Definition

Key benefits

Key details

Default values

Site-level defaults apply to all automatic and manual invoices. These can be overridden with invoice-specific messages when generating an invoice through the Admin Console or API.

The default payment term for all invoices is On Receipt, meaning invoices are due immediately upon creation. For automatic invoices, collection is attempted immediately using the payment method on file. For manual invoices, the invoice becomes past due immediately upon creation.

Note to customer

The Customer Notes field lets you add any details you'd like to surface to the customer — invoice-specific information, a thank-you message, or anything else relevant to the billing interaction. This section only appears on an invoice if it contains text. It doesn't display a section title and is rendered at the bottom of the invoice in a larger font than Terms and Conditions.

Terms and conditions

The Terms and Conditions field is available for payment terms, contract notes, or other legal information. The section title ("Terms and Conditions") can't be customized. Like Customer Notes, this section only appears on an invoice if it contains text.

Terms

Terms configuration applies to all invoices. Learn more about terms for manual invoices and terms for automatic invoicing.

Upgrades, downgrades, and subscription edits

Choose whether to send paid invoices when a subscription is upgraded or downgraded, and configure how proration is handled when a subscription is edited. Options include all proration, partial proration, or no proration or credits.

Subscription alignment

When enabled, the Subscription Alignment setting clears the Account Bill Date once the last subscription on an account expires. If a new subscription is later created on that account with no other active subscriptions, the Account Bill Date is updated to the new subscription's creation date.

Refunds

Configure how Recurly handles declined refund transactions. The default behavior is Issue Credit, which retains the refund amount as a credit balance. Alternatively, Block prevents the credit from being issued when a refund transaction declines.

VAT reverse charge notes

If you're using Recurly's EU VAT feature, a VAT Reverse Charge Notes section appears on invoices when a customer provides a valid VAT number and is located in a different country than your own. The field is pre-filled with a general statement that no VAT was applied and the customer may be responsible for VAT. You can customize this default message — or override it per invoice. To edit the default, go to Configuration → Taxes → Tax Settings.

Email settings

Invoices are delivered in the body of Recurly's email templates. You can enable PDF invoice attachments per template by editing the template and enabling Attach PDF in the Attachments section at the bottom of the edit page.

The following email templates support PDF invoice attachments:

• New Subscription
• New Invoice (Manual Invoice feature only)
• Invoice Past Due (Manual Invoice feature only)
• Payment Confirmation
• Payment Declined
• Payment Refunded
• Payment Voided

Bill to address

By default, the Bill To address on an invoice comes from the customer's billing information. To force all invoices to use the Account Info address instead, enable Use Account Information Address for all Invoices under Configuration → Taxes → Tax Settings. The Bill To address appears on the invoice and is used for tax calculations.

This setting is useful when you need to display a shipping or mailing address on the invoice, or calculate taxes based on a shipping or mailing address.

When Account Info address doesn't exist:

• Automatic collection invoices default back to Billing Info, including the billing address, name, and VAT number
• Manual collection invoices still use Account Info, resulting in no address on the invoice

Example invoice

The following example shows an invoice with Invoice Settings configurations applied.

Modification enforcement

Some merchants require customers to be current on all payments before allowing subscription changes. Two enforcement options are available on the Invoice Settings page.

Require paid invoice and successful transaction on upgrades

When enabled, Recurly checks for any past due automatic collection invoices on the account before processing an upgrade. An upgrade is defined as any increase in subscription price — including changes to the base price, quantity, add-ons, or plan.

If past due invoices exist, Recurly attempts to collect them first. If collection fails, the upgrade is blocked and the customer sees: "Your account is currently past due, please update your billing information before changing your subscription." If past due invoices are collected successfully, Recurly then attempts to collect the upgrade invoice. If that transaction also declines, the upgrade is blocked.

Require paid invoice to downgrade

When enabled, all invoices on the account must be paid before a downgrade can be processed. A downgrade is defined as any decrease in subscription price — including changes to the base price, quantity, add-ons, or plan. If any invoice is past due, the subscription stays on the original plan and the customer sees: "Your account is currently past due, please update your billing information before changing your subscription."

Integration notes

Configure automated invoicing