How to Set Up Recurring Invoices for Retainer Clients

Why retainer clients need recurring invoices

A retainer is a predictable, repeating fee — a monthly SEO package, a weekly support block, a quarterly maintenance contract. The work repeats, so the invoice should too. Re-creating it manually every cycle wastes time, invites typos, and — worst of all — invites forgetting, which means revenue arrives late or not at all.

Recurring invoices fix all three: the amount, line items, tax, and due-date gap are set once and reused on a schedule. Your cash flow becomes predictable, your admin time drops to near zero, and your retainer revenue stops depending on you remembering to send a bill.

Before you start: get the first invoice right

Because the schedule clones your first invoice, accuracy up front matters. Confirm:

• Line items reflect the full retainer scope and rate.
• Tax is set correctly (ClientDeck applies a custom tax percentage per invoice).
• The issue-to-due gap is what you want — every generated invoice inherits the same gap. If your first invoice is due 14 days out, every future one will be too.

How to set up a recurring invoice in ClientDeck

1. 1Create the invoice. Go to Invoices → create a new invoice, choose the retainer client, and add your line items and tax exactly as they should repeat.
2. 2Set the Recurring Schedule. In the invoice, set the Recurring Schedule field from None to Weekly, Bi-weekly, Monthly, or Quarterly. Save.
3. 3Understand what happens next. ClientDeck schedules the next invoice one cycle out (a confirmation tells you the exact date). Each generated invoice is saved as a Draft by default so you stay in control.
4. 4Turn on Auto-send (optional but recommended for retainers). Go to Invoices → Recurring, find the schedule, and toggle Auto-send email. Now every generated invoice is emailed to the client automatically instead of waiting in Drafts. For a stable retainer, this is the setting that makes billing truly hands-off.
5. 5Manage the schedule anytime. From Invoices → Recurring you can Pause a schedule (e.g., a client goes on hold), Resume it, or End it when the contract finishes.

Connect a payment gateway so clients can actually pay

A recurring invoice that can't be paid online just creates recurring follow-up. Connect your own payment account so each invoice carries a pay option:

• Plus plan: connect PayPal (and a regional gateway).
• Pro plan: also connect Stripe for global card and ACH payments.

ClientDeck charges zero transaction fees — you connect your own merchant account and the money goes directly to you. (Not sure which gateway to switch on? See our guide to the best payment gateway for client invoicing.)

Common mistakes to avoid

• Setting auto-send before the retainer is stable. If scope or rate is still changing, leave invoices as Drafts and review each one until things settle.
• A wrong due-date gap on invoice #1. It propagates to every future invoice. Fix it before scheduling.
• No payment gateway connected. Automating the invoice but not the payment just moves the bottleneck.
• Forgetting to End a finished retainer. Pause or End schedules when a client offboards so invoices stop generating.

Frequently asked questions