Set up a recurring payment

Goal

Pay someone the same amount on a regular schedule, without re-entering the payment each time.

How it works

You fill in the payment once and add a schedule. Mezzanine creates a draft two days before each due date. Each draft is then published and approved like any other payment, so nothing is sent automatically.

Before you start

• You have Manage recurring payments, plus View outgoing transfers and Propose bill payments (to pay someone else) or Propose internal transfers (to move money between your own accounts). (Who can use it)
• You know the amount, how often it’s paid, and the first due date.

Part A: Create the schedule

1. In the sidebar, click Send Money → Bill Pay. To move money between your own accounts on a schedule, click Manage Assets → Internal Transfers instead.
   You see a form headed Payment Details.
2. Click Recurring Payment at the top of the form.
   A Recurring Payment Configuration panel appears, reading A new draft will be created two days before it is due unless the recurring payment is cancelled. The Due Date field goes away.
3. Under Frequency, choose how often to pay: Weekly, Every Two Weeks, Monthly, Quarterly or Annually. The default is Monthly.
4. Under Start Date, enter the due date of the first payment.
   Below, you see the upcoming payment dates.
5. Under End Condition, choose when it stops:
   • Until Cancelled keeps going until someone cancels it. This is the default.
   • After End Date stops after a date you choose. Enter it under End Date. It must be after the start date.
     The list of upcoming dates updates to match.
6. Fill in the rest of the form as for a one-off payment: Payment Method, Amount, Asset, Category, Policy, Description, Pay from and Pay to. See Pay a vendor invoice for each field.
7. Click Add Pending Payment.
   You see Recurring payment series created successfully. A moment later you’re taken to the payments list, on the DRAFTS tab. If the first payment is due within two days, its draft is already there.
8. In the sidebar, click Send Money → Recurring Payments to check it.
   Your schedule is listed with its Frequency, Next Payment date and End Condition.

Each time a draft appears on the DRAFTS tab, it needs publishing and approving. See Approve, sign and send a payment. Drafts from a schedule show a repeat icon, Recurring payment — click to manage.

Documents you add on the form aren’t kept with the schedule. Attach invoices to each draft instead.

Change a schedule

1. In the sidebar, click Send Money → Recurring Payments.
2. On the schedule’s row, click the pencil icon (Edit recurring payment).
   The form opens titled Editing: Recurring Payment. You can’t change the start date.
3. Make your changes and click Save Changes.
   You see Recurring payment updated successfully. Future drafts use the new details. Drafts already created don’t change.

Stop a schedule

1. In the sidebar, click Send Money → Recurring Payments.
2. On the schedule’s row, click the cancel icon (Cancel recurring payment).
   A window asks Cancel recurring payment?
3. Click Cancel series. To back out, click Keep active.
   You see Recurring payment cancelled. The schedule leaves the list. Tick Show cancelled to see it again.

Cancelling stops new drafts. Drafts already created stay on the DRAFTS tab. To drop one, choose Reject from its row’s options menu.

If something goes wrong

You see	Why	What to do
Start date is required	No first due date was entered	Enter a Start Date
End date is required when end condition is "After End Date"	After End Date is chosen but no date is set	Enter an End Date, or switch to Until Cancelled
End date must be after start date	The end date is on or before the start date	Pick a later end date
Payment method is required, Category is required, Policy is required or Description is required	A required field is empty	Fill it in and click Add Pending Payment again
You do not have permission to manage recurring payments	You don’t have Manage recurring payments	Request it from the message
No draft appeared after you created the schedule	The first payment is more than two days away	It will appear two days before the start date
A draft appeared with details you’d already changed	It was created before your edit	Edit or reject that draft. Later drafts use the new details