Automate Your Retainer Invoicing Process
Secure advance payments for ongoing work. Avaza generates retainer invoices on schedule, holds payments as credit, draws it down as you invoice the work, and keeps clients informed with retainer statements.
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What is a retainer subscription?
A retainer subscription is a payment model where clients pay in advance for ongoing services over a set period. Consulting, design, legal and IT businesses use it to keep cash flow steady and to formalise a long-term commitment: you receive payment upfront, and the client gets reliable, ongoing access to your services.
- Retainer invoiceAvaza sends it automatically on your chosen cycle
- Paid in advanceClients pay upfront online or by bank transfer
- Credit heldPayments are held as credit for upcoming work
- Work trackedYour team logs time, expenses and fixed amounts
- Credit appliedCredit is deducted from the regular invoice
- Statement sharedClients see payments, draws and what’s left
Key benefits of Avaza’s retainer subscriptions
Boost cash flow
Secure upfront payments from clients, so growth and operations rest on money already in the bank.
Efficiency and time savings
Retainer invoices generate and send themselves; your team focuses on delivering the work, not on billing admin.
Accuracy
Automated invoicing and credit tracking take the manual errors out of retainer billing.
Transparency
Regular retainer statements show clients exactly how their payments are being used and what work has been completed.
Scalability
Manage a growing number of clients and more complex agreements without additional administrative strain.
Planning and forecasting
Insight into client payments, available credit and outstanding invoices makes forecasting income straightforward.
How retainer subscriptions work
1. Set up a retainer subscription
Name it and schedule it
Give the subscription a clear profile name, choose how often it repeats, the start date and whether it ever expires.
Automate the sending
Let Avaza email each retainer invoice to the client automatically, or review drafts first.
Describe the retainer
Line items, taxes, discounts and notes, with smart tags for the month and year of each invoice.
2. Receive the advance payment
Pay online or by transfer
Clients pay retainer invoices with the Pay Now button (cards, wallets, bank debits) or by bank transfer.
Held as credit
Each payment is recorded as retainer credit, ready to be applied to invoices for work delivered during the period.
Hands-free with Auto Charge
Enable Auto Charge on the subscription and a saved payment method is charged when each retainer invoice is issued.
3. Draw credit down as you deliver
Track the work
Create a project for each retainer and let your team log time, expenses and fixed amounts against it.
Apply the credit
At the end of the period, generate a regular invoice for the tracked items and apply the available retainer credit from the Actions menu.
Handle the difference
Request the remaining balance if the invoice exceeds the credit, or carry the unused credit forward or expire it according to your terms.
4. Track and report
Retainer statements
Generate a PDF statement listing every retainer invoice, payment applied, credit drawn and credit expired, and share it with the client.
Subscription dashboard
Each subscription shows its status, frequency, amount, last and next invoice, and the associated retainer invoices with paid, drawn and available amounts.
Retainer invoice details
Every retainer invoice shows the credit it created, which regular invoices drew on it and what is still available.
Who benefits from retainer subscriptions?
Professional services and consulting
Consultancies, law firms and accounting practices commit clients to a set number of hours or services each month and draw down as the work is done.
Creative agencies and freelancers
Marketing, design and content teams bill a set amount of work each month and keep the flexibility to adjust deliverables, with full transparency for both sides.
IT and managed service providers
MSPs charge for a block of hours or services each month, allocate prepaid hours to critical tasks and show clients how the credit is applied.
“I've tried at least 35 project management programs, and NOTHING works as well as Avaza. We have been using it several years now and have not run into any show-stoppers. It has grown with us easily and we can't imagine using anything else.”
Frequently asked questions
How is a retainer subscription different from a recurring invoice?
A recurring invoice bills for work or services as they're delivered. A retainer subscription requests payment in advance; the payment is held as retainer credit and applied to later invoices for the work actually performed. Both run on the same scheduling engine.
How do I turn on retainers?
Enable the Retainer Invoices module in Settings > General Settings, set a retainer invoice prefix and default retainer template in Invoice & Bill Settings, then go to Invoices > Retainer Subscriptions and click Create.
How do I apply retainer credit to an invoice?
Open the regular invoice, choose Apply Retainer Credit from the Actions menu, pick the retainer with available credit and enter the amount. Any remaining balance can be sent to the client as usual, and the invoice shows the credit that was applied.
What happens to unused retainer credit?
That's up to your terms. Leave it available for future work, or open the retainer invoice and choose Expire Retainer Credit with an expiry date; the expiry appears on the retainer statement.
Can clients see how their retainer is being used?
Yes. Generate a retainer statement from the subscription page and share the PDF: it lists retainer invoices, payments applied, credit drawn by regular invoices and any expired credit, in date order.
Can retainer invoices be paid automatically?
Yes. With Auto Charge enabled and a saved payment method on file, each retainer invoice is charged when it's issued and the payment is recorded as credit automatically. Auto Charge is available on paid plans with Stripe.
Get paid before the work starts
Set up your first retainer subscription free and keep cash flow predictable.