Billing a Service Contract
This article covers invoicing for ongoing service contracts registered in CRM. There are two billing workflows depending on the contract type.
If you need to invoice a service that has no registered contract, use Finance → New Sales Invoice instead. → See Billing.
Contract Types and Their Billing Path
| Contract Type | Billing Path |
|---|---|
| Fixed, Retainer, Hourly | Manual, triggered after a completed service delivery |
| Subscription, Membership | Automated, triggered by billing cycle or manually via Bill Now / Bill Early |
Billing a Delivered Service (Fixed, Retainer, Hourly)
The service must be confirmed as Completed before an invoice can be issued. See Service Delivery Scheduling.
1. Open the Service Delivery
Click the CRM icon in the left navigation menu. Go to Service Delivery and open the completed delivery you want to invoice.
2. Go to Service Billing
Click Go to Service Billing in the top right of the delivery record.
3. Set Invoice Details
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Invoice Amount | Defaults to the full service amount set in the contract. Override with a lower amount to issue a partial invoice. |
| Invoice Date | Defaults to today. Adjust if needed. |
| Due Date | Defaults to today. Adjust to match agreed payment terms. |
Click Generate Invoice. Taxes are applied automatically based on the tax class set on the service record.
The Go to Service Billing button is only available on deliveries with a Completed status. In Progress or Cancelled deliveries cannot be invoiced.
Billing Subscriptions and Memberships
For Subscription and Membership contracts, billing is automated based on the billing frequency set during contract creation. No service delivery is required.
Go to CRM → Subscriptions to manage billing for these contracts.
Bill Now, Overdue Billing
If a billing date has passed without an invoice being issued, a Bill Now button appears on the subscription record.
- Click Bill Now to see the amount and period to be billed.
- Confirm to generate the invoice.
- The next billing date is recalculated automatically based on the billing frequency from that invoice forward.
Each Bill Now action covers one billing cycle. If a subscription is three months behind, you will need to bill three times to bring it fully up to date. Each action reduces the arrears by one cycle.
Bill Early, Advance Billing
If the next billing date has not yet been reached, a Bill Early button appears.
- Click Bill Early to preview the invoice amount and the period being billed in advance.
- Confirm to generate the invoice.
- The next billing date advances by one billing cycle automatically. The overall subscription cycle and end date are not affected.
Billing early simply moves the next invoice date forward by one cycle. It does not shorten the subscription or create a gap. The subscription continues on its normal schedule from the new billing date.
How Billing Dates Work
The billing cycle is always preserved regardless of when you bill.
| Scenario | What happens |
|---|---|
| Bill on time | Next billing date advances by one cycle |
| Bill late (Bill Now) | Next billing date advances by one cycle from previous invoice or subscription starting date if new |
| Bill early (Bill Early) | Next billing date advances by one cycle into the future |
Gaps in the billing history are never created. Early or late billing only affects when the invoice is issued, not the integrity of the subscription cycle.
What Rexolia Does Automatically
| Action | Detail |
|---|---|
| Tax calculation | Applied per line from the tax class set on the service at registration |
| Default amounts | Invoice amount pre-filled from contract service amount |
| Next billing date | Recalculated automatically after every billing action for subscriptions |
| Billing cycle integrity | Maintained regardless of early or late billing |
Important Notes
Partial invoicing is available for delivered services You can override the default amount to issue a partial invoice for Fixed, Retainer, and Hourly contracts. The remainder can be invoiced in a subsequent billing action.
Subscription and Membership billing never requires a delivery record These contract types are billed on a time schedule. Logging a service delivery for these types is optional and does not trigger billing.
Taxes are not set on the invoice Tax amounts are driven by the tax class on the service record in Operations. To correct a tax amount, update the service record and re-issue.
Troubleshooting
Go to Service Billing button not visible The delivery must have a Completed status. Check the delivery record and confirm completion before attempting to invoice.
Bill Now button not appearing for an overdue subscription Confirm the contract type is Subscription or Membership and that the contract is active. Fixed, Retainer, and Hourly contracts do not appear in the Subscriptions view.
Tax amount is incorrect on the generated invoice Taxes are set on the service record in Operations, not on the invoice. Edit the service to correct the tax class, then re-issue the invoice.