this setting will automatically apply any overpayments or credits on a contact’s profile to a new invoice. IMPORTANT: The credit will be applied regardless of the fee item associated to the credit. For example, you may have created a credit for an event registration but enabling this setting could apply it to membership dues.
- Configure Invoice before Autopay: Enable this option to create invoices for contacts who have a payment profile attached to a scheduled billing in advance (either when invoices are automatically generated or when billing is manually run). Invoices will be created without charging the credit card. On the actual invoice Next Bill Date, the system will then automatically charge the profile. See Create Invoices prior to Charging Stored Payment Profiles for further details.
- Configure Automatic Invoice Emails: Enable this option if you wish the system to automatically send out your invoices once they have been generated (either automatically or manually). If selected, you will then choose the Email Template that you wish to be used when the invoices are sent. IMPORTANT!! Invoice before Autopay and Automatic Invoice Emails are mutually exclusive. You can only choose one or the other.
- Click Save to finalize your changes.
Common Pitfalls
- Enabling both Invoice before Autopay and Automatic Invoice Emails: These two options are mutually exclusive — you can only choose one. Decide which behavior you want before saving.
- Auto Apply Credits applies across fee items: When enabled, credits are applied regardless of the fee item they were created for (e.g., an event credit could be applied to membership dues). Confirm this is acceptable before turning it on.