A customer agreement ends, but the recurring invoice schedule remains active. Set the template to stop at the final authorized invoice date, then check whether it already created anything that still needs attention.
An end date controls future invoice creation. It does not delete, void, or change invoices and drafts that already exist.
End the schedule. Then resolve the exceptions it _might have_ already created.
QuickBooks Online: check the schedule before setting End: By
Open Recurring transactions, then open the customer’s scheduled recurring invoice template.
Before changing it, check:
- Next Date, which shows when the next invoice is scheduled.
- The recurrence schedule.
- Days in advance, which may cause QuickBooks Online to create a draft before its invoice date.
If the template creates invoices in advance, look for a draft near the final authorized date before assuming the end-date change will prevent it.
Set End to By. Enter the stopping point that matches the customer’s final authorized invoice date, then save the template.
Now review the customer’s existing invoices and drafts. Changing the template does not change, delete, or void records that were already created.
Xero: set the repeating template’s End Date
Open Sales, then Invoices, then Repeating. Open the customer’s repeating invoice template.
Before changing it, check the next invoice date and whether the template automatically approves or sends invoices. An invoice may already have been created, approved, or sent.
Enter the End Date that matches the final authorized invoice date, then save the template. Xero treats this as the last date on which the template creates an invoice. The change applies to later creation; it does not alter invoices that already exist.
Review the customer’s existing invoices. Pay particular attention to Draft, Awaiting Approval, and Awaiting Payment records that may no longer match the customer’s authorization.
Decide which existing invoices need follow-up
The review is not an instruction to catalog every invoice status. It is a check for exceptions that still require a decision.
Look for:
- An invoice or draft created after the final authorized date.
- A draft or awaiting-approval invoice that should not continue through the normal billing process.
- An approved or sent invoice whose amount or service period may no longer be authorized.
- A paid, tax-sensitive, revenue-recognition, or closed-period invoice that requires accounting review before correction.
Follow your organization’s accounting policy before changing an existing invoice. Revenue recognition determines when income belongs in the accounts. A closed period is an accounting period the organization has already finalized.
Document the exceptions, if your process requires it
If your organization maintains a cancellation ticket, customer note, or other handoff record, note:
- The end date saved on the recurring template.
- The invoice number and required next step for each exception that still needs follow-up.
Do not create a separate status inventory merely for this process. If no existing invoice needs follow-up, the saved template end date and completed review are enough.
> Scope: This process covers recurring invoice templates only. It does not cover recurring payments, Autopay, recurring sales receipts, or other billing workflows.
The schedule now has a stopping point, and any invoice that still needs a decision has been identified.
Official sources
- QuickBooks Online: schedule recurring transactions
- QuickBooks Online: manage recurring transactions
- Xero: add or edit a repeating invoice template
- Xero: delete repeating invoice templates
Last verified: August 31, 2026