How to set up recurring expenses

A recurring expense in InnoBooks is a template that recreates the same expense on the schedule you choose (weekly, monthly, annually, and so on). You set the supplier, category, line items and taxes once, and InnoBooks generates the expense on the next due date. Here’s the full walkthrough.

What you’ll need #

• Permission to access Recurrent Expenses (read and create).
• A supplier and an expense category (you can create both from within the form).
• Your taxes set up in settings (GST 5% and QST 9.975% for Quebec) if you want to apply them to line items.
• Your business information filled in (the Edit Business Info button inside the form).

Steps #

1. Open the recurring expenses page

   From the menu, open Expenses, then Recurrent Expenses. The page has two tabs: Templates and Generated Expenses. On the Templates tab, click New Recurrent Expense at the top right.

   

2. Choose the client and frequency

   In the Client field, click Select Client to attach the expense (optional). Choose the Recurrence Pattern — Daily, Weekly, Bi-Weekly, Monthly, Bi-Monthly, Quarterly, Semi-Annually, Annually or Bi-Annually. Then set the Start Date and, if needed, the End date (optional).

3. Name the template and describe the expense

   Enter a Template Name (for example “Monthly rent”). Then fill in the Supplier Name, the Category and the Expense Name. The Assigned to field lets you attach the expense to a user, and the Description field adds a note.

4. Add line items and taxes

   Click Add New Line to enter an item. For each line, fill in the description, the Rate and the Quantity. In the Tax column, click Add Taxes to apply GST (5%) and QST (9.975%). The Subtotal and Amount Due recalculate automatically.

5. Turn on automatic sending (Optional)

   Tick Auto Send Expenses so each generated expense follows the intended flow at every due date, with no manual step.

6. Save the template

   Check the Amount Due, then click Save. The template appears in the Templates tab with its Next Generation date and an Active status.

Tips & edge cases #

• The Generated Expenses tab is where the expenses created from your templates will appear; the detailed list isn’t available there yet.
• In the Templates list, the row actions let you pause, resume, cancel or delete a template. The status then changes to Paused, Active, Cancelled or Completed.
• Filter the list with the search box and the All Clients, All Status and All Patterns menus (the frequency filter only shows on the Templates tab).
• Set up GST and QST in your tax settings first so you can select them through Add Taxes.

Frequently asked questions #

How do I pause or resume a recurring expense? #

In the Templates tab, use the row actions to pause, resume, cancel or delete the template. A paused template stops generating expenses until you resume it.

Where do I see the expenses my templates created? #

The expenses your templates create will appear in the Generated Expenses tab on the Recurrent Expenses page; the detailed list isn’t available there yet.

Can I apply GST and QST to a recurring expense? #

Yes. On each line item, click Add Taxes in the Tax column and select GST (5%) and QST (9.975%). The taxes must first be created in your settings. The amount is added automatically to the Amount Due.

Related articles #

• How to create a supplier purchase order
• Track transport and mileage expenses