How to Set Up New Customers and Automated Recurring Invoices in Wave

Learn how to add new customers and configure automated recurring invoices in Wave Accounting.

July 9, 2026 By Jared Greer

This guide demonstrates how to create a new customer and set up an automated, recurring invoice. Completing this ensures Greer Property Solutions consistently bills tenants on time without having to manually generate an invoice every month.

You will use this workflow when onboarding a new tenant or signing a new lease with an existing tenant.

Add a New Customer

First, you need to add your customer or tenant information into your Wave directory.

Step #1: Navigate to Sales & Payments on the left side menu, then navigate to Customers. Click Add a customer from the main Customers dashboard. — Navigate to **Sales & Payments** on the left side menu, then navigate to **Customers**. Click **Add a customer** from the main Customers dashboard.

Type the main display name in the Customer Name field. Use the property address and the year the lease begins, i.e. "1729 Willowbrook 2026".

Type the primary tenant names in the First Name field. If there is not enough room for all tenants in the First Name field, use the Last Name field as well.

Step #4: It is NOT necessary to complete any other details on this page (i.e. shipping or billing address, phone, etc. Click Save. — It is **NOT** necessary to complete any other details on this page (i.e. shipping or billing address, phone, etc. Click **Save**.

Create the Recurring Invoice

Now that your customer is active, it's time to build the invoice template that will recur.

Step #5: Navigate to Sales & Payments on the left side menu, then navigate to Recurring Invoices. — Navigate to **Sales & Payments** on the left side menu, then navigate to **Recurring Invoices**.

Step #6: Click Create a recurring invoice. — Click **Create a recurring invoice**.

Step #7: Click Add a customer. — Click **Add a customer**.

Step #8: Select your newly created customer from the dropdown menu. — Select your newly created customer from the dropdown menu.

Step #9: Set the payment terms to On receipt. — Set the payment terms to **On receipt**.

Step #10: Click + Add an item. — Click **+ Add an item**.

Step #11: Select the appropriate service or product, such as "1729 Monthly Rent". — Select the appropriate service or product, such as "1729 Monthly Rent".

Type the amount to be billed per month.

Step #13: Click into the Notes / Terms field. — Click into the **Notes / Terms** field.

Copy and paste payment instructions into the Notes /Terms field:

Payments Due in Full by 5 PM on the 5th.

Deposit at any Arvest Bank Location (Account # 0048381202)
Venmo: jared2456
PayPal: jared2456@gmail.com
Mail: Greer Property Solutions, LLC, 1722 N College Ave Ste C #159, Fayetteville, AR 72703

Step #15: Click Save and continue. — Click **Save and continue**.

Set the Schedule

Define the frequency, start date, and end condition of your recurring invoice.

Step #16: To end the billing cycle after a specific term (like a 12-month lease), click the dropdown next to the end date and choose After. — To end the billing cycle after a specific term (like a 12-month lease), click the dropdown next to the end date and choose **After**.

Type the total number of invoices that should be generated before the cycle stops (e.g., 12 for a 12 month lease).

Configure Payments and Sending

Lastly, instruct Wave on how to handle sending these out and whether you will process payments automatically through Wave or manually.

Step #19: Greer Property Solutions does not use Wave to collect payments, so click Switch to manual payments. — Greer Property Solutions does not use Wave to collect payments, so click **Switch to manual payments**.

Step #20: Review the preview of your invoice and click Next. — Review the preview of your invoice and click **Next**.

Step #21: Click Send automatically to ensure Wave emails the invoice on the scheduled dates without your intervention. — Click **Send automatically** to ensure Wave emails the invoice on the scheduled dates without your intervention.

Step #22: Select your preferred sending email address from the Send from dropdown. Always select jared@greerpropertysolutions.com — Select your preferred sending email address from the **Send from** dropdown. **Always select jared@greerpropertysolutions.com**

Step #23: Click the Enter recipient email address field. — Click the **Enter recipient email address** field.

Type the primary recipient's email address.

Step #25: If you need to send the invoice to multiple people, click the + icon. — If you need to send the invoice to multiple people, click the + icon.

Type in the additional recipient's email address. Send invoices to all tenants on the lease.

Step #27: Select Email a copy of each invoice to myself and ensure the attach PDF option is checked. — Select **Email a copy of each invoice to myself** and ensure the attach PDF option is checked.

Receiving a copy Jared is a great way to verify that the automated system dispatched the email correctly each month!

Step #29: Click Approve and start recurring to finalize your setup and activate the automation. — Click **Approve and start recurring** to finalize your setup and activate the automation.

Q: Do I have to use Wave's automatic payment processing for recurring invoices?

A: No. You can switch to manual payments during the setup process. This allows you to collect payments externally (such as via Venmo, bank deposit, or physical check) without incurring credit card processing fees.

Q: How do I handle terms that aren't exactly 12 months, like a 13-month lease?

A: In the "Set schedule" section, you can configure the end date by choosing the "After" option and manually typing in the exact number of invoices (e.g., 13) that should generate before the schedule stops.

Q: How can I verify that the automated invoices are actually sending to my customers?

A: During the sending configuration step, make sure to check the box for "Email a copy of each invoice to myself". Jared will receive an exact copy in his inbox every time the system automatically emails your customer.

Term	Definition
Recurring Invoice	An invoice template that automatically generates and emails a bill to a client at a set frequency without manual intervention.
Manual Payments	A configuration in Wave where you record payments collected externally (cash, check, external transfers) rather than processing credit cards through Wave's native payment gateway.
Line Item	A designated product, service, or fee—such as "Monthly Rent"—that makes up the charges on an invoice.