HubSpot subscriptions: how recurring billing works in HubSpot

Checked against HubSpot's knowledge base on 22 October 2026. HubSpot changes these tools often, so the changelog at the end records each update.

What are subscriptions in HubSpot?

Two things share the name. Your own HubSpot subscription is the plan you buy from HubSpot, with its billing details and limits. (HubSpot: manage your HubSpot subscription) This post is about the other: the subscriptions tool that bills your buyers for recurring products.

HubSpot subscriptionsPlansall plansOnline paymentHubSpot payments or StripeBilling termsrenew or fixed numberFailed card paymentup to 4 retries in 30 daysFailed bank debitnot retriedEditsnot within 2 days of a paymentFrom HubSpot's knowledge base, checked 22 October 2026

A subscription in that tool is a record of recurring line items, the buyer, the billing dates and how payment is collected. HubSpot's product page calls it recurring billing and subscription management, and says subscriptions are a free feature for both free and paid users. (HubSpot: subscriptions)

Which HubSpot plan do you need for subscriptions?

None in particular. The subscriptions tool is available on all products and plans. Setting it up needs Super Admin permissions, and creating subscriptions needs Super Admin or edit and create permissions for subscriptions. (HubSpot: set up subscriptions)

Some features around it need more:

• Automated sales tax needs Revenue Hub Professional or Enterprise and at least one Revenue Hub seat.
• Brands need Marketing Hub Enterprise.
• Workflows and custom reports need a Professional or Enterprise subscription.

Quotes and contracts, two of the ways a subscription can start, need a Revenue Hub subscription and seat. (HubSpot: create subscriptions)

Do HubSpot subscriptions need HubSpot payments or Stripe?

Yes, if you want buyers to pay online. Online payments need HubSpot payments or Stripe connected as the payment processor.

• HubSpot payments works with any paid HubSpot plan: Starter, Professional or Enterprise. Your business must be in the United States, the United Kingdom or Canada. (HubSpot: payments FAQ)
• Stripe connects an existing Stripe account and is available on all subscriptions. Subscriptions created in HubSpot aren't created in Stripe.

The amount due at checkout must be more than $0.50, or the equivalent in your settlement currency. A HubSpot account connects one Stripe account, and every brand uses it. (HubSpot: connect Stripe) The HubSpot Stripe integration covers the three ways the two connect.

How do billing frequency and the number of payments work?

Each recurring line item has a billing frequency. HubSpot's legacy quotes article lists the options as one-time, weekly, every two weeks, monthly, quarterly, semi-annually, annually, or every two, three, four or five years. (HubSpot: create legacy quotes) The current subscriptions article gives monthly and every two weeks as examples.

The billing terms then set how long it runs:

• Automatically renew until canceled. No end date. HubSpot can't calculate the total contract value without a set number of payments.
• A fixed number of payments. The subscription ends after the last one. A monthly line item with 12 fixed payments has a term of 12. (HubSpot: default line item properties)

Line items with the same frequency, terms, start date and number of payments share one subscription record. Items that differ get separate records.

Using a subscription with a fixed number of payments as a payment plan is a common question. HubSpot payment plans with more than four payments covers that use.

Can a HubSpot subscription start later?

Yes. On a quote, contract or payment link, the billing start date can be a custom date, a delay in days after checkout, or a delay in months. On a subscription you pick the start date. (HubSpot: schedule recurring payments to start in the future)

Only the one-time items are due at checkout. The buyer sees a summary of future payments, a subscription with the status Scheduled is created, and an invoice is sent on each billing date. One-time discounts apply only to items due at checkout, so a discount on a future recurring item has to be a unit discount on that line item.

Does a subscription charge automatically or send invoices?

You choose when you create it. (HubSpot: create subscriptions)

• Automatically charge. Payment is collected on each billing date and a receipt is sent. You can charge a payment method the buyer already stored, or collect one on the first paid invoice and charge automatically after that. A subscription can only auto-charge a buyer who agreed to store their payment method before it was created.
• Manually collect on each invoice. The buyer pays each invoice with the method they prefer, by the payment terms you set. Invoices are emailed on each billing date if that setting is on.

A third setting creates no invoices and collects nothing, for subscriptions managed outside HubSpot. Those can't be edited.

What happens when a subscription payment fails?

HubSpot's payments article puts it this way: failed card payments are retried automatically up to 4 times within a 30-day window. If those fail, the buyer has to update their payment method. Bank debit transactions, such as ACH, are not retried, so you contact the buyer or ask for a new payment method. You can also retry a failed payment by hand up to three times before the scheduled retries run. (HubSpot: manage payments)

Around the retry:

• The buyer gets an email with a link to update their payment method, and past-due amounts are charged to the new one. (HubSpot: manage subscriptions)
• The subscription shows as Unpaid.
• Account admins get emails when a subscription payment succeeds or fails, unless they turn them off.
• On an auto-charged subscription, the next invoice isn't created until the failed payment is resolved. Manually billed subscriptions keep creating invoices.

Can you edit, pause or cancel a HubSpot subscription?

Yes, with limits. (HubSpot: manage subscriptions)

• Edit. Only Active or Scheduled subscriptions that create invoices can be edited, and not within two days of the next payment due date. You can change the contact, billing address, line items, due dates, payment methods and status. Editing a line item on the CRM record doesn't change billing. You edit the subscription.
• Prorate. Only on subscriptions with automated collection. Monthly proration uses a 30-day cycle.
• Pause. Billing and collection stop until you resume and pick the next billing date.
• Cancel. Takes effect immediately, or you can wait until the end of the term. You can refund unused days. Pending bank debit payments aren't cancelled or refunded automatically.
• Delete. Only Canceled or Expired subscriptions, and it can't be undone.

Disconnecting Stripe cancels the subscriptions HubSpot manages, and their payments stop being collected. (HubSpot: connect Stripe)

How do subscriptions relate to quotes and invoices?

A subscription is created when a buyer pays for a recurring item through a payment link, a quote or a legacy quote. You can also create one from the subscriptions index or from a contact, company, deal or ticket. (HubSpot: create subscriptions)

• Quotes. When a quote has a recurring and a one-time line item, the recurring item gets a subscription and the one-time item is invoiced separately. In the Connected CPQ, Billing, and Payments beta, billing runs through the contract and the subscription record is used for reporting. (HubSpot: create and send quotes)
• Invoices. Subscriptions create invoices by default, one on each billing date.
• Deals. Recurring payments don't create new deals. They're recorded on the subscription, which is linked to the deal.

HubSpot invoicing and quotes covers the invoice and quote side, and HubSpot contracts covers the contract record.

What should you check before you sell on a subscription?

• The processor. HubSpot payments on a paid plan, or your Stripe account. Pick before the first subscription, since disconnecting Stripe later cancels the subscriptions HubSpot manages.
• Renew or fixed. A membership renews. A program or a project with an end has a fixed number of payments.
• Card or bank debit. Cards are retried. Bank debits need someone to follow up.
• Who owns the money. One Stripe account per HubSpot account. If each location is its own company, see several Stripe accounts in one HubSpot portal.
• The books. Decide how subscription invoices reach QuickBooks or Xero. The HubSpot QuickBooks integration covers the sync.

Changelog

• 22 October 2026: first published.