Subscription schedules

Learn about subscription schedules and how to use them.

Use subscription schedules to automate changes to subscriptions over time. You can create subscriptions directly through a schedule or you can add a schedule to an existing subscription. Use the phases attribute to define the changes you want to make to the subscription. After a schedule completes all of its phases, it completes based on its end_behavior.

Some changes you might want to schedule include:

Starting a subscription on a future date
Backdating a subscription to a past date
Upgrading or downgrading a subscription

Subscription schedules are available in both the Stripe Billing Dashboard and the API. This video shows how subscription schedules work in the Dashboard:

Subscription schedules in the Dashboard

For examples of how you can use subscription schedules, see Use cases.

Phases

When creating a subscription schedule, use the phases attribute to define when changes occur and what properties of the subscription to change. For example, you might offer a coupon for 50% off for the first three months of a subscription. In this scenario, you’d create a subscription schedule where the first phase is three months long and contains the 50% off coupon. In the second phase, the subscription reverts to the normal cost and the coupon is removed. Phases must be sequential, meaning only one phase can be active at a given time. You can have up to 10 phases.

Set the length of a phase

You can set the length of a phase using the API or the Dashboard.

The interval of a price determines how often to bill for a subscription. For example, a monthly interval is billed every month. Phases have an iterations attribute that you use to specify how long a phase should last. Multiply this value by the interval to determine the length of the phase. If a subscription schedule uses a price with a monthly interval and you set iterations=2, the phase lasts for two months.

The end_date of one phase has to be the start_date for the next phase. Using iterations automatically sets the start_date and end_date properly. You can set these values manually, but Stripe recommends using iterations instead. Because manually setting the start and end dates is prone to errors, only use it for advanced use cases.

Transition to the next phase

Phase transitions happen automatically after the end_date on a phase is reached. When a phase starts, Stripe updates the subscription based on the attributes of the next phase. You can optionally enable prorations to credit the user for unused items or time on the plan.

Proration behavior

There are two different proration behavior settings that control how Stripe handles billing adjustments during subscription schedule changes:

Schedule update proration behavior: The top-level proration_behavior parameter controls how to handle prorations when updating a subscription schedule in a way that affects the current phase’s billing configuration (such as changing prices or quantities).
Phase transition proration behavior: Each phase has its own proration_behavior attribute that controls how Stripe handles prorations when transitioning to that phase.

Schedule update proration behavior

When you update a subscription schedule and change the billing configuration of the current_phase, you can control how prorations are handled using the top-level proration_behavior parameter.

This parameter works similarly to the one in the Update a subscription API, and accepts the following values:

(default) create_prorations: Generate proration adjustments for billing changes.
none: No prorations are created for the update.
always_invoice: Generate prorations and immediately finalize an invoice.

Changes to non-billing fields (like metadata) won’t generate prorations regardless of this setting.

Phase transition proration behavior

Each phase can define its own proration_behavior to control what happens when the subscription enters that phase. This setting applies specifically to prorations generated during phase transitions and is saved as a field on the phase.

For example, if phases[1] increases the quantity from 1 to 3 when it starts, the proration_behavior on phases[1] determines how those prorations are handled when transitioning from phases[0] to phases[1]:

(default) create_prorations: Generate pending invoice items for billing changes.
none: No prorations are created when entering this phase.
always_invoice: Generate prorations and immediately create an invoice when entering this phase.

If you need to change how a future phase transition handles prorations, update the proration_behavior setting on the future phase before it becomes active.

Use trials

You can add a trial period to the first phase of a subscription using the API or the Dashboard.

You can add trial periods by setting trial end on a phase. If you want the entire phase to be a trial, set the value of trial_end to the same time as the end_date of the phase. You can also set trial_end to a time before the end_date if you want to make only part of the phase a trial. When scheduling updates, you must specify the new trial_end on each phase.

Complete a schedule

Subscription schedules end after the last phase is complete. At this point, the subscription is left in place and is no longer associated with the schedule. If you want to cancel a subscription after the last phase of a schedule completes, you can set end_behavior to cancel. The subscription’s cancel_on_date isn’t set until the subscription transitions into the final phase.

Phase attribute inheritance

When a phase becomes active, all attributes set on the phase are also set on the subscription. After the phase ends, attributes remain the same unless the next phase modifies them, or if the schedule has no default setting. You can set some attributes on both schedules and phases. This includes:

Schedule attribute	Phase attribute
default_settings.billing_thresholds	phases.billing_thresholds
default_settings.collection_method	phases.collection_method
default_settings.default_payment_method	phases.default_payment_method
default_settings.invoice_settings	phases.invoice_settings

If one of these attributes is defined on the schedule, it becomes the default for all phases. When the same property is defined on both the schedule and the phase, the phase attribute overrides the schedule attribute. This behavior is explained more below:

Schedule attribute present	Phase attribute present	Outcome
No	No	Defaults to the customer or account settings
Yes	No	Schedule attribute set
Yes	Yes	Phase attribute set
No	Yes	Phase attribute set

Use phase metadata

You can use subscription schedule phases to set metadata on the underlying subscription. This allows you to control the metadata on a subscription with scheduled updates.

To use phase metadata with the API, set metadata on the phases of a subscription schedule. When the underlying subscription enters a phase:

Metadata from the phase with non-empty values are added to the metadata on the subscription if the keys aren’t already present in the latter.
Metadata from the phase with non-empty values are used to update the metadata on the subscription if the keys are already present in the latter.
Metadata from the phase with empty values are used to unset the corresponding keys in the metadata on the subscription.

To unset all keys in the subscription’s metadata, update the subscription directly or unset every key individually from the phase’s metadata. Updating the underlying subscription’s metadata directly doesn’t affect the current phase’s metadata.

The following example illustrates a subscription schedule with two phases, where each phase has its own metadata:

{
  ...
  "object": "subscription_schedule",
  "phases": [
    { // Phase 1
      ...
      "metadata": {
        "channel": "self-serve",
        "region": "apac",
        "upsell-products": "alpha"
      },
    },
    { // Phase 2
      ...
      "metadata": {
        "channel": "sales",
        "churn-risk": "high",
        "upsell-products": ""
      },
    }
  ],
}

When this schedule creates a new subscription and the subscription enters Phase 1, the three keys in Phase 1 metadata are added to the subscription’s metadata. Hence, the subscription in Phase 1 has the following metadata:

{
  ...
  "object": "subscription",
  "metadata": {
    "channel": "self-serve",
    "region": "apac",
    "upsell-products": "alpha"
  },
}

When the subscription enters Phase 2, the subscription’s metadata is updated:

The value of channel is updated because a value is specified on the phase’s metadata and the subscription already has metadata with that key.
The value of region is unchanged because it’s not specified on the phase.
churn-risk is added because this is a new key.
upsell-products is unset because an empty value is specified on the phase.

Hence, the subscription in Phase 2 has the following metadata:

{
  ...
  "object": "subscription",
  "metadata": {
    "channel": "sales",
    "region": "apac",
    "churn-risk": "high"
  }
}

Learn how to copy subscription metadata onto subscription invoices.

Create subscription schedules

This example demonstrates how to create a subscription schedule using a customer. Creating a schedule this way automatically creates the subscription as well.

Note

Unlike when you create a subscription directly, the first invoice of a subscription schedule with collection_method set to charge_automatically behaves like a recurring invoice and isn’t immediately finalized at the time the schedule’s subscription is created. The invoice begins in a draft status and is finalized by Stripe approximately 1 hour after creation.

For example, when you create a subscription schedule with the collection method set to charge automatically and with start_date=now, this also creates a subscription and an invoice in the draft status. You have 1 hour to edit the invoice. Later, the invoice auto-advances to open or paid status, depending on the outcome of the asynchronous payment attempt at finalization time.

This schedule:

Starts as soon as it’s created.
Sets the subscription to one instance of the product at price_1GqNdGAJVYItwOKqEHb.
Goes through 12 iterations and then releases the subscription from the schedule.

You can also create subscription schedules by passing a subscription ID:

Creating a schedule this way uses attributes on the subscription to set attributes on the schedule.

Similar to other Stripe APIs, you can retrieve and update subscription schedules. You can also cancel and release them. Cancelling a subscription schedule cancels the subscription as well. If you only want to remove a schedule from a subscription, use the release call.

Update subscription schedules

You can only update the current and future phases on subscription schedules.

You need to pass in all current and future phases when you update a subscription schedule. You also need to pass in any previously set parameters that you want to keep. Any parameters that were previously set are unset for the existing phase unless you pass those in the update request. You still receive information in the response about past phases.

You can include up to 10 current or future phases. Updating the active phase updates the underlying subscription as well. For example, this call maintains the existing start and end dates, but updates the quantity to two:

You can also end the current phase immediately and start a new phase. This moves the active phase to the past and immediately applies the new phase to the subscription. The example below ends the current phase and starts a new phase:

To add additional phases to a subscription schedule, pass in the current phase, and then define your new phases:

Preview an invoice

Use the schedule parameter in the create preview to preview the next invoice for a subscription schedule.

Previewing schedule creation and updates

Use the parameters in schedule_details to preview creating or updating a subscription schedule. Pass an existing schedule to tell Stripe whether it’s a creation or an update.

Pass all of the current and future phases you’re previewing.

For example, the following code previews the first invoice for a subscription schedule with 1 phase that lasts for 12 billing periods.

Additional considerations

Subscription schedules generally follow the same restrictions as subscriptions, but also introduce some of their own restrictions. Additionally, the interaction between subscription schedules and subscriptions can produce unexpected behavior. Review the following sections to understand limitations, product behavior, and general best practices when using subscription schedules.

Restrictions

You can only define up to 10 current or future phases at a time on a subscription schedule. Past phases don’t count against this limit.
Subscription schedule phases also follow the same restrictions as subscriptions when creating subscription schedule phases with multiple items.

Dashboard limitations

You can create and update subscription schedules without code in the Dashboard.

In the Dashboard, you can set the following settings globally across all phases, but not on a per phase basis:

Billing thresholds
Payment methods
Invoice settings
Subscription description
Trial days (only works with the first phase)

The following parameters aren’t supported in the Dashboard:

Subscription schedule metadata
Phase item metadata
Currency
All Connect parameters

Subscription updates when a schedule is attached

Use subscription schedules to modify subscriptions automatically when time passes and the schedule’s next phase is entered. Some changes that you make directly to the subscription propagate to the subscription schedule’s phases, but some don’t. This means that any modifications you make directly to the subscription might be overwritten by the subscription schedule when the next phase is entered.

When scheduling changes to a subscription, follow these best practices:

If a subscription has a subscription schedule attached, use the Subscription Schedule API to modify the subscription, instead of the Subscriptions API.
Store the subscription schedule IDs alongside the subscription ID for future API updates. The subscription schedule ID returns when you use the API to create it or through the subscription_schedule.created webhook when Stripe creates it automatically, such as when a customer scheduled a downgrade in the Customer Portal.
Discard the subscription schedule IDs when a subscription schedule is released. You can make changes to the subscriptions directly or create a new subscription schedule. The subscription schedule ID is returned when released with the API or through the subscription_schedule.released webhook event when the subscription schedule releases.
Use the Dashboard to modify subscriptions, if possible, which automatically updates any attached subscription schedule.

Specifically, when you change any of the following subscription attributes directly on a subscription, this action might automatically create a new subscription schedule phase:

discounts
tax_rates
items
trial_end, trial_settings, trial_start
application_fee_percent
add_invoice_items
automatic_tax

For example, consider a subscription with two items. The subscription has a subscription schedule attached with a single phase, mirroring the current status of the subscription. If you use the API to delete one of the items, this automatically splits the attached subscription schedule’s phase into two phases:

The phase that just ended and had two subscription items
The new phase that has just one item on the subscription

When subscription schedule phases automatically split, the following properties are copied from the current phase to the new phase:

proration_behavior
billing_cycle_anchor
cancel_at_period_end
description
metadata
pause_collection

Additionally, Stripe might copy the following top-level subscription attributes to the subscription schedule or its default_settings:

Subscription attribute	Copied to new subscription schedule phase	Copied to subscription schedule `default_settings`
`coupon`
`trial_end`
`tax_rates`
`application_fee_percent`
`discounts`
`collection_method`
`invoice_settings`
`default_payment_method`
`default_source`
`transfer_data`
`on_behalf_of`
`currency`
`add_invoice_items`
`automatic_tax`
`items.prices`
`billing_thresholds`

Updates to subscription metadata aren’t propagated to an attached subscription schedule.

Use cases

To understand subscription schedules, imagine a fictional newspaper company called The Pacific that offers two subscription options:

Print, where customers receive the physical paper
Digital, where customers get access to exclusive content on The Pacific’s website

Both subscriptions bill monthly. Browse possible options for subscription schedules below.

Start a subscription in the future

By default, new print subscriptions start on the first day of the next month. To accomplish this, set the start_date to a point in the future. The code below creates a subscription that starts in the future:

Backdate a subscription

When customers subscribe to the digital plan, The Pacific backdates their subscriptions to the first day of the current month. Backdating allows you to charge for time in the past and allows digital subscribers to access the website immediately.

Add a schedule to an existing subscription

The Pacific might discover that some of their original customers are on subscriptions without schedules. Because these subscriptions exist already, you can pass the subscription IDs in the from_subscription attribute to add a schedule. Passing the subscription IDs in this way creates a schedule with one phase that’s based on the current billing period of the subscription.

While adding these schedules, some customers decide to get a print subscription, so The Pacific adds a second phase to the schedule to start the print plan one month from now. The Upgrade subscriptions use case shows an example of this process.

Upgrade subscriptions

The Pacific offers an option to start with a print subscription for one month, then automatically add the digital option. Some customers prefer this because they can try the print publication first and then decide if they want to continue or cancel their subscription.

Downgrade subscriptions

The Pacific also offers an option to start a subscription with both the print and digital publications, and then downgrade to only the print publication for the rest of the subscription. Customers use this option to try both publications and see how they like them.

Change subscriptions

The Pacific offers two print subscription options: a basic option with advertisements or a premium option without advertisements. Some customers on the premium option want to change to the basic option at the next billing period. You can create a schedule using the existing subscription, and then update the schedule with the basic option with advertisements as a new phase.

Increase the quantity

You can also schedule increases to the quantities on a subscription. The schedule below starts with one instance of the digital publication for one month. In the second phase, the quantity is increased to 2 for 11 more months.

Use coupons

The Pacific occasionally runs subscription specials. The schedule below starts the customer on the print publication at 50% off for six months. The schedule removes the coupon from the subscription in the second phase for the remaining six months.

Change tax rates

The Pacific operates in several jurisdictions, and some have unique tax rates for subscription-based businesses. One of these jurisdictions requires two tax rates: one for the first month when a customer initially subscribes, and one for recurring billings.

Release a subscription from a schedule

You can release a subscription from a schedule if the status is not_started or active. Releasing a subscription leaves it in place but removes the schedule and any remaining phases.

Cancel a schedule and subscription

If a subscription schedule has an active subscription, you can cancel it and its associated subscription immediately. You can only cancel a subscription schedule if its status is not_started or active.

Reset the billing cycle anchor

The Pacific bills their long-time print customers on whichever day of the month they originally subscribed. This day is their billing cycle anchor.

If these customers transition to the digital edition, The Pacific schedules their transition date for the 1st day of the following month. They also reset the billing cycle anchor to that same date.

You can verify that the billing cycle anchor gets reset by creating a subscription using the sample code below. Look at the subscription in the Dashboard, and notice that the Upcoming Invoice is scheduled to bill the customer as soon as the digital subscription starts on the 1st.

To see what happens if you don’t reset the anchor, run the sample code again, but remove the line that sets the billing cycle anchor to phase_start. Without that line, the Upcoming Invoice in the Dashboard waits to bill the customer until a full month from today, despite the transition that occurs on the 1st.

Installment plans

Installment plans allow customers to make partial payments for a set amount of time until the total amount is paid. For example, when The Pacific buys new printing presses, they sell the used ones to other publications. Smaller publications rarely have enough funds to pay for a printing press upfront, so they pay using an installment plan instead.

For most presses, The Pacific charges 1,000 USD per month so a reusable price is created:

Depending on the make, model, and age of the printing press, The Pacific charges different amounts. This example charges 1,000 USD each month for 6 months, for a total of 6,000 USD.

The number of iterations is multiplied by the price’s interval—6 monthly payments in this example—to determine the number of times the customer is charged. end_behavior determines what happens to the subscription after the last iteration is complete. In an installment plan, the subscription isn’t needed anymore so end_behavior is set to cancel.

In rare cases, The Pacific charges less than the usual 1,000 USD per month. In these scenarios, they use price_data to create a single-use price. This example creates a 500 USD price, and charges monthly for 6 months: