Overview
Recurring jobs can handle their own billing for you. Instead of creating, sending, and charging each invoice by hand, you set the rules once and let MotionOps do it every cycle.
You control three things: when the invoice is due, whether it sends automatically, and whether the customer's card on file is charged automatically. Auto-send works for any business. Auto-charge is available when your business has online payment processing turned on.
This is set up on a recurring proposal or work order. The automation starts once the customer approves the proposal.
The auto-charge feature is not available on the Solo plan.
When to Use This Feature
You bill the same customer on a regular schedule, such as monthly HVAC maintenance or weekly lawn service, and want the invoices to go out on their own.
You want to get paid faster by charging a card on file the moment the invoice is created.
You want to reduce office time spent creating and chasing recurring invoices.
You want the invoice sent now but the payment pulled later, on the due date.
You want a receipt sent to the customer automatically after each successful charge.
How It Works
The settings build on each other, from top to bottom:
Payment Due Terms set how many days after an invoice is created it becomes due (for example, 30). If you leave this blank, the job uses your business default.
Automatic Sending of the Invoices decides what happens when each invoice is created - it stays a draft for you to review, or it sends to your customer right away.
Automatically Charge Invoices includes the auto-send option, and requires your business to have online payment processing enabled. It charges the card on file so you don't have to.
These settings apply to invoices the recurring schedule creates going forward. Changing them does not affect invoices that were already created, and it does not change invoices you create by hand.
How to Set It Up
These settings live in the invoicing section of a recurring proposal or work order. You'll only see them when the proposal type is set to Recurring.
Open a recurring proposal or work order and go to its invoicing settings.
In Payment Due Terms, enter the number of days until an invoice is due (for example, NET 30). Leave it blank to use your business default.
If you chose Auto-Send and your business has payment processing, turn on Automatically Charge Invoices to collect payment automatically.
Check the Payment Method shown. This is the account's default card on file and it's the card that will be charged.
Turn on Send Receipt on Successful Charge if you want the customer emailed a receipt each time a charge succeeds.
Save the proposal or work order. The automation begins once the customer approves the proposal.
Your settings apply to every invoice the schedule creates from that point forward.
When There's No Card on File
Auto-charge can only run if the account has a valid card on file. The setup screen shows you whether one is on file.
If there isn't one, you have two options:
Add a payment method to the account now.
Require the customer to add a card when they approve the proposal. See Requiring Payment Details When a Client Approves a Proposal.
What Happens After Each Charge
When auto-charge runs, MotionOps tries the card once and records the result.
If the charge succeeds - the invoice is marked Paid, and a receipt is emailed to the customer if you turned that on. The account manager is notified.
If the charge fails - the invoice is still sent to the customer as Pending so they can pay it through the normal payment link, and the account manager is emailed the reason (no card on file, an expired or invalid card, or a declined card).
Every attempt, successful or not, appears in your transactions log alongside your other card payments.
Tips & Best Practices
Confirm a card is on file before relying on auto-charge. If none is on file at charge time, the charge is skipped and the invoice simply goes out for the customer to pay.
Turn on receipts for a smoother customer experience. With Immediately charging, a customer who is charged on creation gets no other email unless the receipt is on.
Set the automation before the proposal is approved. Billing starts at approval, so having it configured up front means the first cycle is handled for you.
Things to Know
Auto-send works for everyone; auto-charge needs payment processing. If your business isn't set up for online payments, the charging settings won't be available, but you can still send invoices automatically.
Changing the default Payment Method here changes it account-wide. It becomes the default everywhere the account's card on file is used, not just for this job.
Each invoice is charged one time. A failed charge is not retried automatically - the invoice stays Pending for the customer to pay, and the account manager is notified.
Changes apply going forward only. Updating these settings affects the next invoice the schedule creates, never invoices that already exist.
Only scheduled invoices are automated. Invoices you create by hand are not auto-sent or auto-charged.
These settings only appear on recurring jobs. One-off jobs don't show the automation section.
The account needs a primary contact with an email. Auto-send delivers to that contact; without one, the invoice stays a draft and is not charged.
Troubleshooting
I don't see the Automatically Charge Invoices option.
It only appears when Automatic Sending is set to Send On Creation and your business has online payment processing enabled.
I don't see the automation settings at all.
They only show on recurring jobs. Make sure the proposal type is set to Recurring.
The charge failed and the customer wasn't charged.
The invoice is still sent as Pending so the customer can pay it directly. Check the account manager's failure email for the reason - usually no card on file, an expired or invalid card, or a declined card - then fix the payment method and collect payment manually.
My invoice was created as a Draft instead of sending.
Automatic Sending is set to Do Not Send, or the account has no primary contact with an email. Set sending to Send On Creation and confirm the contact's email.
I updated the settings but an existing invoice didn't change.
Settings apply only to invoices created after the change. Already-created invoices keep the settings they had when they were generated.
Have questions? Reach out via the support chat or email support@motionops.com.