What is subscription invoicing?
Subscription invoicing lets you set up recurring billing for a customer – for example monthly or quarterly. Catacloud sends the invoice automatically on the agreed date without you having to create it manually each time.
Typical use cases include accounting fees, licences, service agreements, and other fixed deliverables where the amount and interval are known in advance.
What is invoice basis?
Invoice basis (fakturagrunnlag) is a collection of uninvoiced items that have accumulated for a customer – typically registered hours from time tracking. The items are waiting to be invoiced and can be found under Invoicing → Invoice basis.
The list shows items grouped by customer with the columns Type, Customer/Person, Date, Product, Quantity, Price, and Project/Description. The default filter shows only "Not invoiced" items.
Invoice basis can be invoiced in two ways:
Manually as a regular invoice from the Invoice basis page.
Automatically together with a subscription – by enabling the Include invoice basis toggle on the subscription (see below).
Creating a subscription
Click New sale at the top of the left menu. The Create subscription modal opens. Set the Type field to Subscription in the dropdown, then fill in the remaining fields under Basis:
Customer – select the customer the subscription applies to.
Order ref. – customer reference (optional).
Delivery method – how the invoice is delivered (email, EHF, etc.).
Start date – when the subscription begins.
Due date – number of days payment deadline from invoice date.
Interval – how often the invoice is sent (e.g. monthly). The field shows the date of the next planned invoice.
End date – set an end date if the subscription is time-limited (optional).
Add product lines in the table at the bottom: select product, quantity, unit, net price, and VAT code. Click Add order line to add more lines.
Click Create when all fields are filled in. The subscription will have status ACTIVE in the list.
Include invoice basis in the subscription
The Include invoice basis toggle in the Basis tab controls whether uninvoiced items (typically hours) are automatically added to the invoice when the subscription runs.
When the toggle is on: the invoice sent will include both the subscription lines and any uninvoiced invoice basis items for that customer. The invoice amount will therefore vary from period to period depending on what is in the basis.
When the toggle is off: the subscription only invoices the fixed product lines. The invoice basis remains uninvoiced and must be handled separately.
Example: A subscription invoices NOK 1,875.00 per month for a fixed fee. The customer also has NOK 5,725.00 in uninvoiced hours in the invoice basis. With "Include invoice basis" on, the invoice will total NOK 7,600.00 – the fee plus the hours – and the basis is reset for the next period.
Pausing, resuming or stopping a subscription
In the subscription list you can see the status of each subscription: ACTIVE or PAUSED.
Pause: Click the pause button to the right of the row. The subscription gets the status PAUSED, and no invoices are sent while it is paused.
Resume: Click the Resume button (the play icon) in the same row. Invoice dates that passed while the subscription was paused are skipped. The next invoice is sent on the next regular invoice date, and the new date is shown both in the list and inside the subscription.
Tips for invoice-free months (for example July):
Pause the subscription before the invoice date of the month you want to skip. If an invoice was already due when you paused, it is sent when the subscription resumes – and the paused months may then be invoiced as well.
Restart the subscription with the Resume button in the list, not by changing the status inside the subscription (the pencil icon).
Stop: Click the pencil icon to the right of the row and set an end date to permanently stop the subscription.
Frequently asked questions
My invoice basis was not included on the invoice
Check that the Include invoice basis toggle is on in the subscription's Basis tab. Also check that the customer on the invoice basis item matches the customer on the subscription.
How do I add invoice basis manually?
Go to Invoicing → Invoice basis and click + New invoice basis. Fill in customer, product, quantity, and price. The item will then appear as "Not invoiced" until it is picked up by a subscription or invoiced manually.
When should you contact us?
Contact support and provide the following:
Name of the company and the customer involved
The subscription and which invoice was sent (or not sent)
Any error messages – preferably with a screenshot