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Knowledge Center

Automatic Invoicing: Formula Fee

Purpose Statement

First Due can automatically generate invoice fees when an inspection is completed by using automated Fee Schedule line items and fee formulas.

Fee formulas allow agencies to calculate charges dynamically using inspection data, such as the Total Billable Area, rather than applying a single fixed fee. Criteria can also be added to control exactly when the fee is applied.

This automation can help reduce manual invoice entry, improve billing consistency, and ensure applicable inspection fees are calculated based on agency-defined requirements.

Background Information

Automated inspection fees are configured within the Invoicing module's Fee Schedule.

When configuring a Fee Schedule line item, you can associate the automated fee with the action of completing an inspection. A formula determines the amount charged, while optional criteria determine which inspections qualify for the fee.

For example, an agency could configure a fee that:

  • Applies only to a specific inspection type.
  • Applies only when the property's billable area falls within a specified range.
  • Multiplies the property's total billable area by a specified rate.
  • Automatically creates the applicable invoice fee when the inspection is completed.

Fee Schedule line items can be created from scratch, edited, or duplicated from an existing line item.

Required Permissions

Users must have sufficient access to the Invoicing module and Fee Schedule configuration to create or modify automated fee line items.

Users completing the workflow must also have the appropriate access to complete inspections.

Note: Specific permission names were not identified in the provided material. Verify the applicable Invoicing, Fee Schedule, and Inspections permissions within your agency's First Due Roles and Permissions configuration before assigning access.

Video

Step-by-Step Guide

1. Open the Fee Schedule

  1. Navigate to the Invoicing module.
  2. Select Fee Schedule.
  3. Locate the Fee Schedule line item you want to configure.

You can also select Create Line Item to build a new fee from scratch, eidt an existing fee, or duplicate an existing line item and modify its configuration.

2. Configure the Fee Line Item

  1. Open the line item for editing.
  2. Complete the required Fee Schedule fields, including:
    • Billable Category
    • Billable Type
    • Line Item
    • Unit
    • Fee Type
    • Fee Formula
  3. Enter Line Item Details to explain why the fee is being charged and what it is used for.
  4. Select the appropriate Unit. For example, select Each when appropriate for the fee.
  5. Toggle Automate on.
  6. Associate the automated action with Completing an Inspection.
  7. If applicable, configure a Billing Code and General Ledger code.

3. Build the Fee Formula

  1. Navigate to the Fee Formula configuration.
  2. Add a placeholder to the formula.
  3. Select the inspection data that should be used in the calculation.

Available placeholders can include inspection-related values ranging from building area measurements to total inspection time.

For this example, select Total Billable Area.

  1. Add the mathematical operation needed to calculate the fee.

Fee formulas can use operators such as:

  • Multiplication (*)
  • Division (/)
  • Addition (+)
  • Subtraction (-)
  • Parentheses (()) can be used to order the operations in a formula
  1. For the example in the video, configure the formula to multiply Total Billable Area by 50.

The exact formula and rate should reflect your agency's established fee schedule.

4. Configure the Fee Criteria

  1. Navigate to the Criteria section.
  2. Add the conditions that must be satisfied before the automated fee is applied.
  3. Determine whether multiple conditions should use AND or OR logic.

With AND, every configured condition must be met before the fee is applied.

With OR, the fee can be applied when any one of the configured conditions is met.

  1. For the example shown, use AND logic so all configured conditions must be satisfied.
  2. Configure the inspection type criteria.

For example:

Inspection Type Name = Fire and Life Safety Inspection

Alternatively, criteria can be configured using an inspection type condition such as Contains when a broader match is appropriate.

  1. Add Total Billable Area criteria to establish the applicable property-size range.

For example, configure the criteria so the fee applies only when the billable area falls within the agency's defined lower and upper limits.

  1. Verify all criteria before continuing.

5. Save the Automated Fee

  1. Review the Fee Schedule line item.
  2. Confirm that Automate is enabled.
  3. Verify the fee formula.
  4. Verify the inspection criteria.
  5. Select Save.

The fee is now configured to evaluate when an applicable inspection is completed.

6. Complete an Inspection

  1. Navigate to an inspection that meets the configured criteria.
  2. Complete all required inspection information.
  3. Navigate to Signatures and complete the required signature process.
  4. Select Complete to complete the inspection.

First Due evaluates the automated Fee Schedule configuration when the inspection is completed.

7. Review the Generated Invoice

  1. After completing the inspection, navigate to the Invoicing section of the record.
  2. Locate the generated invoice.
  3. Expand the invoice to review its individual fees.

The automated fee should appear when the inspection satisfies the criteria configured in the Fee Schedule.

  1. Review the calculated amount and fee details.

From this area, available invoice actions may include:

  • Editing the invoice.
  • Deleting the invoice.
  • Expanding the invoice to review individual fees.
  • Unlinking the invoice.
  • Changing the invoice form.
  1. Hover over the applicable fee  when available to review additional details about the calculated charge.

Note: If linked invoice information does not immediately appear in all applicable areas, exit the invoice and reopen it to refresh the displayed linked information.

Best Practices

  • Give automated Fee Schedule line items clear, descriptive names, such as Billable Area Formula, so administrators can quickly identify their purpose.
  • Complete the Line Item Details field even when it is not required. Documenting why and when a fee is used makes future Fee Schedule maintenance easier.
  • Confirm the formula's mathematical operators and placeholders before saving.
  • Carefully review greater-than, less-than, and equal-to conditions when establishing numeric ranges.
  • Test automated fees using an inspection that meets the configured criteria before deploying the configuration broadly.
  • Use AND when every condition must be satisfied and OR when any qualifying condition should trigger the fee.
  • Ensure your formula and criteria do not create unintended gaps or overlaps between fee ranges.
  • Review the automatically generated invoice after completing a test inspection to verify both the fee and calculated amount.

Troubleshooting & FAQs

Why wasn't an invoice fee automatically created when I completed the inspection?

Verify that Automate is enabled and that the automation is associated with completing an inspection. Then confirm that the completed inspection satisfies all configured criteria. If the criteria use AND, every condition must be true.

What is the difference between AND and OR criteria?

AND requires all configured conditions to be satisfied before the fee is applied. OR allows the fee to be applied when any one of the configured conditions is satisfied.

Why is the calculated fee incorrect?

Review the selected placeholder, mathematical operators, and values in the Fee Formula. Also verify the underlying inspection data used by the formula, such as Total Billable Area.

Can I calculate a fee based on the property's billable area?

Yes. Total Billable Area can be selected as a fee formula placeholder and used with mathematical operators to calculate a fee.

Can I restrict the fee to a specific inspection type?

Yes. Criteria can be configured using inspection information such as the inspection type or inspection type name.

Can I create multiple automated inspection fees?

Yes. Multiple Fee Schedule line items can be configured with different formulas and criteria. When an inspection is completed, applicable automated fees can be added based on their individual configurations.

Can I duplicate an existing fee instead of creating one from scratch?

Yes. An existing Fee Schedule line item can be duplicated and then modified for the new fee configuration.

Why don't I see the invoice in the linked area immediately?

The linked information may require the invoice to be closed and reopened before it appears in that area.