Recurring Revenue Custody

Recurring Revenue Custody treats the billing layer as an asset agencies either hold or rent. When an agency controls the subscription record (plan changes, dunning logic, tax handling, renewal dates), it sits inside the client's cash cycle and renewal conversations become operational check-ins rather than annual pitches. When a third party holds that record, the agency is a line item the client can audit against a vendor invoice. The framework asks one question per engagement: who owns the subscription object? A Merchant-of-Record arrangement such as Paddle absorbs global tax across 300+ markets, which removes compliance work but also removes the agency from the transaction relationship. Hosting shops running WHMCS keep provisioning and invoicing in one console, so every support ticket is also a billing touchpoint. The custody decision should be made at contract signature, because migrating a live subscriber base mid-retainer costs more than the original build.