A recurring billing run creates the first draft of a billing run for you. Instead of starting each billing run by hand, you choose a billing template and schedule. Rhythm then creates the run ahead of time so staff can review the plan before anything is charged. A recurring run, including one that sends customer statements, does not support advanced invoice-selection criteria such as open balance or invoice age. It works from the billing template and action you choose, so do not expect the recurring run to add its own invoice filters.
What It Controls
- Which billing template every run from this recurring schedule uses.
- When Rhythm creates new billing runs, such as "23:00 on the 1st of every month."
- How many days ahead of each run's date Rhythm prepares the plan for review and approval before it runs.
Where to Find It
Go to Finance & Billing › Setup › Billing › Recurring Billing Runs. This opens Manage Recurring Billing Runs, where you can see every recurring billing run in your Rhythm account. The list shows each run’s readable schedule, next run date, and active status.
Prerequisites
You need the billing setup permission from your administrator. The Recurring Billing Runs menu entry appears only when billing is switched on for your Rhythm account.
The Settings
| Setting | Options | Default | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Name: | Any text | Empty | Required. Identifies this recurring schedule in the list |
| ID: | Letters, digits, and underscores | Suggested from the name | Required. Gives the recurring run its permanent identifier |
| Billing Template: | Any active billing template | None; required | Uses this template for every billing run this schedule creates |
| Status: | Active, Inactive | Active | Shows whether the recurring run is active in lists |
| Deletion Protection: | On, off | Off | Not shown to standard association staff |
| Pre-Processing Lead Time (days): | A number | 1 | Sets how many days before the run date Rhythm pre-processes the plan for staff review |
| Schedule | A recurring schedule (cron-style: minute, hour, day of month, month, day of week) | 23:00 on the 1st of every month for a new recurring run | Sets when Rhythm creates new billing runs from this schedule |
Warning
Pre-Processing Lead Time (days): appears required, but Rhythm does not check the value before you save. The field accepts an empty, zero, negative, or fractional value, so enter a sensible number of days on purpose. Rhythm also does not check the schedule itself before saving.
Setting It Up
- Make sure the billing template this schedule should use already exists and is active.
- Go to Finance & Billing › Setup › Billing › Recurring Billing Runs, then Create Recurring Billing Run.
- Name the recurring run and choose its Billing Template:.
- Set the Pre-Processing Lead Time (days): to the number of days before each run date when you want the plan ready for review.
- Use the schedule editor to choose when Rhythm should create new billing runs.
- Save.
Result
Every hour, Rhythm checks for recurring billing runs that are due. When one is due, Rhythm creates a new billing run from its template that many days before the scheduled run date. This gives staff time to review the pre-processed plan before it runs.
Creating and saving this recurring setup does not send anything by itself, even when the template sends customer statements. Rhythm only pre-processes the generated billing run for review. Staff still need to review and execute that run, or let its own scheduled execution time arrive, before any statement or notice goes out.
Warning
The hourly scan runs once at the top of every hour, no matter which minute your schedule uses. If you set a specific minute, Rhythm picks it up at the top of that hour or the next one, not at the exact minute.
Tip
After you save, the recurring run list shows a calculated Next Run Date for that schedule. Check this date right away to confirm the schedule behaves as expected before you wait for it to run.
Dependencies and Precedence
- A recurring billing run must use an active billing template. If there is no active billing template to choose, you cannot save the form.
- After Rhythm creates a scheduled billing run, staff review and run its billing plan the same way they handle any other billing run, whether it was created by hand or by a schedule.
- Recurrence itself is configured here, under Recurring Billing Runs. An individual billing run this schedule creates only sends when someone proceeds through it and selects Run, or when its own scheduled execution time arrives. The recurring schedule controls when a new run is created for review, not when that run actually sends.
Change Impact and How to Revert
- Changing the schedule changes when Rhythm creates the next billing run and future billing runs. It does not change or recreate billing runs this schedule already created.
- Changing the billing template affects the next billing run this schedule creates. Billing runs that already exist keep the template details they had when they were created.
- Deactivating a recurring billing run is intended to stop further processing, though this article cannot confirm exactly how the hourly scan treats an inactive schedule.
Warning
You cannot delete a recurring billing run after it has created one or more billing runs. If you no longer want it to run, deactivate it instead of trying to delete it.
Permissions
You need the billing setup permission your administrator grants to create, edit, or delete a recurring billing run.
Validation and Errors
If you try to save without a name, an identifier, or a billing template, the form will not let you continue. If you try to delete a recurring billing run that has already created billing runs, Rhythm refuses the delete and explains why. Deactivate the recurring run instead.