Recurring invoicing: what to check before the next month

Last month isn’t always the right starting point

In this fictional example, September’s invoice covers regular maintenance of the original website and a one-off page update already delivered and billed. The client then approves maintenance of another website from October. September’s document is a reference, not a ready-made October invoice: it contains work that has ended and omits the newly agreed service.

Keep the current agreement for each recurring client: what the regular price covers, the billing period, and where to send the invoice. Record changes and one-off work alongside it. This doesn’t require a separate system; you simply shouldn’t have to guess which items continue when copying a document.

Separate the regular service, temporary changes, and extras

Prepare October’s draft by keeping maintenance of the original website, removing the one-off update already billed and adding the other website under the scope and price approved for October. If part of the service is temporarily paused, first find the agreement covering the affected period and price. Removing work from a draft does not, by itself, tell you how to adjust the amount.

Before preparing the next invoice, work through these questions. They are not instructions to recalculate the price automatically; they help you identify what to confirm with the client.

• Are the recurring scope and agreed price unchanged?
• Did the service run throughout the billing period, or did you agree to a pause?
• Is a one-off addition intended only for this invoice?
• From which period does an agreed change apply?
• Does the client still use the same billing contact or portal?

Record when a change takes effect

A completed note for this example could read: “October: maintenance of the original and additional websites under the approved scope and price. One-off page update billed in September—do not repeat. Additional website starts in October; earlier periods unchanged.” Link the actual client confirmation in your own record. A colleague can then see what differs from last month and why.

Record the agreed treatment of a temporary pause in the same way. Fewer hours worked do not, by themselves, tell you what amount matches the agreement. If the price is still an open question, resolve it with the person managing the arrangement before sending the invoice.

After sending, keep the invoice actually sent and the current billing contact or portal with the project. For this October example, next month’s starting point is maintenance of both websites; September’s one-off update does not return. A colleague checks any new changes against the note and agreement instead of guessing from the previous PDF.