Updated Jan 3, 2023

When do you use a recurring invoice vs a one-time invoice with a payment plan? Let's review some quick definitions:

Recurring invoice: Dubsado automatically creates and sends new invoices to the client at regular intervals.
Payment plan: A payment plan breaks an invoice total into one or more installments.

Below are the differences between the two. It is also listed in a table for easier comparison.

Recurring invoice	One-time invoice with a payment plan
Best for subscription services where prices remain the same: coaching calls, monthly check-ins, or ongoing bookkeeping support.	Best for services with one large upfront payment, broken down into installments: wedding photography, website builder, or planning a single event.
Invoices of the same amount are sent to the client at set time intervals.	One invoice is sent to the client. All payments are made to the same invoice until the remaining balance is $0.
Must be set up manually for each client.	Can be automatically set up in a proposal and used in a workflow.
Clients can enroll in automatic payments.	Clients can enroll in automatic payments.
Invoices are sent automatically to the primary client on the project — you can’t manually send the invoices to someone else.	Invoices are sent automatically to the primary client on the project but you can also manually send the invoice to someone else.

Recurring invoice

Best for subscription services where prices remain the same: coaching calls, monthly check-ins, or ongoing bookkeeping support.
- Example: Charging a client $200 a month for ongoing virtual assistant services.
Invoices of the same amount are sent to the client at set time intervals.
Must be set up manually for each client.
Clients can enroll in automatic payments.
Invoices are sent automatically to the primary client on the project — you can’t manually send the invoices to someone else.

One-time invoice with a payment plan

Best for services with one large upfront payment, broken down into installments: wedding photography, website builder, or planning a single event.
- Example: Charging a couple $6,000 for a wedding photography package.
One invoice is sent to the client. All payments are made to the same invoice until the remaining balance is $0.
Can be automatically set up in a proposal and used in a workflow.
Clients can enroll in automatic payments.
Invoices are sent automatically to the primary client on the project but you can also manually send the invoice to someone else.