Why Automated Billing Saves You Time and Gets You Paid Faster

Chasing down payments takes time you could be spending on your business. When clients have outstanding balances from appointments, group events, or added charges, manually creating and sending each invoice is repetitive work that adds up. Automated Billing in Thryv Business Center™ handles this for you — on a schedule you set, it automatically totals every outstanding charge on a client's account and sends one consolidated invoice or payment link, without you having to lift a finger.

Use Automated Billing to:

• Stop tracking down outstanding payments manually — Automated Billing collects every due and overdue charge on a client's account and combines them into one invoice automatically on your schedule.

• Choose how much control you keep — Select from three billing options: create draft invoices for your review, send invoices automatically, or send payment request links directly to clients.

• Get paid on a schedule that works for your business — Set your billing cycle to daily, weekly, or monthly, and choose whether invoices go out by email, text message, or both.

• Reduce billing errors — Automated Billing never invoices the same charge twice and only bills charges that have not yet been invoiced.

This article covers how to set up Automated Billing, which charges are included in auto-billing, and answers to common questions. For a guide to sending invoices manually, see How to Send Invoices to Your Clients.

How to Set Up Automated Billing

To set up Automated Billing, click Settings in the left-hand navigation of Thryv Business Center. Then click Payments, and then click Payment Automations to open the Automated Billing settings.

The animation above shows how to navigate to the Payment Automations settings in Thryv Business Center. The left-hand navigation panel is shown with Settings selected, followed by Payments, and then Payment Automations. The Payment Automations screen is where the Auto-Billing toggle and all billing schedule options are located.

On the Payment Automations screen, click the Auto-Billing toggle to turn on Automated Billing. Once the toggle is on, click the Auto Billing Option dropdown and select one of the three billing options.

The screenshot above shows the Payment Automations screen with the Auto-Billing toggle turned on and the Auto Billing Option dropdown expanded. The dropdown displays three options. The screen does not show billing history or client account details — those are found in the Auto-billing tab.

Select one of the following three Auto Billing Options:

• Automatically create draft invoices — On the schedule you set, Thryv Business Center creates a draft invoice that is not sent to the client automatically. The draft invoice includes all Due and Overdue payments that have not yet been invoiced. To send the draft invoice to the client, click Sales in the left-hand navigation, then click Invoices & Bookings, then click Drafts to find and send the invoice manually.

• Automatically create and send invoices — On the schedule you set, Thryv Business Center creates an invoice and sends it directly to the client. The invoice includes all Due and Overdue payments that have not yet been invoiced.

• Automatically send payment links — On the schedule you set, Thryv Business Center sends the client a payment request link for the total of all Due and Overdue payments. To use this option, your account must be connected to a payment gateway. Supported payment gateways are ThryvPay™, Square, Stripe, and PayPal.

Next, select a billing schedule. Choose Day, Week, or Month as your billing frequency. After selecting a frequency, choose the specific day of the week or month and the time you want invoices or payment links to be sent. Then select the delivery method: Email, Text Message (SMS), or Both.

The animation above shows the billing schedule setup on the Payment Automations screen. The frequency selector is shown with Day, Week, and Month as options. After selecting a frequency, a day and time selector appears. The delivery method selector shows Email, Text Message (SMS), and Both as options. The schedule setup does not include options for invoice amount or client selection — Automated Billing applies to all clients with due or overdue charges.

When you have finished selecting your billing option, schedule, and delivery method, click the Save button in the top left corner of the screen to apply your changes. You can return to the Payment Automations screen at any time to update your Automated Billing settings.

The screenshot above shows the Save button located in the top left corner of the Payment Automations screen. The Save button must be clicked after making any changes to your Automated Billing settings — changes are not applied automatically. The Save button does not send any invoices immediately — it only saves your configuration settings.

Which Charges Are Included in Automated Billing

Automated Billing totals all outstanding charges on a client's account that are marked as Due or Overdue and combines them into one invoice or payment link on the billing date. This includes charges from appointments, group events, unpaid invoices, and any charges added directly to the client's account. Automated Billing never invoices the same charge twice and only includes charges that have not yet been invoiced.

For a full explanation of payment statuses and how a charge becomes due or overdue, see Understanding Payment Statuses in Thryv Business Center.

When charges from an invoice become due or overdue

• A charge from an invoice is considered Due on the date the invoice is sent to the client.

• A charge from an invoice is considered Overdue after the due date specified on the invoice has passed.

When charges from an appointment become due or overdue

When an appointment charge becomes due or overdue depends on the payment setting configured for that service in Thryv Business Center.

• If the service is set to Require to Pay at Booking, the charge is considered Due as soon as the appointment is scheduled, and is considered Overdue the day after the appointment date.

• If the service is set to Suggest to Pay at Booking, the charge is not considered due until the day of the appointment. The charge is considered Due on the day of the appointment and Overdue the day after the appointment date. A charge set to Suggest to Pay at Booking will not be included in Automated Billing until the day of the appointment.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does this article cover?

This article covers how to enable and configure Automated Billing in Thryv Business Center, the three Auto Billing Options available, how to set a billing schedule and delivery method, and which charges are included in automated billing. This article does not cover how to send invoices manually — for manual invoice instructions, see How to Send Invoices to Your Clients. This article does not cover Scheduled Payments with ThryvPay™ — Scheduled Payments automatically charge a card on file, while Automated Billing sends an invoice or payment request that the client must act on.

How do I know which invoices have been created and sent by Automated Billing?

The Auto-billing tab in Thryv Business Center displays a history of all invoices created and sent through Automated Billing, including the date each invoice was sent. Use the filters on the Auto-billing tab to view invoices created within a specific time frame or to filter by client.

Where can I find draft invoices created by Automated Billing?

Draft invoices created by Automated Billing are saved in the Billing & Invoicing tab under Draft status. Use the filters on the right side of the Billing & Invoicing tab to display only invoices in draft status. Draft invoices must be sent manually — they are not delivered to the client until you open the draft and send it.

Will Automated Billing invoice the same charge twice?

No. Automated Billing only includes charges that have not yet been invoiced. A charge that has already been included on a previous invoice will not be added to a future automated invoice.

Will Automated Billing include charges that existed before I turned it on?

The first scheduled Automated Billing run after you enable the feature will create an invoice for all existing due and overdue payments that have not yet been invoiced. After the first run, only charges that become due or overdue after that date will be included in future automated invoices. Automated Billing does not invoice charges that were created before it was turned on and have already passed their due date without being included in the first run.

Does Automated Billing create new recurring charges?

No. Automated Billing does not create new charges. Automated Billing only totals existing charges generated by appointments, group events, and invoices, and combines them into one invoice or payment link on the scheduled billing date.

How many due or overdue payments can be included in one automated invoice?

There is no set limit on the number of charges that can be combined into a single automated invoice. When you first enable Automated Billing, all existing due and overdue payments that have not yet been invoiced will be combined into the first invoice. After the first invoice, only payments that become due or overdue within the current billing cycle will be added to each new invoice.

For example, if Automated Billing is set to a weekly schedule, only payments that become due or overdue during that week will be included in the invoice created at the end of the week.

Do invoices created by Automated Billing look different to my clients?

No. Invoices sent through Automated Billing look identical to invoices sent manually. All standard invoice settings — including default due date, terms and conditions, and your business branding — apply to automated invoices the same way they apply to manual invoices. To confirm whether a specific invoice was sent through Automated Billing, open the invoice in Thryv Business Center. The invoice detail view indicates whether the invoice was generated by Automated Billing.

The screenshot above shows the invoice detail view in Thryv Business Center. An indicator label is displayed on the invoice showing that the invoice was generated through Automated Billing. This label is visible only to the account holder in the invoice detail view — the client's copy of the invoice does not display this label.

What if a client does not have an email address — can they still receive automated invoices?

Yes. Automated Billing gives you the option to deliver invoices and payment request links by email, text message, or both. If you select email-only delivery and a client does not have an email address on file, the Auto-billing tab will show the invoice status as Couldn't Send. To avoid this, select Text Message (SMS) or Both as the delivery method for clients who do not have an email address.

What is the difference between Automated Billing and Scheduled Payments with ThryvPay?

Automated Billing creates invoice drafts, sends invoices, or sends payment request links for due and overdue charges. The client must still take action to make a payment after receiving the invoice or payment link. Scheduled Payments with ThryvPay™ work differently — a payment is automatically charged to the client's card on file on the scheduled date, with no action required from the client.

Will a client with multiple projects or accounts receive separate invoices for each one?

Yes. Automated Billing creates and sends a separate invoice for each project or account a client has with due or overdue charges. A client with two active projects will receive two separate invoices on the billing date if both projects have outstanding charges.

What happens when there are no new charges to trigger Automated Billing?

When Automated Billing runs on its scheduled date and finds no due or overdue charges to invoice, no invoice is created or sent to any client. You will receive an email notification advising that there are no open payments to be auto-billed for that billing cycle.

The screenshot above shows the email notification sent to the account holder when Automated Billing finds no open payments on its scheduled billing date. The notification states that no payments were auto-billed for the current cycle. This notification is sent to the account holder only — it is not sent to any clients.

Can I change my Automated Billing settings after it has been turned on?

Yes. You can update your Automated Billing settings at any time by returning to the Payment Automations screen. Changes to your billing schedule or billing option apply to future billing cycles only. Previous Automated Billing runs are preserved in your billing history and will stop following the previous schedule once the settings are updated.