AutoPay is a FreshBooks Payments feature that allows your clients to save their payment details once and automatically pay each invoice as it's sent. Once a client enrolls, every future invoice on a recurring schedule is paid automatically on the created date, without any action required from you or your client.

AutoPay is included in all FreshBooks plans at no additional subscription cost.

When you send a recurring invoice to a client, they have the option to save their card and enroll in AutoPay. Once enrolled, FreshBooks automatically processes payment for each invoice on that recurring template as it's generated.

Behind the scenes, FreshBooks maintains the infrastructure that keeps AutoPay running reliably: securely storing your client's card details, automatically updating them when a card expires through network card updater technology, and retrying failed payments before flagging them to you.

For a full walkthrough of how automated payments work in FreshBooks, visit our How do recurring payments work support article.

Yes, the client can enroll in AutoPay when they pay their first recurring invoice. They save their card and confirm they consent to automatic future charges. After that, no further action is needed from them unless their card details change.

To enable AutoPay on a recurring invoice, make sure the option to Accept Online Payments is enabled. You can enable online payments for all payment types, or only for ACH payments, which are processed at a lower transaction rate than credit cards. Once enabled, your client will see the option to save their payment details and enroll in AutoPay when they pay their first recurring invoice. After they confirm enrollment, all future invoices on that template will be paid automatically.

Since AutoPay is a payment option selected by the client, AutoPay transactions can only be prevented completely by deselecting the option to Accept Online Payments for that template. Alternatively, you can continue to accept online payments and allow AutoPay only with ACH (processed at a lower transaction rate than credit cards) by first removing a saved credit card from the template, and then editing it to remove the option for your client to pay via credit card. 

To do this, go to the recurring template and select edit. Hover over the saved payment information under Accept Online Payments, and select the trash can icon to delete it. The template will stop processing automatic payments immediately, and you can update which payment methods for the template to accept going forward.

For step-by-step instructions on both, visit our How do recurring payments work? support article.

AutoPay and AutoCollect both automate recurring payment collection, but they differ in one important way: who initiates the process.
With AutoPay, your client is in control of enrollment. They save their own card and consent to automatic future charges when they pay their first recurring invoice. You set up the recurring template, but your client opts into automatic payment.

With AutoCollect, you are in control. You save your client's card directly to their profile and attach it to a recurring template, so payments are collected automatically without requiring any action from your client. AutoCollect, available with FreshBooks’ Advanced Payments add-on, also gives you the flexibility to add a client’s saved payment information to new or additional recurring templates, making it a frictionless experience to grow with your clients.

Both features result in the same outcome: recurring invoices paid automatically on schedule, without manual follow-up. The difference is whether the payment setup is client-led or merchant-led.

AutoPay is included in all FreshBooks plans. AutoCollect is available as part of the Advanced Payments add-on. Both are processed at the managed payments rate of 3.5% + $0.30 per transaction.

AutoPay credit card transactions will now be processed at the managed payments rate of 3.5% + $0.30 per transaction (different rates may apply to customers on Select plans). Previously, AutoPay transactions were processed at the standard card rate.

The Managed Payments rate is the rate that applies to merchant-managed payment flows in FreshBooks, where payment is either processed automatically or initiated by the merchant rather than paid manually by the client when prompted. It applies to AutoPay, Virtual Terminal and AutoCollect transactions.

This rate reflects the additional infrastructure these payment types require: secure card storage, automatic card updates, smart payment retries, and stored credential compliance with card network rules.

AutoPay is not a passive feature. Every AutoPay transaction runs on infrastructure that stores client cards securely, keeps them current when details change, and ensures payments retry automatically if a charge fails. Aligning AutoPay with the managed payments rate reflects the cost of that system and supports our continued investment in making AutoPay more reliable and flexible over time.

The new rate for AutoPay transactions will apply for all new FreshBooks Payments merchants as of June 29, 2026. If you are already a FreshBooks Payments merchant, an email will be sent to notify you when the new rate will go into effect for your account.

No action is required. Your existing client AutoPay enrollments, recurring templates, and saved client cards are not affected. Recurring invoices will continue to be paid automatically on schedule, at the new managed payment rate, unless you take action to remove saved credit cards on the active templates in your account.

You can cease processing payments via FreshBooks Payments at any time if you wish to avoid paying transaction fees entirely. To change your payment processing settings, go to Payment Options on the Settings page of your account. From there, you may use the toggle to completely turn off online payments, or you may remove Credit and Debit Cards as available payment methods for clients and choose only to accept ACH payments (which transact at a lower rate). 

Your clients' AutoPay enrollments will continue to work exactly as they do today. The rate change affects your transaction fees as the merchant. It does not change anything your clients see or do, so they will not receive any notification.

No. The managed payments rate of 3.5% + $0.30 applies specifically to AutoPay, Virtual Terminal and AutoCollect transactions processed through FreshBooks Payments. Other payment types, including standard credit card payments and client-saved cards used for manual payments, continue to be processed at their standard card rates. See the detailed rate schedule below.

Please note: the rate schedule shown here applies to US-based customers only. For detailed local rate schedules for countries outside the US, please visit the FreshBooks Help Center.


FreshBooks Payments rate schedule
| Visa / Mastercard (standard online) | 2.9% + $0.30 |
| American Express | 3.5% + $0.30 |
| Managed payments rate (AutoPay, AutoCollect, Virtual Terminal) | 3.5% + $0.30 |
| ACH / bank transfer | 1% |
| International card fee | 1.5% additional |
| Instant Payouts | 1.5% ||

For the full transaction fee schedule, visit What are the transaction fees for FreshBooks Payments?

FreshBooks doesn't currently offer the ability to surcharge, automatically add transaction fees to your invoices or pass them through to your clients.If you choose to adjust your own service prices or fees to account for payment processing costs, that's entirely up to you as a business owner. Please note that you are responsible to communicate any price changes to your clients with appropriate notice, in line with any agreements you have with them.

For general assistance, please visit our Help Center or click Help in the settings menu of your account.