Melio lets you set up automatic recurring payments for vendors you pay regularly. Once configured, payments are sent automatically on your chosen schedule, so you never miss a due date.
This guide covers:
- Creating a recurring payment
- Viewing and tracking your recurring payments
- Editing a recurring payment
- Canceling a recurring payment
Creating a recurring payment
1- In your Pay dashboard, select +New Payment.
2- In the Bill details page, add the Vendor business name by typing in the search field and selecting from the dropdown, or select + Add new vendor to add a new one.
3- Fill in the Bill amount and Invoice number.
Recurring payments can only be made in USD. The currency dropdown will be grayed out and unavailable when recurring payment is selected.
4- (Optional) To attach an invoice, click Select or drop file to upload an invoice image or file from your device.
Melio accepts PDF, JPEG, JPG, and PNG files up to 10MB. Upload one invoice per file. The system will scan your invoice and autofill payment details, but always review for accuracy. Use Replace to upload a different file or Cancel to remove it entirely. If you attach an invoice to a recurring payment, line items from the invoice cannot be used.
5- Select the Payment frequency dropdown and select Recurring payment.
6- (Optional) Add Note to self to your bill.
7- Select Continue to pay to proceed to payment.
8- Choose how you want to pay. Select Bank account or Card, then use the dropdown to select your preferred payment method. You can add a new bank account by selecting Add bank account, or a new card by selecting Add card.
If you haven't added a payment method yet, select Add bank account or Add card to get started. Your payment method will be saved for this and future payments.
9- Under What your vendor receives, select how your vendor will receive payment. Use the dropdown to choose from saved delivery methods, or select Manage delivery methods to add a new one or edit an existing one.
If you don't have your vendor's delivery details or don't know how they would like to receive their payment, select Manage delivery methods. In the Delivery methods window, select + Add another.
Under More delivery options, select Ask vendor to send a payment details request.
The delivery timeline will depend on how your vendor chooses to receive payment. If you send your vendor a request, you can still complete the payment immediately — no need to wait for their reply.
However, scheduled payments will be automatically canceled if the vendor doesn't respond within 7 business days. You can cancel the request at any time by editing the vendor details and selecting Cancel request.
Can I request payment info for a vendor I've paid before?
Yes — you can still send a request to update their preferred delivery method. Their response will be saved and applied to all future payments automatically.
When making a recurring payment to an international vendor in USD, the delivery method is automatically set to international transfer and cannot be changed.
10- Under Payment recurs, use the dropdown to select your payment frequency.
11- Select the calendar icon to choose the first payment delivery date. Select Apply to save your selection.
Federal holidays are blocked in the calendar and will display as a Federal Bank Holiday when selected. Payments on a holiday or weekend will be delivered one business day after the delivery date.
12- Under Series duration, select the duration of the recurring payment from the dropdown.
- If you select Ends after number of payments, enter the number of Payments in the series. You also have the option to enter a different Amount of final payment.
- If you select Ends after a specific date, enter the End date. You also have the option to enter a different Amount of final payment.
- If you select Until the series is canceled, no additional information is required.
13- (Optional) Add a memo to your payment. This memo will appear on printed checks and in the email notification your vendor receives. When delivered via ACH bank transfer, it will show if your vendor's bank supports memos.
14- Review all payment details carefully, then select Confirm and pay to schedule your payment.
If this is your first payment or we need additional information, you'll be prompted to provide some legal details. This is required for compliance and security purposes.
15- From the success screen, you can download or print your payment summary, view the details of your recurring payment, or select Go to dashboard to return to your main account view.
That's it! Your recurring payment is now scheduled. Funds will be delivered automatically according to your selected timeline and method. You can find and track your recurring payments from the Payments tab, or view them in the Vendors tab by selecting the relevant vendor.
How do recurring payments sync with your accounting software?
Melio syncs recurring payments to your accounting software one at a time, in line with your payment schedule. This way, you'll always have visibility into upcoming payments.
Viewing and tracking your recurring payments
1- Navigate to the Payments tab and select the recurring payment you would like to view.
Recurring payments can be identified in the Payments tab by the repeat icon beneath the payment amount.
To filter by recurring payments only, select Filters, select Frequency, and check Recurring. Select Apply to save the filter.
2- In the Payment and bill details screen, you will be able to see the details of the recurring payment.
Alternatively, navigate to the Vendors tab and select the vendor. In the Vendor details screen, you can also view recurring payment details.
That's it! You now know how to find and review the details of any recurring payment, whether you're checking from the Payments tab or the Vendors tab.
Editing a recurring payment
You can edit the full recurring payment series or just the next payment in the series.
Edit the full recurring payment series
1- In the Payments tab, select the recurring payment you would like to edit.
2- In the Payment and bill details screen, select the More button.
3- Select Edit all payments.
Alternatively, navigate to the Vendors tab and select the vendor. Under Vendor details, find the recurring payment. Select the three dots to the right of the payment and select Edit all payments.
4- In the Edit recurring payment screen, you can update:
- The payment amount
- How you pay the vendor
- What the vendor receives
- How the payment recurs
- The memo to the vendor
5- Select Save changes to apply your edits.
Edit the next payment in the series
1- In the Payments tab, select the recurring payment you would like to edit.
2- In the Payment and bill details screen, select the Edit payment button to edit only the next payment in the series.
3- On the Edit recurring payment screen, you can update:
- How you pay the vendor
- What the vendor receives
- The delivery date of the next payment
- The memo to the vendor
4- Select Save changes to apply your edits.
That's it! You can now update a recurring payment whenever your needs change, whether you're editing the full series or just the next scheduled payment.
Canceling a recurring payment
You can cancel the full recurring payment series or just the next payment in the series.
Cancel the full recurring payment series
1- In the Payments tab, select the recurring payment you would like to cancel.
2- In the Payment and bill details screen, select the More button.
3- Select Cancel all payments.
Alternatively, navigate to the Vendors tab and select the vendor. Under Vendor details, find the recurring payment. Select the three dots to the right of the payment and select Cancel all payments.
4- In the confirmation popup, select Cancel all payments. This will cancel the next payment scheduled and all future recurring payments in the series.
Cancel the next payment in the series
1- In the Payments tab, select the recurring payment you would like to cancel.
2- In the Payment and bill details screen, select the More button.
3- Select Cancel payment.
4- In the confirmation popup, select Cancel this payment. This will cancel the next scheduled payment only — all remaining future payments in the series will continue as scheduled.
That's it! You can now cancel a recurring payment whenever you need to, whether you're stopping the entire series or just the next payment, without affecting the rest.