Charges and invoicing

Each trip carries charge lines with a charge type and amount. Charges start as drafts while the trip is planned and running. When the reviewer confirms the trip’s completion evidence, its draft charges are approved. The billing clerk then invoices approved charges. Charges for a disputed trip stay in draft, so a customer is not invoiced for a tour still being argued over.

Customers, carriers and providers are recorded as parties with their type and email, so the billing clerk invoices the right customer and can see which providers were involved in the trip.

The billing clerk invoices; the evidence reviewer’s decision releases charges.

• Draft until confirmed. Charges are approved only by confirmed completion.
• Invoiced once. Approved charges move to invoiced when billed.
• Disputes hold billing. Disputed trips keep their charges in draft.

Agree your charge types (tour fee, extra stop, waiting time, fuel surcharge) and how amounts are set. Agree how invoices are produced (here or in your accounting system) and who handles disputes. Prepare examples of a standard trip, a trip with extra charges, a disputed trip and a cancelled trip with a cancellation fee.

A private tour adds an extra stop and an hour of waiting time. The dispatcher adds two draft charges to the trip. When the completion evidence is confirmed, all charges move to approved. The billing clerk invoices them the same day, and the open trip charges list is empty for that trip. A disputed trip from the same day still shows its charges in draft until the dispute is closed.

At month end the billing clerk filters open charges by status. Anything still approved but not invoiced is billed before the books close, and anything in draft is traced back to its trip: either the evidence is still waiting for review, or the trip is under dispute and the customer has been told why.

• Open trip charges — Draft and approved charges by trip.

• Completion and charges: How confirmation releases charges.

Plan integrations with accounting.