To try recurring billing on activities, contact your CSM or start a chat!
Sell activities (sessions only) that automatically invoice participants on a fixed schedule (weekly or monthly), instead of invoicing one total upfront. If available, an authorized payment method is auto-charged on each billing date.
✔️ Recurring billing on activities is best suited for:
Childcare and before and after school programs
Programs where participants are billed on a regular schedule
Subscription-style billing for activities that end months later or not at all
❌ Not recommended for:
Fixed-length programs with a set total price
Programs that rely heavily on:
Automatic wait lists
Complex pricing variations
Precise prorated billing at checkout
How it works & limitations
Recurring billing on activities generates a new invoice on each Billing day, based on the billing option tied to the activity. Each invoice covers a service period, and if a payment method is available, it is automatically charged. Recurring billing results in lower AR and deferred balances at any given time. Here's what you can expect:
During activity setup
At checkout - initial invoice
Participants must pay online to register to activities on recurring billing.
Activities on recurring billing are not prorated at checkout. The full billing period is invoiced, even if they start mid-cycle.
More on checkout and the initial invoice here.
After checkout - recurring invoices
Participants are automatically invoiced each Billing day.
An authorized payment method is charged. If not, a balance remains.
Admins with permission can edit a participant's Billing day or base price.
If you change the billing frequency on an activity for everyone, it only applies to new purchases. Existing participants are not affected.
No further invoices are generated after the activity's end date.
Limitations ⚠️
This feature is in Open Beta. Some operational features are limited.
Supported on session-based activities only. Not drop-ins.
You can't offer one-time payment and recurring billing on the same activity
Notes aren't visible when you edit the participant's Billing day or base price.
Automated wait lists are not supported. Only manual wait lists.
No proration at checkout or when you edit the Billing day on an activity.
During activity replacement, the authorized payment method is not transferred to the new item.
Client cancellation methods for activities on recurring billing are disabled.
Admins may cancel an activity on recurring billing. Not participants.
Weekly billing options are only available on activities. Not memberships.
1. Steps to turn on recurring billing on the activity
Only activities sold as sessions can support recurring billing (not drop-ins).
Check these fields in the activity's settings:
Session — Must be enabled to use recurring billing
Payments — Participants may only pay by credit card or eCheck
Waitlist — Only manual waitlists are supported
All other fields can be configured as usual. See below for permissions and steps.
Related permissions 🔑 |
In the Activities group:
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Steps to follow
1. Go to Activities > Edit.
2. Select Program. Click the activity to open its settings.
3. Enable purchasing this activity as a session.
4. Use recurring billing.
5. Select a recurring billing option from the dropdown or create one.
6. Enter the price per week/month (as per the billing option).
This is the base amount invoiced at checkout and at the start of each billing cycle, before discounts, proration, or adjustments are applied.
7. Scroll to Payments:
Credit cards and eChecks only are accepted online for activities on recurring billing. Admins can still use offline payment methods or Skip and pay later.
Not eligible for pre-planned installment payments.❌
8. Scroll to Wait list to enable manual wait list only (optional setting).
Admins send emails and manage spots. No email automation.
You can't send automatic email notifications when a spot opens. If you select this option, you won't be able to save your configuration changes. ❌
9. Save changes.
2. Steps to create recurring billing options on activities
To automate weekly or monthly invoices to those who enroll, you must tie a billing option to the activity. If the billing option doesn't exist, you must create one. See below for permissions and steps on how to do it.
Related permissions 🔑 |
In the Organization settings group:
|
Steps to follow
1. Go to Accounting and finance > Recurring billing.
2. Click New recurring billing.
3. Give a name (easy to identify).
4. Go to the Frequency and Billing day section.
5. Choose to invoice the activity on a weekly or monthly basis.
6. Choose the frequency and Billing day when invoices are generated and the authorized payment method is charged.
Billing day on weekly cycle | Billing day on monthly cycle |
| 
|
Pick a day of the week eg., invoiced on Thursday to cover the service period from Thursday to the following Wednesday, with each subsequent invoice issued on Thursday. | Pick a day of the month eg., invoiced on the 15th to cover the service period from the 15th of current month, to the 14th of the following month, with each subsequent invoice issued on the 15th. |
With Advanced settings enabled
Billing day on weekly cycle | Billing day on monthly cycle |
e.g., invoiced on Thursday to cover the service period from Monday to Sunday of the following week. | e.g., invoiced on the 15th to cover the service period from the 1st to the last day of the following month. |
7. Under Cancellation method section (disabled on activities).
❌ Activities on recurring billing don't support client cancellation methods.
It is disabled when you save. Only admins can cancel. Learn more here.
8. Save changes.
3. Steps to purchase activities on recurring billing
See what happens at checkout when admins purchase an activity on recurring billing in the store. Below are permissions and steps on how to do it.
Related permissions 🔑 |
In the Clients group:
|
Steps to follow
1. Go to the Clients tab to select the client's account.
2. Go to Client billing and click Add purchase.
3. In the store, add the activity on recurring billing to the cart and click checkout.
4. Review the order form.
📝 Activities on recurring billing are not prorated at checkout. The price (after discounts and fees) is invoiced at checkout.
📝 Automated discounts apply on recurring invoices if the participant is eligible when it's generated. However, discount codes only apply at checkout.
📝 If you remove a service fee at checkout, it still applies on recurring invoices.
5. I agree to the Terms and conditions and then Proceed to checkout.
6. Confirm the account owner and participant information to Proceed to payment.
7. Select an amount to pay online or use an admin/offline option.
💻 Online - in full online. Payment method applied to recurring invoices.
💲 Specify - in part online. Payment method applied to recurring invoices.
💵 Offline - cash or cheques.
⚠️ Skip & pay later - no payment.
8. Click Pay now (if you don't skip and pay later).
4. Invoices & payments for activities on recurring billing
See what happens in Client billing when admins or participants buy activities on recurring billing, and where you can see the participant's auto-payments.
4.1 On invoices and online payment at checkout
4.2 On future invoices
4.3 On upcoming payments and where to see the next planned payment.
Permission name & description 🔑 | Why you need it |
Clients | Required to view accounts in the Clients tab. |
Client billing: Access to view a client's billing page and their transactions. | Required to view a client's billing page. |
Payment processing: Access to update and cancel postdated payments as well as mass charge clients' saved credit card information. | Optional to view and edit upcoming payments. |
Manual invoicing: Permission to create an invoice from a client account, apply a rebate to an invoice, and add a custom item during checkout in the online store. | Optional to give a rebate or to cancel the invoice. |
Refunds: Access to process a refund. | Optional to issue a refund on the invoice. |
Failed payments: Access to failed payment and expiring credit card notifications in the action center. | Optional to view failed payments in the Action center. |
4.1 The initial invoice and payment after checkout
The base price, frequency and Billing day are shown.
If the purchase was paid online, the payment method will be reused later.
To end the service immediately, cancel/refund the latest invoice in Client billing.
To schedule a cancellation for later, go to Purchases. Learn more here.
If you do an activity replacement, the authorized payment method isn't transferred to the new item. Learn more here.
4.2 On future recurring invoices for activities
Labeled 'Invoice for recurring items'. If attached, the payment method is automatically charged and reconciled when the invoice is generated.
If no payment method is attached but you are authorized to use a payment method, it's automatically charged when future invoices are generated.
If no payment method is attached and there's no authorized payment method, a balance remains in the account.
If you cancel/refund the invoice in Client billing, the service ends.
Recurring invoices are typically generated by 9 AM local time.
In their personal account, participants see invoices in Billing.
4.3 Upcoming payments for activities on recurring billing
To view the upcoming recurring invoice date and payment method attached, go to
Upcoming payments in the client's account, under Recurring billing. Only the next upcoming planned date is shown.
If an authorized payment method is attached to the item, it appears under the Payment method column with the payment details and the upcoming billing date. You can edit this payment method anytime.
If no payment method is attached, no payment method is visible on the entry.
If no payment method is attached by the next planned date, SmartRec checks if the participant has another saved payment method that your organization is authorized to use. If so, it automatically charges the payment method and uses it for future upcoming invoices for the item on recurring billing. However, it's not considered attached to the item. As a result, no payment method will be visible under the Payment method column.
If there's no authorized payment method to use, the recurring invoice is still generated on the planned date, but the balance remains unpaid.
4.3.1 When is a payment method charged?
A payment method is charged on each Billing day (on the planned date) if at least one of the following conditions is met:
An authorized saved payment method was used at checkout; or
Your organization is authorized to charge at least one saved payment method
If no payment method is attached to the item, SmartRec automatically checks the participant's Wallet for another authorized payment method and charges it. To learn how to opt out of this behavior, click here.
A payment method is not charged on the planned date if:
No saved payment method was used at checkout and your organization is not authorized to charge at least one saved payment method. To fix this, ask the participant to log in to their personal account, and authorize your organization to charge a payment method in the Wallet.
4.3.2 What if a payment fails?
If a payment method fails, check the failed transaction in the Action center.
The participant is sent both an email and a 'Transaction failure' notification in their personal account (in Communication) letting them know the payment failed.
4.3.3 How to edit an authorized payment method for recurring billing
Admins with permission can edit an authorized payment method attached to an item on recurring billing in Client billing > Upcoming payments.
Under the Actions column, click Edit payment method.
Choose an existing authorized saved payment method, or add a different card.
When you add a different card, it's automatically authorized to use for future recurring invoices.
Save changes. The payment method is considered attached and will be charged on future recurring invoices for the item.
Payment method details will be visible under the Payment method column.
5. Steps to edit the Billing day or price for an activity on recurring billing
You can edit the base price or the Billing day for a participant in Purchases. This doesn't impact other participants enrolled to the activity on recurring billing. Changes are applied moving forward. See below for permissions and steps on how to do it.
Permission name & description 🔑 | Why you need it |
Clients View client accounts: Access to view list of client accounts and account details. | Required to view accounts in the Clients tab. |
Clients Client billing: Access to view a client's billing page and their transactions. | Required to view the client's Purchases. |
Clients Modify activity with recurring billing: Access to edit a client's activity with a recurring billing. | Required to see the Edit button next to the activity on recurring billing in Purchases. Edit the base price. |
Clients Modify billing day on an activity with a recurring billing: Access to change the billing day for a client's recurring billing on an activity. | Required to edit the billing day. |
Steps to follow
1. Go to the Clients tab to select the client's account.
2. Go to Purchases and locate the participant's purchases.
3. Refer to the Activities section.
4. Click Edit.
5. In the Purchases > Edit activity modal you can:
Edit the Billing day (the day the invoice is generated).
Edit the base Price on the invoice (before discounts and fees).
Add admin notes to the item's history. More on that here.
6. Save changes.
The adjusted Billing day and/or Price is displayed in Purchases and used when generating new recurring invoices for the participant.
5.1 What happens after you edit the participant's Billing day
When you edit an activity's Billing day for a participant, the next invoice is not prorated to balance the days they already paid for versus the days they did not pay for on the last invoice. If necessary, inform the participant of changes.
If the next invoice is sooner, the amount is not reduced to cover the shorter period and account for days already invoiced.
If the next invoice is later, the amount does not increase to cover the longer period and account for days not previously invoiced.
Example of editing Billing day for weekly billing option
An invoice on Thursday Apr 9 covers up to Wednesday Apr 15. The next invoice would normally be scheduled for Thursday Apr 16.
If you change the Billing day to Saturday, the next invoice is now on Saturday Apr 18. This means 2 days (Thursday Apr 16 to Friday Apr 24) will not be accounted for. The following invoice would be on Saturday Apr 25.
6. Steps to schedule a cancellation for an activity on recurring billing
Rather than end services immediately by cancelling the invoice in Client billing, you can schedule an upcoming cancellation in Purchases (the activity must have started). You may edit or delete an upcoming cancellation. See below for permissions and steps on how to do it.
Permission name & description 🔑 | Why you need it |
Clients View client accounts: Access to view list of client accounts and account details. | Required to view accounts in the Clients tab. |
Clients Client billing: Access to view a client's billing page and their transactions. | Required to schedule a cancellation for an activity on recurring billing in Purchases. |
Steps to follow
1. Go to the Clients tab to select the client's account.
2. Go to Purchases and locate the participant's purchases.
3. Refer to the Activities section.
4. Click Cancel.
5. In Upcoming cancellation, choose the last date of service.
The last date of service falls on the last day before a new billing cycle.
No further invoices are generated after this date.
6. Save changes. A success message appears and the page refreshes.
The last date of service shows before the activity will be terminated.
If necessary, click Cancel again to edit or delete the upcoming cancellation.
6.1 How to edit or delete an upcoming cancellation
You may want to edit the date of the cancellation, or remove it entirely. When an upcoming cancellation is scheduled for the activity on recurring billing, you will see Activity to be terminated on, followed by the last date of service.
Steps to follow
1. Go to the Clients tab to select the client's account.
2. Go to Purchases.
3. Locate the participant and refer to their Activities.
4. Click Cancel.
5. You can edit the last date of service, or delete the cancellation.
If you edit the last date of service, be sure to Save.
If you delete the cancellation, a success message appears and the page reloads.
7. What participants see in their Amilia account
See where participants view information about their enrollment to activities on recurring billing in their Amilia personal account. Admins don't have access to a participant's personal account.
❌ Participants must contact you to cancel activities on recurring billing.
7.1 Transaction details in the user account
In Billing, participants can view the initial and recurring transaction details.
The initial purchase is labeled as an 'Online purchase'.
Recurring invoices are labeled as 'Invoice for recurring items'.
If allowed, participants can make payment if there's a balance on the account.
7.2 Base price, frequency, and next billing date in the user account
In Purchases, participants can view the base price (before discounts and fees), invoice frequency, and the next billing date for the upcoming invoice.
The proper organization needs to be selected.
Scroll through the Purchases by person to find the right person.
Participants can click on the invoice number to redirect to Billing.
No payment details are visible in Purchases.
7.3 Payment methods and authorizations
In Wallet, participants can review their upcoming payments, payment methods and organizations authorized to charge them.
Upcoming payments 📆
To see when the next upcoming payment is planned, go to Wallet and click Upcoming payments.
Only the next planned date is available.
Participants can edit the payment method that will be charged.
If there's no upcoming payment related to the activity on recurring billing, it's likely no payment method is attached. To fix this, the participant must authorize your organization to charge a payment method, or contact your organization to provide their card or bank information directly.
Payment methods and authorizations 💳
To verify if an organization is authorized to charge a payment method, participants can go to Wallet and click Payment methods.
Add or remove authorizations in the authorization field. Changes autosave.
This is how participants authorize your organization to charge a payment method, and it's also a reliable way to ensure payment if no payment method is initially attached to an item on recurring billing (activities or memberships).
7.4 Notifications related to activities on recurring billing
Below are examples of transactional notifications participants may receive by email, and/or they can always be viewed in their personal account under Communication.
Transactional email notifications are sent from notifications@amilia.com.
Notifications are not sent when you edit the Billing day or base price.
Purchase confirmation
Purchase confirmation
Sent when an invoice is created (includes recurring invoices).
If a balance remains, participants can make a payment via this notification (if your organization permits it).
Transaction failure notification
Transaction failure notification
Sent when an authorized payment method fails.
The notification contains steps and links on how to resolve the issue.
Cancellation confirmation
Cancellation confirmation
Sent when services are terminated.
No further recurring invoices are generated.
No action needs to be taken by the participant.
8. FAQ
1. Why can't I enable installments if an activity has recurring billing?
Installments and recurring billing are two fundamentally different billing structures that cannot be combined on the same activity.
Installments take a total price and divide it into equal payments. For example, a $600 session activity over 9 months = 9 payments of $50/mo. The full cost is agreed upon upfront; installments are just how it's collected.
The full session amount is recorded in AR upfront, fully deferred, and then recognized over the session.
Recurring billing generates a new invoice for each billing cycle (weekly or monthly), for ongoing access to a service. Each invoice and payment covers a specific period. It's more open-ended rather than a fixed total split up.
Recurring billing results in lower AR and deferred balances at any given time.
As a result, an activity must use either:
Installments: one invoice, multiple payments
Recurring billing: multiple invoices, typically one payment per invoice
2. How are installment payments reported vs recurring billing payments in finance reports and revenue recognition?
Installments
Reports show one invoice for the full amount upfront
Payments appear over time as cash collection (reducing Accounts Receivable)
The entire amount invoiced is deferred. Revenue is recognized throughout the session, based on the full activity schedule, independent of payment timing
Recurring billing
Reports show multiple invoices generated over time (one per billing cycle)
Each invoice contributes separately to sales and revenue reports
Revenue is recognized within each billing period, aligned to each invoice’s service window
Invoice amounts during each billing period can vary based on discounts, fees, and all other adjustment types.
Key difference
Installments concentrate reporting around one invoice + payment schedule
Recurring billing spreads reporting across multiple invoices + periods, which can change how revenue and sales appear over time
3. When should I edit the Billing day or base price for a participant?
Admins typically make these adjustments to handle exceptions or changes that apply to a specific participant, without impacting the entire activity.
For example, you may adjust the Billing day to better match the participant's pay schedule or to correct scheduling issues without recreating the enrollment.
You may want to adjust the base price to apply a custom price for the participant.
4. What if I change the billing option assigned to an activity?
If you need to change the frequency or Billing day on a billing option, you cannot edit an existing billing option once it has been used in a sale. Instead, create and assign a new billing option to the activity.
The new billing option will apply to future purchases only. Existing participants keep their current billing option and are not affected.
🎗️ If you want to change the Billing day or price for one participant, you can edit these details via Purchases in the client's file. Click here for more info.
🌐 Recurring billing options on network activities can only be managed by the parent location (for multi-location management).
5. Why can’t I see Notes when I edit the Billing day or price for activities on recurring billing?
This feature is currently in Open Beta, and note visibility is not yet supported.
You can still add and save notes when making changes, but there is no interface yet to view them.
A future update will introduce a history view, where all previously added notes (and timestamps) will become visible.
6. What's the last date of service for an activity on recurring billing?
The last date of service is the end date of the last service period that was invoiced, and the participant remains enrolled until 11:59 PM on that day.
This is not to be confused with the activity end date, which is the date the last occurrence of the activity takes place.
In either case, no further recurring invoices are generated after the last date of service, or the activity end date.
7. Do I cancel a recurring billing activity from Client billing or Purchases?
Cancel from Client billing when:
You need to stop the service immediately
You need to credit and/or refund an invoice
You want to cancel now and issue a partial credit or refund
Schedule a cancellation from Purchases when:
You want to cancel in advance
You want the service to continue until the end of the current billing period
You want to stop before the next billing cycle without interrupting the current one
8. How can I tell if I'm authorized to charge a saved payment method?
To see if your organization is authorized to charge the participant's payment method,
follow these steps from this article:
Go to the Clients.
Under Accounts or People, ensure your filters include:
Saved credit card >Yes
Saved eCheck > Yes
If your organization is authorized, the icon(s) show in the Saved payment methods column. Admins require permission to charge payment methods.
🎗️ When authorized to charge a payment method, you're able to pay online on behalf of the participant whenever you add a purchase on their behalf.
9. Why can't I enable cancellation methods for activities on recurring billing?
Recurring billing options can be used for both activities and memberships. However, client cancellation methods are only supported for memberships at this time.
The cancellation method you select will apply only when the billing option is used on a membership
The same setting is ignored when the billing option is used on an activity
For activities on recurring billing:
The Cancellation method section is disregarded.
Only admins can cancel activities on recurring billing for participants.
10. How do I edit or delete a scheduled upcoming cancellation?
You may want to edit the date of the cancellation, or remove it entirely.
When an upcoming cancellation is scheduled for the activity on recurring billing, you will see Activity to be terminated on, followed by the last date of service.
Steps to edit or delete an upcoming cancellation for an activity on recurring billing:
1. Go to the Clients tab to select the client's account.
2. Go to Purchases.
3. Locate the participant and refer to their Activities.
4. Click Cancel.
5. You can edit the last date of service, or delete the cancellation.
If you edit the last date of service, be sure to Save.
If you delete the cancellation, a success message appears and the page reloads.
11. What is fallback on authorized saved payment method?
Fallback on authorized saved payment method means that if no payment method is attached to an item on recurring billing, SmartRec checks to see if the participant has any other saved payment method that your organization is authorized to use. If so, it's used to process the payment for the item on recurring billing (it`s still not technically attached to the item, meaning those payment details do not show in Upcoming payments).
If your organization prefers not to use this feature,
contact us via chat to have it disabled.
If you turn this off, you will need to follow up with the participant directly to pay the balance each time a recurring invoice is generated, or ask them to provide you with a different card or bank account number that you can add (by editing the payment method in Upcoming payments).
12. Can I use the weekly recurring billing option on memberships?
The weekly billing option is only supported for recurring billing on activities. At this time, the weekly option cannot be attached to a membership.
13. What is the recurring billing report?
The Recurring Billing report is a transaction-level report that gives admins a full picture of every invoice generated through recurring billing, covering both memberships and activities. It's useful for:
Track payment activity over time — see every invoice generated per participant across billing cycles
Audit billing configurations — verify that the correct billing option, billing day, and recurrence are applied per participant
Monitor discounts — review which automated discounts are being applied and their impact on the final billed amount
Notable columns include (but aren't limited to):
Billing date — when the invoice was generated
Item name — the membership or activity that was billed
Price — the base amount before any adjustments
Prorata price — the prorated amount when a partial period was billed
Discount amount — the dollar value of any discount applied
Discount(s) name(s) — the name of the automated discount(s) applied
Billing price — the final amount invoiced, including taxes and discounts
Recurring billing name — the name of the billing option configured on the item
Recurring billing option — the billing frequency type (e.g. on purchase day, specific day of the month)
Billing day — the specific day the invoice is set to generate
Billing recurrence — the cycle interval (weekly or monthly)
Payment method — the method used to collect payment; a blank value indicates no payment method is attached and a balance may be outstanding
Contact your CSM or start a chat with our support team to unlock it!
14. What happens to the authorized payment method during replacement?
During activity replacement, if an authorized payment method is attached to the original item, it does not attach itself to the replacement (i.e., new) item. This means that if you replace one activity on recurring billing with another, you need to update the authorized payment method in Upcoming payments to make sure an authorized payment method is attached.
15. Can I see more billing examples for activities on recurring billing?
Monthly for purchase made on the 21st
Option | On day of purchase | On a specific day of the month (ex: 15th) | On a specific day of the month, for the next calendar month (ex: 15th) |
First Billing Day | April 21st | April 21st | April 21st |
Service Period | April 21st – May 20th | April 21st – May 14th (prorated) | April 21st – May 31st (prorated) |
Next Billing Day | May 21st (for May 21st – June 20th) | May 15th (for May 15th – June 15th) | May 15th (for June 1st – June 30th) |
Weekly for purchase made on Tuesday, the 21st
Option | On a specific day of the week (ex: Tuesday) | On a specific day of the week, for the next calendar week (ex: Tuesday) |
First Billing Day | April 21st | April 21st |
Service Period | April 21st – April 27th (Tuesday – Monday) | April 21st – May 3rd (Monday – Sunday, NOT prorated) |
Next Billing Day | April 28th (for April 28th – May 4th) | April 28th (for May 4th – May 10th) |
16. What if I register before the activity starts? Am I billed right away?
Yes, an invoice is generated at checkout, even if the activity hasn't started yet. That first invoice covers the initial service period.
However, recurring billing only kicks in once the activity begins, and the next invoice is generated on the Billing day following the service period already paid for.
Example: A family registers on June 1 for afterschool starting September 8. They pay for the first week at checkout. When September comes, billing resumes for the second week based on the configured billing cycle.
17. Is recurring billing on activities still a good fit for school-year programs?
Yes! Recurring billing can work well for school-year childcare or afterschool programs, even if they only run for 9 or 10 months.
The important thing is that the program is billed weekly or monthly over time, not that it runs year-round.
18. Can an activity on recurring billing be available as both a session and a drop-in?
Yes! You can set up an activity as both a session and a drop-in. However, the recurring billing will only apply to someone registering to the session.
19. When is revenue recognized for an activity on recurring billing?
Cash accounting: Revenue is still recognized when payment is received, but in smaller amounts (per week or per month instead of an entire activity paid for at once).
Accrual accounting: Revenue is recognized in full at the end of each service period, except if the service period crosses the end of a month. If so, a portion of revenue is recognized at month's end, the rest at the end of the service period.
Example: I purchased an activity on April 23 that bills weekly on Tuesday, for the following calendar week. The initial service period is from the purchase date (April 23) until the following Sunday (May 3). Since the service period crosses from April to May, a portion is recognized on April 30, the rest on May 3.
* Last updated in May 2026
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