Charges

Charges Tab example

The Charges tab provides the User access to manually control how each Service is billed. There are four functions that can be used to control these Charges: Add, Edit, Delete, and Stop. If you do not want users to modify Charges outside of Service Desk, the configuration option MODIFY_CHARGES_WITHOUT_SERVICE_DESK to modify "permissions" on how Charges can be managed.

MODIFY_CHARGES_WITHOUT_SERVICE_DESK defaults to ADMINISTRATIVE_USERS. What this means is that non-Admin Users can only Stop and Start Charges through a Service Desk Item, usually a Service Desk Action. If this configuration is changed to ALL_USERS by PCR at the Customer’s request, then any User with access to that form can Stop and Start charges directly on the service. This is often desirable for quick “record-keeping” type updates. At this point, the Admins can still remove access to the Add, Delete, and Stop buttons via system security if desired.

If there are Charges on the Service, with incomplete Billing, the Billable flag should be checked. For more details, please see the Fields, Logic, and Rules article for Services.

Add

After clicking the button, the Add New Service Charges form opens.

The Add New Service Charges form

From here, the User can select the Charge Catalog and an Override GLA if so desired. The Charge Amount auto fills based on the Default Amount from the given Charge Catalog. Sometimes there is an option for a Charge Override Amount based on the Charge Catalog. A Description is highly recommended for tracking purposes. The Description will be used on the View Bill report for each given Charge. The User can select to prorate the Charges or not based on Billing needs.

Future Start Dates

When a Start Date is set to be in the future on a new Charge, the Charge will not take effect until that Date. Service Desk Actions will ignore any future Charges; Charges will take effect on the Finalization Date.

Editing

The button can only be used after a Charge has been added. This form allows the User to select from the Charge Catalog and specify overrides when available to the Charge Override Amount, Quantity, Description, and Override GLA. Once saved, the Charge generates the records required for Billing.

Note: Charges cannot be added to Services that are not flagged as Billable.
Note: A Default Expense GLA must be supplied on the Expense GLAs tab before Charges can be added.

When a Charge is edited, the User is prompted to select when that change should apply. Selecting "Effective Today" will apply the change immediately, while selecting "Date to Last Billed" will begin as of the date of the last Bill Run. An example of the prompt is displayed below.

Effective Date prompt dialogue example

Deleting/Stopping

It is sometimes necessary to manually delete or stop a Charge. There are certain restrictions in place to prevent deleting Charges that have been billed. After clicking the button, a prompt is displayed, warning the User that Non Recurring Charges that have already been Billed will not be deleted and that Monthly Recurring Charges that have already been Billed will be stopped if they would like to continue with the action.

Confirm Delete Dialogue Example

When stopping a Charge, click the button. A prompt is displayed requesting a Stop date and advising the User about further restrictions for on stopping Charges, such as Billed Non-Recurring Charges not being deleted, Monthly Recurring Charges being stopped on the Stop Date, and Alternate Recurring Charges (Annual, Semi-Annual and Quarterly) also being stopped.

Stop Charges Dialogue example

Applying an Alternate Recurring Charge

Alternate Recurring Charge Example

When an Alternate Recurring Charge is selected as the Charge Catalog (Quarterly, Semi-Annual and Annual Charges) for a new Charge, the form gains the addition of a Recurring Date field. This is the date that will be used by the Billing Process to determine which Bills the Charge should display on. The Recurring Date can not occur after the Start Date.

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