Recurring invoicing should feel boring—in the best possible way. Your customers receive a clear invoice, tap Pay, and your ledger updates automatically. No chasing, no spreadsheets, no mystery return codes. This BOFU guide shows exactly how to launch recurring invoices in Liftoff using both the no-code Portal and the developer-friendly API, with extra tips to cut NSFs, speed up cash, and keep your ops team out of the weeds. Along the way you’ll lean on Liftoff’s advantages: $0 ACH pulls, $0 debit transactions, RTP for instant credits when needed, and built-in risk, compliance, and analytics.
What you’ll get when you set up recurring invoicing in Liftoff
· One-click e-payments embedded in branded invoices (desktop & mobile) so customers complete payment in seconds instead of days.
· $0 ACH and $0 debit for collections, collapsing your cost to collect and improving unit economics at scale.
· Pre-due reminders & intelligent retries to lower NSFs (especially R01/R09) without pestering customers.
· Account validation at onboarding (instant + micro-deposit fallback) to catch bad data before the first pull.
· Auto-reconciliation & receipts back to your GL/ERP/CRM via webhooks so finance closes faster with cleaner books.
· Risk & compliance baked in: KYB/KYC, OFAC, velocity rules, authorization capture, and audit trails.
· Optionally add RTP for instant goodwill refunds/credits while keeping the main collection rail on low-cost ACH.
Part 1: Set up recurring invoices in the Liftoff Portal (no code)
The Portal is perfect for getting live in minutes. You can always graduate to the API when you want deeper automation.
1) Create your product & branding
· Upload your logo, colors, and email/SMS sender details so invoices look trustworthy and consistent.
· Define standard invoice templates (line-items, tax logic, terms) to keep ops fast and uniform.
2) Add a customer and validate payment rails
· Enter customer details (legal name, email, phone, billing address).
· Capture bank details and run instant account validation (fallback to micro-deposits if needed).
· If the customer prefers card, enable $0 debit to keep your fees flat.
3) Build the recurring schedule
· Choose frequency: weekly, bi-weekly, semi-monthly, monthly (or a custom cadence).
· Let customers pick their preferred due day to match payroll/cash-flow.
· Add proration, anchors (e.g., “1st of month”), and start/end dates as needed.
4) Configure reminders & dunning
· Turn on pre-due reminders (e.g., T-72h, T-24h) with links to Pay now, Change date, or Update payment method.
· Enable intelligent retries for NSF scenarios (R01/R09) aligned to deposit windows—one well-timed retry beats three random attempts.
· Set return-code rules (retry, block, escalate) so staff doesn’t babysit failures.
5) Add invoice content & send
· Attach line items, notes, and a branded footer with support links.
· Preview the mobile layout and send. Customers get a clean invoice with one-click ACH/ debit pay buttons.
6) Reconcile & monitor
· Payments auto-post with receipts sent to the customer and webhook events pushed to your GL/ERP/CRM.
· Track DSO, on-time rate, return codes, and retry success in dashboards.
· If you need to issue an instant credit/refund, use RTP or Same Day ACH without moving the whole flow off low-cost rails.
Tip: The fastest wins usually come from enabling customer-chosen due dates, turning on pre-due reminders, and validating accounts at onboarding.
Part 2: Set up recurring invoices via the Liftoff API (automation)
When you’re ready to go programmatic, the API lets you create customers, schedules, invoices, and payment intents from your app—and wire events to your data warehouse in real time.
Core implementation steps
· Create Customer: Store legal info + contact channels for notifications.
· Attach Payment Method: Collect bank details securely; run account validation (instant/micro-deposit).
· Create Invoice Template: Define currency, tax, memo, line items, and branding.
· Create Schedule: Frequency, due-day logic, proration rules, start date, and optional end date.
· Enable Reminders & Dunning: Pre-due emails/SMS, intelligent retries, and return code routing.
· Subscribe to Web hooks: invoice. Created, payment. Succeeded, payment. Failed (with return codes), refund. Succeeded, schedule. Updated.
· Post to Accounting: On payment. Succeeded, mark paid in your GL/ERP and issue digital receipts.
Recommended policies to encode
· Retry policy: Only retry R01/R09 once, timed to deposit windows; do not retry R07/ R08/R10/R29 until authorization is fixed.
· Messaging cadence: T-72h and T-24h pre-due reminders, D+0 failure notice, D+2 and D+5 follow-ups.
· RTP refunds: Offer instant credits for VIP/escalations to defuse support quickly without altering the main ACH collection rail.
· Security & compliance: Capture SEC-appropriate authorization, store audit logs, and screen counterparties (KYB/KYC, OFAC).
Best-practice configuration to reduce NSFs (and tickets)
· Account validation on day one to eliminate R02/R03/R04 before they start.
· Customer-selected due dates that match cash-flow patterns; this alone can materially lower NSF rates.
· Pre-due reminders with one-tap actions (pay now, reschedule, update method) to pull revenue forward.
· Intelligent retries once per event, not carpet-bombing attempts; aim for payroll deposit windows.
· Clear cancel/change flows to avoid “not authorized” disputes and keep your ratios clean.
· Self-serve portal where customers can view invoices, download receipts, and update payment methods without opening a ticket.
Example operating playbooks (what to route where)
Standard retainer or service plan
· Rail: ACH default; $0 debit if customer prefers card.
· Cadence: Monthly with customer-chosen due day.
· Extras: Pre-due reminders + single intelligent retry if NSF.
High-touch B2B projects
· Rail: ACH with milestone invoices and partial pay enabled.
· Extras: Same Day ACH for fast credits if you need to reconcile disputes mid project.
Lenders/MCA repayments
· Rail: Fund via RTP; collect via ACH recurring schedule.
· Extras: Account validation + return-code rules; reminders + timed retry on R01.
KPIs to watch (and how to move them)
· DSO / time-to-collect → Expect declines as one-click pay + reminders kick in.
· On-time payment rate → Lift via pre-due nudges and customer-selected due dates.
· Return rate by code → Drive down data and timing errors with validation + smart retries.
· Blended $/1,000 collected → Lower as volume shifts to $0 ACH/$0 debit and ops minutes shrink.
· Tickets per 1,000 invoices → Fall as self-serve and automation replace back-and-forth emails.
Why Liftoff is the best solution for recurring invoicing
· $0 ACH pulls & $0 debit transactions → industry-leading collection economics.
· One-click e-payments inside branded invoices → higher first-attempt completion rates.
· Built-in dunning (reminders, intelligent retries, return-code rules) → fewer NSFs without more headcount.
· Risk & compliance (KYB/KYC, OFAC, velocity, audit trails) → move fast without adding separate vendors.
· RTP/Same Day ACH for instant credits when CX matters most.
· Portal & API with web hooks and auto-reconciliation → launch fast, scale clean.
· Analytics that matter → DSO, return codes, cohort trends, and cash forecasts at a glance.
Bottom line: Launch in minutes via the Portal, automate in days with the API, and watch collections speed up while your cost to collect trends toward zero.
· Set up recurring invoices in the Portal for instant launch; use the API for end-to-end automation.
· Default to ACH (and $0 debit when needed), enable pre-due reminders, and use intelligent retries to cut NSFs.
· Reconcile automatically with webhooks and post results to your GL/ERP/CRM.
· Use RTP/Same Day ACH for instant credits without moving your main flow off low cost rails.
· Liftoff is the best platform to run all of this in one place—payments, risk, automation, and analytics.
FAQs
Do I need developers to get started?
No. You can launch recurring invoices from the Liftoff Portal in minutes. The API is available when you want deeper automation.
Can customers still pay by card?
Yes. Liftoff supports $0 debit transactions, so card-preferring payers can check out without adding fee drag to your P&L.
How do I reduce NSF returns?
Validate accounts at onboarding, let customers choose due dates, send pre-due reminders, and retry once at predicted deposit windows for R01/R09.
What systems can I integrate for reconciliation?
Use web hooks to update your GL/ERP/CRM in real time. Most teams post payments to accounting and trigger lifecycle messages in their CRM automatically.
When should I use RTP?
Use RTP for instant refunds/credits or VIP recoveries. Keep recurring collections on $0 ACH for the best unit economics.
Is compliance included, or do I need extra tools?
Liftoff includes KYB/KYC, OFAC, authorization capture, velocity rules, and audit trails so you can stay compliant without juggling multiple vendors.