Monthly
Monthly billing charges customers on a recurring one-month schedule. The monthly price comes from the rate card package; how much is charged at creation or renewal and when invoices are generated depend on your billing rule, payment mode, and (for postpaid/manual) advance invoice settings.
| Duration | 1 month |
| Best for | Steady production workloads, predictable monthly cost |
Configure pricing: Settings → Billing Setup → Rate Cards → [Rate Card] → Packages → [Service Type] → Billing cycle and pricing
| Topic | Summary |
|---|---|
| Cycle | Customer commits to a 1-month billing period (package monthly price on the rate card) |
| Charge amount | Billing rule — PRO_RATA, DATE_TO_DATE, FIXED_CALENDAR_MONTH, UNFIXED_CALENDAR_MONTH (not always full month upfront) |
| When customer pays | Set by payment mode — wallet at creation (prepaid), payable invoice on renewal (postpaid default), or offline (manual) |
| Advance invoicing | Optional postpaid/manual flags can generate pro-rata at creation and renewal on the 1st of the month — see below |
| Early deletion | No refund for unused days in the committed period ❌ |
| Postpaid | ✅ Recommended — one of two cycles suitable for postpaid (with hourly) |
What monthly billing means
A billing cycle is how often the service is priced. Monthly means the package’s monthly rate card price applies and the service renews every month.
That does not mean CMP always charges a full month on the day the service is created. The charged amount and invoice timing are determined separately by:
- Billing rule —
PRO_RATA,DATE_TO_DATE,FIXED_CALENDAR_MONTH, orUNFIXED_CALENDAR_MONTH— see Billing Rules and rule names below - Payment mode — prepaid wallet deduction vs postpaid/manual invoicing
- Advance invoice flags (postpaid and manual only) — whether payable invoices are generated immediately or usage records convert on renewal
See also Billing Cycles overview.
Charge amount by billing rule
Monthly supports:
| Billing rule | Behaviour |
|---|---|
PRO_RATA | Partial start: daily pro-rata from creation date → end of calendar month, then full month(s) within the aligned period. See FIXED_PRORATA. |
DATE_TO_DATE | Each period runs creation date → same date next month − 1 day (for example, 25 Apr → 24 May). See DATE_TO_DATE. |
FIXED_CALENDAR_MONTH | First invoice aligns to a calendar month boundary — no daily pro-rata for partial days in the creation month. See FIXED_CALENDAR_MONTH. |
UNFIXED_CALENDAR_MONTH | Pro-rata invoice for the full creation calendar month (1st → last day), then rolling monthly period from the 1st of the next month. See UNFIXED_CALENDAR_MONTH. |
See Billing Rules — cycle support.
UNFIXED_PRORATA applies to quarterly and longer cycles only — not monthly. See UNFIXED_PRORATA.
Example — PRO_RATA, monthly VM created 10 Jan:
| Component | Period | Charge type |
|---|---|---|
| Pro-rata (daily) | 10 Jan → 31 Jan | Daily rate × days |
| Next full month | 1 Feb → 28 Feb | Full monthly package price |
See PRO_RATA for formulas.
Invoice and charge timing
Prepaid
| Event | Behaviour |
|---|---|
| Service creation | Wallet balance checked — insufficient balance blocks creation. Amount deducted per billing rule (PRO_RATA, DATE_TO_DATE, FIXED_CALENDAR_MONTH, UNFIXED_CALENDAR_MONTH) — not always full flat month. |
| Renewal | Renewal invoice generated in advance; wallet deducted if balance is sufficient |
| Invoices (Model 1 vs 2) | generate_prepaid_reciept controls whether service usage generates invoices — see Prepaid billing models |
Postpaid
| Setting | Service creation | Renewal |
|---|---|---|
Default (POSTPAID_ADVANCE_* = false) | Usage records maintained — no payable invoice until next renewal (or threshold breach) | Usage converted to payable invoice; card auto-charge |
Advance pro-rata (POSTPAID_ADVANCE_PRO_RATA_INVOICE = true) | Payable pro-rata invoice immediately at creation | — |
Advance renewal (POSTPAID_ADVANCE_INVOICE = true) | — | Payable renewal invoice on 1st of month (start of month), not only at period end |
See Postpaid invoice generation modes.
Example — postpaid advance mode, monthly service created 10 Jan 2026:
| Invoice | Generated | Covers |
|---|---|---|
| Pro-rata | 10 Jan (at creation) | 10 Jan – 31 Jan |
| Renewal | 1 Feb (start of month) | 1 Feb – 28 Feb |
Manual
Invoice timing follows the same default vs advance pattern as postpaid, using MANUAL_ADVANCE_PRO_RATA_INVOICE and MANUAL_ADVANCE_INVOICE instead of POSTPAID_ADVANCE_*. Payment is offline — admin marks invoices paid.
See Manual — invoice generation settings.
Advance invoice flags default to false. Configure with StackConsole at go-live — changing them mid-stream is not supported.
Payment modes summary
| Mode | Supported? | Monthly behaviour (high level) |
|---|---|---|
| Prepaid | ✅ | Wallet deducted at creation/renewal; amount per PRO_RATA, DATE_TO_DATE, FIXED_CALENDAR_MONTH, or UNFIXED_CALENDAR_MONTH |
| Postpaid | ✅ Recommended | Payable invoice on renewal (default) or advance schedule per invoice settings |
| Manual | ✅ | Same invoice timing as postpaid; offline settlement |
Monthly is one of only two billing cycles recommended for postpaid (along with hourly). A monthly cycle limits revenue and fraud exposure to one billing period.
For postpaid accounts, enable hourly and monthly billing cycles only — not quarterly or longer. See Billing Cycles — payment modes.
Early deletion
Deleting a monthly service before the period ends does not reduce the charge. CMP does not refund unused time on fixed cycles.
Admin may grant free credits for dispute resolution — see Billing Rules.
Example: Monthly VM on PRO_RATA, created 10 Jan, deleted 15 Jan → customer is not refunded for unused days in the committed period.
VM upgrades
Mid-cycle upgrades calculate unused credit and new plan cost for the remaining period. See FIXED_PRORATA — service upgrades and Postpaid — VM upgrade billing.