The problem
Retainer and subscription billing depends on someone remembering to reissue the same invoice every month. Miss a cycle and a client simply doesn't get billed on time; get the copy-paste wrong and a client gets billed the wrong amount. Neither failure shows up until someone notices the cash didn't arrive.
How AccountDesq solves it
A template captures the customer, line items, and schedule once. Generated invoices reuse the exact prices locked in at save time - they're never re-priced live against a later catalog change, so a vendor raising item prices next quarter doesn't silently change what a retainer client owes this month. If a monthly cycle lands past the end of a shorter month (the 31st, say), the date clamps to that month's last day and the original day comes back the next time a full-length month allows it. Every cycle produces a draft, not a sent invoice - review and issue is still a deliberate step.
How it works, step by step
Save a template
Set the customer, line items, and pricing once - these lock in and repeat unchanged every cycle.
Set the schedule
Choose a frequency (weekly, monthly, or custom), a start date, and an optional end date.
Drafts generate automatically
On each cycle, AccountDesq creates a draft invoice from the template - nothing is sent yet.
Review and issue
Check the draft, then issue it the same way as any other invoice - it posts to the ledger and enters AR aging at that point.
Connected to the rest of AccountDesq
Nothing here works in isolation - it posts through the same ledger as everything else.
In practice
A freelance consultant sets up five retainer clients as recurring templates once, each with its own monthly fee. From then on, a draft invoice for each client appears automatically on schedule - the consultant reviews it, issues it, and it's in the books, without re-typing the same line item five times a month.
What this means for your business
- Retainer revenue doesn't depend on someone remembering to reissue an invoice on the 1st of the month.
- Locked-in pricing means a generated invoice always matches what the client actually agreed to, not whatever the catalog says today.
- A review step before issuing means nothing goes to a client unattended, even on an automated schedule.
Frequently asked questions
Do recurring invoices send to customers automatically?
No - each cycle generates a draft invoice for you to review and issue yourself. Nothing is sent or posted to the ledger until you issue it.
If I change an item's price, does that change already-scheduled recurring invoices?
No - line-item prices lock in when the template is saved and repeat unchanged every cycle, so a later catalog price change doesn't retroactively alter what a template bills.
What happens if a monthly cycle date doesn't exist in a shorter month?
The date clamps to that month's last day (e.g. the 31st becomes the 30th in a 30-day month), and the original day returns the next time a full-length month allows it.