Fees Tab of the Billing Terms Form

Use the Fees tab to enter the fee method, invoice detail, and invoice posting options to use when billing fees for this project. You can also set up options for billing fee contracts by billing phase or by using a billing schedule.

Contents

Field Description
Fee Method Select the fee method to determine how Vantagepoint extends fees on the invoice.
Fee Basis Select an option to determine how to calculate the fee for a project.
  • Lump sum: This option bases the fee on a lump sum amount, which is the contract fee. You provide Vantagepoint with the lump sum amount.
  • Percent of construction: This option calculates the fee as a percentage of construction costs. You provide Vantagepoint with the estimated total construction cost and the percentage of that cost that you will bill.
  • Unit based: This option bases the fee on a unit price. Vantagepoint calculates the total fee by multiplying a unit price by the number of units to bill. You provide a unit label, the price per unit, and the quantity of units to bill. For example, you might use this fee basis to bill by square feet. This is not the same as setting up units in Settings > Accounting > Units.

If you are not allocating billed revenue based on billing category, you can select Unit based for all fee methods except No fee billing or Percent Complete by Phase, as Fixed Amount.

If you are allocating billed revenue based on billing category, you cannot use this fee basis.

Est Construction Enter the estimated total construction cost for the project in this field.

This field displays only if you select Percent of construction as the fee basis.

Fee Percent Enter the percentage of the estimated construction costs that represents the total fee to be billed to the client.

This field displays only if you select Percent of construction as the fee basis.

Allocate Billed Revenue on Fee Invoices Based on Category This check box only displays if Yes is selected for Enable Fee Entry by Billing Category in Settings > Billing > Options.

Select the Allocate Billed Revenue on Fee Invoices Based on Category check box if you want to enter separate fee amounts for the project by billing category so that Vantagepoint can post fee billed revenue to more than one revenue account.

  • If Enable tracking for this many revenue categories is selected on the Revenue tab of the Accounting Company Settings form, you can enter separate fee amounts for each revenue category defined on the Accounting Company Settings form. For projects with phase billing, you can enter fee amounts for those categories, for each phase. Those fee amounts are posted to the accounts in Fee Invoice Billed on the Accounting Company Setting form, for each of the revenue categories.
  • If Enable tracking for this many revenue categories is not selected on the Revenue tab of the Accounting Company Settings form, you can enter separate fee amounts for labor, consultants, and expenses. For projects with phase billing, you can enter these three fee amounts for each phase. Those fee amounts are posted to billed revenue accounts specified for labor, consultants, and expenses, either the default revenue accounts on the Accounts tab of the Billing Setup form or override accounts specified on the Misc tab of the Billing Terms form for the project.

If you do not select this check box, fee entry by billing category is not available, and the related fields do not appear on this tab.

This option is not available for default billing terms or reporting default billing terms.

Unit Quantity Enter the total number of units for which you will bill the client (total square footage, for example).

This field displays only if you select Unit based as the fee basis.

Unit Price Enter the price per unit (billing amount per square foot, for example).

This field displays only if you select Unit based as the fee basis.

Unit Label Enter the unit label (Square Feet, for example).

This field displays only if you select Unit based as the fee basis.

Scheduled Billing Select this check box to enable the Fee Schedule grid on this tab. The check box is available only if your firm enabled Scheduled Billing (on the Fees tab in Settings > Billing > Fee Options).

Even if scheduled billing is enabled, this check box is not available if you select Allocate Billed Revenue on Fee Invoices Based on Category and you select Percent Complete by Phase, as Fixed Amount as the Fee Method.

Allocate Billed Revenue on Fee Invoices Based on Transactions This check box only displays if Enable Fee Billed Allocation Based on Transaction Detail is selected on the Fee Options form in Settings > Billing > Fee Options.

Select this check box if you want to allocate and post billed fee revenue based on the detailed transactions associated with the invoice.

If you select this check box, the fee amount is allocated to labor, consultants, expenses, and units based on the total amount of transactions for each of these billing categories. Those allocated amounts are posted to billed revenue accounts associated with the billing categories, either the default revenue accounts on the Accounts tab of the Billing Setup form or override accounts specified on the Misc tab of the Billing Terms form for the project.

If you do not select this check box, the fee amount is not allocated by billing category. The entire fee amount is posted to the billed revenue account for fees specified on the Accounts tab of the Billing Setup form or to the override account specified on the Misc tab of the Billing Terms form for the project.

To see the transaction detail included in the allocation of fee billed revenue for an invoice, generate the Invoice Transaction Detail report (Transaction Entry > Invoices).

This option is not available for default billing terms or reporting default billing terms.

Fees Grid

Field Description
Fee If Allocate Billed Revenue on Fee Invoices Based on Category is not selected, enter the total fee amount.

If Allocate Billed Revenue on Fee Invoices Based on Category is selected, Vantagepoint displays a Fee field for each billing category or revenue category. Enter the fee amount to allocate to each category.

This field is not applicable for some combinations of billing term options. Vantagepoint does not display this field if it does not apply for the options that you selected.

Percent Complete If Allocate Billed Revenue on Fee Invoices Based on Category is not selected, enter the overall percent complete for the project.

If Allocate Billed Revenue on Fee Invoices Based on Category is selected, Vantagepoint displays a Pct Compl field for each billing category or revenue category. Enter the percent complete for each category.

This field is always synchronized with the Fee to Date field. If you enter a percentage in this field, Vantagepoint calculates and displays the fee-to-date amount, and if you enter an amount in Fee to Date, Vantagepoint calculates and displays the percent complete.

This field is not applicable for some combinations of billing term options. Vantagepoint does not display this field if it does not apply for the options that you selected.

Fee to Date If Allocate Billed Revenue on Fee Invoices Based on Category is not selected, enter the amount of the fee that your company has earned to date.

If Allocate Billed Revenue on Fee Invoices Based on Category is selected, Vantagepoint displays a Fee to Date field for each billing category or revenue category. Enter the fee earned to date for each category.

Vantagepoint calculates the fee amount for the invoice as Fee to Date – Billed to Date. As a result, you can use this field to control the amount that appears on the invoice. For example, if your billing currency is dollars, you can ensure that the fee on the invoice is in whole dollars.

This field is always synchronized with the Percent Complete or Pct Compl field. If you enter an amount in this field, Vantagepoint calculates and displays the percent complete, and if you enter a percentage in Percent Complete or Pct Compl,Vantagepoint calculates and displays the fee-to-date amount.

This field is not applicable for some combinations of billing term options. Vantagepoint does not display this field if it does not apply for the options that you selected.

Prior Fee Billing If Allocate Billed Revenue on Fee Invoices Based on Category is not selected, enter the total amount of the fee that your company has billed for the project to date.

If Allocate Billed Revenue on Fee Invoices Based on Category is selected, Vantagepoint displays a Prior Fee Billing field for each billing category or revenue category. Enter the amount of the fee billed to date for each category.

If Enter Prior Fee Billing in Billing Terms is not selected on the Fees tab of Billing Setup, this field is not available.

Even if Enter Prior Fee Billing in Billing Terms is selected, this field may not apply for the combination of billing term options that you select. In that case, Vantagepoint does not display this field.

Current Fee This field displays Fee minus Prior Fee Billing.

Fee Billing Phases Grid

This grid is enabled for editing only if you select Percent Complete by Phase, as Percent of Fee or Percent Complete by Phase, as Fixed Amount in the Fee Method field on this tab.

A billing phase is not necessarily the same thing as a work breakdown structure phase.

Fee Billing Phases Grid, Actions Bar

Field Description
Phase Grouping This action is enabled only when Percent complete by phase, as fixed amount or Percent complete by phase, as percent of fee is selected in the Fee Method field on this tab. Click this action to open the Billing Phase Grouping dialog box, on which you can manage and configure phase groups.
Enable Posting by Billing Phase Select this action to post the current project’s billing phase fees to a sub-project, phase, or task, without manually adjusting the invoice. Where you can direct the postings depends on the current project:
  • If a project is the main project in a billing group, you can post billing phase fees to the most granular work breakdown structure level (project, phase, or task) of any associated sub-project.
  • If the project is not the main project in a billing group, or does not belong to a billing group, you can post billing fees to the most granular WBS level (phase, or task) of the project itself.

This action is available only if the following are true:

  • The project belongs to a billing group, or the project has more than one level of work breakdown structure.
  • You select Percent Complete by Phase, as Percent of Fee or Percent Complete by Phase, as Fixed Amount in the Fee Method field on this tab.

Fee Billing Phases Grid — Fields

Field Description
Group Select a phase group and associate it with the selected billing phase. Options on this drop-down list are managed on the Billing Phase Grouping dialog box. If there are no phase groups configured on the Billing Phase Grouping dialog box, then this drop-down list is blank.

Billing phases with no associated phase group are printed at the bottom of the grouped phases on the invoice, without a header and subtotal.

Phase For the current project or the project selected in the Project field, select a phase to which you want to post revenue for the billing phase. Enter the name or number in this field or perform a phase lookup. If a project is selected in the Project field in the grid, the lookup lists all available phases for that project. If no project is selected in the Project field, the lookup lists all phases for the project currently open on the Billing Terms form.

This field is enabled only if:

  • The current project, or the project selected in the Project field, has at least two levels of work breakdown structure.
  • You select Enable Posting by Billing Phase in this grid.
Task For the phase selected in the Phase field, select a task to which you want to post revenue for the billing phase. Enter the name or number in this field or perform a task lookup. If a project is selected in the Project field in the grid, the lookup lists all available phases and tasks for that project. If no project is selected in the Project field, the lookup lists all phases and tasks for the project currently open on the Billing Terms form.

This field is enabled only if:

  • The current project, or the project selected in the Project field, has three levels of work breakdown structure.
  • You select Enable Posting by Billing Phase.
  • You select a phase in the Phase field.
Name Enter the billing phase name or description.
Project Select a sub-project from the project's billing group. Enter the name or number in this field or perform a project lookup. The lookup lists all available sub-projects for the current project.

This field is enabled only if:

  • The current project is the main project in a billing group.
  • You select Enable Posting by Billing Phase.

If the project selected in this field has phases or phases and tasks, you can select those in the Phase and Task fields.

Fee Enter the total fee amount for this billing phase. When you add the fees for all billing phases, the ending value should equal the total fee negotiated for the project.

This field displays only if you select the Allocate Billed Revenue on Fee Invoices Based on Category check box on this tab. If you select Percent Complete by Phase, as Fixed Amount in the Fee Method field, Vantagepoint calculates the amount based on your entries in the phase billing category grid.

Pct Compl Enter a percentage to represent the amount of work completed for the billing phase. Vantagepoint uses this and the Pct of Fee value to calculate the fee earned for each billing phase on the invoice.

If the Allocate Billed Revenue on Fee Invoices Based on Category check box is selected, the percent complete in this field applies to all categories. For the Percent Complete by Phase, as Fixed Amount fee method, you can enter a percent complete for the phase in this field, or you can enter percent completes for each billing category in the phase billing category grid and let Vantagepoint calculate an overall percent complete for the phase.

This field is always synchronized with the Fee to Date field. If you enter a percentage in this field, Vantagepoint calculates and displays the fee-to-date amount. If you enter an amount in Fee to Date, Vantagepoint calculates and displays the percent complete.

Fee to Date Enter the amount of the phase fee that your company has earned to date.

This field displays only if you select the Allocate Billed Revenue on Fee Invoices Based on Category check box, and you select Percent Complete by Phase, as Fixed Amount in the Fee Method field on this tab. Vantagepoint calculates the amount based on your entries in the phase billing category grid.

Vantagepoint calculates the fee amount for the invoice as Fee to Date – Billed to Date. As a result, you can use this field to control the amount that appears on the invoice. For example, if your billing currency is dollars, you can ensure that the fee on the invoice is in whole dollars.

This field is always synchronized with the Pct Compl field. If you enter an amount in this field, Vantagepoint calculates and displays the percent complete, and if you enter a percentage in Pct Compl, Vantagepoint calculates and displays the fee-to-date amount.

Pct of Fee Enter the percent of the total fee for the project that will be earned for this billing phase. Vantagepoint uses this and the Pct Compl value to calculate the fee earned for each billing phase on the invoice.

This field displays only if you select the Allocate Billed Revenue on Fee Invoices Based on Category check box, and you select Percent Complete by Phase, as Fixed Amount is in the Fee Method field.

Billed-to-Date Enter the amount of the fee billed to the client as of the current date.

This field displays only if you select the Allocate Billed Revenue on Fee Invoices Based on Category check box. If you select Percent Complete by Phase, as Fixed Amount in the Fee Method field, Vantagepoint calculates the amount based on your entries in the phase billing category grid.

If Enter Prior Fee Billing in Billing Terms is not selected on the Fees tab of Billing Setup, this field is not available.

Project

This field is enabled only if the current project is the main project in a billing group, and you select the Enable Posting by Billing Phase check box on this tab.

In this field, select a sub-project from the project's billing group. The drop-down list includes all available sub-projects for the current project.

If the project you select has phases or phases and tasks, you can select those in the Phase and Task fields.

Phase

For the current project or the project selected in the Project field, select a phase to which you want to post revenue for the billing phase. If a project is selected in the Project field in the grid, the drop-down list includes all available phases for that project. If no project is selected in the Project field, the drop-down list includes all phases for the project currently open on the Billing Terms form.

This field is enabled only if both of the following apply:

  • The current project or the project selected in the Project field has at least two levels of work breakdown structure.
  • You selected the Enable Posting by Billing Phase check box on this tab.
Task For the phase selected in the Phase field, select a task to which you want to post revenue for the billing phase. If a project is selected in the Project field in the grid, the drop-down list includes all available phases and tasks for that project. If no project is selected in the Project field, the drop-down list included all phases and tasks for the project currently open on the Billing Terms form.

This field is enabled only if all of the following apply:

  • The current project or the project selected in the Project field has three levels of work breakdown structure.
  • You selected the Enable Posting by Billing Phase check box on this tab.
  • You selected a phase in the Phase field in this grid.
Current Fee This field displays if you do not have edit mode turned on (by clicking the Edit action on the Billing Terms form). This field displays the fee-to-date amount minus the billed-to-date amount for a phase if the fee method for a project is "Percent Complete by Phase, as Percent of Fee" or "Percent Complete by Phase, as Fixed Amount." The total amount of all the current fees in the grid displays at the bottom of the column.
This row tools icon displays at the end of the row when you click or hover over a grid row. Click the icon to select one of these actions for that row:
  • Copy: Click this option to add a billing phase by copying an existing line from the Fee Billing Phases grid.
  • Delete: Click this option to remove a line from the Fee Billing Phases grid.
+ Add Billing Phase

Click + Add Billing Phase to add a billing phase. Press the ENTER key or click outside the row to add the new entry to the Fee Billing Phases grid. To insert new rows in the grid, click Edit on the Actions bar, enter data in the fields, and then press the TAB key to tab off the end of the row.

Billing Phase Category Grid

The Billing Phase Category grid appears below the Fee Billing Phases grid if Percent Complete by Phase, as Fixed Amount is selected in the Fee Method field and the Allocate Billed Revenue on Fee Invoices Based on Category check box is selected on this tab.

Select a phase in the Fee Billing Phases grid and then use this grid to enter phase fee information for each billing category.

Field Description
Billing Category If the Allocate Billed Revenue on Fee Invoices Based on Category check box is selected, this field displays the revenue category of the fee line item in the grid.

If the Allocate Billed Revenue on Fee Invoices Based on Category check box is not selected, this field does not display.

This field is not applicable for some combinations of billing term options. Vantagepoint does not display this field if it does not apply for the options that you selected.

Billing Category Select the billing category for which you want to enter fee information for the billing phase that is currently selected in the Billing Phases grid.
Fee Enter the total fee amount for this billing phase and billing category.
Pct Compl Enter a percentage to represent the amount of work completed for the billing phase and billing category to date.

This field is always synchronized with the Fee to Date field. If you enter a percentage in this field, Vantagepoint calculates and displays the fee-to-date amount, and if you enter an amount in Fee to Date, Vantagepoint calculates and displays the percent complete.

Fee to Date Enter the amount of the billing phase fee that your company has earned for the billing category to date.

Vantagepoint calculates the fee amount for the invoice as Fee to Date – Billed to Date. As a result, you can use this field to control the amount that appears on the invoice. For example, if your billing currency is dollars, you can ensure that the fee on the invoice is in whole dollars.

This field is always synchronized with the Pct Compl field. If you enter an amount in this field, Vantagepoint calculates and displays the percent complete, and if you enter a percentage in Pct Compl, Vantagepoint calculates and displays the fee-to-date amount.

Billed to Date Enter the amount of the fee billed to the client as of the current date for the billing phase and billing category.

If No is entered for Override Prior Fee, on the Fees tab of Billing Settings, this field is not available.

This icon displays at the end of the row when you click or hover over a grid row. Click the icon to select one of these actions for that row:
  • Copy: Click this option to add a billing phase fee information for a new billing category by copying the information already entered for another billing category.
  • Delete: Click this option to remove a the billing phase fee information for a billing category from the Fee Billing Phases grid.
+ Add Billing Phase Category

Click + Add Billing Phase Category to add a blank row to the grid so that you can enter billing phase fee information, by billing category, for the phase that is selected in the Billing Phases grid. Press the ENTER key or click outside the row to add the new entry to the Billing Phase Category grid.

Fee Schedule Grid

Field Description
Create Schedule Click this grid option to open the Create New dialog box and create a new billing schedule. This option is helpful if you bill a standard amount on a regular schedule. For example, use this option if you bill $10,000 once a month for 15 months.

This option is available only if Current unit or fee or Cumulative unit or fee is selected as the Fee Method.

Date Select the date on which the percentage or fixed amount associated with this milestone should be billed to the client. This date does not print on the invoice. It is used to determine the current fee amount for the next invoice to be generated for a particular client in Batch Billing or Interactive Billing.
Billing Category This field is only available if you select Cumulative unit or fee in the Fee Method field and you also select the Allocate Billed Revenue on Fee Invoices Based on Category check box on this tab.

Select the billing category for which you want to enter fee information for the scheduled billing date.

Pct Compl Enter a cumulative percentage of the total amount to bill for this invoice. For example, if the first milestone is 10% and the second is 20%, then the second milestone you are billing another 10% (making the billed to date 20% of the total). The final milestone should have a Pct Compl value of 100%.

This field is available only if you select Overall Percent Complete, Percent Complete by Phase, as Fixed Amount or Percent Complete by Phase, as Percent of Fee in the Fee Method field.

Amount Enter a cumulative currency amount or unit quantity, depending on your entries in the Fee Method and Fee Basis fields. The entry in Fee Basis determines whether you enter units or amounts. The entry in Fee Method determines how the grid is populated:
  • If the fee method is Current unit or fee, the grid displays the same amount in each row.
  • If the fee method is Cumulative unit or fee, the amount or unit quantity that you enter for each milestone should increase from milestone to milestone. The last milestone's amount is the total billed amount or total number of units. The amount that Vantagepoint bills for a particular milestone is the amount entered in this field minus the previous billed amounts.

This field is available only if you select Current unit or fee or Cumulative unit or fee in the Fee Method field.

Billed If this option is selected, the milestone has been final billed. If this option is not selected, the milestone has not yet been billed. Interactive Billing and Batch Billing take into consideration only milestones that have not yet been billed.

If you need to manually bill an invoice associated with a milestone, you can adjust the dates on the Billing Session Options dialog box of Interactive Billing. When prompted, accept the milestone to mark the item Billed in the Billing Schedule. Alternatively, you can delete the item from the schedule, and then create the invoice from Interactive Billing.

If you converted to Vantagepoint from another application that you used to track milestones in a particular billing schedule, enter only those milestones to be billed in the future. The billed-to-date value of a cumulative billing method is the same value as the previous fee billing (either entered in Billing Terms or calculated based on posted invoices), so you do not need to enter previous milestones as part of history loading.

This icon displays at the end of the row when you click or hover over a grid row. Click the icon to select one of these actions for that row:
  • Delete: Click this option to remove a line from the Fee Schedule grid.
  • Copy: Click this option to add a billing schedule by copying an existing line from the Fee Schedule grid.
+ Add Billing Schedule Click this option to add a new milestone to the schedule. Press the ENTER key or click outside the row to add the new entry to the Fee Schedule grid.