Domain Renewals

WHMCS can manage domain registrations as recurring products and automate renewals with your domain registrar. You can configure renewal notices, configure grace periods and late fees, and customize invoicing settings for renewals.

You can configure WHMCS to send renewal notices before and after the domain’s Next Due Date. For more information, see Domain Renewal Notices.

Invoicing and Billing

WHMCS invoices domains automatically in advance of their renewal date according to your global invoice generation settings in Configuration () > System Settings > Automation Settings.

Domains will automatically invoice for renewal if they are in the Active status and Do Not Renew is not enabled.

Automatic Payment Subscriptions

2Checkout and some PayPal® payment gateways support subscriptions, which automatically send fixed payments on a fixed schedule. Because domains can have a different billing cycle from their associated product (for example, an annual domain with a monthly hosting product), subscriptions can become complicated.

When the payment gateway supports it, the system automatically creates subscriptions for PayPal and 2Checkout Inline Mode to send payments for domain renewals.

  • The domain and service due dates and billing cycles must match for PayPal to create a subscription.
  • WHMCS will not allow clients to create subscriptions when paying for a domain renewal invoice using PayPal Basic or 2Checkout Standard Mode.

Domain Auto-Renewal Invoicing

By default, the system configures all domains to automatically renew, which automatically generates an invoice for the renewal of the domain before it expires. This is not the same as the method that domain registrars use to perform auto-renewal.

For example, for domain auto-renewal, the system could invoice a domain for renewal using a payment gateway that supports automatic payment capture. The system will attempt payment for the invoice a number of days before the due date, in accordance with your settings at Configuration () > System Settings > Automation Settings. After you receive payment, the domain will renew. Paid domains never renew without payment.

In WHMCS 8.2 and higher:

  • WHMCS prevents renewal of free domains in the Client Area unless they are in a bundle with a product or service.
  • WHMCS prevents customers from paying to renew domains that are eligible for free renewal with a paid product or service.

Clients can change the Auto Renewal status for any of their domains in the Client Area on a per-domain basis. If Auto Renewal is disabled, the system will not automatically invoice the domain for renewal and renewal can only occur manually.

In the Admin Area, this is the Do Not Renew setting.

Domain Renewal Restrictions

WHMCS enforces the following domain renewal restrictions:

  • A domain’s expiry date can never exceed 9 years 364 days from the current date. When ordering a domain renewal, customers see renewal terms for the currently-defined pricing and the domain’s current expiration date.
  • If a customer orders a domain for a 10 year registration period, the maximum renewal term will be 9 years. WHMCS will automatically set the renewal term to the next highest available valid renewal period when the initial registration is complete.
  • Some TLDs and registries (for example, Nominet) impose restrictions on how far in advance of the expiry date a customer can order a domain renewal. In these cases, WHMCS will prevent renewal orders for domains using these extensions.
  • When configuring domain pricing, if you have set the 10-year renewal price, the system will automatically disable it and set it to -1.
  • In WHMCS 8.2 and later, customers cannot renew free domains through the Client Area.

Domain Renewal Pricing

Automatic invoices for domain renewals generate using the Recurring Amount value that the system set at the time of purchase. If you change your domain prices, the price your existing customers pay does not change. To change existing customers pricing, use the Bulk Pricing Updater.

Clients can order paid domain renewals within the Client Area on demand at any time. This allows a client to renew a domain early, before expiration, to extend their domains at any time they wish.

  • Clients can do this in the shopping cart by selecting the Domain Renewals category.
  • Domain renewals through this method use the current pricing at Configuration () > System Settings > Domain Pricing.
In WHMCS 8.2 and higher, WHMCS prevents renewal of free domains in the Client Area unless they are in a bundle with a product or service.

Domain Renewal Automation

By default, when a customer pays for a domain renewal, the system sends a renewal command to the domain registrar’s API to initiate domain renewal.

You can control this using Auto Renew on Payment in the Domains tab at Configuration () > System Settings > General Settings.

Manual Renewals

To renew a domain manually, click Renew under Registrar Commands for the desired domain in the client’s profile’s Domains tab.

For more information and steps to prevent automated domain renewals on invoice payment, see Manually Renew a Domain.
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Last modified: June 14, 2024