I would like to create an invoice but delay send it so it automatically sends on a futre date. How can I do this?

It's good to see you here in the Community, mike-mindfulpeop.

We can set up and use the Recurring Transactions feature to create an invoice and send it on a future date in QuickBooks Online.

Here's how:

1. Click the Gear icon ⚙ and choose Recurring transactions.
   
2. Tap New.
   
3. Select the type of transaction to create, and then select OK.
   
4. Enter a Template name.
5. Select a Type: Scheduled.
6. Under Options, select Automatically send emails.
7. Fill in the necessary information.
   
8. Hit Save Template.

To know more about how this feature works, we can go through the articles below. On the same links, we can find tips about the difference between each transaction type as well as a brief video to serve as our visual guide:

Create recurring transactions in QuickBooks Online.

Schedule recurring transactions created with a template.

You can always get back to me if you need additional assistance with sending invoices in QuickBooks Online, mike-mindfulpeop. Have a great rest of your day!

Hi, mike-mindfulpeop.

Hope you're doing great. I wanted to see how everything is going about creating and sending future invoices. Was it resolved? Do you need any additional help or clarification? If you do, just let me know. I'd be happy to help you at anytime.

Looking forward to your reply. Have a pleasant day ahead!

Hi Rose-A,

I realize this was a year ago, but I was wondering the same as the above question.  I attempted your instructions, however, it wants me to add a customer and a line item.  I would like to have this available for all my customers. For example, I create the invoice(s) but I don't want the invoice to send until the end of the day.  I would like to do each individually so I can review them as I do them instead of batch invoicing.

Hello, Shariekp.

Thanks for chiming in and for attempting what my colleague provided. I would gladly lay down some details on how we can create and review an invoice and send it at the end of the day. 

As you've noticed, a recurring invoice template only applies to a single customer. However, we can create a single template, then use it when creating the invoice.

We would just need to edit the Customer name. The idea here is to use that template as a standard form for all of your customers. 

As for the line item, we're unable to create a template or an invoice without adding it. Although, we can use a line item as a placeholder on the invoice. We would also need to add or remove items as we review and create the transaction. 

If you haven't done it yet, I'll lay down the steps to create a single template: 

1. On the Recurring Transactions page, click the New button.
2. Set the Transaction Type to Invoice, then hit OK.
3. Enter a Template name, then select a Type. 
4. Under Customer, add a placeholder customer profile. 
5. Set a specific Interval parameter. 
6. Add a placeholder line item. 
7. Add any other details, then hit Save template. 

A template would be saved. When we're ready to create an invoice, simply go to your Recurring Transactions list. Find the template, then click the arrow icon beside Edit. Select Use. 

If this invoice is for a different customer, we'll just need to select a different profile under Customer. Add or replace line items when needed. 

This method allows us to review the invoices individually before creating or sending them to the customers. 

Also, we do have the option to send the invoice at a later date. All we have to do is save the invoice after reviewing it, then use the Save and close function.

When we're ready to send it at the end of the day, we'll simply want to open it and use the Save and send option. 

After creating and sending those invoices, would you like some assistance in reviewing your current financial numbers? I'll lay down this article to help you run reports in the future: Run reports in QuickBooks Online. 

This thread's still open if you have more questions about managing invoices in QuickBooks. Though, you can always raise any other concerns you might have about your records, reports, entries, and more. Always here to help. 

Quickbooks, please add a feature when sending invoices to delay to a day and time when sending.

Hi there, HojjatiCPA.

Thank you for visiting the QuickBooks Community. A feature that allows you to send out invoices to a specified date or delay once they are created will surely benefit a large number of users. I'll ensure you can forward this product suggestion to our engineers so they can consider including it in future developments.

Since the feature mentioned above is currently unavailable, please know that QuickBooks only allows you to create templates for recurring transactions, like invoices. This will help you to generate invoices automatically from created entries and send them in the future. If you want to utilize this, you can follow the steps shared by my colleague.

Please feel free to leave a comment below if you have other concerns about managing invoices in QBO. I'm always ready to help, HojjatiCPA. Have a great day!

Yes, I would very much like to know how to set up recurring invoices that don't actually go out until a specified date. It is bothersome to create calendar reminders to remind me to enable a recurring template that I have set up. If I miss or forget the start date then the billing sequence never begins. It just seems like such a simple ask. 

Hi, DCA2023.

Thanks for joining this conversation. I'm here to help fix your recurring invoice setup in QuickBooks Online (QBO).

You can edit and change the Type of your recurring invoice template to Scheduled.

This automates the creation and sending of transactions based on your chosen schedule. If you opt to send them via email, they will be automatically sent. You also have the option to receive notifications when the transactions take place. In any case, the transactions are recorded effortlessly, requiring no additional effort from you.

Here's how to do it:

1. In QBO, go to the Gear (settings) icon at the top right, then Recurring transactions.
2. From the Action column, select Edit for the transaction you want to edit.
3. Change the Type to Scheduled.
4. If you're editing a Scheduled 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.
5. When you're done, hit Save template.

To learn more about managing recurring transactions in QBO, check out these articles for future reference:

• Create recurring transactions in QuickBooks Online.
• Edit a recurring template in QuickBooks Online.

Please let me know if you have more questions about this or anything else. I'm always here to assist. Take care.

I would like to utilize this feature but I am wondering how I can include smart data in the description that will change with each recurring transaction. For example, if I have a recurring invoice scheduled to go out on the first of every month, in Feb, I need the description to say "January" and in March, I need the description to say "February". The ability to have the data inserted using something along the lines of [current month - 1] would be hugely beneficial

Welcome to the Community, @jenn8five. I’ll share insights about including smart data in the description section.

Currently, automatically changing the months on your recurring transaction is unavailable. I understand that having this feature would greatly impact your company as it helps you lessen the time taken to change them accordingly. 

In the meantime, I suggest you manually edit your recurring template by following the steps below:

1. Go to the Gear icon, and select Recurring Transactions.
2. Select Edit for the transaction you want to edit from the Action column.
3. Edit the Description, and the other details as needed
4. Once done, select Save template.

While considering this option to be included in the application’s future enhancements, I recommend sending this suggestion to our product development team:

1. Go to the Gear icon.
2. Select Feedback.
3. Enter a brief description of your product suggestion.
4. Click Next to submit feedback.

Moreover, I added an article that you can refer to in recording invoice payments once you receive the actual payment for this one. I have an article here where you can refer to keep your records accurate: Record invoice payments in QuickBooks Online.

Additionally, I have included a reference to a resource that provides comprehensive instructions for personalizing reports.

• Run reports in QuickBooks Online
• Customize reports in QuickBooks Online

Let me know if you have any concerns about recurring transactions or managing your sales entries in QuickBooks. I'm here to help!

My apologies, I never saw this reply and solution. Yes, I'm able to set this future invoice in advance, but my real question is can I set a future invoice to start on a specific future date like 2 months ahead and it will send out automatically. Example: Create a recurring invoice on January 1st but delay the send until Feb 5th and have the recurring invoicing continue monthly from there. So if we are billing $100 on the 5th of each month from Feb 5th through Dec 5th, I can still set up the recurring billing up Jan 1st and not have to activate the billing manually in Feb. Just set it and forget it and it will automatically go out on a delayed date in the future. 

This is what I'm actually trying to solve, if that makes sense. Thank you for any insight on this!

Thanks for your reply and clarifying your concern, @DCA2023.

I can see how useful it would be for you and your business to send a recurring invoice at a future date. However, a delayed option for a recurring template is unavailable in QuickBooks Online. I recommend sending this suggestion to our Development Team so they can consider adding it to future product enhancements. 

Here's how:

1. Click the Gear icon and choose Feedback.
2. Enter your feedback Suggestion.
3. Press Next.

Moreover, to help you create templates for recurring transactions, you can check out this article for your reference: Create recurring transactions in QuickBooks Online.

If you want to modify your check template, here's a helpful resource you can read for more details: Edit a recurring template in QuickBooks Online.

Stay in touch if you have any other questions or concerns about managing your sales transactions. I’ll be right here to answer them for you. Enjoy the rest of the day.