Forgiving an invoice allows you to clear an unpaid invoice while maintaining the member's access to your content. This feature is useful when you want to waive a payment without affecting the customer's subscription status.
📝 NOTE: Once an invoice is forgiven, the member will regain immediate access and will not be billed until the next scheduled billing period, unless you manually adjust or update the member's next billing date.
When to Forgive an Invoice
Recommended Use Cases
Payment Method Issues
When a customer's payment fails, but you want to maintain their access while they update their payment information
Customer Retention
As a one-time courtesy for valuable long-term subscribers experiencing temporary financial difficulties
Migration Complications
To resolve billing issues that arise during platform migrations from other services
Billing Disputes
When resolving legitimate billing misunderstandings with customers
Service Interruptions
To compensate for periods when your service was unavailable
💡 TIP: Consider invoice forgiveness as a customer retention tool. A single forgiven invoice can often lead to months or years of continued subscription revenue.
How to Forgive an Invoice
Option 1: Through the Sales page
Navigate to Sales > Invoices
Search for the user or invoice
Click the invoice number
Click Forgive
Option 2: Through the People page
Navigate to People
Search for the On Hold user and Edit
Scroll down to the Invoices section
Open the Unpaid invoice
Click Forgive
⚠️ WARNING: Once an invoice is forgiven, this action cannot be undone. Please double-check and make sure you're forgiving the correct invoice.
Status after Forgiving an Invoice
When you forgive an invoice:
The Invoice Status changes to Forgiven in the invoice summary
The Invoice History will not be affected in any way
The customer regains access to your content
The balance is cleared and will not be charged until the next billing cycle.
Important Limitations
Platform Restrictions
The forgive feature is only available for web-based subscriptions. It cannot be used for subscriptions purchased through iOS, Android, or other app platforms.
📝 NOTE: For app-based subscriptions, you'll need to work with the respective platform (Apple, Google, Amazon, Roku) to handle billing issues.
System Constraints
Cannot Delete Invoices
It is not possible to delete an invoice from the system. Forgiving is the only way to handle unpaid invoices you don't wish to collect.
Individual Processing Only:
Each invoice must be forgiven individually - there is no bulk forgiveness option.
Recurring Payments Not Affected
Forgiving a single invoice does not change future billing cycles. The next scheduled payment will still occur unless the subscription is modified.
Best Practices for Invoice Management
Document Your Decisions
Keep internal notes about why invoices were forgiven for future reference
Consistent Policy
Develop clear guidelines for when your team should forgive invoices
Communication
Consider notifying customers when you've forgiven an invoice as a goodwill gesture
Monitor Patterns
Watch for customers with repeated forgiven invoices, as this may indicate a need for a different subscription plan
FAQs
Will forgiving an invoice resolve recurring billing issues?
Will forgiving an invoice resolve recurring billing issues?
No, forgiving only affects the specific invoice being forgiven. If there are underlying issues with the customer's payment method or subscription settings, those will need to be addressed separately.
What's the difference between forgiving and refunding?
What's the difference between forgiving and refunding?
Forgiving applies to unpaid invoices, preventing the collection of payment. Refunding returns money that has already been collected from the customer.
Can I forgive multiple invoices at once?
Can I forgive multiple invoices at once?
No, each invoice must be forgiven individually by following the steps above.