Tip #2 - Cancellation of Offline Subscriptions based on the Expected Payment Date

Tip #2 - Cancellation of Offline Subscriptions based on the Expected Payment Date

Hello everyone,

As you all know, we are coming up with a custom function workflow every week to address specific business scenarios. In continuation of this previous blog, this week we will be seeing about Cancellation of Offline Subscriptions based on the Expected Payment Date.

Business Scenario:


In general, for any business, the customers make payments via online as well as offline. In case of subscription where the automatic collection of charge is enabled (aka online subscription), the customer's card on file will be automatically charged on the renewal date on a regular basis. If for some reason the collection of charge fails on renewal, the Retry Settings (Dunning Settings) will handle the payment collection and sending notification reminders on specified intervals. Upon failure of all the retry attempts, the system will automatically cancel that subscription.

Whereas in the subscription for which the payment is made via cash (or) check, the business (sales) person collects the payment and record it manually into the billing system. There can be situations where even after multiple reminders and personal follow-ups by the salesperson, the customer might not have still paid for the invoice. In such cases, to avoid churn and to keep the cash flow coming, there can be a negotiation between the salesperson and the customer to collect the payment before a final date. This final date can be marked as the Expected Payment Date in that particular invoice.

In most of these scenarios, the customers will usually pay within the expected payment date which was previously agreed upon. However, if the customer fails to do so, the salesperson might have to cancel their subscription manually as there is no business value associated with it. 

Now, let's see how we can automate this process without any manual work. By doing this, you could save a significant amount of time which can be put into developing your business.

Logic Explanation:

As you would have guessed by now, we would be using our Custom Function Workflow to achieve this. Since this scenario involves date based actions, we will be using Date based Workflow. The Date based workflow is something that can be configured to run after a particular date and at a particular time depending on our requirement.

Now, if you were wondering how to configure the custom function to automate our process, please find the answers to your questions below.

What type of Workflow is to be followed?
Date Based Workflow

When is the date of execution?
1 day(s) after the Expected Payment Date.


Are there any additional filters required?

Yes. Execute this workflow only for unpaid invoices.

So to summarize, this custom function should be set to run exactly one day after the expected payment date for the unpaid invoices. After configuring this custom function, you would have to code (the functionality) in such a way that the subscription associated with the invoice is cancelled immediately.

Please be informed that this custom function workflow will work only on the invoices which are created after configuring this custom function.


Code Explanation:

You can refer the code through this GitHub link. The code is written in Deluge script, which is easily understandable to non-programmers. 

1) This snippet of code will be executed only for invoices which are unpaid even after the expected payment date. Kindly replace the "authtoken variable" with your generated authtoken.

2) Initially, we will retrieve the Subscription that is associated with that particular invoice.

3) After retrieving the associated subscription, we will be cancelling it by using the Cancel Subscription API.


Getting started with the Custom Functions: 

1. Go to Settings -> Automation -> Custom Functions.


2. Create a new Custom function. Provide a name for the function. 


3. Choose the module as 'Invoice' and click on 'Create Custom Events'. 


4. Choose Date Based workflow type and Date of Execution as 1 day(s) after Expected Payment Date. You can also set a different Execution Time based on your requirement.

5. In order to run the function for unpaid invoices, Apply Advanced Filter as When Status isn't Paid. 

6. Copy the code which was given above.

7. Save the Custom function and you are good to go.


Further Enhancements:

1)  While using this custom function, there might be a scenario where you would like to exclude a few of your prime customers' subscription from being cancelled automatically without your consent. In order to do this, you can add a Custom Field of type CheckBox to the Subscription. 

While creating a subscription, you can leave this CheckBox marked (or) unmarked in order to differentiate your prime customers from others. Later, you can add this custom field in the Addition Criteria of your workflow, such that the workflow is executed only for your non-prime customers.

Please refer the below image for your reference, where the CheckBox custom field is named as "Cancel subscription automatically?".

2) When the subscription is cancelled, the last renewed invoice will still be in open status. If you would like to void that invoice before cancelling the subscription, you can modify the workflow to address that need. 

Found this useful? Try it out and let us know how it works! If you have questions, do not hesitate to ask!

Cheers,
Sasidaran K,
Zoho Subscriptions.

    Access your files securely from anywhere

          What's new
          Blogs
          Community
          Zia
          API resources
          Pricing
          Integrations
          Town Hall
          Custom Apps


          All-in-one knowledge management and training platform for your employees and customers.






                          Zoho Campaigns Resources


                                Zoho Developer Community



                                    Bootcamp
                                    Community
                                    Pricing
                                    Webinars
                                    What's New
                                    Integrations
                                    Contact Support
                                    Contact Sales
                                      Zoho Survey Resources
                                        Features
                                        Survey Templates
                                        Integrations
                                        Community
                                        iOS Mobile Surveys
                                        Pricing
                                        Android Mobile Surveys
                                        Insurvey Blogs
                                        Insight Blogs
                                        Tips & Tricks





                                                    Latest Feature Updates

                                                      • Desk Community Learning Series


                                                      • Digest


                                                      • Functions


                                                      • Meetups


                                                      • Kbase


                                                      • Resources


                                                      • Glossary


                                                      • Desk Marketplace


                                                      • MVP Corner


                                                      • Word of the Day


                                                      • Ask the Experts




                                                          Zoho SalesIQ Resources

                                                                • Sticky Posts

                                                                • Tip #4 : Refer and Earn Workflow system for your Subscription Business

                                                                  Hello everyone, We've been coming up with a tip every week to address specific business scenarios which can be implemented for your business. In continuation to the previous post, this week we will be seeing about how you can implement the Refer and Earn Workflow system to acquire more customers. Why are Referrals important? Customer Acquisition is crucial for any business to sustain itself in a constantly evolving market. It involves persuading new consumers to purchase your products. Customers

                                                                • Tip #2 - Cancellation of Offline Subscriptions based on the Expected Payment Date

                                                                  Hello everyone, As you all know, we are coming up with a custom function workflow every week to address specific business scenarios. In continuation of this previous blog, this week we will be seeing about Cancellation of Offline Subscriptions based on the Expected Payment Date. Business Scenario: In general, for any business, the customers make payments via online as well as offline. In case of subscription where the automatic collection of charge is enabled (aka online subscription), the customer's

                                                                • Tip #3 : Send SMS Reminders for your Subscription Business

                                                                  Hello everyone, As you all know, we are coming up with a tip every week to address specific business scenarios. In continuation to the previous blog, this week we will be seeing how you can use SMS reminders for your Subscription Business. Using SMS messages for your Subscription Business: While managing your subscription business, more often than not, you need to keep your customers informed about upcoming renewals, payment reminders and cancellations. By keeping them informed in advance, you can

                                                                • Tips And Tricks - Announcement

                                                                  Hello everyone, Every business is unique and each of them follows a specific workflow. While managing your customers' subscriptions with Zoho, you might have some needs unique to your business. Custom Functions helps you address such needs. This is a start to a series of posts, where we will be coming up with a custom function workflow every week that addresses specific business scenarios. Watch this space for further updates! Also, if you have any specific business scenario which needs to be addressed,

                                                                • Tip #6 : Accessing external URLs from Zoho Subscriptions

                                                                  Hello everyone, We have been sharing a tip every week to address specific business scenarios which you can implement for your subscription business. Last week, we shared a tip about implementing the Approval Workflow system. This week, let's look at how you can access external URLs with the help of Custom Link. Business Scenario: Every business functions differently and has its unique requirements. At times, businesses might want to access other websites or applications by appending specific information


                                                                Manage your brands on social media
                                                                Access Zoho Social

                                                                  Zoho Pagesense Resources


                                                                      Zoho TeamInbox Resources

                                                                        Zoho DataPrep Resources


                                                                          Zoho CRM Plus Resources

                                                                            Zoho Books Resources


                                                                              Zoho Subscriptions Resources

                                                                                Zoho Projects Resources


                                                                                  Zoho Sprints Resources


                                                                                    Qntrl Resources


                                                                                      Zoho Creator Resources



                                                                                          Zoho CRM Resources

                                                                                          • CRM Community Learning Series

                                                                                            CRM Community Learning Series


                                                                                          • Kaizen

                                                                                            Kaizen

                                                                                          • Functions

                                                                                            Functions

                                                                                          • Meetups

                                                                                            Meetups

                                                                                          • Kbase

                                                                                            Kbase

                                                                                          • Resources

                                                                                            Resources

                                                                                          • Digest

                                                                                            Digest

                                                                                          • CRM Marketplace

                                                                                            CRM Marketplace

                                                                                          • MVP Corner

                                                                                            MVP Corner









                                                                                              Design. Discuss. Deliver.

                                                                                              Create visually engaging stories with Zoho Show.

                                                                                              Get Started Now


                                                                                                Zoho Show Resources

                                                                                                  Zoho Writer

                                                                                                  Get Started. Write Away!

                                                                                                  Writer is a powerful online word processor, designed for collaborative work.

                                                                                                    Zoho CRM コンテンツ





                                                                                                      Nederlandse Hulpbronnen


                                                                                                          ご検討中の方





                                                                                                                    • Recent Topics

                                                                                                                    • Automation Series: Mandatory Time Logging Before Task Closure

                                                                                                                      In a project, when users work on multiple tasks simultaneously, they track time in different ways, either by starting a timer or by adding a time log. Sometimes users may forget to add time, which can lead to discrepancies in the timesheet. When timesheets

                                                                                                                    • Is there a way to show contact emails in the Account?

                                                                                                                      I know I can see the emails I have sent and received on a Contact detail view, but I want to be able to see all the emails that have been sent and received between all an Accounts Contacts on the Account Detail view. That way when I see the Account detail

                                                                                                                    • Zoho CRM gets a new email compose and lot more

                                                                                                                      Dear Customers,  [UPDATE October 21, 2021: We have started opening these features to some of the customers already. And, it will be available to all the customers before November 2nd Week, 2021. Sorry for the delay caused]  [UPDATE February 21, 2022:

                                                                                                                    • Custom AI solutions with QuickML for Zoho CRM

                                                                                                                      Hello everyone, Earlier, we introduced Custom AI Solutions in CRM that let you access QuickML for your custom AI needs. Building on that foundation, we’ve now enabled a deeper integration: QuickML models can be seamlessly integrated into CRM, and surface

                                                                                                                    • CRM gets location smart with the all new Map View: visualize records, locate records within any radius, and more

                                                                                                                      Hello all, We've introduced a new way to work with location data in Zoho CRM: the Map View. Instead of scrolling through endless lists, your records now appear as pins on a map. Built on top of the all-new address field and powered by Mappls (MapMyIndia),

                                                                                                                    • Introducing document visibility in Zoho Sign

                                                                                                                      Hello! Complex document workflows often involve multiple stakeholders with different roles. Sending a separate envelope to every person is time consuming and can lead to administrative bottlenecks. With Zoho Sign's document visibility feature, you can

                                                                                                                    • Sent email stuck on processing

                                                                                                                      My sent emails are stuck on processing, whats going on?

                                                                                                                    • [Webinar] What's new in Zoho Analytics: Q2 2026

                                                                                                                      Hey data lovers! Our What's New webinar series is bringing you another lineup of exciting features and product enhancements from the past quarter, all designed to help you get more out of your analytics. Get an inside look at new data connectors, Zoho

                                                                                                                    • Alterar número de telefone para receber o código OTP

                                                                                                                      Boa tarde! Como posso alterar o número de telefone da minha conta para aceder ao meu email corporativo? Estou tentando logar, mas não consigo, pois está sendo enviado o código OTP para o número antigo, preciso aceder urgente meu email, porque e de trabalho.

                                                                                                                    • CRM x WorkDrive: We're rolling out the WorkDrive-powered file storage experience for existing users

                                                                                                                      Release plan: Gradual rollout to customers without file storage add-ons, in this order: 1. Standalone CRM 2. CRM Plus and Zoho One DCs: All | Editions: All Available now for: - Standalone CRM accounts in Free and Standard editions without file storage

                                                                                                                    • Request to Increase URL Field Character Limit

                                                                                                                      Hi Arthi, Hope you are doing well. I'm trying to save a URL in the Work Order (WO) module using the URL field, but I receive the following error message: "Please enter a valid Repair File. Maximum 450 characters are allowed." The issue is that the URL

                                                                                                                    • How to change column headings in pivot table?

                                                                                                                      Hi, Is there a way to rename the column headers of a pivot table? Now some the columns are named with value labels: 'SUM of .....'. We would like to rename those headers. As of now we couldn't find any direct solution to adjust the headers, besides copying and reformat. We want to avoid these extra steps. Best, Tiemen

                                                                                                                    • Undelivered Mail

                                                                                                                      I suspect that there are recipient's servers that blocks my emails. I receive the following email from mailer-daemon@mail.zoho.eu : A message that you sent could not be delivered to one or more of its recipients. This is a permanent error. pantelis.sarantos@unipakhellas.gr,

                                                                                                                    • Email not loading on PC

                                                                                                                      Hello, my email opens on but it doesn’t load on PC. I don’t have other issues with the email, all the configurations are ok and I face with following issue in the photo. It says “ mail.zoho.com refused to connect” I will be very thankful if anyone can

                                                                                                                    • Why are bounce/error emails being sent to info@ instead of contact@?

                                                                                                                      I have my Zoho Mail and WordPress site configured so that normal website emails should go to contact@hybridbatteryservice.com. However, I keep receiving technical bounce/error emails and delivery failure notifications at info@hybridbatteryservice.com

                                                                                                                    • Do Not Disturb status not respected when Cliq bar is enabled across Zoho apps

                                                                                                                      Hi Zoho Cliq team, I want to report what appears to be a bug with how the Do Not Disturb status interacts with the embedded Cliq bar in other Zoho apps. **Issue:** When my Cliq status is set to Do Not Disturb, I continue to receive notification tones

                                                                                                                    • Zoho Webinar Summer Broadcast 2026

                                                                                                                      What if your webinar platform could connect directly with your business tools, automate routine tasks, trigger actions across your workflows, and support every stage of your webinar lifecycle? That’s the question we’ve been answering so far this year.

                                                                                                                    • Zoho CRM Layout Rules: Nine New Actions, Profile-Based Execution, and Interactive Preview

                                                                                                                      Hello everyone, Availability: This feature is now available for customers in the JP and SA DCs. It is planned to be released for other customers in soon. We’re excited to announce powerful new enhancements to Layout Rules in Zoho CRM - a feature built

                                                                                                                    • Invalid request when trying to access Mail

                                                                                                                      When I click on the red button to access Zoho Mail at https://mail.zoho.com/zm/, I get a big yellow warning triangle with "invlid request, The input passed is invalid or the URL is invoked without valid parameters. Please check your input and try ag

                                                                                                                    • Whats the average response time for ticket submitted?

                                                                                                                      I submitted a request to unblock my mail accounts. They seem to be blocked for outgoing mail, and I have been waiting for days to have this fixed with no reply. I have submitted 2 tickets and an email. My work has to completely stop. I pay for the service

                                                                                                                    • All new Address Field in Zoho CRM: maintain structured and accurate address inputs

                                                                                                                      Availability Update: 29 September 2025: It's currently available for all new sign-ups and for existing Zoho CRM orgs which are in the Professional edition exclusively for IN DC users. 2 March 2026: Available to users in all DCs except US and EU DC. 24

                                                                                                                    • Is there any way to have Dataprep ingest RSS?

                                                                                                                      As stated by the title. Does the Zoho environment offer tools that I can use to, directly or using workarounds, have Dataprep ingest an RSS feed? Thanks

                                                                                                                    • Introducing Color Coding of Picklist Values

                                                                                                                      Dear Everyone, Greetings!! Zoho CRM is uplifting the user experience. Recently, we had some notable aesthetic improvements in CRM like Kanban View UI enhancement, New List view UI enhancement, color coding of tags, and color coding of picklists in meetings.

                                                                                                                    • Important updates to your Widget JS APIs

                                                                                                                      Hello everyone, Greetings from Zoho Creator! This is an urgent notice for developers and Partners who use widgets in their Zoho Creator applications. We previously announced an update to the CDN URLs used for loading the Widget JS API, with a deadline

                                                                                                                    • Deluge sendmail in Zoho Desk schedule can't send email from a verified email address

                                                                                                                      I am trying to add a scheduled action with ZDesk using a Deluge function that sends a weekly email to specific ticket client contacts I've already verified the email address for use in ZDesk, but sendmail won't allow it in its "from:" clause. I've attached

                                                                                                                    • Mailbox delegation “Send As” error

                                                                                                                      I believe there may be an issue with mailbox delegation. When I create a delegation from the Admin Console, it works correctly if I select Read permissions. However, if I select Send As permission for the delegated user, I immediately receive the following

                                                                                                                    • Restrict Zoho Cliq Webinars and Announcements to Admins Only

                                                                                                                      Hi Zoho Team, We hope you're doing well. We would like to raise a feature request regarding in-app announcements in Zoho Cliq, such as the recent webinar popup about the Cliq Developer Platform: While these announcements are useful, they are not always

                                                                                                                    • how do i get mail.mydomain.com to point to zoho mail web-mail?

                                                                                                                      I have started using zohomail, and am loving it. With my previous provider, I used to go to mail.mydomain.com, and it would take me to my webmail. I am not able to find the mapping for zoho's webmail to map to it. It is difficult to go to webmail with

                                                                                                                    • Number of decimal places

                                                                                                                      Hi Latha, I have added the following three fields to the Company module. Currently, these fields only allow a maximum of 2 decimal places. However, for some of our requirements, we need to enter values with up to 10 decimal places. Could you please help

                                                                                                                    • zoho imap connection stopped working 05/28 12pm EST

                                                                                                                      Hi, beginning Thursday, 5/28, ~12 pm est imap to siteground stopped working. When I tried to reconnect the account, connection was failing with the following message: Unable to connect SMTP server:gvam1107.siteground.biz, Port: 587. I did notice that

                                                                                                                    • User Name in Zoho Cliq Not Updating Across Apps?

                                                                                                                      We updated the name of a user in Zoho. (From Sue to Taylor) Her name has not been updated in Cliq on all apps. When in Zoho One, if I go to Cliq directly, it is correct, but if I am in another app, and the Cliq bar pops up on the bottom, it will be the

                                                                                                                    • Service currently unavailable

                                                                                                                      The Zoho Mail Webmail is working, the Mail Admin Console is not: "Our service is temporarily unavailable, please try after sometime." How long must I wait to retry? edit: To add to this, the Webmail is not working 100% - I can open mail in the inbox,

                                                                                                                    • Service currently unavailable

                                                                                                                      Service currently unavailable It is not possible to access email; the entire Zohoworkplace platform is down

                                                                                                                    • User Permission Log

                                                                                                                      Our external auditors are asking for a way to view changes made to user permissions (basically, a user permission change log). Is this feature built into Creator? 

                                                                                                                    • E-mail down

                                                                                                                      We cannot get into our email inboxes, are you affected by a Microsoft update issue? How long do you think as to restoration?

                                                                                                                    • ZOHO MAIL SERVICE NOT WORKING

                                                                                                                      Hello i've a problem my zoho mail account says a display with this text "our service is temporally unavaible"

                                                                                                                    • ايميل مجانى

                                                                                                                      Can I create a free email account on Zahoo?

                                                                                                                    • Sign up for email for a domain

                                                                                                                      Hi - I thought I had signed up for a domain of <domain>.com, but only see the email of @zohomail.com . How do I get the <domain.com> domain linked to my email?

                                                                                                                    • Feature Request: Include Creator-applicable Deluge updates in the Creator Release Notes

                                                                                                                      I'd like to put forward a suggestion about how Deluge updates are surfaced to Zoho Creator developers, and I'm hoping the Creator team will consider it. Zoho Creator is built on Deluge. Every workflow, custom function, validation and schedule we write

                                                                                                                    • Zoho Books | Product updates | June 2026

                                                                                                                      Hello users, Welcome to this month's roundup of what's new in Zoho Books! We have an exciting line-up this time. The highlight is the launch of the all-new France Edition with full ISCA compliance. We're also introducing features such as Layout Rules

                                                                                                                    • Next Page