Set up the HubSpot subscriptions tool

Use the HubSpot subscriptions tool to manage your customers' subscriptions. Automate recurring payments with Stripe payment processing or HubSpot payments, or manage recurring billing through automated invoices. Learn how subscriptions in HubSpot work.

Set up subscriptions

Set up subscriptions by creating or editing subscription properties, managing permissions and access to subscriptions, and configure subscription invoice creation.

1. In your HubSpot account, click the settings settings icon in the top navigation bar.

2. In the left sidebar menu, navigate to Objects > Subscriptions.
3. Click Manage subscription properties to view, create, or edit subscription properties.
4. Click Manage users & teams settings to set permissions for who can view and edit subscriptions.
5. To allow users the option to create invoices when creating a subscription, under Invoice creation, toggle the Display option to turn off invoices inside the create subscription tool switch on, then click Save. If this option is turned off, invoices will always be created for a subscription and users won't be able to turn invoice creation off. This option is typically turned on if you want to record subscriptions managed outside of HubSpot.

Please note: you can't edit subscriptions that have automated invoice creation turned off. In these cases, the subscription will be created and can be managed as a CRM object. For example, you could update the subscription details manually, associate it with other objects, and delete it. Use this option for subscriptions managed outside of HubSpot.

Configure the default settings

Manage default payment and invoice settings for subscriptions, including invoice creation, online payment information, default subscription presets, invoice delivery, and custom properties. Settings configured here will be the default, but some can be changed by users when they're creating subscriptions. To customize how a subscription invoice is displayed to customers, update your invoice settings.

1. In your HubSpot account, click the settings settings icon in the top navigation bar.
2. In the left sidebar menu, navigate to Objects > Subscriptions.
3. At the top, click the Default settings tab.
4. If the display option to turn off invoices setting has been turned on, under Invoice creation, click the dropdown menu and select a default option for users. Users will still be able to make the choice when creating subscriptions, but this will be the default option.
5. To exclude a checkout link on subscriptions, toggle the Accept online payments switch off, then click Save. With this option on, subscriptions can collect payments via credit and debit card, or bank debit methods (e.g., ACH). To accept online payments, your account must have HubSpot payments or Stripe set up as a payment processing option.
6. Click Manage billing & shipping information to set payment and address preferences in your checkout settings.
7. Under Advanced settings:
   • Click Customize default preset for invoices to customize invoice presets.
   • To stop invoices from being emailed automatically on their billing date, clear the Automatically email invoices to the customer on each billing date checkbox, then click Save. The invoices will still be created, but not emailed.
   • Add custom properties to subscriptions. Custom properties won't display on the associated invoices created from a subscription. They're designed for internal use (e.g., when using segments filters or the subscription index page filters). To add or remove custom properties:
     • Click Set default subscription custom fields.
     • In the right panel, under Edit default custom fields, click add Add custom field.
     • Search for and select existing custom invoice properties from the list, or click Create new subscription property externalLink to set up a new custom subscription property.
     • To add an additional field, click add Add custom field and select another subscription property.
     • To change the selected property, click the dropdown menu and select a different property.
     • To remove a property, click the delete delete icon.
     • When you are done, click Save.
     • To allow users to edit the field when creating an invoice, select the Allow users to override default subscription custom fields checkbox, then click Save in the bottom left.

Once they've been set up, you can create subscriptions or import existing subscriptions.

Manage subscription notifications sent to customers

Configure the email notifications customers receive for subscriptions.

1. In your HubSpot account, click the settings settings icon in the top navigation bar.
2. In the left sidebar menu, navigate to Objects > Subscriptions.
3. At the top, click the Notifications tab.
4. Set your notification preferences:
   • Toggle the Canceled switch off to stop emailing customers when their subscription has been canceled.
   • Toggle the Changed switch off to stop emailing customers when their subscription has changed.
   • Toggle the Billing date changed switch off to stop emailing customers when their subscription billing date has changed.
   • Toggle the Paused switch off to stop emailing customers when their subscription is paused.
   • Toggle the Payment failed switch off to stop emailing customers a link to update their subscription payment method when their subscription payment fails.
   • Toggle the Upcoming payment reminder switch on to email customers a reminder 14 days before a recurring payment. When turned on, an email reminder will be sent to a customer before their next payment. You can also use workflows to send notifications for an upcoming subscription payment.
     
     

     

     Please note: for subscriptions collecting payment via SEPA direct debit, the upcoming payment reminder is automatically sent two days prior to the bill date for compliance purposes.

   • Toggle the Allow buyers to cancel a subscription switch on to give buyers an option to cancel their subscription from their subscription payment receipt.
   • Toggle the Consent to automatic payments at checkout switch on to add an automatic payment consent checkbox at checkout to support click-to-cancel rules and other automatic payments laws. Applies to subscriptions with automatic payment collection.
5. Click Save.

Subscription properties

Add more context to your subscription records using custom properties. Use the subscription properties to filter and segment your data in HubSpot (e.g., using segments filters or the subscription index page filters).

Add custom subscription properties

To add a custom property:

1. In your HubSpot account, click the settings settings icon in the top navigation bar.
2. In the left sidebar menu, navigate to Properties.
3. Click the Select an object dropdown and select Subscription properties.
4. In the upper right, click Create property.

Please note: the number of custom properties you can create depends on your HubSpot subscription. If you downgrade to HubSpot's free tools, you can view and edit existing custom properties but cannot create new properties if you already exceed the limit.

5. Create the property.

Learn more about editing existing properties.

Next Steps

After setting up the HubSpot subscriptions tool, learn how to:

• Create subscriptions to start configuring your subscriptions for customers, and start billing them.
• Manage existing subscriptions, including viewing, editing, canceling, deleting, and exporting.
• Manage invoices associated with the subscriptions, including viewing, editing, voiding, deleting, and exporting.
• Set up subscription-based workflows (Professional and Enterprise only) to automate invoice processes.
• Analyze subscriptions to report on subscription value and churn.