If you’re running a service that needs to bill clients automatically—think coaching, memberships, or monthly retainers—you don’t want to chase invoices every month. Recurring payments are the obvious answer. The problem? Not every client management tool handles subscriptions well, and the setup isn’t always as straightforward as it should be. This guide is for freelancers, small business owners, and anyone who wants to use Honeybook to automate subscription billing—without spending hours poking through menus or wrestling with awkward workarounds.
Let’s cut through the noise. Here’s how to get recurring payments working in Honeybook, what to watch out for, and what to skip.
1. Know What Honeybook Can (and Can’t) Do
Before you start, here’s the honest truth: Honeybook is built for client-based businesses—photographers, coaches, consultants—not SaaS subscriptions. Their recurring payments feature is good for simple, predictable billing (same amount, same time, same client). If you want to handle metered usage, complex upgrades/downgrades, or automated dunning (retrying failed payments), you’ll run into walls.
Works well for: - Fixed monthly retainers - Memberships with the same price each cycle - Payment plans (for project-based fees)
Falls short for: - Usage-based or variable billing - Self-service sign-ups/cancellations (clients can’t manage subscriptions themselves) - Automated emails for failed payments (you’ll need to keep an eye on those)
If you need Stripe-level subscription logic, Honeybook isn’t it. But if you need simple, hands-off monthly billing, it gets the job done.
2. Get Your Basics in Place
Before you touch recurring payments, make sure:
- Your Honeybook account is set up and verified.
- You’ve connected your business bank account (for payouts).
- You know your service pricing and billing interval. (Monthly and weekly are easiest in Honeybook.)
Pro tip: Don’t try to hack this for annual subscriptions. Honeybook’s recurring tools are really built for predictable monthly or weekly cycles.
3. Build a Subscription “Product” in Honeybook
Honeybook doesn’t have a native “Subscription” product type. You’ll use their “Recurring Payment” feature inside an invoice template.
Here’s how:
- Create a new project for your client (if you haven’t already).
- Inside the project, click Create New File > Invoice.
- Add your subscription service as a line item. Be clear in the description (e.g., “Monthly Social Media Management—$500/month”).
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Under payment options, select Payment Schedule.
- Click “+ Add Payment.”
- Choose Recurring (not “Milestone” or “Custom”).
- Pick the frequency (monthly or weekly).
- Set a start date (when you want the first payment to hit).
- Set the number of payments (if it’s open-ended, you’ll need to use a high number; Honeybook doesn’t support “indefinite” subscriptions).
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Click Apply, and review the schedule.
Heads up: Honeybook’s recurring payments are tied to an invoice, not to a “plan.” If you want to change the amount or frequency, you’ll need to issue a new invoice later.
4. Send the Invoice and Get Client Approval
Once your invoice is set up:
- Send it to your client.
- The client will need to open the invoice and enter their payment info (credit card or bank transfer).
- Honeybook will automatically draft the payment on the schedule you set.
What to tell your client: Be clear that this is a recurring, automatic payment. You don’t want them surprised when month two rolls around.
Pro tip: Add custom text to your invoice or contract explaining how recurring billing works and how to cancel (which, in Honeybook, is basically “email me and I’ll stop the charges”).
5. Managing and Cancelling Recurring Payments
Here’s where things get a little manual.
- To stop recurring payments: You have to cancel the payment schedule yourself. There’s no “pause” or “self-cancel” option for clients.
- Go into the project, open the invoice, and look for the payment schedule.
- Cancel or delete future payments as needed.
- If a client’s card fails: Honeybook will notify both you and the client, but it won’t automatically retry like Stripe or PayPal. You’ll need to follow up.
- Changing the amount or frequency: You can’t edit a recurring schedule mid-stream. You’ll need to cancel the current one and send a new invoice with the updated terms.
What to ignore: Don’t waste time trying to hack annual plans or multi-tier pricing into this system. Honeybook’s recurring billing is not meant for complex subscriptions.
6. Tracking Payments and Staying Organized
- Honeybook will record payments automatically and you’ll see them marked as paid in your dashboard.
- You’ll get email notifications for each successful payment.
- For bookkeeping, you can export payment data if you need to reconcile with your accounting software.
- Follow up manually on failed payments. Honeybook doesn’t chase these for you.
Pro tip: Set yourself a recurring reminder to check for failed payments once a week. If you’re managing more than a handful of clients, you’ll want to catch issues before they snowball.
7. What About Automated Sign-Up or Client Self-Service?
Short answer: You can’t do it in Honeybook. Clients can’t sign themselves up for a subscription via a public checkout or manage their own payment details after the fact. Everything runs through you and the invoice you send.
If you need full self-service subscriptions, look into Stripe, MoonClerk, or MemberSpace. But you’ll give up Honeybook’s client management and project tools.
8. Common Pitfalls (and How to Avoid Them)
- Forgetting to communicate: Always tell clients up front that payments will recur automatically. Avoid angry emails down the road.
- Not tracking cancellations: Since you have to cancel recurring payments manually, keep a list. Don’t assume Honeybook will handle it.
- Trying to “hack” complex billing: Honeybook’s recurring payments are basic. Don’t try to build multi-tiered or usage-based subscriptions here; you’ll just create a mess.
- Setting infinite payments: Honeybook doesn’t have a true “endless” option. If you want an ongoing subscription, set a high number of cycles (like 36), and make a note to re-up when it runs out.
9. Alternatives and When to Use Them
If Honeybook’s limitations are deal-breakers, here are a couple of alternatives:
- Stripe Billing: Great for complex subscriptions, self-service, and automated dunning. But it’s not a client/project management tool.
- MoonClerk: Easy recurring payments, less overhead than Stripe. Not as robust as a true subscription platform.
- PayPal Subscriptions: Works in a pinch, but integrates poorly with client/project workflows.
If you love Honeybook’s project management but just want better recurring billing, consider running subscriptions outside Honeybook and using it for everything else.
10. Keep It Simple—and Iterate
Recurring payments in Honeybook can save you a ton of time—if you keep your setup simple and don’t try to force it into something it’s not. Stick to straightforward monthly or weekly billing, communicate clearly with clients, and be ready to step in manually if something goes wrong.
Try it with one or two clients first. See what works, what breaks, and adjust. Your goal isn’t to build the “perfect” system right away—it’s to get paid on time without headaches. And that’s something Honeybook actually delivers on, as long as you keep it basic.
Quick Recap Checklist:
- [ ] Confirm Honeybook account and payment setup
- [ ] Create a project and invoice with “Recurring” payment
- [ ] Send to client, get payment info
- [ ] Communicate billing details clearly
- [ ] Manually manage cancellations/changes
- [ ] Check for failed payments regularly
That’s it—no fluff, just what actually works.