Skip to content
← Invoices & quotes

Enter your idea

Invoices & quotes: Invoicing

Categories

Advanced Repeating Invoices / Scheduled Invoice Variations

I’d love to see Xero expand repeating invoices to support scheduled future invoice variations within a single recurring invoice template.

Current Problem

Many service-based businesses invoice clients monthly for recurring services (e.g. retainers, subscriptions, support agreements, maintenance plans, etc.) but also need to bill occasional or annual charges such as:

  • Annual renewals
  • Membership fees
  • Licence renewals
  • Maintenance charges
  • Contract uplifts
  • Seasonal charges
  • One-off setup/project fees

Currently in Xero this usually requires:

  • multiple repeating invoices,
  • separate one-off invoices,
  • or manually editing invoices each month.

This creates unnecessary admin and breaks automation workflows such as autopay/direct debit systems that only work cleanly with a single invoice.

Example
- Jan Monthly Service Plan = $1,000
- Feb Monthly Service Plan = $1,000
- Mar Monthly Service Plan + Annual Renewal = $1,125
- Apr Monthly Service Plan = $1,000
- Dec Monthly Service Plan + Yearly Fee = $1,600

Instead of:

  • generating separate invoices,
  • manually copying line items,
  • deleting duplicate recurring invoices,
  • or chasing payment for secondary invoices.

Proposed Feature

Allow repeating invoices to support scheduled future modifications within the same recurring invoice template.

Examples:

  • Add/remove/edit line items on specific future invoices
  • Add charges every X months (e.g. every 12 months)
  • Apply future price increases/decreases
  • Preview future invoices and totals

Suggested Interface

A timeline or future invoice schedule where users can:

  • expand future months/invoices,
  • modify specific future invoice instances,
  • create recurring billing rules,
  • and preview projected invoice totals.

Example:

  • Modify invoice #6 only
  • Add “Annual Renewal” every 12 invoices
  • Increase monthly fee from invoice #13 onward

Benefits

  • Reduces manual admin
  • Keeps autopay/direct debit workflows intact
  • Prevents duplicate invoices
  • Reduces missed billing
  • Improves customer experience
  • Supports real-world service agreements more accurately
  • Gives better visibility into future revenue

Businesses This Would Help

This would benefit many industries including:

  • Subscription businesses
  • Agencies
  • Accounting firms
  • Professional services
  • Maintenance/service contract businesses
  • Consulting firms
  • Membership-based businesses

Recurring invoices in real businesses are rarely static forever, and having flexible recurring invoice logic built into Xero would solve a major operational pain point.

7 votes

We're glad you're here

Please sign in to leave feedback
Signed in as (Sign out)
Close
Close

We’ll send you updates on this idea

Daniel Glazenburg shared this idea  ·   ·  Report…  ·  Admin →
How important is this to you?

We're glad you're here

Please sign in to leave feedback
Signed in as (Sign out)
Close
Close

We're glad you're here

Please sign in to leave feedback
Signed in as (Sign out)
Close
Close
Submitting...
An error occurred while saving the comment
  • Melissa Rusby commented  ·   ·  Report

    Being able to make changes to repeating invoices without having to manually adjust them is absolutely critical to my business.
    One of my suppliers increases their fees annually in July and I have no alternative but to manually edit 500+ repeating invoices.
    What has been proposed above by Daniel would be fantastic.
    Even being able to carry out a simple export and import with the changes would be amazing.

    I'm aware that many users have raised this as a problem for quite sometime and it would be greatly appreciated if this could be addressed and a solution found asap.

  • Mike Gainey commented  ·   ·  Report

    Feature Request: Repeating Invoice Preview & Breakdown

    Summary
    Add a real-time preview panel to the repeating invoice setup screen that clearly shows how many invoices will be generated, their dates, and expected amounts—similar to the instalment breakdown experience in GoCardless.

    ⸻

    Problem
    When creating repeating invoices in Xero, there is currently no visibility into the outcome of the configuration before saving. Users must mentally calculate:

    * How many invoices will be created
    * The exact invoice dates
    * The total value over time

    This becomes especially difficult when working with:

    * Custom repeat intervals (e.g. every X months)
    * End dates vs no end dates
    * Variable month lengths
    * Long-running contracts

    As a result, users often rely on guesswork or external calculations, increasing the risk of errors and requiring rework.

    ⸻

    Proposed Solution
    Introduce a dynamic preview panel within the repeating invoice creation screen that updates in real time based on user inputs.

    The preview should display:

    * Total number of invoices to be generated
    * Schedule timeline, including:
    * Invoice dates
    * Due dates
    * Per-invoice amount
    * Total contract value over the selected period
    * Optional: ability to expand into a full list view of all scheduled invoices

    ⸻

    Example UX Inspiration
    GoCardless provides a strong reference by allowing users to:

    * Break payments into instalments
    * See exact amounts and dates instantly
    * Understand the full schedule before confirming

    This removes ambiguity and builds confidence in the setup.

    ⸻

    Key Benefits

    * Reduces errors in invoice scheduling
    * Saves time by eliminating manual calculations
    * Improves user confidence before saving recurring templates
    * Enhances transparency for long-term or high-value contracts
    * Aligns with user expectations set by modern billing tools

    ⸻

    Optional Enhancements

    * Editable schedule (adjust individual dates before saving)
    * Export/download schedule as CSV or PDF
    * Visual timeline (calendar-style view)
    * Warnings for edge cases (e.g. end date results in only 1 invoice)

    ⸻

    Use Case Example

    “I set a repeating invoice for £500/month from April to December.
    The preview immediately shows:

    * 9 invoices
    * Dates from Apr → Dec
    * Total = £4,500
    So I know it’s correct before saving.”