Yearly and recurring fee billing for CA firms
Short answer: match each service to a billing cycle (monthly, quarterly, yearly or once), record the fee against the client one time, and make the next due automatic instead of relying on memory. Recurring work like return filing, audit and bookkeeping is where practices most often forget to bill. DuesPe lets you set the cycle per service and then shows what is due and unpaid.
Pick a cycle for each kind of work
| Kind of work | Common cycle | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Bookkeeping, payroll, monthly filings | Monthly | Work repeats every month; billing follows it. |
| Quarterly returns or reviews | Quarterly | Matches the periodic deadline. |
| Annual return filing, audit, annual compliance | Yearly | One fee per year, often agreed in advance. |
| Registration, one-off advice, project work | Once | Fee ends when the work ends. |
This table is a general pattern, not a rule. Your engagement terms decide.
Why recurring fees get missed
- The fee lives in someone's head or an old spreadsheet row, so nobody triggers the next cycle.
- A client's fee changes mid-year and the old amount keeps being used.
- The team invoices at busy, irregular times, so a month or a year passes unbilled.
A routine that stops it
- Record the service, fee and cycle when you onboard the client.
- Review fees due in the coming month on a fixed day.
- Invoice, record payment the day it arrives, and chase what is left.
- Revisit each client's fee once a year and update it in one place.
How DuesPe handles it
For each client you add the services you provide and the fee, and choose once, monthly, quarterly or yearly. Payments are recorded permanently against the client, so the balance stays true; if an entry is wrong you void it and record it again. See the weekly collection routine for what to do with the dues list.
For an existing client, set the billing date when you add them (for example 1 April) so the first invoice lands on their real cycle, not on the day you typed them in. Leave it empty for a new client and billing starts from today.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best way to bill recurring clients in a CA practice?
Decide the cycle for each service (monthly for bookkeeping, quarterly for periodic filings, yearly for annual returns and audit), record the fee against the client once, and raise each cycle's invoice on a fixed day. The discipline is that the next due is created for you, not remembered.
Can DuesPe repeat a fee every year?
Yes. Each service fee for a client can be set to once, monthly, quarterly or yearly, and the next due follows that cycle. New CA and professional firms default to a yearly cycle.
Can I bill on a fixed date such as 1 April?
Yes, for an existing client. When you add the client, open the billing date and choose the date their fee really falls due, for example 1 April. The fee then repeats on that date each cycle instead of on the day you entered the client.