How to create a top-up deal when a client’s retainer runs low in HubSpot

By Kayabyte

A client has used most of its prepaid hours, and you want a deal in the pipeline to sell the next block before the hours run out. HubSpot can create that deal for you from a workflow, as long as something tells it the balance is low. This guide shows the native route, which plan it needs, where it gets awkward, and where an app helps. HubSpot facts last checked 13 November 2026 against HubSpot’s knowledge base.

What HubSpot does natively

HubSpot has no retainer object and no prepaid balance, so a “low balance” has to exist as a company property first. How to track a retainer balance per client in HubSpot builds that. Once it exists, a workflow can act on it.

Option 1: a company workflow that creates a deal

Make sure the company has a number property for hours remaining (or percent remaining) that someone or something keeps current.
Create a company-based workflow that enrols companies when hours remaining drops below your threshold, for example 4. Workflows are available on the Professional or Enterprise tier of Marketing, Sales, Service, Data, Smart CRM or Revenue Hub (HubSpot: create workflows, last updated 16 Oct 2026).
Add the Create record action and choose Deal. HubSpot lists contacts, companies, deals, tickets, leads and custom objects as creatable, and deals do not need Enterprise (HubSpot: choose your workflow actions, 25 Sep 2026).
Set the deal name, pipeline and stage. HubSpot says the deal name and the pipeline and status are required, and recommends a close date and amount. By default the new deal is associated with the enrolled company and takes the company’s owner (HubSpot: create records with workflows, 23 Sep 2026).
Add a Send internal email notification or Create task action so the account manager knows (HubSpot: choose your workflow actions).

Where the native route gets awkward

The amount is fixed. HubSpot says personalization tokens cannot be used in number fields, so the deal amount cannot be filled from the company’s rate times a number of hours. You type one amount per workflow.
It fires once. HubSpot says records are by default only enrolled the first time they meet the trigger, so you must add re-enrollment criteria for the next period (HubSpot: enrollment triggers, 4 Sep 2026). Re-enrolling carelessly can create a second deal for the same shortfall, so build a guard, such as a property that records the last top-up date.
The balance still has to be right. The workflow is only as good as the hours-used number, and in a hand-built setup someone types that in.
Needs Professional or Enterprise. On Starter and Free there are no workflows; a manual task or a saved list is the fallback.

Full disclosure: we built an app that does this step

We built Retainer Wallet: Prepaid Hours & Time Tracking. Your team logs time with a timer or manual entry on tickets, deals and companies, and the app draws it down from the client company’s retainer, oldest block first. You set a low-balance threshold, for example 20 percent, and below it the company’s balance status becomes Low. On Pro, the app then opens one deal for the company with the amount set to your rate times the hours you choose. It opens one per block of hours, so a new month, added hours or a changed threshold can open the next. The “Top up retainer” workflow action is available on every plan.

Free covers 1 user and 3 retainers. Starter is USD 29 per month for up to 5 users and unlimited retainers. Pro is USD 59 per month, with unlimited users, priority multipliers, top-up deals and client statements. Every new account gets 14 days of Pro, no card needed. It does not send invoices or take payments. If your balance is already accurate in HubSpot and one fixed-amount workflow is enough, you do not need it.

More detail

FAQ

Can HubSpot create a renewal deal automatically? Yes, with a workflow and its Create record action, on Professional or Enterprise. It needs a property to trigger on, because HubSpot does not keep a retainer balance itself.

Can the deal amount be calculated from the hours? Not with the native action: HubSpot says tokens cannot be used in number fields, so the amount is a fixed number you type.

Why did my workflow only create one deal? By default records enrol once, the first time they meet the trigger. Add re-enrollment criteria.

Does Retainer Wallet’s top-up deal need Pro? Yes, the automatic top-up deal is a Pro feature at USD 59 per month; new accounts get 14 days of Pro free.

Questions or corrections: support@kayabyte.dev. HubSpot is a registered trademark of HubSpot, Inc. Kayabyte is an independent developer and is not affiliated with HubSpot.