Billing Rules
Billing rules control how charges are calculated for a service — when invoices are generated, how partial periods (pro-rata) are priced, and how billing periods align to calendar boundaries.
Billing rules work together with:
- Billing cycles — how often a service is charged (hourly, monthly, quarterly, etc.)
- Payment modes — how the customer pays (prepaid, postpaid, manual)
- Rate card packages — base prices per cycle
Quick start — calculation rules
| Rule | Summary | Detail page |
|---|---|---|
| FIXED_PRORATA | Partial start: daily pro-rata to month end, then full months to calendar period end. Enforced for hourly. | FIXED_PRORATA |
| UNFIXED_PRORATA | Pro-rata invoice for creation month only; next invoice is a full cycle from the 1st of the following month. | UNFIXED_PRORATA |
| DATE_TO_DATE | Billing period anchored to each service's creation date (anniversary to anniversary). Required for contracts. | DATE_TO_DATE |
| FIXED_CALENDAR_MONTH | First invoice aligns to a calendar month or year boundary — no daily pro-rata for partial days in the creation month. | FIXED_CALENDAR_MONTH |
| UNFIXED_CALENDAR_MONTH | Pro-rata invoice for the full creation calendar month; next invoice is a rolling full cycle from the 1st of the next month. | UNFIXED_CALENDAR_MONTH |
Pages in this section
- FIXED_PRORATA — enforced for hourly; calendar-aligned pro-rata, formulas, service upgrades
- UNFIXED_PRORATA — partial month + fixed multi-month block
- DATE_TO_DATE — billing anniversary from creation date
- FIXED_CALENDAR_MONTH — align to calendar month/year boundaries
- UNFIXED_CALENDAR_MONTH — calendar pro-rata month + rolling period
Which billing cycles support which rules
| Billing cycle | Supported rules |
|---|---|
| Hourly | FIXED_PRORATA only (enforced — cannot override) |
| Monthly | FIXED_PRORATA, DATE_TO_DATE, FIXED_CALENDAR_MONTH, UNFIXED_CALENDAR_MONTH |
| Quarterly | FIXED_PRORATA, UNFIXED_PRORATA, DATE_TO_DATE, FIXED_CALENDAR_MONTH, UNFIXED_CALENDAR_MONTH |
| Semi-annually | FIXED_PRORATA, UNFIXED_PRORATA, DATE_TO_DATE, FIXED_CALENDAR_MONTH, UNFIXED_CALENDAR_MONTH |
| Annually | FIXED_PRORATA, UNFIXED_PRORATA, DATE_TO_DATE, FIXED_CALENDAR_MONTH, UNFIXED_CALENDAR_MONTH |
| Bi-annually / Tri-annually | FIXED_PRORATA, UNFIXED_PRORATA, DATE_TO_DATE, FIXED_CALENDAR_MONTH, UNFIXED_CALENDAR_MONTH |
Choose billing rule at system setup
Billing rule behaviour affects invoice timing, pro-rata calculation, and upgrade charges across all customers. Decide the correct rule for your deployment before go-live — changing rules mid-stream can cause billing inconsistencies. Contact StackConsole for rule configuration.
Pro-rata overview (quarterly, semi-annual, yearly)
Under FIXED_PRORATA, partial-period charges split into two parts:
| Charge type | Period |
|---|---|
| Pro-rata (daily) | Service creation date → end of the same month |
| Remaining period | Charged as full month(s) based on the selected billing cycle |
Example — quarterly, service created 4 Feb 2025:
| Charge type | Period |
|---|---|
| Pro-rata (daily) | 4 Feb → 28 Feb |
| Pro-rata (full month) | 1 Mar → 31 Mar |
| Pro-rata invoice covers | 4 Feb → 31 Mar |
See FIXED_PRORATA for formulas and worked examples.