Next Due Date question

[LukeDouglas]

I'm still a bit confused on the 'Next Billing Date'. If a client is billed monthly and I have the cron job running daily, does it automatically generate an invoice one month from the Next Billing Date?

 

Here is the reason I am asking. If I have a client that sends me a payment and puts on the check that it is for 07/01/2009 and 08/01/2009 invoices which I apply the payment to those invoices yet they still owe for the invoice billed on 06/01/2009, how is that handled on the Next Billing Date when I apply payments and how does that impact the generation of the next invoice on 09/01/2009?

[freedomhosting]

Do not quote me on this, it is my understanding that the system knows when the client signed up and uses that date from that date forward unless you have over rode that by saying to bill on a certain date and prorate the rest. Like you can tell the system to bill everyone on the 5th of every month or you can have it use their sign up date so if they signed up on 5/7/09 their bill would be due the 7th of every month.

 

The cron job looks at those dates, and looks at your settings for how far in advance to send invoices and sends out invoices in the way they are supposed to be sent.

 

I may be totally wrong on this but hopefully it helps you get a better understanding And if I am wrong I look forward to hearing a more detailed answer.

[LukeDouglas]

The confusion for me is what variable is used to determine if an invoice is to be generated. If the Next Due Date is 08/01/2009, the last invoice generated was on 09/01/2009 and the next automated billing cycle is 'monthly', what is going to happen on 10/01/2009? Will it see that an invoice was last generated on 09/01/2009 and generate an invoice on 10/01/2009? Or will it see that the Next Due Date is 08/01/2009 and NOT generate an invoice? I've read the documentation on this months ago and, although it may appear clear to the author, to me it was confusing. Of course, it doesn't help that I'm retarded! LOL

[freedomhosting]

Well I wouldn't say its your retarded just like me and still learning the system. I am not sure of what the variable I am sure there is something in the database that tells the system when a client is due how they pay and everything else. I couldn't tell you exactly what it is.

 

I would think it would put something in the clients profile in the database that tells the system when to bill again,

 

And if you marked in the system that the payment was for say 7/01/09 to 08/01/09 then I would assume that on 8/01/09 it would send the next invoice to pay for 08/01/09 to 09/01/09 then on 09/01/09 through 10/01/09 and so forth.

 

Also if there is still an outstanding invoice for 06/01/09 i would think the account would be suspended unless you don't have that setup.

 

Has the system tried to generate new invoices or is it not the next billing cycle yet?

[othellotech]

it generates an invoice *due* on nextduedate, unless one already exists in the invoice table, so yes, you'll get eth next one on the 10th

[LukeDouglas]

So any client that does not have a Next Due Date of 09/01/2009, on a monthly billing cycle, then on 10/01/2009, they will not have an invoice generated? Am I correct?