How Billing & Invoicing Works

What Billing does

Billing handles everything from creating a one-off invoice to running complex recurring subscription plans. It integrates with Stripe, GoCardless, PayPal, and BACS — so payments are collected directly from the platform. Every payment posts automatically to Accounting, keeping your books in sync without manual entry.

Invoice types

One-off invoice — Created manually against a CRM company. You add line items (services, products, time), set payment terms, and send.

Recurring invoice — A template that generates a new invoice automatically on a schedule (weekly, monthly, quarterly, annually). Used for ongoing managed services, retainers, or subscriptions.

Credit note — Issued against an existing invoice to reduce or cancel the amount owed. The credit note is linked to the original invoice for audit purposes.

Time-based invoice — Generated from timesheet entries logged against a project or ticket. You review the billable time and convert it to an invoice line item.

The invoice workflow

Draft → Sent → Viewed → Paid / Overdue

1. Create the invoice (or have it generated by a recurring template).
2. Send it to the client via email — the client receives a branded email with a Pay Now button.
3. The client pays online via their preferred method, or you record a manual payment.
4. The invoice status changes to Paid and a journal entry is created in Accounting automatically.

Payment providers

Plenix supports four payment providers:

Provider	Best for
Stripe	Card payments, instant settlement
GoCardless	Direct debit / bank transfer (UK/EU)
PayPal	International clients, PayPal wallet
BACS	UK bank transfer (manual reference matching)

Each provider is configured once in Settings → Integrations. You can accept all four simultaneously — the client chooses at checkout.

Recurring billing & subscriptions

For clients on a managed service plan:

1. Create a Recurring Invoice template with the monthly fee and line items.
2. Set the schedule and start date.
3. Invoices are generated automatically each period, sent to the client, and collected via their preferred payment method if automated collection is configured.

Subscription billing with GoCardless can be fully automatic — the platform collects the payment on the due date with no manual action.

Payment reminders

Plenix automatically sends payment reminder emails before and after the due date (configurable in Platform → Email Templates). Reminder schedules (e.g. 7 days before, 1 day before, 3 days after) are set per tenant.

How billing connects to the rest of the platform

CRM: Invoices are billed to CRM companies. The company record shows all invoices and their payment status.

Accounting: Every invoice payment automatically creates a double-entry journal in Accounting — no manual bookkeeping. Bank transactions are imported and matched against invoices during reconciliation.

Service Desk (time entries): Time logged on tickets flows into Billing as billable time entries. You review and approve them before including on an invoice.

ERP (timesheets): Project timesheet entries can similarly be converted to invoice line items.

Client Portal: Clients view all their invoices on the portal and can pay directly from there.

Stripe Connect (white-label): If you resell Plenix under your own brand, Stripe Connect allows you to process payments on behalf of your tenants.

Where to go next

• Create and Send an Invoice
• How Accounting Works
• Set Up Recurring Billing