UNFIXED_PRORATA is mostly applicable to quarterly, semi-annual, and yearly billing cycles. Unlike FIXED_PRORATA, the next invoice period starts from the month after creation — not aligned to calendar quarters.
| Step | Invoice |
|---|
| 1 | Pro-rata invoice — creation date → end of creation month |
| 2 | Next unfixed invoice — 1st of next month → end of full cycle period |
How it works
- Pro-rata invoice — charged for remaining days in the creation month only
- Next unfixed invoice — full billing cycle period starting 1st of the following month, regardless of calendar quarter boundaries
Yearly example
| |
|---|
| Service created | 25 Apr 2025 |
| Billing cycle | Yearly |
| Invoice | Period |
|---|
| Pro-rata invoice | 25 Apr 2025 → 30 Apr 2025 |
| Next unfixed invoice | 1 May 2025 → 30 Apr 2026 |
Quarterly example
Calendar quarters are Jan–Mar, Apr–Jun, Jul–Sep, Oct–Dec — but under UNFIXED_PRORATA, the next invoice is not forced to a quarter boundary.
| |
|---|
| Service created | 25 Feb 2025 |
| Billing cycle | Quarterly |
| Invoice | Period |
|---|
| Pro-rata invoice | 25 Feb 2025 → 28 Feb 2025 |
| Next unfixed invoice | 1 Mar 2025 → 31 May 2025 |
A pro-rata invoice is generated for the creation month's remaining days, then the next 3-month invoice is generated from the 1st of the following month — regardless of which calendar quarter the service was created in.
When to use
| Choose UNFIXED_PRORATA when… | Choose FIXED_PRORATA when… |
|---|
| You want the full cycle to run from the month after signup | You need alignment to calendar quarters or years |
| Quarterly/semi-annual/yearly with simple month-offset periods | Pro-rata + remaining months within a fixed calendar period |