If your business earns recurring revenue or bills in installments, a single deal value hides the thing that matters most: when the cash actually lands. You've charged a big number, but you can't see when you're due to be paid or whether payment has come in.
That's where mistakes happen and revenue gets lost. Pipedrive's recurring revenue and pay installments options fix it by giving you visibility over every payment you're expecting.
This guide walks through setting both up, covers a couple of limitations, and shows how we handle it slightly differently at MinorCo.
What the feature actually gives you
The whole point is visibility of when you're collecting payments. In a single report you can see, for any month, the value of one-time product sales (charged and paid upfront), the value of installments coming in, and the value of recurring product revenue like a retainer or subscription billed at the same amount each month.
So instead of just knowing you charged a big deal value, you can answer the real question: when are we actually due to be paid?
Which Pipedrive plan you need
You need to be on at least the Growth plan to use the product subscriptions and installments feature. If you're new to Pipedrive, you can request a licence quote from MinorCo to get the best price on your seats.
Recurring revenue
Take a retainer as an example: a deal with Monsters Inc for a marketing retainer billed the same amount every month. A lot of clients put the total deal value in as one number, maybe the retainer across a 12-month period. The problem is you lose visibility over when the cash is coming in or whether you've been paid. There's a better way.
Click the + Products button to add the products or services that make up the deal value. Pull in a product, for example a marketing retainer, and you can create variations or packages at different price points, such as a Gold package at $2,000.
A useful way to think about products in Pipedrive: each one corresponds to a line item on an invoice. If you later generate invoices or a payment link off the back of the deal, each product is a line item.
Billing frequency and cycle limits
In the billing frequency dropdown, leaving it as one-time revenue means you're billing the entire value upfront, and it shows in the report as a one-time product. Switch it to monthly and you can bill monthly until cancelled.
If you leave it open-ended, your revenue summary shows monthly recurring revenue and annual recurring revenue, and because the engagement is ongoing it uses 12 months as the basis of the ARR calculation.
The other option is a fixed number of billing cycles, which suits an agreed term like a six-month retainer. One limitation: you can't go higher than 208 billing cycles. If you need more, create another deal once you exceed 208.
Setting the billing start date
The final step is the billing start date. This means different things to different people. A practical way to view it is the date you're getting paid that first amount, so if the client agrees to pay by Friday, use Friday. Monthly cycles run monthly from that start date. You may want to update it later depending on when they actually pay.
Once you save the product you get a summary of the annual contract value, annual recurring revenue, and monthly recurring revenue, plus a product summary in the sidebar (for example, marketing retainer, $2,000 a month for six cycles). If you don't see that section, go to manage sidebar sections and turn on products.
One caveat worth knowing: as soon as you add a product with recurring revenue, it updates your reports even though the deal is still open and not yet won.
Building the product revenue report
The product revenue report is easy to create: Create button → report → revenue forecast → product revenue.
It shows any deal where the product billing date falls this year. By default it includes deals that are won or open, so you're seeing both revenue recognised and revenue expected, across one-time products, recurring revenue, and installments. Refresh and the numbers update, so a deal closing in June shows that month's recurring revenue increasing.
If you want to see only won deals, remove open deals from the report. Just be aware that by default it includes open deals.
Recurring revenue works well for retainers billed at the same amount each month and for subscription services on a fixed monthly or quarterly fee.
Handling a mid-contract price change
Where it gets awkward is when the amount fluctuates. Say you're halfway through a six-month retainer and the client wants to move up a plan. The cleanest way to handle it: reduce the original product down to three cycles, so you've recorded three months at that amount from that date. Then add the retainer product again at the new (platinum) price, set the billing frequency to monthly for three more months, and set the start date to when the new amount begins.
Saving that updates the total deal value (in the example, up to $15,000) and backdates the deal value to what it was originally sold for. In insights, June through August show the $2,000 amount and September steps up to $3,000. Updating the existing deal keeps it tied to the existing contract, which is better than spinning up a new deal.
How we do it differently at MinorCo
At MinorCo we sell recurring revenue products, Pipedrive subscriptions billed monthly. But rather than using Pipedrive this way, we create a new deal every single month, so we've broken our own rule a little.
The reason is our amounts change constantly: seats go up, people change plans, they buy add-ons. Keeping the products up to date got messy, so a new deal each month works better for our use case. If you're not sure what fits your business, reach out and we'll figure out the best approach with you.
Pay installments
Pay installments suit work billed in milestones or increments. Same client, Monsters Inc, this time a $10,000 website build, and we want to break down how it gets paid.
Add the product as before, a website design product, and enter the total value ($10,000). Don't touch the billing frequency or billing date. Go to the installments tab and set them up, for example: 50% deposit upfront, 25% when design is finalised, and the final 25% upon completion.
Then add the dates you expect to be paid. The 50% deposit this week, the next 25% into July, and completion around mid-to-late August. These are estimates. If the project runs slower, come back in and update the dates. The more current those dates are, the better your cash flow forecast. Enter the amounts ($5,000, $2,500, $2,500) and save, and the installments update with the total, start date, and end date.
Marking payments and adding reminders
Something we do at MinorCo to keep track: when we actually get paid, we come into the installments and write “paid” so we know that amount is collected. This is also the place to add notes on the deal or link to the invoice that was sent. Keep the payment communication and the invoice email on the deal so you can track what's due.
Create activities too. For a final payment, set an activity like “send invoice for final payment” for late August so you get a reminder when it's time. Use activities for those reminders.
Reading it as a cash flow forecast
Once installments are on the deal, refresh insights and you'll see the impact: $5,000 in June, $2,500 in July, $2,500 in August. The report becomes your cash flow forecast, showing one-time products, installments, and recurring revenue in one view. You can see, for example, that July is due to bring in about $15,000.
As a business grows, this visibility matters more. With 14 people at MinorCo, subscription fees, and a lot of cash going out, you need to see what's coming in. Without it you're flying blind, and that's when you can't make payroll or cover a bill.
Taking it further
You can push this further. We've worked with clients to take this data and connect to a tool like Xero, drafting each pay installment as an invoice. You could also connect a payment processor like Stripe to automate billing a customer's card each month. If you want to explore invoicing, accounting, or payment-processor connections, book a call with our team.
Conclusion
Set up recurring revenue and installments and your deals stop being a single number and start telling you when the money arrives. Watch the video if you want to see each step on screen.
FAQ
What Pipedrive plan do I need for recurring revenue and installments? At least the Growth plan to use the product subscriptions and installments feature.
What's the maximum number of billing cycles in Pipedrive? You can't go higher than 208 billing cycles. If you need more, create another deal once you exceed 208.
Does adding a recurring product change my reports before the deal is won? Yes. As soon as you add a product with recurring revenue, it updates your reports even though the deal is still open.
How do I handle a price change mid-contract? Reduce the original product to the number of cycles already completed, then add the product again at the new price with a new billing start date. This updates the deal value and keeps everything on the existing deal.
Can I connect Pipedrive to invoicing or payment tools? Yes. You can connect Pipedrive to a tool like Xero to draft installments as invoices, or a payment processor like Stripe to automate recurring card billing.