This article walks you through how to create a recurring progress invoice for an engagement in Firm360. Progress billing allows your firm to bill clients incrementally—such as monthly—while keeping unbilled time (WIP) organized and visible.
Recommendation: Enable the Billing Dashboard Collapsed View
Before setting up recurring billing:
Go to Settings.
Scroll down and enable the Billing Dashboard Collapsed View.
This helps display time grouped by category and date, making it easy to select which work should be billed.
Set Up a Recurring Progress Invoice
Navigate to the Billing tab for a Client.
Select Add under the Client Engagements section
Configure Engagement Details
Set up the Recurring Engagement
Set the recurrence (e.g., Monthly).
Enter the fee amount, billable category, and type.
Select your next start date (for example, the 1st of each month).
Add a clear invoice title, such as Monthly Accounting Services.
Define the scope of the Engagement - Note: All Time Entries will still be Marked as Billable=Yes
Check Apply as Progress Bill.
Enable Auto-Invoice to automatically generate invoices each month. (OPTIONAL)
Note: Auto-invoice generates the invoice but does not send it to the client. A team member must manually send it after review
Generate and Review Progress Invoice
After the Engagement generates, go to the Billing Screen or Dashboard.
You’ll see both positive and negative amounts.
Select the positive amount to invoice and leave other WIP unbilled.
Team members will track time as usual throughout the month.
Create the Invoice with the Negative Progress Amount from the Client Billing Dashboard
When you’re ready to release WIP:
Navigate to the Client Billing Dashboard (recommended for client-specific billing).
With the collapsed view, easily total and select the specific categories to include on the invoice.
Deselect or exclude any WIP you don’t want to include yet.
Issue a Zero-Dollar Invoice (Optional) & Close the Progress Invoice
If you’ve worked beyond the agreed amount, you can:
Create an additional invoice for extra time, or
Adjust the total and issue a zero-dollar invoice to close out the period.
This keeps reporting accurate and clears WIP tied to that billing cycle.
Once the invoice is submitted, the invoice closes out.
Any remaining negative WIP will clear.
The next recurring invoice will automatically generate on your chosen schedule.
Summary
Using recurring progress invoices allows your firm to:
Maintain consistent monthly cash flow.
Bill accurately by service category (e.g., Accounting vs. Tax).
Note: Realization will not be calculated until the WIP is Released.
Need help?
If you have questions about progress billing setup, contact support@myfirm360.com.
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