Stortech doesn't offer an annual billing interval yet: every rental keeps billing monthly (or every 4 weeks) behind the scenes. For a customer who wants to pay for a full year up front, the method is to invoice and collect the full year's amount, then credit that same amount to the customer's balance. Every monthly invoice the rental generates afterward then settles automatically from that balance, with no new payment from the customer, until it runs out.

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Creating a manual invoice and adjusting a customer's balance require the Owner or Manager role. If the buttons described below are missing, ask an Owner on your team.

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Three steps, in this order:

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Create a manual invoice for the customer, with a single line describing the amount (for example "Annual rent — 12 months"). The amount should match what the customer will actually pay for the year, taxes included.

Depending on how the customer pays:

If they have a saved card: choose Charge automatically.

If they pay via an emailed payment link: choose Send invoice.

If they pay outside Stripe (cheque, Interac transfer, cash): create the invoice, then record the offline payment once the money is received.

Wait until the invoice is Paid before moving to the next step. If you just chose Charge automatically, the status can show Overdue for a few moments while Stripe confirms the charge; use the Charge customer button if you need to force the attempt.

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Open the customer's record (Contacts → click the contact). Once they have at least one invoice, the Customer invoice balance section appears on their Summary:

Step 1. Click Adjust balance.

Step 2. Leave Adjustment type on Credit.

Step 3. In Amount, enter exactly the same amount as the annual invoice paid in step 1.

Step 4. Add an internal note so you can find the context later (for example "Annual prepayment, see invoice X"). This note is never visible to the customer.

Step 5. Click Apply credit.

The customer's balance goes negative, shown in parentheses (for example ($1,200.00)). That's expected: Stortech displays a credit as a negative amount, the same way Stripe does. The message under the balance confirms it: "This balance will decrease the amount due on the customer's next invoice."

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Create the rental as usual via Manual rental: select the same contact, the unit, the move-in date, and a payment method. Don't check Mark the first invoice as paid — let the customer's balance cover the first invoice normally, exactly like the following ones.

If the customer has no payment method on file, choose Offline payment: the balance applies the same way regardless of the payment method configured on the rental.

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The rental keeps generating an invoice every month (or every 4 weeks), exactly like any other rental — Stortech doesn't have an annual cycle, this is only an appearance from the customer's side. On each invoice, Stripe first applies the available credit balance to reduce the amount due, before attempting any other charge. As long as the balance covers the invoice, it moves straight to Paid with no action from the customer. Once the balance runs out, normal billing resumes: the customer receives or pays their invoice like on any other rental.

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The balance applies after tax. Make sure the annual invoice amount and the credit include the same taxes as the upcoming monthly invoices, or the balance will run out faster or slower than expected.

The billing balance isn't the invoice "Credit" badge. An invoice with a blue Credit badge (negative total, proration credit, or credit note) is a completely different concept — see Understanding the Credit status and Total spent. The customer billing balance described here is an overall balance on the customer's Stripe account, not an invoice.

Move-out or transfer before the year is over. If a balance remains unused when the rental ends, it stays on the customer's account. Check the Customer invoice balance before finalizing a move-out: you can leave it for future use or debit it manually (same dialog, Adjustment type → Debit) if you need to refund it another way.

Accounting. The annual invoice recognizes the revenue at the time it's collected. The monthly invoices that follow mark Paid with no new real charge — flag this method to whoever handles your bookkeeping so revenue isn't counted twice.

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The "Customer invoice balance" section doesn't appear on the contact's record.

What to check: does the customer already have at least one invoice (manual or rental)?

What to do: create the annual invoice from step 1 first, then reload the contact's record.

I credited the balance, but the next monthly invoice still shows "Overdue" or asks for payment.

What to check: was the balance enough to cover the full amount of that invoice (taxes included)?

What to do: check the Customer invoice balance on the contact's record to see what's left. If the balance is $0.00, normal billing has resumed.

I made a mistake on the credit amount.

What to check: what's the current balance shown in Adjust balance?

What to do: use Adjust balance again with a Debit to correct the difference, then add the right Credit if needed.

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Does Stortech actually bill once a year? No. Billing always stays monthly (or every 4 weeks) behind the scenes; the credit balance means the customer has nothing extra to pay as long as it lasts.

Does the balance show up on the rental's move-in invoice? No, it isn't a deposit. It's an overall Stripe credit balance on the customer's account, applied automatically to every invoice generated.

Can I use this method for less than a full year (say, 6 months up front)? Yes, the principle is the same: invoice and collect the amount you want, then credit that same amount to the customer's balance.

Can the customer see their remaining balance? The credit balance appears on their Stripe invoices as they settle; there's no dedicated counter in the customer portal today.

What if the customer asks for a refund of the unused balance? Debit the corresponding amount (Adjust balance → Debit) then refund the customer through the agreed method; see Issue a refund on an invoice if the refund needs to go through a specific invoice.