The short versionThis article helps you review a Xero-generated repeating invoice draft, correct the draft and template when needed, and choose the appropriate approval and email action.

A repeating invoice can arrive on time and still contain an old charge. Perhaps a customer has dropped a service, but that line remains on the template. A reliable schedule will keep producing the invoice you configured.

The first generated draft is your chance to check whether that invoice matches what the customer should receive. If something is wrong, there may be two places to fix it: this invoice and the template for later invoices.

Start with the individual draft

In Xero, the repeating template creates separate invoices on its schedule. To review each one before approval and email, open Sales > Invoices > Repeating, select the template, and choose or retain Save As Draft.

When Xero creates an invoice, open that individual invoice in Draft from Sales > Invoices. This is the record you will review, approve, and email.

If the invoice already exists, start there. A later template change will not correct it for you.

Make the review answer five questions

Use these as review prompts, rather than exact names of Xero fields:

Customer: Is this the customer who should receive this invoice?
Invoice line items: Do the lines match what you intend to bill this time? In the example above, this is where you would catch the service the customer no longer receives.
Tax treatment: Is the tax rate or tax status applied to the invoice correct? If you cannot confirm it, ask the person responsible before approving.
Invoice date and due date as displayed: Are these the dates you intend for this invoice? Read the actual dates on the generated draft.
Recipient email address: Is this the intended destination for the customer's invoice? Confirm it before sending.

If a detail is wrong or still uncertain, leave approval and email until it is resolved. Make the needed changes to the generated Draft invoice, then review it again.

Fix this invoice—and decide whether the mistake would repeat

Suppose you remove that discontinued service from the draft. You have corrected the invoice in front of you. If the old line remains on the template, you have not corrected the instructions for later invoices.

For a lasting change, correct the template before the next invoice is created. For a change that belongs only to this invoice, make that correction on the individual draft.

Treat the two records as two separate checks: is this invoice correct, and should future invoices use the same details?

If the template uses placeholders, Preview placeholders can help check the text Xero fills in. Its preview uses the current date, so it does not replace reviewing the actual generated invoice.

Choose when this invoice should go out

Once the details are confirmed, choose the action that matches your intent:

Approve, then Email later: use this when the invoice is ready for approval but you want to control when it is emailed. Approve alone does not email it.
Approve & email: use this when the invoice is ready for approval and delivery now.

Approve for Sending belongs to the repeating template. It enables automatic approval and email of future generated invoices. Do not select it to send just the draft you reviewed; keep Save As Draft for this per-invoice review process.

If the approval or email action is unavailable, check your role and access with an administrator or an authorized sales colleague before proceeding.

The review is complete when this invoice is correct, its delivery is intentional, and any repeating mistake has been corrected at the template too.

Official sources

Last verified: 2026-09-08