Understanding Billing Conditions and Counting Units
5.6 min read
|Overview
This article explains how billing conditions and counting units work together in Billing Manager to control when a charge applies and how the charge amount is calculated.
How conditions and counting units work
Billing rules use two main concepts:
Conditions determine when a charge should apply. You can narrow a rule to specific transactions — for example, only orders shipping to Canada, or only receipts that include a specific SKU.
Counting units determine how much to charge once a rule applies. If your rate is $10.00, the counting unit defines what that $10.00 is charged per — per transaction, per line item, per pallet, per pound, and so on.
Condition fields
Condition fields filter which transactions receive a charge. The fields available to you depend on the transaction type.
Shipping condition fields
| Field | Description | Field Location in 3PL Warehouse Manager |
|---|---|---|
| ASN Sent Date | Date the Advance Shipment Notice (ASN) was sent for the order | Column option in the Find Orders grid |
| Capacity Type | Capacity type assigned to the shipment | Capacity Type in the Routing section of the order |
| Carrier | Carrier assigned to the shipment | Carrier in the Carrier section of the order |
| Confirm Date | Date the order was processed or shipped | Column option in the Find Orders grid |
| Create Source | Source that created the transaction | Column option in the Find Orders grid |
| Created Date | Date the order was created | Column option in the Find Orders grid |
| Discount Amount | Discount amount applied to the order line | Discount Amount in the Order Line Items section |
| Earliest Ship Date/Time | Earliest date and time the order is eligible to ship | Earliest Ship Date in the Order Information section |
| Fulfillment Time | Time between order creation and order processing | — |
| Item Classification | Classification assigned to the inventory item | Item metadata in Manage Items |
| Lot # | Lot number assigned to the inventory item | Item metadata assigned during receiving |
| MU Type | Movable unit type (for example, pallet type) assigned to the inventory allocation | Item metadata in Manage Items |
| PO Number | Purchase order number associated with the shipment | Purchase Order in the Order Information section |
| Qualifier | Qualifier assigned to the inventory item | Item metadata in Manage Items |
| Reference Number | Reference number associated with the order | Reference Number in the Order Information section |
| Retailer ID | Retailer identifier associated with the order | Retailer ID in the Order Contact Details section |
| Ship Service | Shipping service level assigned to the shipment | Service in the Carrier section of the order |
| Ship To Company | Company name in the ship-to address | Company Name in the Order Contact Details section |
| Shipping Destination | Country associated with the ship-to address | Country in the Order Contact Details section |
| SKU | SKU associated with the order line | SKU added during Create Order |
| Subtotal | Order subtotal calculated from item quantity multiplied by item sale price | Subtotal in the Order Line Items section |
| Tax | Tax amount associated with the order | Tax in the Order Line Items section |
| Total Line Weight (kg) | Combined weight of all order lines in kilograms | Sum of the Weight column in the Order Line Items table |
| Total Line Weight (lb) | Combined weight of all order lines in pounds | Sum of the Weight column in the Order Line Items table |
| Total MUs | Total movable units (typically pallets) associated with the shipment | Total Moveable Units in the Order Line Items section |
| Total Primary Qty | Total quantity across all order lines using the primary unit of measure | Sum of the Primary Qty column in the Order Line Items table |
| Total Secondary Qty | Total quantity across all order lines using the secondary unit of measure | Sum of the Secondary Qty column in the Order Line Items table |
| Total Weight | Total shipment weight used for billing calculations | Total Weight in the Order Line Items section |
| Transaction Entry Type | How the order was entered or created in the system | Order metadata |
| Warehouse | Warehouse associated with the transaction | Warehouse in the Order Information section |
Receiving condition fields
| Field | Description | Field Location in 3PL Warehouse Manager |
|---|---|---|
| Capacity Type | Capacity type assigned to the receipt | Capacity Type in the Transport Information section |
| Confirm Date | Date the receipt was confirmed | Arrival Date in the Receipt Information section |
| Created Date | Date the receipt was created | Column option in the Find Receipts grid |
| Expected Arrival Date | Expected date the inventory will arrive | Expected Date in the Receipt Information section |
| Fulfillment Time | Time between receipt creation and confirmation | — |
| Item Classification | Classification assigned to an item | Item metadata in Manage Items |
| Landed Cost | Cost associated with receiving the inventory | Landed cost added during Create Receipt |
| Lot # | Lot number assigned to an item | Lot number added during Create Receipt |
| MU Type | Type of movable unit used | Item metadata in Manage Items |
| Number of Packaged Units | Number of packaged units received | Number of Packaged Units in the Receipt Line Items section |
| Number of Palletized | Number of palletized units received | Number of Palletized in the Receipt Line Items section |
| Primary Qty | Total received quantity in the primary unit of measure | Sum of the Primary Qty column in the Receipt Line Items table |
| PO Number | Purchase order number | Purchase Order in the Receipt Information section |
| Qualifier | Qualifier value assigned to an item | Item metadata in Manage Items |
| Reference Number | Reference number associated with the receipt | Reference ID in the Receipt Information section |
| Secondary Qty | Total received quantity in the secondary unit of measure | Sum of the Secondary Qty column in the Receipt Line Items table |
| SKU | SKU associated with the receipt line | SKU added during Create Receipt |
| Total Volume | Total volume received | Total Volume in the Receipt Line Items section |
| Total Weight | Total weight received | Total Weight in the Receipt Line Items section |
| Transaction Entry Type | How the receipt was created or entered | Receipt metadata |
| Volume | Volume of an individual item | Column option in the Receipt Line Items grid |
Returns condition fields
| Field | Description | Field Location in 3PL Warehouse Manager |
|---|---|---|
| Item Classification | Classification assigned to the returned item | Item metadata in Manage Items |
| Lot # | Lot number assigned to the returned item | Lot number added during Create Return |
| Qty | Total quantity being returned | Sum of the Quantity column in the Receipt Line Items table |
| Qualifier | Qualifier value assigned to the returned item | Item metadata in Manage Items |
| SKU | SKU associated with the returned item | SKU added during Create Return |
| Total Volume | Total volume recorded on the return | Total Volume in the Receipt Line Items section |
| Total Weight | Total weight recorded on the return | Total Weight in the Receipt Line Items section |
Adjustment condition fields
| Field | Description | Field Location in 3PL Warehouse Manager |
|---|---|---|
| Item Classification | Classification assigned to the adjusted item | Item metadata in Manage Items |
| Lot # | Lot number assigned to the adjusted item | Lot number entered during Create Adjustment |
| Qty | Total quantity being adjusted | Quantity entered during Create Adjustment |
| Qualifier | Qualifier value assigned to the adjusted item | Item metadata in Manage Items |
| SKU | SKU associated with the adjusted item | SKU added during Create Adjustment |
| Total Volume | Total volume recorded on the adjustment | Item metadata in Manage Items |
Assembly condition fields
| Field | Description | Field Location in 3PL Warehouse Manager |
|---|---|---|
| Assembly SKU | SKU of the finished assembled item | SKU added during Create Assembly |
| Item Classification | Classification assigned to the component item | Item metadata in Manage Items |
| Lot # | Lot number assigned to the component item | Lot number added during Create Adjustment |
| Qualifier | Qualifier value assigned to the component item | Item metadata in Manage Items |
| SKU | SKU of the component item used in the assembly | Component SKU used to build the assembly SKU |
| Total Qty | Total quantity of component items used in the assembly | Column option in the Manage Assemblies grid |
Counting units
Counting units determine what the system counts when calculating a charge. The table below lists all available counting units and the transaction types each one applies to.
| Counting unit | Description | Applies to |
|---|---|---|
| Base Qty | Charge based on the base quantity used for assemblies | Assemblies |
| Carriers | Charge based on carrier usage | Shipping |
| Hundredweight | Charge based on weight in hundredweight (100 lbs = 1 CWT) | Shipping, Receiving, Returns |
| Item Class | Charge based on the number of unique item classifications | Shipping, Receiving, Returns, Adjustments, Assemblies |
| Line Items | Charge based on the number of qualifying line items | Shipping, Receiving, Returns, Adjustments, Assemblies |
| Location | Charge based on the number of unique locations | Shipping, Receiving, Returns, Adjustments |
| Lot | Charge based on the number of unique lot numbers | Shipping, Receiving, Returns, Adjustments, Assemblies |
| Movable Units | Charge based on the movable unit configuration in Item Details | Shipping, Receiving, Returns, Adjustments, Assemblies |
| Number of Packaged Units | Charge based on packaged units recorded on the transaction | Receiving, Returns |
| Number of Palletized | Charge based on palletized units recorded on the transaction | Receiving, Returns |
| Packaging Units | Charge based on the number of package units | Shipping, Receiving, Returns, Adjustments, Assemblies |
| Primary Units | Charge based on the total primary quantity | Shipping, Receiving, Returns, Adjustments, Assemblies |
| Qty | Charge based on total quantity | Returns, Adjustments |
| Secondary Units | Charge based on the total secondary quantity | Shipping, Receiving, Returns, Adjustments, Assemblies |
| Short Ton | Charge based on weight in tons (2,000 lbs = 1 ton) | Shipping, Receiving, Returns |
| SKU | Charge based on the number of unique SKUs | Shipping, Receiving, Returns, Adjustments, Assemblies |
| Total Kits | Charge based on the number of kits assembled | Assemblies |
| Total MUs | Charge based on the total count in the Total Movable Units field | Shipping |
| Total Packages | Charge based on the total package count | Shipping |
| Total Qty | Charge based on total quantity across all qualifying records | Assemblies |
| Total Volume | Charge based on total volume | Returns |
| Total Weight | Charge based on total weight | Returns |
| Transaction | Charge once for the entire transaction | Shipping, Receiving, Returns, Adjustments, Assemblies |
| Unique MU Labels | Charge based on the number of unique movable unit labels | Shipping, Receiving, Returns |
Example
Say a billing rule is set up with the following:
- Condition: Shipping Destination equals Canada
- Counting unit: Line Items
- Rate: $2.00
The system applies the charge only to shipments going to Canada and charges $2.00 for each qualifying line item on those orders.
If the same rule used Transaction instead of Line Items, the system would charge $2.00 once for the entire shipment, regardless of how many line items it contains.