> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.payreque.st/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Archiving Subscriptions

> Permanently shelve subscriptions you no longer need — keep your list clean while preserving all history

# Archiving Subscriptions

Over time, your subscription list fills up with entries that are no longer relevant: customers who switched to a different plan, one-time projects that ended, businesses that closed down. Canceling keeps them visible in your list and in the customer portal. Archiving removes them from view entirely — while keeping every invoice, transaction, and note intact for your records.

<Info>
  Archived subscriptions are hidden from the customer portal, excluded from billing, and not counted in MRR calculations. They stay in your database for audit and reference purposes.
</Info>

## When to Archive

Archiving is the right choice when a subscription has run its course and no longer needs to be in your day-to-day view.

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Customer Switched Plans" icon="arrows-right-left">
    A customer moved from **Basic** to **Professional**. The old subscription is canceled but still clutters your list. Archive it to keep focus on the active plan.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Former Customer" icon="user-minus">
    A customer left permanently — they closed their business, moved to a competitor, or simply don't need the service anymore. Archive their subscription to keep your list current.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Completed Project" icon="check-badge">
    A fixed-term project or seasonal subscription (event hosting, campaign website, temporary license) is finished. Archive it instead of leaving it in your canceled list.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Merged or Restructured" icon="building-office">
    Two companies merged, or a customer restructured and consolidated multiple subscriptions into one. Archive the old entries to avoid confusion.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

### More Use Cases

* **Product discontinued** — You stopped offering a service. Archive all subscriptions for that product so they don't show up in reports or confuse your team.
* **Free trial that never converted** — The customer tried your service, never paid, and the trial expired months ago. Archive it to separate real customers from leads that didn't convert.
* **Billing dispute resolved** — After a chargeback or dispute, you agreed to end the service. Archive the subscription to signal it's fully resolved — not just canceled.
* **Internal or test subscriptions** — Subscriptions you created for demos, testing, or internal use that are no longer needed.
* **Seasonal customer** — A customer only needs your service during summer or a specific quarter. Archive between seasons to keep your active list focused, reactivate when they return.
* **Duplicate from migration** — After importing subscriptions from another system, duplicates may exist. Archive the extras without losing their payment history.

<Warning>
  Archiving is not the same as canceling. Canceled subscriptions still appear in the customer portal and in your subscription list. Archived subscriptions are hidden from both.
</Warning>

### Archiving vs. Canceling vs. Deleting

|                              | **Cancel**               | **Archive**                    | **Delete**          |
| ---------------------------- | ------------------------ | ------------------------------ | ------------------- |
| Visible to customer          | Yes                      | No                             | No                  |
| Visible in subscription list | Yes                      | Only in Archived tab           | Gone                |
| Invoices & transactions      | Preserved                | Preserved                      | Lost                |
| Can be reactivated           | Yes                      | Yes                            | No                  |
| Counted in reports           | As canceled              | Not counted                    | Not counted         |
| **Best for**                 | Customer might come back | Done permanently, keep records | N/A (not supported) |

## How to Archive a Subscription

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the subscription">
    Go to **Subscriptions**, find the subscription, and open its detail page.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Cancel first (if still active)">
    A subscription must be **canceled** before it can be archived. If it's still active, cancel it first.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Click Archive">
    On a canceled subscription, click the **Archive Subscription** button below the Reactivate button.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Confirm">
    A confirmation dialog explains what archiving does. Click **Archive Subscription** to confirm.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Tip>
  The archive button only appears on canceled subscriptions. This two-step flow (cancel → archive) prevents accidentally archiving an active subscription.
</Tip>

## What Happens When You Archive

* **Billing stops** — `next_billing_at` is cleared, the billing job skips it
* **Hidden from customer portal** — the customer no longer sees this subscription
* **Moved to Archived tab** — visible only under **Subscriptions > Archived** with a zinc/gray badge
* **MRR excluded** — not counted in your revenue calculations
* **Bulk action protected** — cannot be resumed or canceled via bulk actions
* **Duplicate detection cleared** — new subscriptions for the same customer + product are allowed
* **All data preserved** — invoices, transactions, orders, tags, and notes remain intact
* **Activity logged** — the archive action appears in the subscription's history

## Viewing Archived Subscriptions

Go to **Subscriptions** and click the **Archived** tab. The zinc-colored badge shows the count.

On the subscription detail page, archived subscriptions show:

* A **zinc/gray "Archived" badge** in the header
* An info message explaining no actions are available
* A **Reactivate Subscription** button for when you need to bring it back

## Reactivating an Archived Subscription

Sometimes a customer comes back, or you archived something by mistake. You can always reactivate:

1. Go to **Subscriptions > Archived** tab
2. Click the subscription to open its detail page
3. Click **Reactivate Subscription**
4. Set up the billing details (next billing date, payment mandate)
5. The subscription returns to **Active** status

<Tip>
  Reactivation is the only action available on archived subscriptions. This prevents accidental status changes on subscriptions that should stay shelved.
</Tip>

## Best Practices

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Archive after the dust settles">
    Don't archive immediately after canceling. Wait until any pending invoices are paid or resolved, chargebacks are settled, and the customer confirms they don't need reactivation. Then archive.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Use tags before archiving">
    Tag subscriptions before archiving to make them easier to find later. For example: "churned-2026-Q1", "migrated-to-pro", or "dispute-resolved". Tags are preserved after archiving.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Review your Archived tab periodically">
    Once a quarter, glance at the Archived tab to verify nothing was archived by mistake. The count badge makes this easy — if it suddenly jumps, investigate.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Archive in batches when discontinuing a product">
    When you stop offering a product, cancel all related subscriptions first, then archive them together. Use tags to mark the reason (e.g., "product-discontinued").
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## FAQs

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Can customers see archived subscriptions?">
    No. Archived subscriptions are completely hidden from the customer portal.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Are archived subscriptions included in MRR calculations?">
    No. Only active subscriptions are counted in MRR and revenue reports.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Will archiving delete any invoices or transactions?">
    No. All linked data is preserved. Archiving only changes the subscription status. You can still view all invoices and transactions on the subscription detail page.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I archive an active subscription directly?">
    No. You need to cancel it first, then archive. This two-step process prevents accidentally hiding a subscription that's still billing.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What's the difference between archiving and soft-deleting?">
    PayRequest doesn't support deleting subscriptions because of linked invoices and transactions. Archiving gives you the same clean-list result without breaking any data relationships.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I search for archived subscriptions?">
    Yes. Use the **Archived** tab in the subscription list, or search by customer name — archived subscriptions appear when you're on the Archived tab.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What happens to open invoices when I archive?">
    Open invoices are not automatically canceled when you archive from the UI. Review and cancel any open invoices manually before archiving, or they will remain open but unbilled.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Related Articles

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Subscription Lifecycle" icon="arrows-spin" href="/subscriptions/subscription-lifecycle">
    Understand all subscription statuses and transitions
  </Card>

  <Card title="Tags System" icon="tags" href="/organization-and-automation/tags-system">
    Tag subscriptions for easy filtering and organization
  </Card>

  <Card title="Cancellation Requests" icon="x-circle" href="/subscriptions/cancellation-requests">
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  </Card>

  <Card title="Suspending Subscriptions" icon="pause" href="/subscriptions/suspending-subscriptions">
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  </Card>
</CardGroup>