How to bill recurring cleaning clients with one monthly invoice
To bill a recurring cleaning client once a month, combine every visit in the period into one invoice per client: agree the monthly amount and billing day in the contract, keep a record of each completed visit and any approved extras, check the month before you send, then send one invoice on the same day each month. In JobTill, recurring work rolls into one invoice per client per month, and you review it before it goes out.
JobTill at a glance
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Can recurring visits go on one invoice? | Yes. Recurring work rolls into one invoice per client per month, and you review it before it goes out. |
| Does it send on its own? | No. Nothing auto-sends: you approve each monthly invoice. |
| Are the visits scheduled for me? | Next month's recurring visits are added to the schedule automatically, from the 20th. It's a company setting you can switch off. |
| Several services for one client? | Put weekly, biweekly and monthly services on one agreement. |
| How do clients pay? | Every invoice has a Pay Now button. Customers pay by card online. Online payment needs your Stripe account connected. |
| Which plan has it? | Every feature is in every plan. Plans differ only by team size. |
| Plans | Starter 1–2 users $49/mo ($39/mo billed annually) · Team 3–4 users $99/mo ($79) · Professional 5–8 users $159/mo ($129) · Business 9–14 users $299/mo ($249) · Fleet 15–20 users $519/mo ($429) · 20+ users: talk to us. |
| Trial | 14-day free trial. No credit card needed. |
Why one invoice a month
Invoicing every visit separately means four or five invoices a month per client, each one a chance to be late, lost or paid twice. One bill a month is simpler for the client to approve, and you only chase one payment per client. The work is in making sure that one invoice is right.
Step 1: Choose how you'll bill
| Model | How it works | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Flat monthly | The same amount every month, worked out from the average month (4.33 weeks). | Months with five visits and months with four cost the client the same. Say so in the contract. |
| Per visit | Price per visit × the visits actually done that month. | The total moves from month to month, so the client's bill isn't predictable. |
Example (example numbers only)
A weekly visit priced at $125. Flat monthly: $125 × 52 ÷ 12 = $541.67, the same every month. Per visit: $500 in a month with four visits, $625 in a month with five. Over a year of 52 visits, both come to $6,500. Work out your own visit price with the recurring price calculator.
Step 2: Put the billing rules in the contract
- Billing day and due date, for example "invoiced on the 1st for the month ahead, due in 15 days", or in arrears at month end.
- What the monthly amount covers: the services, the frequency and the areas.
- Extras: how they're requested, who approves them and how they're priced.
- Missed and skipped visits: holidays, closures and visits the client cancels. Say whether they're credited, rescheduled or not adjusted.
- Price reviews: when and how the monthly amount can change.
See what to put in a commercial cleaning contract for the rest of the sections.
Step 3: Record every visit as it happens
The monthly invoice is only as good as the visit records behind it. For each visit, keep the date, who went, and whether it was completed. Paper sign-in sheets work; so does a shared spreadsheet. What matters is that the record is made on the day, not rebuilt from memory at month end.
Step 4: Keep extras separate until they're approved
Extras like interior windows or a carpet spot-treatment are where monthly invoices go wrong. Write each one down with the date, what was done and who approved it, and only put approved extras on the invoice. If an approval is still pending at month end, move it to next month rather than guessing.
Step 5: Review the month, then send one invoice
- Count the completed visits and compare them with the contract.
- Apply any credits the contract allows for missed visits.
- Add the approved extras.
- Check the total against last month. A big jump or drop usually means something was missed.
- Send one invoice that lists the period, the monthly amount or the visits, and each extra on its own line.
Send it on the same day every month. An invoice that arrives on the same day each month is easier for the client's accounts team to plan for.
How it works in JobTill
You set up the client's recurring service or agreement with its monthly amount and schedule. Next month's recurring visits are added to the schedule automatically, from the 20th. At month end, recurring work rolls into one invoice per client per month, and you review it before it goes out. Nothing sends until you approve it, and every invoice has a Pay Now button so customers can pay by card online.
The step-by-step is in the help center: recurring contracts for setting up the service and the schedule, and invoices and payments for the monthly review.
How JobTill helps
- Visits on the schedule: next month's recurring visits are added to the schedule automatically, from the 20th.
- One invoice a month: recurring work rolls into one invoice per client per month, and you review it before it goes out.
- Bundled services: put weekly, biweekly and monthly services on one agreement.
- Online payment: every invoice has a Pay Now button. Customers pay by card online.
Every feature is in every plan. Start a 14-day free trial. No credit card needed.