Why Am I Being Billed for PandaDoc Automated Documents?
Why have I received a separate invoice for PandaDoc usage?
If you've received a charge for automated documents and weren't sure what it was for, this article explains what they are, what generates them, and how the billing works.
PandaDocs 'Automated documents' are a powerful feature — they enable PandaDoc to generate and send documents at scale without manual effort. But because they're metered, it's important to understand what triggers them before you start using them, so there are no surprises on your invoice.
What Are Automated Documents?
PandaDoc distinguishes between two types of document creation:
User-created documents — a user logs into PandaDoc and creates a document from a template, then sends it. This is the standard day-to-day workflow for proposals, quotes, and contracts. User-created documents are included in your monthly subscription and are not metered or charged separately.
Automated documents — a document is generated programmatically by an external system, without a user manually creating it in PandaDoc. These are an Enterprise Plan feature and are metered — each one generated is counted and invoiced separately, in arrears, early the following month.
If your team is opening PandaDoc, creating a document, and sending it — that's a user-created document and there's no additional charge. Automated documents come into play when the creation happens without a user manually initiating it, whether that's triggered from within PandaDoc (such as a form submission or bulk send) or from an external system (such as Zapier or a direct API call).
What Triggers an Automated Document?
Automated documents are generated whenever a connected system calls PandaDoc's API to create a document. Common triggers include:
Forms — the most frequent source. If you're using a registration form, enquiry form, or onboarding form that automatically generates a PandaDoc document on submission (for example, a welcome pack, agreement, or confirmation document), each submission creates a billable automated document.
Bulk send — using PandaDoc's bulk send feature to distribute a document to multiple recipients at once generates an automated document for each recipient in the send.
Zapier automations — if you have a Zap that creates a PandaDoc document in response to a trigger (a form submission, a new row in a spreadsheet, a CRM update, and so on), each time the Zap fires and creates a document, it counts as an automated document.
HubSpot workflows — if you have a HubSpot workflow that includes a PandaDoc action (for example, generating a contract when a Deal moves to a certain stage), each time the workflow fires and reaches the PandaDoc step, it creates an automated document.
Direct API — if a developer or custom integration creates documents via PandaDoc's API directly — for example, from an internal application or bespoke quoting tool — each document created via the API is metered.
How Are Automated Documents Billed?
Automated documents are:
- Metered monthly — usage is counted across each calendar month
- Billed in arrears — the charge is applied after the usage has occurred, not upfront
- $0.50 USD per document — HubDo's rate, compared to PandaDoc's standard retail price of $2.00 per document
Automated document usage is invoiced separately from your standard seat subscription — you will receive a separate PandaDoc charge in arrears for the documents generated during the previous period. You only pay for what you use.
Why Has My Usage Increased?
If your automated document charge has increased and you're not sure why, the most common causes are:
- A form that's receiving more submissions than expected
- A Zapier Zap firing on record updates as well as new records
- A HubSpot workflow that re-enrolled existing contacts or deals
- A bulk send to a larger list than usual
- A new API integration being tested or going live
Checking your Zapier task history and HubSpot workflow activity logs will usually show you exactly what fired and when.
If you'd like a breakdown of your usage, email support@hubdo.com and we'll be happy to help.
Getting the Most From Automated Documents
Automated documents can deliver significant time savings and are well worth using for the right use cases — the key is making sure they are set up intentionally from the start. A few tips:
Be specific with workflow and Zap triggers — the more precisely you define when an automation should fire, the more intentional each document creation will be. Broad triggers can generate documents you don't need.
Review re-enrolment settings in HubSpot workflows — if re-enrolment is enabled, contacts or deals that have already been through a workflow can trigger it again. Only enable this if it's genuinely needed.
Plan your volume before you go live — if you're setting up a form, a bulk send campaign, or a new API integration, it's worth estimating how many documents you expect to generate each month before switching it on. If you'd like help thinking that through, email us at support@hubdo.com and we'll be happy to assist.
Still Have Questions?
We're happy to walk you through your usage or talk through whether automated documents are the right fit for what you're trying to do.
Email us at support@hubdo.com and we'll get back to you.