> ## 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.
# Billing Cycles
> Configure payment intervals, timing, and billing behavior for subscriptions
## Overview
Billing cycles determine when and how often customers are charged for their subscriptions. PayRequest supports flexible billing intervals, custom timing, and automatic billing date management.
Choose billing cycles that match your business model. Monthly billing provides steady cash flow, while annual billing reduces churn and administrative overhead.
## Supported Billing Intervals
PayRequest supports the following billing intervals:
| Interval | Billing Frequency | Common Use Cases |
| ------------- | ----------------- | --------------------------------------- |
| **Monthly** | Every 30 days | SaaS, memberships, retainers |
| **Quarterly** | Every 3 months | Enterprise contracts, seasonal services |
| **Yearly** | Every 12 months | Annual subscriptions, domain renewals |
The billing interval is configured on the **product** level. All subscriptions using that product follow the same interval.
## How Billing Works
### Billing Date Calculation
When a subscription is created, PayRequest calculates the first and subsequent billing dates:
**Without Trial:**
```
Creation date: December 5, 2025
Interval: Monthly
First billing: January 5, 2026
Next billing: February 5, 2026
```
**With Trial:**
```
Creation date: December 5, 2025
Trial period: 14 days
Trial ends: December 19, 2025
First billing: December 19, 2025
Next billing: January 19, 2026
```
**With Custom Start Date:**
```
Creation date: December 5, 2025
Custom start: January 1, 2026
First billing: January 1, 2026
Next billing: February 1, 2026
```
### The Billing Process
Each day at **03:00 (Europe/Amsterdam timezone)**, PayRequest processes due subscriptions:
1. **Identify Due Subscriptions**: Find all active subscriptions where `next_billing_at` is in the past
2. **Validate Billing**: Check subscription status (active, not paused, not completed)
3. **Check Trial Status**: Skip billing if subscription is still in trial period
4. **Process Payment**: Charge via mandate or generate invoice
5. **Update Next Billing**: Calculate next billing date based on interval
6. **Record Transaction**: Create transaction record for payment tracking
Billing runs automatically. You don't need to manually trigger payments - just ensure subscriptions are set up correctly.
## Configuring Product Intervals
Set the billing interval when creating or editing a product:
### Step 1: Navigate to Products
Go to **Products** in the sidebar and click **Create Product** or edit an existing one.
### Step 2: Enable Recurring
Toggle **"Is Recurring"** to enable subscription billing for this product.
### Step 3: Set Interval
Choose the billing interval:
* **Monthly**: Charged every month
* **Quarterly**: Charged every 3 months
* **Yearly**: Charged every 12 months
### Step 4: Set Interval Count (Optional)
For custom intervals, set the interval count:
| Interval | Count | Result |
| -------- | ----- | -------------- |
| Monthly | 1 | Every month |
| Monthly | 2 | Every 2 months |
| Monthly | 6 | Every 6 months |
| Yearly | 1 | Every year |
| Yearly | 2 | Every 2 years |
Changing a product's interval only affects **new** subscriptions. Existing subscriptions retain their original billing interval.
## Billing Date Management
### Viewing Billing Dates
Each subscription shows:
* **Last Billed At**: Date of most recent successful payment
* **Next Billing At**: Date of upcoming payment
View these in:
* Subscription list table
* Subscription detail page
* Customer profile (subscription section)
### Modifying Billing Dates
To change a subscription's next billing date:
1. Go to **Subscriptions** → Click the subscription
2. Click **Edit**
3. Modify **Next Billing Date**
4. Save changes
**Common reasons to modify billing dates:**
* Align multiple subscriptions to bill on the same day
* Accommodate customer payment cycles
* Correct an incorrectly set date
* Provide billing grace period
Changing the next billing date only affects that one cycle. Subsequent billing dates are calculated from the new date using the standard interval.
### Billing Date Alignment
For customers with multiple subscriptions, you may want to align billing dates:
**Before:**
```
Subscription A: Bills on 5th
Subscription B: Bills on 12th
Subscription C: Bills on 23rd
Result: 3 separate payments per month
```
**After alignment:**
```
Subscription A: Bills on 1st
Subscription B: Bills on 1st
Subscription C: Bills on 1st
Result: 1 combined payment per month (or 3 same-day payments)
```
PayRequest doesn't automatically combine payments. Each subscription generates its own payment, even if billing on the same day.
## Trial Period Impact
Trial periods affect the billing cycle:
### How Trials Work
1. **Subscription created** → Status = "Trial"
2. **Trial period counts down** → No billing occurs
3. **Trial ends** → Status changes to "Active"
4. **First billing** → Payment collected on trial end date
### Trial End Behavior
When a trial ends:
| Mandate Status | Result |
| -------------- | --------------------------------------- |
| Active mandate | Payment collected automatically |
| No mandate | Subscription moves to "Pending Mandate" |
| Failed payment | Subscription moves to "Failed" |
### Configuring Trials
Set trial periods on the product:
1. Go to **Products** → Edit product
2. Enable **"Has Trial"**
3. Set **Trial Days** (e.g., 14)
4. Optionally add **Trial Description** (shown to customers)
Common trial lengths: 7 days (quick evaluation), 14 days (standard), 30 days (complex products).
## Payment Timing
### Automatic Billing (Mandate-Based)
For mandate-based subscriptions:
**Daily Schedule:**
* **03:00**: Billing job runs, identifies due subscriptions
* **03:00-04:00**: Payments created in Mollie
* **Within 1-3 business days**: SEPA Direct Debit settles
**Payment Status Flow:**
```
Created → Open → Pending → Paid
↓
Failed (if declined)
```
### Invoice-Based Billing (Manual Payment)
For subscriptions set to **manual payment** (no mandate assigned):
**Daily Schedule:**
* **03:00**: Billing job identifies due subscriptions
* **03:00**: Invoice generated and emailed to customer
* **Customer action**: Customer pays via bank transfer, iDEAL, or payment link
**Invoice Due Date:**
* Default: 14 days from invoice date
* Configurable in invoice settings
You can switch any subscription between automatic and manual payment at any time. See [Payment Methods for Subscriptions](/subscriptions/payment-methods) for details.
### Billing Period on Invoices
Subscription invoices automatically display the billing period so customers know exactly what they're paying for:
| Interval | Period Format | Example |
| ------------- | ----------------- | ------------------------- |
| **Monthly** | Month name + Year | "November 2025" |
| **Quarterly** | Quarter + Year | "Q4 2025" |
| **Yearly** | Year | "2025" |
| **Other** | Date range | "20-11-2025 - 19-12-2025" |
**Where the period appears:**
1. **Invoice Reference**: The period is stored in the invoice reference field
2. **Invoice Item Description**: Each line item shows "Abonnement - November 2025"
3. **Customer Communications**: Email and PDF invoices include the period
**Example Invoice Item:**
```
Product: Directadmin Hosting
Description: Abonnement - November 2025
Quantity: 1
Unit Price: €15.00
Tax (21%): €3.15
Total: €18.15
```
The billing period helps with accounting reconciliation and reduces customer questions about which period an invoice covers.
## Fixed-Term Subscriptions
### Payment Limits
Set a maximum number of payments for fixed-term contracts:
```
Product: 12-Month Premium Plan
Payment limit: 12
Interval: Monthly
```
**Behavior:**
* After 12 payments, subscription status → "Completed"
* No further billing occurs
* Customer retains access based on your business logic
### Tracking Payments
Each subscription tracks:
* **Payments Made**: Number of successful payments
* **Payments Total**: Payment limit (if set)
* **Remaining**: Payments Total - Payments Made
View this information in the subscription detail page.
## Proration (Not Supported)
PayRequest does not currently support prorated billing. Full billing periods are charged regardless of when the subscription starts or changes.
**Workarounds:**
* Use custom pricing for partial first periods
* Offer credit notes for cancelled subscriptions
* Align subscription changes to billing cycle dates
## Billing Failures
When a billing attempt fails:
### Automatic Retry
PayRequest automatically retries failed payments:
| Retry | Timing |
| ----------- | -------------------------- |
| 1st attempt | Immediately (billing date) |
| 2nd attempt | 2 days later |
| 3rd attempt | 2 days after 2nd |
| Final | 2 days after 3rd |
After max retries (default: 3), subscription status → "Failed"
### Manual Retry
To manually retry a failed payment:
1. Go to **Subscriptions** → Click failed subscription
2. Review failure reason
3. Click **Retry Payment**
### Common Failure Reasons
| Reason | Solution |
| ------------------ | -------------------------------------------------- |
| Insufficient funds | Wait and retry, or contact customer |
| Mandate revoked | Request new mandate authorization |
| Account closed | Contact customer for new payment method |
| Technical error | Retry automatically, contact support if persistent |
See [Failed Payment Handling](/subscriptions/failed-payment-handling) for complete dunning configuration.
## Pausing and Billing
When a subscription is paused:
* **Billing stops** immediately
* **Next billing date** is preserved
* **Resume behavior** depends on configuration:
### Resume Options
**Option A: Resume at next billing date (default)**
```
Paused on: December 10
Next billing: January 5
Resumed on: December 20
Next billing: January 5 (unchanged)
```
**Option B: Resume with new cycle**
```
Paused on: December 10
Original next billing: January 5
Resumed on: December 20
New next billing: January 20 (recalculated)
```
Configure resume behavior when pausing the subscription.
## Billing Reports
### Monthly Summary
View subscription billing summaries in **Analytics** → **Subscriptions**:
* **MRR (Monthly Recurring Revenue)**: Total monthly subscription value
* **Active Subscriptions**: Count by status
* **Upcoming Billings**: Next 30 days projection
### Transaction History
All subscription payments appear in **Transactions**:
* Filter by "Subscription" source
* Export to CSV for accounting
* Link transactions to specific subscriptions
## Best Practices
### ✅ Do's
* **Bill on consistent dates** when possible (1st or 15th of month)
* **Monitor failed payments** daily and follow up quickly
* **Test billing** with a test subscription before going live
* **Set appropriate trial lengths** - long enough to evaluate, short enough to convert
* **Document billing terms** clearly for customers
### ❌ Don'ts
* **Don't change intervals** on active subscriptions without customer communication
* **Don't ignore failed payments** - they indicate customer or mandate issues
* **Don't set billing dates** on dates that don't exist (e.g., 31st for monthly)
* **Don't modify billing dates** right before a scheduled billing run
## Troubleshooting
### Subscription Didn't Bill
**Causes:**
1. Subscription status is not "Active"
2. Subscription is paused
3. Trial period not ended
4. Next billing date is in the future
5. Payment limit reached (completed)
**Solution:**
* Check subscription status and next billing date
* Verify trial end date if applicable
* Review subscription details page for status
### Wrong Amount Charged
**Causes:**
1. Quantity changed after subscription creation
2. Custom field markup not calculated
3. Price override was set
**Solution:**
* Review subscription recurring amount
* Check transaction details for breakdown
* Edit subscription if amount needs correction
### Billing Date Keeps Shifting
**Causes:**
1. Month-end dates on 31st shift to 28th/30th
2. Manual billing date modifications
3. Billing failures causing date adjustments
**Solution:**
* Use dates that exist in all months (1st-28th)
* Avoid modifying billing dates unless necessary
* Review billing history for patterns
## Related Documentation
Set up new subscriptions
Configure dunning and retries
Temporary subscription stops
Configure free trials
## Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! Use the "Custom Start Date" option when creating a subscription. Set it to the desired day of the month, and subsequent billing will follow that pattern.
For months with fewer days, billing occurs on the last day of the month. February 28th (or 29th), April 30th, etc. This can cause billing date drift over time.
Currently, you cannot change the interval of an existing subscription. You would need to cancel and create a new subscription with the desired interval.
The billing job runs daily at 03:00 Europe/Amsterdam timezone. Subscriptions with `next_billing_at` in the past are processed.
Billing runs every day, including weekends and holidays. However, SEPA Direct Debit settlement may be delayed during bank holidays - payments are still created, just settled later.
Edit the subscription and move the `Next Billing Date` forward by the desired grace period. The customer won't be billed until that new date.