Record the route to the document
Start with services whose invoices you repeatedly have to find. Note the service, business, account administrator, payment frequency, and download location. Do not put passwords in this table.
For each service, distinguish between PDFs delivered to email and invoices you must download from a portal. The second group needs a separate manual check when preparing documents.
Recording the administrator helps when people change. A company may keep paying for a service whose billing remains in a former colleague's account. Fixing access and contact details is worth more than another reminder that someone must provide the PDF next month.
Annual subscriptions are easy to lose track of
Monthly services remind you regularly. An annual payment can appear after a long gap and surprise both you and your accountant. Note the usual renewal period and who should decide whether to continue the service.
Do not assume the renewal date is the exact date of the next invoice without checking. Supplier terms can change and an account may contain different licences or add-ons. For a larger or unusual payment, look at the actual bill.
A small overview can also help you decide whether you still need a service. But do not cancel it just because nobody immediately recognises its name. First establish its purpose and dependencies — for example, who uses the account and which files remain there.
One service, three licences and a departing colleague
In an example team, you pay for three tool licences but one colleague has left. Invoices still go to their address and they remain the account owner. The missing PDF is only the visible part of the problem: you need to take over administration, check actual licence use and agree on continued operation.
Check data and access before changing the plan or cancelling the account. You do not want to lose project materials while solving a cost issue. After the change, check the next real invoice to verify that the contact, licence count and customer match the intended outcome.
Knowing the payment, administrator, and invoice location gives you a useful starting point. If a detail is missing, add it the next time you deal with the service so you do not have to investigate again.
A small table with useful details is enough
The following example uses fictional services. Adapt the columns to what you actually need; without regular upkeep, a table can eventually be as misleading as a messy mailbox. Start with a few items and add the ones that cause more searching at handover.
| Service | Company and administrator | Where to get the document | Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Website hosting | Alfa; owner | PDF in company email | Monthly |
| Graphics tool | Beta; team lead | Billing in the customer account | Annually |
| Cloud storage | Alfa; account administrator | Email notification, PDF in the portal | Monthly |
Return to the overview when something actually changes
You do not need to check every subscription daily. Open the overview when the administrator changes, a payment is unusual, a document is missing or a renewal decision is due. At the monthly handover, mainly use the list of sources requiring manual downloads.
If invoices regularly arrive as PDFs in email, HeyRup can help collect and prepare them. You can send selected documents to your accountant after reviewing the preview. Supplier portals remain a separate route at this stage. The service overview complements automation where you need information that the mailbox does not provide.
The goal is not to start next time with “what are we actually paying for?”. A few well-maintained rows can be more useful than a detailed register nobody wants to update.