NetSuite Billing Accounts for Recurring Invoices

Subscription invoices can recur at a set frequency when you use billing accounts. You can start a recurring invoice from a billing account or customer record, use other invoice-generation methods, and create an off-cycle invoice for immediate mid-cycle charges. Invoice creation and deletion update specific billing-account dates.

How do recurring subscription charges use billing timing?

Subscription invoices can automatically recur with a set frequency. The charge type determines whether it can be billed before or after the applicable period.

For example, the source compares usage billed in arrears to an electricity bill. It also notes that recurring charges may be billed in advance, such as cable or internet service billed for the coming month at the beginning of a billing cycle. Charges begin on the day service is activated.

How do you create a recurring invoice from a billing account?

To create a recurring invoice for a billing account:

1. Go to Lists > Relationships > Billing Accounts.
2. Click View next to the billing account to invoice.
3. Click Next Bill.

The Create Invoice page opens with Recurring Bill selected. The invoice date defaults to the billing account’s next bill date.

You can also select Next Bill from the customer record’s Billing Account subtab. This provides another entry point to the same recurring-invoice action when working from the customer record.

What other recurring-invoice methods are available?

The source identifies these additional ways to create recurring invoices:

• Invoice billable customers from the Invoice Customers page.
• Use billing operations: Process Billing Operations or Schedule Billing Operations.
• Create invoices from the Invoice page.

For a bill run, each customer’s billing accounts that are eligible for the bill run are reviewed. If charges exist, NetSuite generates one recurring invoice for each billing account for each period. Invoices can be sent to customers by generating a bill run statement.

What happens to billing dates when a recurring invoice is created or deleted?

The billing account’s Next Bill Cycle Date is the invoice date. When the invoice is created, the account dates change as follows:

If you delete the invoice, the billing dates return to their earlier values:

• Last Bill Cycle Date and Next Bill Cycle Date revert to their previous dates.
• Last Bill Date changes back to the previous bill date.

This distinction matters when reviewing a billing account after an invoice is removed: the source describes reversions for all three listed billing-date fields for a deleted recurring invoice.

How do you create an off-cycle invoice with a billing account?

Use an off-cycle invoice for mid-cycle billing of immediate charges. The invoice date is the date you manually enter on the invoice.

To create an off-cycle invoice using a billing account:

1. Go to Transactions > Sales > Create Invoices > List.
2. Click Edit for the invoice to use for the off-cycle invoice.
3. Clear the Recurring Bill box.

The date effects for an off-cycle invoice are narrower than those stated for a recurring invoice. When you create the invoice, Last Bill Date updates to the invoice date. If you delete the invoice, Last Bill Date reverts to the previous bill date.

Who This Affects

• Teams creating subscription invoices from billing accounts or customer records.
• Users who invoice billable customers, use billing operations, or create invoices from the Invoice page.
• Users who need to distinguish recurring billing from immediate mid-cycle, off-cycle billing.
• Users reviewing billing-account dates after creating or deleting invoices.

Key Takeaways

• Recurring subscription invoices can recur at a set frequency through billing accounts.
• Usage and overage charges must be billed in arrears; recurring, committed, and one-time charges can be billed in advance.
• Next Bill is available from a billing account and from a customer record’s Billing Account subtab.
• A bill run can generate one recurring invoice per billing account per period when eligible accounts have charges.
• Creating or deleting a recurring invoice changes and can revert Last Bill Cycle Date, Last Bill Date, and Next Bill Cycle Date.
• For an off-cycle invoice, clear Recurring Bill; creation and deletion update or revert Last Bill Date.