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Recurring invoice schedule

Billing a client the same amount every week, month or quarter? Plan the whole retainer at once: every invoice date, the period it covers, its due date and its invoice number. Copy it into a spreadsheet, download calendar reminders, print it for the client, and make each invoice in one click when the day comes. Nothing you type leaves your browser.

Schedule: - See the schedule ↓

The calendar file has one all-day event per invoice date with a reminder at 9:00, and opens in Google Calendar, Apple Calendar or Outlook (import it). The CSV and the calendar file are made on your device; nothing is uploaded.

Make the invoices

Make this invoice opens the free invoice generator with that invoice's number, dates, line, amount, tax and payment details filled in. They travel in the part of the link after #, which browsers don't send to any server.

How the dates work

  1. Invoice dates start on your first date and repeat: every 7, 14 or 28 days, or every 1, 2, 3, 6 or 12 months on the same day of the month.
  2. Short months: a monthly invoice on the 29th, 30th or 31st moves to the last day of shorter months (28 February) and goes back the month after. Start on the last day of a month and every invoice falls on a month end.
  3. Period covered: billed in advance, each invoice covers from its date until the day before the next one (1 November to 30 November prints as "November 2026"). Billed in arrears, it covers the period that just ended.
  4. Weekends: optionally move an invoice date that falls on a Saturday or Sunday to the Friday before or the Monday after. The period stays the same. Public holidays are not taken into account.
  5. Due date = the invoice date + your payment terms in days (0 = due on receipt).
  6. Invoice numbers count up from your first number, keeping its zeros and any letters after it (INV-0043, INV-0044…), like the invoice number generator. Other invoices you send in between also use numbers, so check before you send.

Example (made-up): USD 1,000 a month, billed in advance, Net 14, 12 invoices from 1 November 2026 = 12 invoices from 2026-11-01 to 2027-10-01, total USD 12,000.00; the first one is due 2026-11-15.

Agree the schedule in writing

Put the amount, the frequency, the invoice day, advance or arrears, the payment terms and any notice period in the contract or proposal, then send the client the printed schedule so their accounts team knows what is coming. If your client gives you a purchase order for the retainer, put its number in Client's PO number on each invoice in the invoice generator.

Weekly, 4-weekly or monthly?

Weekly and every-2-weeks billing suit ongoing hourly work. Every 4 weeks keeps every period the same length but makes 13 invoices a year, not 12. Monthly is easiest for clients to budget. Quarterly or yearly suits maintenance and hosting plans. Not sure what to charge per month? Work it out with the freelance rate calculator; paid from abroad, check what lands with the payout fee calculator.

Several retainer clients on the same day?

If you bill all of them at the start of the month and keep the work in a spreadsheet, paste the rows into the free bulk invoice generator: it makes one invoice per client and prints them all as one PDF.

When an invoice is late

A retainer client who pays late once usually pays late again. Use the payment reminder email generator on the day after the due date, send a statement of account if several invoices are open, and check the contract for an agreed late fee.

This page does date and money arithmetic on what you type. It is not legal or tax advice.

More free tools

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Questions

How do I set up recurring invoices for a retainer?

Agree the amount, how often you invoice (monthly is most common), the first invoice date, whether you bill in advance (at the start of each period) or in arrears (after it), and the payment terms. Put those into this page and it lists every invoice: number, date, period covered, due date and amount. Download the calendar file so you get a reminder on each invoice date, and click Make this invoice when the day comes.

Should I bill a retainer in advance or in arrears?

Retainers are often billed in advance: the November invoice goes out on 1 November and pays for November. Billing in arrears (the November invoice goes out on 1 December) suits work that varies month to month. It is your agreement with the client; this page handles both and prints the period each invoice covers.

What happens when the invoice date is the 31st?

Months have 28 to 31 days. If your first invoice is on the 29th, 30th or 31st, in shorter months this page moves the invoice to the last day of the month (28 or 29 February, 30 April) and goes back to the usual day the month after. If the first date is the last day of a month, every invoice falls on the last day of its month.

Is every 4 weeks the same as monthly?

No. Every 4 weeks gives 13 invoices a year; monthly gives 12. With the same amount per invoice, 4-weekly billing brings in one extra invoice a year, so make sure the contract says which one you mean.

Does Kitebill send recurring invoices automatically?

No. The Kitebill app has no recurring invoices and never sends anything for you. What it does: open last month’s invoice and click Duplicate, and you get a draft with the next number, today’s date and your usual payment terms; change the period in the description, then mark it sent. Use the calendar file from this page to remind you.

Does this page save or send what I type?

No. Everything is worked out in your browser. Nothing is stored, the page makes no requests to other sites, and the CSV and calendar files are created on your device. Download or print what you need before you close the tab.