Billing Rules (Advanced)

Billing Rules automatically adjust charges or invoice totals while preserving the original usage data.

All rule activity is logged for auditability.

Rule Scope & Targeting

Group, Project or Project Type Based Rule Application

In addition to the parameters listed for each individual Rule below - ALL BILLING RULES accept the following parameters

• includeTeams
• excludeTeams
• includeProjects
• excludeProjects
• includeProjectTypes
• excludeProjectTypes

These parameters can be used to explicitly control rule application based the Group, Project, or Project Type associated with the Charge or Invoice. Using both include_x and exclude_x parameters in the same rule may produce unexpected results.

Best Practice

Avoid using include and exclude parameters together in the same rule.

Charge Rules — Detailed Behavior

Charge Rules Timing

Charge Rules are evaluated at the moment a Charge is generated from a Usage Record.
They modify the billed quantity only — the original usage is always preserved for analytics and auditing.

Charge rules modify the billed quantity, never the actual usage.

Supported Charge Rules

Rule	Description	Parameters
Cap Quantity	Maximum quantity charged	cap
Cap Per Interval	Caps usage per time interval	cap interval
Minimum Quantity	Enforces a minimum charge	minimum
Round Up to Booking	Bills booked time instead of actual
Scale Quantity	Scales quantity by a factor	factor cap
Grace Period	Skips charges below threshold	grace

Charge Rules apply only to time-based units (Minute, Hour, Day).
They may be scoped by Rate, Rate Group, Project, Project Type, or Team.

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Cap Quantity

Parameters: cap

Purpose:
Limits the maximum quantity that can be billed for a single charge.

How it works:
If the actual usage exceeds the specified cap, the billed quantity is reduced to the cap value.

• The cap is evaluated after unit conversion
• Actual usage is retained, but billing is limited

Typical use cases:

• Daily maximum billable hours
• Flat-rate caps for long-running usage
• Preventing runaway billing

Example:

cap = 8 hours
Usage = 10 hours
Billed Quantity = 8 hours

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Cap Quantity Per Interval

Parameters: cap interval

Purpose:
Caps billable quantity per repeating time interval, rather than globally.

How it works:
Usage is segmented into intervals (for example, days), and the cap is applied independently to each interval.

• Remaining partial intervals are billed at actual usage
• Useful for multi-day usage records

Typical use cases:

• Maximum billable hours per day
• Shift-based billing limits
• Long bookings spanning multiple days

Example:

cap = 8 hours
interval = 1 day
Usage = 76 hours over 4 days

Billed:
Day 1: 8 hours
Day 2: 8 hours
Day 3: 8 hours
Day 4: 4 hours
Total Billed = 28 hours

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Minimum Quantity

Parameters: minimum

Purpose:
Ensures a minimum billable amount, even for short usage.

How it works:
If the actual usage is less than the minimum, the billed quantity is raised to the minimum value.

• Actual usage remains unchanged
• Billing reflects the minimum commitment

Typical use cases:

• Minimum booking durations
• Setup or access minimums
• Preventing micro-charges

Example:

minimum = 1 hour
Usage = 15 minutes
Billed Quantity = 1 hour

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Round Up To Booking Time

Purpose:
Ensures users are billed for what was booked, not just what was used.

How it works:
The billed quantity becomes the greater of:

• Actual usage
• Booked duration

This rule compares usage against the associated booking record.

Typical use cases:

• Reserved equipment
• High-demand shared resources
• Discouraging early release abuse

Example:

Booked Time = 2 hours
Actual Usage = 1.25 hours
Billed Quantity = 2 hours

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Scale Quantity

Parameters: factor cap

Purpose:
Applies a scaling factor to the billed quantity, optionally bounded by a cap.

How it works:

• If a cap is provided, scaling applies only if usage exceeds the cap
• If no cap is provided, scaling always applies
• Scaling occurs before final billing

Important:
After scaling, the billed quantity may still exceed the cap.

Typical use cases:

• Partial discounts on overages
• Graduated billing
• Penalty or incentive models

Example:

factor = 0.5
cap = 10 hours
Usage = 12 hours

Scaled Quantity = 6 hours
Billed Quantity = 6 hours

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Grace Period

Parameters: grace

Purpose:
Prevents billing for very short usage periods.

How it works:
If the actual usage is less than the grace period, no charge is generated.

• No charge record is created
• Usage remains visible for analytics

Typical use cases:

• Short test usage
• Accidental starts
• Tolerance windows

Example:

grace = 15 minutes
Usage = 10 minutes → No charge generated
Usage = 20 minutes → Charged normally

Invoice Rules — Detailed Behavior

Invoice Rules Timing

Invoice Rules are applied only when an Invoice is generated.
They modify the final invoice total, not individual charges.

Supported Invoice Rules

Rule	Description	Parameters
Cap Total	Maximum invoice total	maximum
Scale Total	Scales invoice total	factor maximum

Invoice Totals

Invoice totals may not equal the sum of charges when invoice rules are applied.

Invoice Rules preserve charge integrity and auditability while allowing controlled financial adjustments.

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Cap Total

Parameters: maximum

Purpose:
Limits the maximum amount that can be invoiced.

How it works:
If the sum of all charges exceeds the specified maximum, the invoice total is reduced to the cap.

• Individual charges are unchanged
• The invoice reflects the capped total

Typical use cases:

• Contractual maximums
• Fixed-price agreements
• Budget enforcement

Example:

maximum = $10,000
Charges Total = $12,500
Invoice Total = $10,000

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Scale Total

Parameters: factor maximum

Purpose:
Scales the invoice total by a factor, optionally bounded by a maximum.

How it works:

• If a maximum is provided, scaling applies only when exceeded
• If no maximum is provided, scaling always applies
• Scaling occurs after all charges are summed

Important:
Scaling may still result in a total greater than the maximum, depending on configuration.

Typical use cases:

• Percentage discounts
• Subsidies
• Internal cost-sharing models

Example:

factor = 0.8
Charges Total = $5,000
Invoice Total = $4,000

Additional Examples

Example 1: Flat Percentage Discount (No Maximum)

Scenario:
Apply a 20% discount to every invoice, regardless of total.

factor = 0.8
maximum = (not set)
Charges Total = $5,000
Invoice Total = $4,000

Explanation:
Because no maximum is defined, the scaling factor is always applied.
This behaves like a global percentage discount applied to every invoice.

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Example 2: Discount Only After a Threshold

Scenario:
Apply a 20% discount only when the invoice exceeds $10,000.

factor = 0.8
maximum = $10,000

Charges Total	Invoice Total	Explanation
$8,000	$8,000	Below maximum → no scaling applied
$10,000	$10,000	At maximum → no scaling applied
$12,000	$9,600	Exceeds maximum → scaling applied

Explanation:
The maximum value defines when scaling begins, not a final cap.

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Example 3: Maximum Is Not a Hard Cap

Scenario:
Apply a partial discount after a threshold, but allow totals above the maximum.

factor = 0.9
maximum = $10,000
Charges Total = $20,000

Invoice Total = $18,000

Explanation:
Even though the maximum is $10,000, the final invoice total exceeds that value.
This is expected behavior.

To enforce a hard ceiling, use Cap Total, not Scale Total.

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Example 4: Internal Cost-Sharing Model

Scenario:
Internal projects are billed at 50% of actual cost.

factor = 0.5
maximum = (not set)
Charges Total = $12,000
Invoice Total = $6,000

Explanation:
This model is commonly used for internal departments where costs are shared rather than fully recovered.

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Example 5: Subsidy Model With Threshold

Scenario:
External funding covers 30% of costs after the first $5,000.

factor = 0.7
maximum = $5,000

Charges Total	Invoice Total
$4,000	$4,000
$5,000	$5,000
$7,000	$4,900

Explanation:
The subsidy applies only once the total exceeds the funded threshold.

Choosing the Right Rule

• Use Scale Total for percentage-based adjustments
• Use Cap Total for absolute maximums
• Combine rules carefully and document intent for finance and audit clarity

Accounting & Audit Notes

Audit & Compliance

• Actual usage is never modified
• All rule applications are logged
• Charges remain individually auditable
• Invoice totals may not equal charge sums by design :::