Recurring invoices UAE retainers and leases can run on autopilot

You ask in plain English, the AI does the bookkeeping work, and you or your accountant approve the result.

• You ask: “Which retainers renew in the next 60 days, and which tenants are behind on rent?”
• The AI agent: The AI lists recurring schedules with end dates in the window, then cross-checks the receivables ledger and names tenants with overdue rent invoices, how many days late and how much.
• You review: You decide which contracts to renew or reprice, and approve reminder messages before they go out by email or WhatsApp.

Create the invoice once, then choose frequency, start date, end date or number of cycles, and whether each invoice goes out automatically or waits as a draft for you to check. Draft mode suits clients whose fee changes with hours worked; automatic suits fixed rent.

• Monthly, quarterly or annual frequencies
• Per-line VAT: standard-rated for commercial rent, exempt for residential leases
• Payment terms and automatic reminders by email and WhatsApp
• End date so a lease or retainer does not keep billing after it expires

Retainers and leases billed in instalments fall under the VAT rule for periodic supplies. Article 26 of the VAT law sets the date of supply as the earliest of the invoice date, the payment due date shown on the invoice, the date payment is received, or one year after the supply. In practice, issuing each invoice on schedule keeps the tax point clear and the VAT in the right return.

Residential leases are generally exempt and commercial leases standard-rated under the VAT law, so a landlord with both needs different treatment per schedule. The AI warns you if a schedule for a shop or office has no VAT.

A Business Bay agency bills a retail client AED 45,000 each quarter plus VAT of AED 2,250. The schedule runs from January for eight quarters. HelloBooks raises each invoice on the first day of the quarter with 30-day terms, and reminds the client at day 25 and day 35.

In July the client asks to add AED 5,000 of social media management each quarter. You edit the schedule once and every future invoice includes it. When the contract has two quarters left, the AI flags it in your weekly summary so the renewal conversation starts early. If you want approval rules so a manager checks each retainer invoice before sending, those can be customised; email hello@hellobooks.ai.