Subscriptions and Recurring Billing

Subscriptions and Recurring Billing supports contract-style sales, recurring invoices, and, when configured, direct debit collection. Use it when a customer has agreed to receive and pay for a service over more than one billing period.

The customer agreement, delivery of the service, invoice review, and payment follow-up still need owners. The contract in Versa records the billing terms; each invoice records a billing period; payment records and bank review show whether the customer actually paid.

Who can use subscriptions?

Your firm must use subscription or contract features. Users need Sales or Customers access to work with customer contracts. Firm Admin access is required for subscription, emailing, and revenue-recognition settings. Direct debit runs also require the NuaPay firm feature and entity setup.

Agree on the billing terms before entering a contract

Sales or the account owner should confirm what the customer is buying, when the service starts, how often it is billed, the price and payment terms, and whether the agreement has an end or renewal date. Agree on who will tell billing about service changes, credits, pauses, and cancellations. Keep the customer's approval or signed agreement in your normal contract process so the billing team can resolve a later question about the charge.

Finance should review the tax treatment and any revenue-recognition policy that applies before live billing begins. If payment will be collected by direct debit, confirm that the customer has authorized that method and that the required mandate is in place. Creating a contract or a collection run in Versa does not itself obtain customer authorization.

How the teams hand work forward

Stage	Work outside Versa	What to record or review in Versa
Agreement	Sales confirms the service, price, dates, billing frequency, payment terms, and customer approval.	Create or update the customer contract and its subscription lines to match the agreement.
Before a billing cycle	The account or service team tells billing about delivered service and approved changes, including a pause, a new price, or an end date.	Review the contract and subscription details before creating the next invoice.
Invoice review	Billing checks that the period, amount, taxes, and customer details reflect the agreement and any approved change.	Create the next invoice, review it, then post and send it through the usual invoice process.
Collection and follow-up	Finance checks customer remittance or direct debit results, follows up on a failure or dispute, and reconciles bank activity.	Review the invoice balance and payment records. Use the direct debit run details when that collection method applies.

Set up subscription settings

Open Setup and select Subscription.
Review the subscription and contract settings for your firm.
Review revenue-recognition settings when subscription revenue is recognized over time.
Review email settings if new subscription invoices should be sent automatically.
Save approved changes before creating live customer contracts.

Create or update a customer contract

Open the customer contract or sales order used for the subscription.
Add the subscription service lines.
Enter the start date, stop date, frequency, and replacement details where the form requests them.
Save the contract and review the next billing details.

The contract stores the subscription details used for later invoice creation. Review changes before the next billing cycle so that the invoice reflects the agreed customer commitment.

For example, if a monthly service starts partway through a month, the team should agree with the customer how that first period will be billed before entering dates and creating the first invoice. Do not assume the contract record decides your pricing or proration policy.

Create the next subscription invoice

Before the next cycle, compare the contract with any service, sales, or customer-support updates. Resolve a changed price, pause, cancellation, or disputed prior period before issuing a new charge. An invoice generated from the contract still needs the same billing review as any other customer invoice.

Open the existing contract order.
Select Next Invoice.
Review the generated invoice, including the customer, billing period, service lines, amount, taxes, and payment terms.
Post and send the invoice through your normal invoice-review process. If automatic invoice email is configured, confirm that the delivery outcome matches your process.

After sending, billing or accounts receivable should monitor the open balance. A created or emailed invoice is a request for payment, not confirmation that funds have arrived.

Cancel an old subscription

When a customer cancels or replaces a service, the account owner should first confirm the effective date, any notice period, final service obligation, and whether a final invoice or credit needs review. Tell the billing team which subscription is ending so a later cycle is not billed under the old terms.

Open the contract order and select Cancel Old Subscription when the option is available. Review the listed subscriptions and effective change before confirming. This action cannot be undone through the same control. Check the next billing details afterward, and separately resolve any already issued invoice according to your normal credit or adjustment process.

Run direct debit collection

Direct debit is an optional way to collect an eligible invoice. Before creating a run, finance should confirm the customer mandate, the amount to collect, the planned collection date, and any customer notice required by your process. A run is the collection instruction; finance must still review its outcome and the related bank activity.

Open Customers and select Start Direct Debit.
Review eligible customers and payment mandates.
Select the collection date and the items to include.
Create the run and review its PDF or run details.
Use Customers, then All Direct Debit Runs, to review prior runs and follow up on any collection that needs attention.

When a collection fails or a customer disputes the charge, contact the customer, determine the agreed next step, and review the invoice and payment status before trying to collect again. Reconcile successful receipts with the bank rather than assuming that creating the run settled the invoice.

Check the cycle before moving on

The active contract reflects the agreed service, dates, price, and billing frequency.
The current invoice reflects the correct period and approved changes, and the customer received it through the agreed method.
The invoice balance and payment status have been reviewed; any failed collection or dispute has an owner.
Changes and cancellations have been communicated to billing before the next cycle.

If you do not see an expected option

Subscription options are missing: Confirm that your firm uses subscription features and that you have Sales or Customers access.
Next Invoice is missing: Confirm that the saved order contains subscription line details.
Start Direct Debit is missing: Confirm that NuaPay and the required entity settings are enabled.
A direct debit run cannot start: Review NuaPay settings and the customer payment mandates.