Skip to main content

Configure a fixed schedule payment frequency for a rate

  • Updated

In this article you will learn how to bill all members of a rate on a shared, recurring schedule by configuring a fixed schedule payment frequency.

Contents

Fast lane

  1. Open the rate: Settings / Membership management / Rates / [Rate] / Add payment frequency
  2. Set Type, Reference, Each and Price as usual.
  3. Open Advanced Settings and set Billing type to Fixed schedule.
  4. Pick the Anchor date that represents one date of your existing billing cycle.
  5. Check the preview table and save.

Set up a fixed schedule

The fixed schedule billing type aligns every contract on a rate to the same recurring billing dates. New members signing up between two billing dates receive a single prorated charge, and from the next billing date onward they are in sync with all other members on the rate.

Permission: Settings / Resources / Roles / Edit rates and payment frequencies

  1. Go to Settings / Membership management / Rates and open the rate you want to configure.
  2. Click Add payment frequency.
  3. Set the standard fields:
    • Type: Recurring
    • Reference: Period
    • Each: the billing interval, for example 2 Weeks. Days, Weeks, Months and Years are supported.
    • Price: the standard price per period. Add facility prices if needed.
  4. Open Advanced Settings.
  5. Set Billing type to Fixed schedule. The form switches to fixed-schedule mode and shows the additional fields described in the field reference.
  6. Pick the Anchor date. Use any date that matches your existing billing cycle, for example the next or most recent billing date. The system extends this anchor in both directions in steps of Each to derive every other billing date.
  7. Review the preview table at the bottom of the modal. It shows the next service periods, due dates and amounts that will be created. Each row is tagged with an SF badge for subscription fee.
  8. Click Save.

Every new contract created on this rate from now on inherits the fixed schedule. The anchor date is materialized on the contract at creation, so later changes to the rate do not move existing contracts.

What happens when a member signs up

The contract start date determines the first charge:

  • Start date falls on a billing date: The first charge covers a full standard period at full price. Due date is the start date.
  • Start date falls between two billing dates: A single prorated first charge is created. It covers the days from the contract start until the day before the next billing date. From the next billing date onward, the member receives regular full-price charges in sync with all other members on the rate.

Example — rate with 20.00 / 2 Weeks, anchor date 26 Mar, contract start 27 Mar:

Charge Service period Days Due date Amount
1 (prorated) 27 Mar – 8 Apr 13 27 Mar 18.57
2 9 Apr – 22 Apr 14 9 Apr 20.00
3 23 Apr – 6 May 14 23 Apr 20.00

From charge 2 onward, every contract on this rate is billed on the same dates, regardless of when each member signed up.

Field reference for Fixed schedule

These fields appear in Advanced Settings when Billing type is set to Fixed schedule:

Field Behavior
Billing type Three options: Calendrical, Reference date (absolute), Fixed schedule. Selecting Fixed schedule aligns every contract on the rate to the same billing dates.
Anchor date One date that belongs to the billing cycle you want to follow. The system uses it as the reference point and projects all other billing dates from it in steps of Each.
Standard due date Locked to Start of service period when Fixed schedule is active. Each regular charge becomes due on the first day of its service period.
Due date of starter package and partial charges Controls the due date of the prorated first charge and any starter packages. Three options:
  • Membership signing (default): due on the contract signing date.
  • Standard due date: due on the start of the first service period.
  • Membership start date: due on the contract start date.
First Booking Delay Not available with Fixed schedule. The field is hidden, since a shared schedule leaves no room for per-contract delays. First Booking Delay remains available for flat-fee payment frequencies, which do not have a billing type.
Preview table Shows the upcoming service periods, due dates and amounts derived from your settings. The SF badge in the type column marks a subscription fee charge. Use the preview to verify that the schedule and proration match your expectation before saving.

Note: Changing the anchor date on a rate later affects only new contracts. Contracts that already exist on the rate keep the anchor they were created with.

Related articles