How do I set up Stripe auto-charge for recurring invoices in Zoho Books?

Connect Stripe as a payment gateway in Zoho Books, get the customer's card saved through a payment or the customer portal, then edit the recurring invoice and turn on automatic charging with the saved card. Each new invoice is then charged on its date. Card saving and auto-charge depend on your region and gateway, so check the current help page.

First, connect Stripe in the online payments settings of Zoho Books and choose which currencies it should accept. Your customers can then pay invoices online by card. For auto-charge, the customer's card must be stored securely with Stripe. This usually happens when a customer pays an invoice and chooses to save the card, or adds a card through the customer portal.

Next, open or create the recurring invoice profile. Choose the customer, set the frequency and start date, and enable the option to charge the customer's saved card automatically. When each invoice is created, Zoho Books attempts the charge through Stripe and records the payment if it succeeds.

Plan for failures. Cards expire and banks decline charges. Set up email notifications for failed payments, and ask customers to update cards through the portal. If you run many subscriptions with upgrades and proration, Zoho Billing may be a better fit than recurring invoices in Books.

Written by Flowpeak, a Zoho implementation partner. Zoho pricing and features change, so confirm current details on the official Zoho site. Free checklists | Ask us a question