Bill Run Templates
Overview
Bill Run Templates define when and how your automated billing runs will execute. Each template acts as a schedule that tells PracBill when to generate invoices, which customers to include, and what happens after invoices are created.
Think of Bill Run Templates as your billing schedule configuration - you set them up once, and PracBill automatically generates invoices according to your defined schedule.
Related: Once a template executes, it creates a Bill Run record that tracks the actual execution and allows you to review and approve the generated invoices.
Navigating to Bill Run Templates
Go to Management in the main menu
Click on Bill Run Templates
You'll see a list of all configured billing schedules showing:
Name - A descriptive name for this billing schedule
Frequency - How often this template runs (Monthly, Daily, or Yearly)
Invoice Types - Which types of invoices are generated
Time Of Day - When the billing process starts
Active - Whether this template is currently enabled
Understanding Template Settings
Basic Settings
Field | Description |
|---|---|
Name | A descriptive name for this billing schedule (e.g., "Monthly Recurring Services", "Daily Usage Billing") |
Active | Enable or disable this template. Inactive templates will not run automatically. |
Frequency | How often billing runs: Monthly, Daily, or Yearly |
Invoice Type | Filter to only generate specific invoice types. Leave blank to include all types. |
Scheduling Settings
Field | Description |
|---|---|
Start Time | The time of day when invoice generation begins (e.g., 09:00). This allows you to schedule billing during off-peak hours. |
Day of Month | For monthly billing, which day the invoices should be generated (1-31). |
Next Bill Run | Shows when the next automatic billing run will occur. This is calculated automatically based on your frequency settings. |
Billing Options
Field | Description |
|---|---|
Anniversary Billing | When enabled, each customer's services are billed based on their individual start dates rather than a fixed calendar date. Useful for businesses where customers can sign up at any time. |
Update Invoice Date on Approval | When enabled, the invoice date is updated to the approval date (today) when the bill run is approved. This ensures invoices show the date they were actually sent, and payment due dates are calculated from that date. |
Auto Approve | When enabled, invoices are automatically approved and sent to customers without manual review. Use with caution - recommended only when you're confident in your billing setup. |
Email Settings
Field | Description |
|---|---|
Email To | Override the customer's email address. If set, all invoices from this template will be sent to this address instead of customer emails. Useful for testing or consolidated billing. |
Email Report To | After the bill run is approved, a CSV report of all approved invoices is sent to this email address. Great for billing managers who need to verify what was sent. |
Frequency Options Explained
Monthly Billing
The most common option. Invoices are generated once per month on the specified day.
Example: If you set Day of Month to "1" and Start Time to "09:00", invoices will be generated on the 1st of each month at 9:00 AM.
Daily Billing
Invoices are generated every day at the specified time. Typically used for:
Usage-based billing that needs daily reconciliation
High-volume transaction processing
Services with daily rate changes
Yearly Billing
Invoices are generated once per year. Used for:
Annual subscription renewals
Yearly service contracts
Annual maintenance fees
Anniversary Billing vs Calendar Billing
Calendar Billing (Default)
All customers are billed for the same period (e.g., 1st to 31st of the month). This is simpler to manage and means all invoices go out at the same time.
Best for: Businesses that want all billing to happen at once, making reconciliation easier.
Anniversary Billing
Each customer is billed based on when their services started. A customer who signed up on the 15th will be billed on the 15th of each month.
Best for: Businesses where customers can sign up at any time and expect billing aligned with their start date.
Creating a New Template
Navigate to Management → Bill Run Templates
Click Create New
Fill in the required fields:
Name: Give it a descriptive name
Frequency: Select Monthly, Daily, or Yearly
Start Time: When should billing begin each cycle
Active: Check to enable the template
Configure optional settings as needed
Click Save
The template will automatically calculate the Next Bill Run date based on your settings.
Common Template Configurations
Standard Monthly Billing
Frequency: Monthly
Day of Month: 1
Start Time: 06:00
Auto Approve: No (recommended for review)
Anniversary Billing: No
Mid-Month Billing Group
Frequency: Monthly
Day of Month: 15
Start Time: 06:00
Invoice Type: (select specific type if needed)
Automatic Daily Usage Billing
Frequency: Daily
Start Time: 02:00 (overnight processing)
Auto Approve: Yes
Invoice Type: Usage
What Happens When a Template Runs
PracBill checks all active templates where Next Bill Run ≤ current time
For each matching template, a new Bill Run is created
Invoices are generated for all eligible customers
The template's Next Bill Run is updated for the next cycle
If Auto Approve is enabled, invoices are immediately sent
If Auto Approve is disabled, invoices wait in "Pending" status for manual approval
Tips and Best Practices
Start with Auto Approve disabled until you're confident your billing is set up correctly
Use descriptive names that clearly identify what each template does
Set Start Time to off-peak hours (early morning) to avoid system load during business hours
Test with a single customer before enabling a template for all customers
Use Email Report To so billing managers receive a summary of each bill run
Review the Bill Runs page after each run to verify everything processed correctly
Troubleshooting
Template not running
Check that Active is enabled
Verify the Next Bill Run date hasn't passed without the system running
Contact support if the template should have run but didn't
Wrong customers being billed
Check the Invoice Type filter
Verify customer service configurations match the expected invoice type
Review customer billing cycle settings
Invoices not being sent
Check if Auto Approve is disabled (invoices need manual approval)
Review the Bill Run to see if it's been approved
Check customer email addresses are valid
Related Pages
Bill Runs - View and manage executed billing runs
Deploying a Bill Run - Step-by-step guide to running billing
Billing Process - Overview of the billing workflow
Recommended Bill Run Process - Best practices for bill runs