Recurring invoicing software for South African small business
If you bill the same client the same amount every week or month, you should not retype the invoice. With Zuvo you set the invoice up once, choose how often it repeats, and Zuvo makes it on the day, in rand with VAT. It waits as a draft for you to check, or goes straight to the client if you choose.
On this page: who needs it · how it works · what you can set · what it does not do · which plans · getting started · questions
Who needs recurring invoices
Anyone with clients who pay on a rhythm rather than per job:
- Maintenance and service contracts: garden services, pool care, cleaning, pest control, alarm monitoring.
- Retainers: bookkeepers, designers, consultants, marketers and developers who bill a fixed monthly fee.
- Rent and subscriptions: storage, equipment hire, hosting, memberships and software you resell.
- Staged work: a quarterly or yearly fee, such as an annual service contract or a licence renewal.
For these clients the invoice barely changes from one period to the next. The risk is not the typing, it is forgetting. A month with no invoice sent is a month with no money coming in.
How it works in Zuvo
- Set it up once. Pick the client, add the lines (for example "Monthly garden service, R1,200"), and choose how often it repeats and the first date.
- Zuvo makes it on the day. On each run date Zuvo creates the invoice with the next number, your business details, VAT if you are VAT-registered, and the due date you set.
- You check it, or it goes out. By default the invoice is left as a draft so you can adjust it, for example to add extra hours. If you prefer, switch on automatic sending and it is emailed to the client straight away.
- The client sees how to pay. Like any Zuvo invoice, it has a private page that shows your EFT details, the reference to use and your own card link if you have one. The client taps "I have paid" and you are told.
- You chase from one place. A recurring invoice is an ordinary invoice once it is made. Record part-payments against it, issue a credit note if something was wrong, and let Zuvo's polite reminders follow up if you have switched them on.
What you can set
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| How often | Weekly, fortnightly, monthly, quarterly or yearly. |
| Start date | The first day an invoice is made. A monthly invoice keeps to the same day of the month. |
| Due in | The number of days the client has to pay, 14 unless you change it. |
| Draft or send | Leave each invoice as a draft to check, or email it to the client automatically (the client needs an email address on file). |
| End date | Optional. Stops the series after a contract ends. |
| Pause or edit | Pause a series, or change the amount or lines for future invoices, at any time. |
What it does not do
It is worth being clear, because "recurring billing" can mean two different things. Zuvo makes and sends the invoice on a schedule. It does not take the money from your client's bank account or card automatically: the client still pays by EFT or through your own card link, and Zuvo never holds the money. If you need a debit-order or card-on-file collection, that is a payment-provider product, and you can still use Zuvo to produce the invoices.
Which plans include it
Recurring invoices are part of the Starter (R149 a month), Growth (R349 a month) and Business (R799 a month) plans, and of the 7-day free trial, together with automatic reminders and emailed statements. The Free plan does not include them. Annual billing is 20% cheaper. See the pricing page for the full comparison.
Getting started
- Create a free account. Every new account starts with a 7-day trial, with no card.
- Add your business details, banking details and VAT number if you have one.
- Open Recurring, add your regular client and the amount, and choose how often.
- Leave the invoices as drafts for the first month, then switch on automatic sending once you are happy.
Stop retyping the same invoice
Set it up once and let Zuvo make it on the day. A 7-day free trial with no card, then a limited free plan.
Start free, no cardGeneral information, not legal or tax advice. Agree the amount, the billing period and the payment terms with each client in writing before you start invoicing them.
Questions people ask
Can Zuvo send a recurring invoice automatically every month?
Yes. Set the invoice up once, choose monthly, and Zuvo makes it on the same day each month. It is left as a draft for you to check, or emailed to the client automatically if you switch on automatic sending. The client needs an email address on file for that.
How often can an invoice repeat?
Weekly, fortnightly, monthly, quarterly or yearly, from a start date you choose, with an optional end date for contracts that finish.
Does Zuvo take the money from my client automatically?
No. Zuvo makes and sends the invoice. The client pays by EFT or through your own card link, and Zuvo never holds the money. It is not a debit-order or card-on-file collection service.
Which plans include recurring invoices?
Starter (R149 a month), Growth (R349 a month), Business (R799 a month) and the 7-day free trial. The Free plan does not include them.
Can I change the amount for next month?
Yes. Edit the series and the new lines apply to invoices made from then on. Invoices already made are not changed, and a draft can be adjusted before it is sent.
Will reminders chase a recurring invoice that is not paid?
Once an invoice is made it is an ordinary invoice, so the same polite reminders apply if you have switched them on. They stop when you mark the invoice paid, and replies come to you.