Client onboarding: set up billing before delivery

Confirm who buys the service and who handles invoices

For proposals, contract terms and manually prepared phase invoices, see the web design studio workflow. Creative approvals and file delivery remain separate.

The person directing the project may not be the person processing invoices. Ask for the correct billing name, billing address where needed and designated accounts-payable contact. Confirm which person can clarify a reference or due-date question. Use information supplied through your normal client onboarding process rather than assuming that a website footer identifies the entity that should receive the invoice.

Keep the delivery contact and billing contact distinguishable in your notes. Confirm the channel for future billing changes, especially changes to external payment instructions. Do not place passwords, bank login details or unnecessary personal information in the checklist. The broader onboarding article covers scope and delivery preparation; this guide narrows the process to details that let the first invoice reach the right person with a clear billing basis.

Map the next delivery and finance handoffs with the agency billing process.

Agree the billing period and due-date basis

Write down the service start date and whether the fee covers a calendar month, a rolling period or a specific delivery stage. A monthly fee does not explain by itself whether the agency invoices before or after the service period. Clarify that choice with the client and identify who checks the period description on the draft. Keep invoice issue date, service dates and payment due date separate.

Use the payment terms guide to confirm operational wording and references. This is not jurisdiction-specific legal advice. Record the agreed currency and make sure both sides understand it. ABH supports invoice currencies from a fixed supported list, but does not convert exchange rates or provide multi-currency reporting. If the commercial arrangement has unusual currency requirements, resolve them before treating the first draft as ready.

Capture references without inventing product fields

Ask whether a purchase-order number, vendor code or project reference is needed for approval. Confirm where the client expects to see it and who supplies it. A missing reference can make an otherwise accurate invoice difficult to route. If the reference is not available yet, identify the person responsible and keep the invoice in review rather than substituting an unrelated number.

ABH has client onboarding checklists and templates on Starter and above. This does not mean every billing detail in this guide has a dedicated structured field. Store checklist information in the appropriate notes or agreed external record, then verify that the client-facing invoice contains the necessary text. Do not imply that a purchase-order note automatically becomes a first-class invoice field or that an onboarding checkbox enforces the commercial agreement.

Worked example: a new monthly service client

Illustrative fictional example, USD, excluding taxes. A new service client agrees to $2,750.00 per calendar month. The onboarding reviewer confirms the legal billing name, accounts-payable contact, purchase-order reference, November 1 through November 30 service period, USD currency and the externally agreed invoice and due dates. The collection instructions describe the agency's external payment arrangement, not a payment service provided by ABH.

The reviewer creates a draft for $2,750.00 with the correct period and checks the PDF without sending email. They verify the contact spelling and reference against the onboarding notes. A draft preview is not a completed payment request or proof that the client has accepted the invoice. If the client supplied a purchase-order number covering only one month, the reviewer records a reminder to reconfirm it before the next period instead of assuming it remains valid indefinitely.

Separate client collections from ABH subscriptions

Document how the client will pay the agency outside ABH, using instructions confirmed through a trusted channel. ABH does not collect or process money on behalf of agencies. An invoice link lets the client view the invoice and download a PDF; it is not a client payment checkout. Verify external receipts before manually recording them against the relevant invoice.

Polar handles the agency's own ABH SaaS subscription. It does not make client payments part of onboarding. Keep those instructions separate when explaining the workflow to staff. If someone requests a change to payment instructions, confirm it through the previously agreed contact process rather than trusting a forwarded message alone. The purpose is an accurate billing record and careful communication, not a claim that ABH verifies external bank details or reconciles a bank feed.

Billing setup checklist before the first send

Review this checklist with the delivery lead and billing owner. Resolve blanks rather than carrying them silently into the first invoice. A named responsible person makes the follow-up practical when the client still needs to provide a reference. Keep the test in draft or preview mode and do not trigger email merely to check layout or contact spelling. * Confirm the billing entity, appropriate address details and authorized billing contact. * Record the purchase-order, vendor or project reference requirements and who supplies each one. * Agree the service period, first invoice timing, currency and due-date basis. * Confirm external collection instructions through the normal trusted contact channel. * Record review rounds and scope boundaries separately from billing contact information. * Check a draft invoice and PDF against the agreed amount and service period without sending mail. * Identify which details live in checklist notes and which appear on the client-facing invoice. * Assign the first send and next-period review to a named agency owner or billing reviewer.

• Confirm the billing entity, appropriate address details and authorized billing contact.
• Record the purchase-order, vendor or project reference requirements and who supplies each one.
• Agree the service period, first invoice timing, currency and due-date basis.
• Confirm external collection instructions through the normal trusted contact channel.
• Record review rounds and scope boundaries separately from billing contact information.
• Check a draft invoice and PDF against the agreed amount and service period without sending mail.
• Identify which details live in checklist notes and which appear on the client-facing invoice.
• Assign the first send and next-period review to a named agency owner or billing reviewer.

Carry onboarding decisions into later reviews

For a monthly service, the monthly retainer review helps check period usage and authorized extras. Retainer management requires Pro, and generating the period invoice is a manual Owner action. An onboarding checklist does not create recurring invoices automatically. Confirm how your agency will remember the first billing date and review the next period instead of promising unattended monthly billing.

If the agreement uses separate deposits or milestones, follow the deposit and milestone guide to reconcile the stages against the total. After the first invoice, note any routing problem and update the onboarding record so it does not repeat. Reconfirm changed contacts and references before the next send. A complete setup reduces avoidable ambiguity, but it cannot guarantee client approval, payment timing or delivery of every email.

For clients with procurement requirements, follow the purchase order invoicing guide.