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Create and manage recurring transactions in QuickBooks

by Intuit•49• Updated 2 weeks ago

Learn how to create, edit, and manage recurring transactions. This article covers how to create templates, schedule recurring transactions, automate credit card payments with sales receipts, and troubleshoot common issues. You can also create recurring transactions from existing ones, duplicate and edit templates, and delete them when necessary.

This article is for customers who use QuickBooks Online Essentials, Plus, and Advanced. If you use Simple Start, you can upgrade your plan if you're ready to set up recurring invoices.

Note: You can automate credit card payments with a recurring sales receipt.

Use an unscheduled recurring transaction

You need to manually create each instance of an unscheduled recurring transaction, such as if you want to use it as a template.

Follow this link to complete the steps in product

For the template you want to use, in the Action column, select Use.
Fill out the rest of the transaction normally.
Select Save or Save and close.

Make an existing transaction recur

When you create or edit an invoice, receipt, bank deposit, credit note, or credit statement, you can make it recurring.

To make an invoice recur, select Manage ⚙, then select Scheduling. Turn on Make invoice recurring and fill out the details, then select Save template.
To make a receipt, bank deposit, credit note, or credit statement recur, select Make recurring.

Note: You can’t turn an existing estimate into a recurring estimate. Create a new recurring estimate from scratch, as described above.

Understand transaction types

Scheduled: Use this type for transactions with a fixed schedule and amounts that don't change, such as rent payments or loan payments. Invoices created using scheduled templates are finalised when created.

Reminder: Use this type for transactions with a fixed schedule that needs to be edited before being created, such as utility bills. Invoices created using reminder templates are saved as drafts and need to be finalised before being sent.

Unscheduled: Use this type for transactions with a lot of detail that aren't needed on any set schedule, such as complicated invoices that go to different customers. Unscheduled invoices are saved as drafts and need to be finalised before being sent.

Create a recurring transaction

Recurring transactions automate repetitive tasks like invoicing or expense recording. Here's how to create a new recurring template:

Go to Settings ⚙.
In the Lists column, select Recurring transactions.
Select New.
Select the type of transaction to create, and then select OK.
Enter a Template name.
Select a Type:
- Scheduled: Creates a series of transactions according to the schedule you set.
- Reminder: Creates a schedule to remind you to create transactions.
- Unscheduled: Saved with partial or complete data and without a schedule.
Complete the relevant fields (customer, amount, date, etc.) and select Save template.

Make an existing transaction recurring

You can turn an existing transaction into a recurring template:

Open an existing transaction.
In the footer of the form, select Make recurring to create a template (or Enable Recurring Payments). If you opened an invoice, then select Make recurring.

Important notes:

Estimates: Recurring estimates are currently only supported in the classic estimate and invoice experience. You'll need to switch to the classic experience to create a recurring estimate.
PayPal: Recurring transactions using PayPal as the payment method are not currently supported.

Duplicate an existing template

Create templates more quickly by duplicating existing templates.

Go to Settings ⚙.
In the Lists column, select Recurring transactions.
In the Action column, select Duplicate from the Edit ▼ dropdown. All settings except the title will be in the duplicate copy.

Edit a recurring template

You can edit recurring templates for any changes in invoices, expenses, and other tasks you do regularly.

Go to Settings ⚙.
In the Lists column, select Recurring transactions.
From the Action column, select Edit for the transaction you want to edit.
Edit the template name, type, and the customer or payee name as needed.
If you're editing a Scheduled or Reminder type template, you can adjust how far in advance QuickBooks creates the template or sends you a reminder. You can also set the frequency in the Interval section.
Add or remove any product or service details in the Item details section.
When you're done, select Save template.

Note: These changes only apply to the recurring template and transactions that use the template. It doesn't apply to other transactions in QuickBooks. To change settings or other transactions, go to the customer profile or the specific transaction to make updates directly.

Change the service date on transactions

Recurring transaction templates don't automatically populate the service date field on transactions. You'll need to find each transaction and manually enter the correct service date.

To find transactions recently created by a recurring template:

Follow this link to complete the steps in product.
Search for and run the Recent Automatic Transactions report.
Set the report dates.
Select Run report.
Select the individual transaction to display it.
Manually update the Service Date field to the date the service was actually performed.
Select Save.

Edit items or customers

If you edit an item or customer that's used by a recurring template, you'll get a message. QuickBooks tells you if the changes affect any recurring templates. You have a few options:

Select Update for all to save the changes to the item or customer. This also applies the updates to all relevant templates.
Select One time only to save the changes only for the transaction for which you made the change.

Changing the following fields also affects recurring templates:

Payment method
Terms
Taxable status
Transaction dates
Transaction number
Transaction amount
Location & Class

Edit company settings

If you edit company settings that are used by a recurring template, you'll get a message. Unlike items or customers, you won't see a warning message. However, making changes to the following fields will affect recurring templates:

Customer estimates message
Customer sales forms message
Sales tax rate
Account for tax
Account for shipping
Account for discount
MAS deposit account

Delete a recurring template

Go to Settings ⚙.
In the Lists column, select Recurring transactions.
Locate the Template Name and select ▼.
Select Delete from the Action column.
Select Yes to confirm that you want to delete the template.

Fix recurring transactions that didn’t run

Occasionally, you may notice that one or more of your recurring transactions were not created. To fix this issue, follow the recommended solutions below:

Tip: For any templates that don't run, a quick way to create the needed transaction is to "Use" the template.

Go to Settings ⚙.
In the Lists column, select Recurring transactions.
From the list, find the recurring transaction.
Select Use from the Edit ▼ dropdown.
Review the transaction details and add more if needed, then select Save and close and Save and new. This manually creates a new transaction from the template.

Frequently asked questions

Is the recurring template set to scheduled?

Recurring templates will only create transactions automatically when the type is set to Scheduled and the template has not reached its End Date or Maximum Occurrences.

Go to Settings ⚙.
In the Lists column, select Recurring transactions.
Find the template for the transaction that was not created and in the Action column, select Edit.
Make sure the Type is set to Scheduled and End is set to None or the appropriate end date/number of occurrences.
Select Save template.

Is the credit card associated with the recurring sales receipt still active?

When QuickBooks prepares to create recurring transactions, it skips transactions that have an expired credit card. It’s important to review and make sure that your customer’s card is not expired or expiring soon. If it is, you need to update it as soon as you have your customer's new card information so that any recurring sales receipts that are scheduled continue to run.

Was the VAT code changed?

If some item or VAT code used within a recurring template is changed indirectly, the template should automatically update to use the new information. However, we have seen some instances when an error occurs and the VAT used needs to be re-saved on the actual template.

Tip: If the recurring template did not run, but the next date advanced, open the recurring template and make sure everything looks right then save the template and see if any errors are displayed. These errors give clues into what stopped the recurring transaction from being created.

Recreate then delete the problematic template

If all else fails and it's unclear why the recurring template failed, first try recreating the problematic recurring template.

Go to Settings ⚙.
In the Lists column, select Recurring transactions.
Find the template you want to recreate and in the Action column, select Edit.
Print or write down any details you will need to recreate in the template.
Once ready, return to the list of recurring templates and select New.
Fill out the template and be sure to select Scheduled from the Type ▼ dropdown.
Select Save template.

You then need to delete the old template.

Go to Settings ⚙.
In the Lists column, select Recurring transactions.
From the list, find the recurring transaction template you want to delete.
In the Action column, select the Edit ▼ dropdown, then select Delete.
Select Yes to confirm.

Additional tips

You can automate credit card payments with recurring sales receipts.
Use recurring invoices to save time and maintain consistency.
Review and update your recurring templates regularly to ensure they are accurate and up-to-date.