Should you use a recurring invoice or a one-time invoice with a payment plan? Let's review some quick definitions:
Recurring invoice - instructions for Dubsado to automatically create and send a brand new invoice to the client at a regular interval.
Payment plan - sets one or more due dates for payment on a single invoice and can send automated reminder emails.
Use this comparison to decide which one is best for your needs:
Recurring invoice
Best for subscription-type services
Example: you need to invoice your client $100 once a month, every month, until they cancel their contract
Multiple invoices will be sent, and each invoice will be identical
Must be set up manually for each client
Has the option for the client to enroll themselves in automatic payments
Invoices created will only be sent automatically to the primary client on the project
One-time invoice with payment plan
Best for services where the total cost is known up front, but you want to break up payments into one or more installments
Example: the total cost for your services is $6000, but you want your client to pay 50% up front, 25% a month before their event, and 25% the day before the event.
All payments are made to the same invoice until the remaining balance is $0.
Sets a due date for each payment and can be set up to send automated reminder emails
Does not have the option for automatic payments
Could be manually emailed to someone other than the primary client on the project