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Pennylane Zapier integrationAutomate Pennylane with Zapier.

The Pennylane Zapier integration gives you 5 triggers, 11 actions and 5 searches. They cover customers, products, quotes, invoices and billing subscriptions. All five triggers are polling. Here is what each operation does, what it costs and where it trips.

See the 21 operations

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Overview

What the Pennylane Zapier integration actually does

The Pennylane Zapier integration connects your Pennylane accounting and invoicing to the rest of your tools. It works both ways: new customers, products, quotes, invoices and subscriptions in Pennylane can start a Zap, and other apps can create or update those same records in Pennylane without anyone retyping them.

Three results you can build. Invoices out of your sales tool: a deal marked won in your CRM starts a Zap, Retrieve Customer V2 finds the buyer, and Create Customer Invoice V2 drafts the invoice in Pennylane. A sales channel that hears about quotes: New Quote V2 posts each new quote where the team can see it, so nobody asks finance for a status. One customer list everywhere: Create Company Customer V2 and Create Individual Customer V2 add the people your signup form or shop collects, and the update actions keep their billing address current.

Now what the app page does not tell you. None of the five triggers is instant, so on the free plan a new invoice can take up to 15 minutes to reach your Zap. No action deletes anything: you can create and update, not remove. And almost every action that bills someone needs a Pennylane customer ID, which the other app rarely has, so a search step usually sits in the middle and the Zap becomes multi-step. If you would rather have this wired for you, the Zapier agency page is the starting point.

Vocabulary

The Zapier words, in plain English

Eight terms come back on this page. Each one is explained once, here.

Zap
The automation you build in Zapier: one trigger, then one or more actions that run every time the trigger event happens.
Trigger
The event in an app that starts the Zap. Once the Zap is on, Zapier waits for it. Pennylane has five, one per kind of record.
Action
What the Zap does once it has started: the step that writes, sends or moves something. Pennylane has eleven, to create or update.
Task
The unit Zapier bills: one action your Zap completes successfully. Your plan counts these, and only these.
Polling vs instant
Polling: Zapier checks the app on a timer and keeps what is new. Instant: the app tells Zapier itself. All Pennylane triggers are polling.
Filter
A step that lets the Zap continue only when what arrived meets a condition you set, and stops the run otherwise.
Search step
A step that looks up something already in an app, so later steps can use it. In Pennylane, this is how you get a customer ID.
Multi-step Zap
Any Zap beyond one trigger and one action. A filter, a search or a second action makes it one, and it then needs a paid plan.
Cost

What a Pennylane Zap costs you

Pennylane is not a premium app on Zapier, so it works on the free plan. The catch is elsewhere: most useful Pennylane Zaps are multi-step.

  • Free plan100 tasks a month, unlimited Zaps
  • Zap size on freeOne trigger and one action
  • Pennylane premium?No, available on the free plan
  • Search or filter addedMulti-step, paid plan needed

A trigger never costs a task, and Zapier's checks on Pennylane are free however often they run. Each action that completes is one task; one that fails is not counted. The free plan gives you 100 tasks a month, Zaps of two steps and a check every 15 minutes. As soon as you add a search to find a customer ID, or a filter to keep only finalized invoices, the Zap is multi-step and needs a paid plan. Paid plans also check Pennylane more often, as the grid shows.

Connect

Connect your Pennylane account in 3 steps

  1. 01

    Open the connections page

    In your Zapier account, open Apps and click + Add connection. You need a Pennylane account, plus read or write access to any company file you do not own but want the Zap to touch.

  2. 02

    Pick Pennylane

    Type Pennylane in the search box of the dialog, select it, then click Add connection. A new tab opens on the Pennylane side so you can sign in there.

  3. 03

    Sign in and grant access

    Log in to Pennylane in that tab and give Zapier access to the account. The connection is saved once, then all 21 operations reuse it in every Zap.

    No need to repeat it per Zap.

First Zap

Your first Zap: finalized invoices to the finance channel

GoalEach new customer invoice in Pennylane that is not a draft posts a message for the finance team.

  1. 01

    Build: pick the trigger

    Create a Zap, choose Pennylane as the app and New Customer Invoice V2 as the event, then your Pennylane connection. Leave the optional settings empty for a first test.

  2. 02

    Test the trigger

    Run the test. Zapier brings back the three most recent items of the connected account, so you map the next steps on a real invoice and not on a guess.

  3. 03

    Add a filter

    Add a filter and set its three boxes: the draft field, the rule, and the value that means finalized. This makes the Zap multi-step, so a paid plan is required.

  4. 04

    Add the action and map it

    Add your messaging app as the action and map the invoice details the trigger brought back into the message. Test this step and read what came back.

  5. 05

    Publish

    Publish the Zap to switch it on. Zapier then checks Pennylane on your plan's interval and posts once for each new finalized invoice it finds.

Triggers

Pennylane triggers on Zapier

5 events start a Zap when something happens in Pennylane. Zapier checks for them at the interval your plan allows.

1

New Billing Subscription V2

Polling trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when a new billing subscription is created or fetches existing invoices with optional filtering.”

Recurring billing set up in Pennylane starts this Zap: each new billing subscription comes through with its customer and terms, ready for the steps that follow.

How it fires
Zapier goes and looks at regular intervals, and how often depends on your plan: every 15 minutes on the free one.
When to use it
your onboarding team should open a welcome task in the project tool each time a client signs up for a monthly retainer.
Watch out
it carries optional Draft Status and Credit Note settings; set them only if you want to narrow what comes through.
2

New Customer V2

Polling trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when a new customer is created.”

Every customer added in Pennylane, company or individual, can start a Zap. The new record arrives with its details, so other tools learn about the client without a manual copy.

How it fires
Zapier goes and looks at regular intervals, and how often depends on your plan: every 15 minutes on the free one.
When to use it
your CRM should get every client your accountant creates in Pennylane, so sales and finance share one list.
Watch out
if another Zap creates customers in Pennylane from that same CRM, the two can feed each other in a loop.
3

New Customer Invoice V2

Polling trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when a new customer invoice is created or fetches existing invoices with optional filtering.”

The trigger most teams start with. A new customer invoice in Pennylane launches the Zap, carrying the customer, the lines and the amounts that later steps can reuse.

How it fires
Zapier goes and looks at regular intervals, and how often depends on your plan: every 15 minutes on the free one.
When to use it
finance wants a message in the team chat for each invoice issued, or a row in a cash-forecast sheet.
Watch out
drafts and credit notes can come through too; use the Draft Status and Credit Note settings to keep only what you mean.
4

New Product V2

Polling trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when a new product is created.”

Your Pennylane catalog grows, and this trigger notices. Each new product starts the Zap with its label and price, so your shop or quoting tool can stay in step.

How it fires
Zapier goes and looks at regular intervals, and how often depends on your plan: every 15 minutes on the free one.
When to use it
the sales team works from a price list in a spreadsheet and needs to see every new service finance adds to Pennylane.
Watch out
only new products count; a price change on an existing one does not start the Zap.
5

New Quote V2

Polling trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when a new quote is created or fetches existing quotes with optional filtering.”

Here the signal is commercial rather than accounting. A new quote created in Pennylane sends the Zap its customer and lines, which makes it a handy bridge to your pipeline.

How it fires
Zapier goes and looks at regular intervals, and how often depends on your plan: every 15 minutes on the free one.
When to use it
sales managers want each new quote logged as a deal stage in the CRM, without asking finance.
Watch out
the Zap sees quotes created after you publish it, not the ones already waiting in Pennylane.
Actions

Pennylane actions on Zapier

Pennylane gives you 11 actions. For each one: what it does for you, when to reach for it, and what to watch out for.

1

Create Billing Subscription V2

Action

In Zapier“Create a billing subscription using the V2 API”

Sets up recurring billing for a customer: start date, repeat rule, payment terms and method, plus the line that will be invoiced each period.

When to use it
a client signs a monthly plan in your signup tool and billing should start in Pennylane on its own.
Watch out
this step has the most required settings of the set; test it with a dummy customer first.
2

Create Company Customer V2

Action

In Zapier“Creates a new company customer.”

Adds a business client to Pennylane from whatever your Zap received: a form, a CRM deal, a shop order. The company name and full billing address are needed.

When to use it
a B2B lead signs and must exist in Pennylane before the first invoice.
Watch out
the country goes in as a country code, not the full name, or the step fails.
3

Update Company Customer V2

Action

In Zapier“Updates an existing company customer.”

Changes the details of a business customer already in Pennylane, picked by its Customer ID.

When to use it
a client moves offices and the CRM change should reach the billing address used on invoices.
Watch out
without the Pennylane Customer ID the step cannot know which company to change; get it from Retrieve Customer V2.
4

Create Customer Invoice V2

Action

In Zapier“Creates a new customer invoice (draft or finalized).”

Issues an invoice in Pennylane, either as a draft to check or as a finalized document, with its date, payment deadline, customer and lines.

When to use it
a deal marked won in the CRM should become an invoice without anyone typing it again.
Watch out
keep Draft invoice on true while testing; a finalized test invoice is a real invoice in your books.
5

Create Individual Customer V2

Action

In Zapier“Creates a new individual customer.”

The private-person version: it creates a customer from a first name, a last name and a billing address passed by an earlier step.

When to use it
your online shop sells to consumers and each buyer should land in Pennylane for invoicing.
Watch out
run Retrieve Customer V2 first if the same person may buy twice, or you end up with duplicates.
6

Update Individual Customer V2

Action

In Zapier“Updates an existing individual customer.”

Edits a private customer in Pennylane, identified by its Customer ID, with the new values your Zap carries.

When to use it
a buyer updates their address in your shop account and the next invoice should use it.
Watch out
pick the individual version only for people; companies have their own update action.
7

Create Product V2

Action

In Zapier“Creates a new product.”

Puts a new item in your Pennylane catalog with its label, its price before tax and its VAT rate, so invoices and quotes can reuse it.

When to use it
a new offer is added to your website or price sheet and accounting should have it too.
Watch out
the VAT rate is a Pennylane code, such as FR_200 for 20% in France, not a plain percentage.
8

Create Quote V2

Action

In Zapier“Creates a new quote.”

Drafts a quote in Pennylane for an existing customer, with a date, a deadline and at least one line priced before tax.

When to use it
a request comes in through a form and the salesperson wants a quote ready to review in Pennylane.
Watch out
dates go in year-month-day order and the Customer ID is required, so a search step usually comes first.
9

Update Quote V2

Action

In Zapier“Updates a new quote.”

Changes a quote that already exists in Pennylane, picked by its Quote ID, with the values from an earlier step.

When to use it
the customer negotiates in your CRM and the agreed figures should reach the Pennylane quote.
Watch out
the Quote ID is required; Retrieve Quote V2 or the New Quote V2 trigger can supply it.
10

Update Billing Subscription V2

Action

In Zapier“Update an existing billing subscription using the V2 API”

Edits an existing billing subscription by its Subscription ID, and can also stop it or start it again.

When to use it
a client pauses their contract in your customer portal and invoicing should pause with it.
Watch out
the Stop subscription setting works both ways, true stops and false resumes, so map it with care.
11

Update Product V2

Action

In Zapier“Updates product.”

Rewrites a product of the Pennylane catalog, found by its Product ID, so its label or price matches the source you trust.

When to use it
prices change in your master spreadsheet and Pennylane should follow.
Watch out
a Zap that updates products while New Product V2 feeds the same sheet can loop; keep the directions apart.
Searches

Pennylane searches on Zapier

5 search steps look for data that already exists in Pennylane, so a later step can use it.

A search step finds a record already in Pennylane and hands it to the next steps. With Pennylane it is mostly how you get the ID that create and update actions require. Searches sit at the bottom of the action list, under SEARCH. Three settings decide what happens when the result is not what you expected.

1

Get Billing Subscription V2

SearchFind or create

In Zapier“Retrieves a billing subscription.”

Pulls up a billing subscription from its Pennylane identifier, so a later step can update or report on it.

When to use it
before Update Billing Subscription V2, when the trigger only knows the subscription number.
Watch out
the editor also lists Find or Create Billing Subscription V2; it is this same search with the create box ticked, not a separate operation.
2

Retrieve Customer V2

Search

In Zapier“Retrieves a customer.”

Looks up a Pennylane customer from its existing identifier and returns the record, ID included, for the steps that follow.

When to use it
right before creating a quote or an invoice, so the Customer ID is filled automatically.
Watch out
no find-or-create variant exists here; if the customer may be missing, switch on the setting that lets the Zap carry on when nothing is found, then add Create Company Customer V2 or Create Individual Customer V2 behind a filter.
3

Retrieve Invoice V2

SearchFind or create

In Zapier“Retrieves an invoice.”

Finds an invoice already issued in Pennylane from its identifier, so its amounts and status can travel to another tool.

When to use it
a payment arrives elsewhere and you want the matching invoice details in the same Zap.
Watch out
Find or Create Customer Invoice V2 in the menu is this search with the create box ticked; a missed match then issues a new invoice.
4

Retrieve Product V2

SearchFind or create

In Zapier“Retrieves a product.”

Fetches a catalog item from its existing identifier, returning the price and VAT rate stored in Pennylane.

When to use it
a shop order names a product and the invoice line should use the Pennylane price.
Watch out
Find or Create ProductV2 is the same search with its create option on, so with that variant a typo in the identifier can add a product.
5

Retrieve Quote V2

SearchFind or create

In Zapier“Retrieves a quote.”

Brings back a quote from its Pennylane identifier, ready to be updated or copied into another app.

When to use it
just before Update Quote V2, when the CRM holds the quote reference.
Watch out
the Find or Create Quote V2 entry is not an extra operation; it is this search with the create box ticked.

The three settings every search exposes

  1. Successful if no search results are found?
    Left on its default, a search that finds nothing stops the Zap there, and the steps that needed its result are skipped. Switched on, the Zap carries on with empty values.
  2. Create X if it doesn't exist yet?
    Ticking this box turns the search into a find-or-create, X being the record type: the setting above disappears, and the step asks for what it needs to create the missing record.
  3. If multiple search results are found?
    Three ways out when several records match: keep the first one, which is the default, stop the Zap, or hand all of them on at once.
When it breaks

When a Pennylane Zap breaks

Zapier attaches no help article to Pennylane, and no limit specific to the app is documented. What breaks is what breaks on any Zapier trigger, with accounting stakes on top.

  • Past invoices are never sent

    A Zap only reacts to what happens after you switch it on. Invoices, quotes and customers already in Pennylane are not picked up; moving them is a separate job.

  • A customer loop that eats tasks

    A Zap that writes into the very place its own trigger watches sets itself off again and again. Two-way customer syncs with a CRM are the classic case.

  • A bulk import is held back

    When a trigger suddenly returns a huge batch, after a bulk import or a migration, Zapier's flood protection can hold the run back.

  • The same record only fires once

    On a polling trigger Zapier remembers what it has seen, so an invoice does not start the Zap twice.
Need help

Need help automating Pennylane with Zapier?

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FAQ

Pennylane Zapier integration: common questions

01Is the Pennylane Zapier integration free?
Yes. Zapier does not class Pennylane as a premium app, so it works on the free plan, with 100 tasks a month and unlimited Zaps. The limit is the shape of the Zap: on free, one trigger and one action. New Customer Invoice V2 feeding a chat message fits. But most invoicing Zaps need a search to find the customer ID first, and a search, a filter or a second action makes the Zap multi-step, which needs a paid plan.
02How many tasks does a Pennylane Zap use?
The trigger never costs a task, and Zapier's checks on Pennylane are free however often they run. Each action that completes counts as one task; an action that fails is not counted. A Zap that creates a customer, then a quote, uses two tasks per run. With 100 tasks a month on the free plan, a Zap that creates one invoice per run covers at most 100 invoices a month, so watch the volume of your trigger.
03Does Pennylane send data to Zapier in real time?
No. All five Pennylane triggers are polling: Zapier goes and looks at regular intervals, and the interval depends on your plan. Every 15 minutes on Free, every 2 minutes on Professional, every minute on Team and Enterprise. On paid plans you can also run a check by hand from the editor. The trigger type comes from the app itself; it cannot be switched to instant from the editor. The app page shows that interval on each polling trigger.
04What does it take to connect Pennylane to Zapier?
A Pennylane account, plus read or write access to any company file you do not own but want the Zap to touch. The connection goes through the Apps page of your Zapier account: add a connection, search for Pennylane, sign in on the tab that opens and grant access. Before building an invoicing Zap, check that your customers exist in Pennylane, since invoices, quotes and subscriptions all require a Customer ID.
05Why does Create Customer Invoice V2 ask for a Customer ID?
Because Pennylane attaches every invoice to a customer it already knows, and the ID is how it knows which one. Your CRM or shop rarely holds it. The usual fix is a Retrieve Customer V2 step just before: give it the customer identifier you already store, and it passes the full record, ID included, into the invoice. If the customer may be new, create it first with Create Company Customer V2 or Create Individual Customer V2. Either way the Zap becomes multi-step.
06What if the Pennylane operation you want is not on Zapier?
Then it is not available through this integration, and the editor will not offer it. On Zapier, Pennylane covers creating and updating customers, products, quotes, invoices and billing subscriptions, with five searches and five triggers. Nothing deletes a record, and there is no trigger on payments or supplier invoices. If the job falls outside those five kinds of records, the Zap cannot reach it, and the step stays manual in Pennylane.
07Zapier, Make or n8n for Pennylane?
Decide on criteria, not on brand. On Zapier, Pennylane offers 21 operations across five kinds of records, works on the free plan, but checks for new items on a timer and needs a paid plan once a search or a filter enters the Zap. If those operations match your job and the delay suits you, that is enough. If you need instant triggers, deletions or payment events, Zapier does not offer them for this app, so check the other tool covers that gap.
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