Subscription Billing Cycles
Understand when and how subscribers are billed.
How Billing Cycles Work
Anniversary Billing (Default)
Bill on the signup date each cycle:
- Customer signs up January 15
- Billed monthly on the 15th
- Or yearly on January 15
Calendar Billing
Bill on a fixed date:
- Always bill on the 1st
- Or the 15th
- All customers billed same day
Configure in plan settings.
Billing Cycle Examples
Monthly Subscription
Customer signs up: March 10
First charge: March 10
Next charges: April 10, May 10, June 10...
Yearly Subscription
Customer signs up: March 10, 2025
First charge: March 10, 2025
Next charge: March 10, 2026
What Happens on Billing Day
- Invoice generated
- Payment attempted
- If successful:
- Receipt sent
- Access continues
- If failed:
- Retry scheduled
- Customer notified
Handling End-of-Month Dates
For dates that don't exist in all months:
Customer signs up: January 31
February charge: February 28/29
March charge: March 31
We use the last day of shorter months.
Proration
When subscription changes mid-cycle:
Upgrades:
- Charged prorated amount for remainder of cycle
- Or credit toward upgrade
Downgrades:
- Credit applied to next invoice
- Or immediate adjustment
Billing Cycle Anchor
Force billing to a specific date:
- Open subscriber settings
- Set Billing Anchor Date
- Next renewal adjusts to that date
Useful for:
- Aligning team billing
- Corporate billing cycles
- Quarterly alignment
Viewing Upcoming Renewals
Go to Subscriptions → Upcoming:
- See who renews when
- Revenue forecast
- Prepare for payment issues
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