Quarterly
Quarterly billing charges customers on a recurring 3-month schedule. The quarterly 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 | 3 months |
| Also called | 3-month billing |
| Best for | Mid-term commitment |
Configure pricing: Settings → Billing Setup → Rate Cards → [Rate Card] → Packages → [Service Type] → Billing cycle and pricing
| Topic | Summary |
|---|---|
| Cycle | Customer commits to a 3-month billing period (package quarterly price on the rate card) |
| Charge amount | Billing rule — PRO_RATA, UNFIXED_PRORATA, DATE_TO_DATE, FIXED_CALENDAR_MONTH, UNFIXED_CALENDAR_MONTH (not always full quarter upfront) |
| When customer pays | Prepaid or manual recommended — not postpaid |
| Advance invoicing | Optional manual flags can generate pro-rata at creation and renewal on the 1st of the month — see Monthly — invoice timing |
| Postpaid | ❌ Not recommended — revenue and fraud risk over a 3-month period |
| Early deletion | No refund for unused time in the committed period ❌ |
What quarterly billing means
A billing cycle is how often the service is priced. Quarterly means the package’s quarterly rate card price applies and the service renews every 3 months.
That does not mean CMP always charges a full quarter on the day the service is created. The charged amount and invoice timing are determined separately by:
- Billing rule —
PRO_RATA,UNFIXED_PRORATA,DATE_TO_DATE,FIXED_CALENDAR_MONTH, orUNFIXED_CALENDAR_MONTH— see 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
Under PRO_RATA, billing periods align to calendar quarters:
| Quarter | Period |
|---|---|
| Q1 | January – March (ends March 31) |
| Q2 | April – June (ends June 30) |
| Q3 | July – September (ends September 30) |
| Q4 | October – December (ends December 31) |
Charge amount by billing rule
Quarterly supports:
| Billing rule | Behaviour |
|---|---|
PRO_RATA | Partial start: daily pro-rata to month end, then full remaining month(s) within the calendar quarter. See FIXED_PRORATA. |
UNFIXED_PRORATA | Pro-rata for creation month only; next invoice is a full 3-month period from the 1st of the following month. See UNFIXED_PRORATA. |
DATE_TO_DATE | Each period runs creation date → same date 3 months later − 1 day. See DATE_TO_DATE. |
FIXED_CALENDAR_MONTH | Calendar-aligned first invoice — see FIXED_CALENDAR_MONTH. |
UNFIXED_CALENDAR_MONTH | Full creation calendar month pro-rata, then rolling period — see UNFIXED_CALENDAR_MONTH. |
Pro-rata example — PRO_RATA
Service created 4 Feb 2025, quarterly price $300:
| Component | Calculation |
|---|---|
| Monthly equivalent | $300 ÷ 3 = $100 |
| Daily cost | $100 ÷ 30.5 ≈ $3.28 |
| Pro-rata (4 Feb → 28 Feb) | $3.28 × 25 days ≈ $82 |
| March (1 full month) | $100 × 1 = $100 |
| Total (one invoice) | ≈ $182 |
See PRO_RATA for full formulas.
Invoice and charge timing
Invoice and charge timing follows the same payment mode and advance flag behaviour as Monthly billing. Amounts are calculated per the quarterly billing rules above — not always one flat quarterly price at creation.
| Mode | Supported? | Quarterly behaviour (high level) |
|---|---|---|
| Prepaid | ✅ Recommended | Wallet deducted at creation/renewal; amount per billing rule |
| Postpaid | ❌ Not recommended | Long outstanding period — revenue delay and fraud risk |
| Manual | ✅ | Offline settlement; same invoice timing patterns as monthly |
Quarterly billing is not recommended with postpaid payment mode.
| Risk | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Revenue delay | You may wait 3 months or more before collecting payment for the committed period |
| Fraud exposure | A customer can consume services for the full quarter and leave before paying |
Use prepaid (wallet collected upfront) or manual (offline settlement with admin verification). Postpaid is appropriate only with hourly and monthly billing cycles.
Early deletion
Deleting a quarterly service before the period ends does not reduce the charge. CMP does not refund unused time on fixed cycles.
Service contracts
The service contract system applies to quarterly and longer billing cycles only — not hourly or monthly.
| Requirement | Value |
|---|---|
| Billing cycle | Quarterly or longer (this page: quarterly = 3-month contract) |
| Billing rule | DATE_TO_DATE only |
| Payment mode | Postpaid or manual — not prepaid |
When contracts are enabled, the service is marked as a contract service in the portal.