Consolidated Billing

Consolidated Billing

Consolidated Billing

Managing large volumes of entries and invoices can create unnecessary administrative overhead for Customs Brokers and their clients. Our new Consolidated Billing feature simplifies this process by allowing brokers to generate one unified invoice that includes all Entries/Transactions filed during a selected time period.

Instead of sending multiple invoices throughout the month, users can now provide customers with a single, clear bill — improving efficiency, transparency, and customer experience.


What is Consolidated Billing?

Consolidated Billing allows a Filer to:

  • Combine multiple entry invoices into a single consolidated invoice

  • Invoice customers on a recurring timeframe (monthly or another selected range)

  • Improve billing clarity and reduce document volume

  • Streamline invoice distribution and record management

This feature is designed specifically for brokers who file multiple entries for the same Importer of Record (IOR) and want to simplify their billing workflow.


Required Setup

Before using Consolidated Billing:

➡️ An Admin user must enable Consolidated Billing for an Importer of Record (IOR) within the IOR settings.

Once enabled:

  • A new Consolidated tab will appear within the Billing module.


Consolidated Billing Workflow Overview

The Consolidated interface is divided into three tabs, each representing a stage in the billing lifecycle:

  1. Unconsolidated

  2. Consolidated

  3. Distributed


1️⃣ Unconsolidated Tab

The Unconsolidated tab is the starting point for creating consolidated invoices.

What You’ll See

  • A list of IORs that are enabled for Consolidated Billing

  • By default, all enabled IORs are shown

  • A filter at the top allows you to view a specific importer

How It Works

  1. Select a date range.

  2. Expand an importer to view all entries filed for that IOR.

  3. Use the pencil icon to open and edit individual invoices if needed.

  4. Select the entries you want to combine (or select all).

  5. Click the Consolidate icon.

Once consolidated:

  • A new consolidated invoice is created.

  • The invoice automatically moves to the Consolidated tab.


2️⃣ Consolidated Tab

The Consolidated tab contains all consolidated invoices that have been created but not yet distributed.

Available Actions

From this tab, users can:

  • Open and review consolidated invoices

  • View all entries and individual invoices included

  • Remove specific invoices/entries using the Unconsolidate Invoice action

  • Select invoices for distribution

Distributing Invoices

When ready:

  1. Select the consolidated invoices you want to send.

  2. Click the Distribute button.

⚠️ Important:
Once distributed, a consolidated invoice cannot be modified or undone.


3️⃣ Distributed Tab

The Distributed tab displays all finalized consolidated invoices.

Here you can:

  • Open and review distributed invoices

  • View the individual invoices that make up the consolidated bill

  • Access historical billing records for reference

This tab serves as your audit and tracking view for completed billing cycles.


Document Distribution Process

When distributing a consolidated invoice, the system opens the Document Distribution Interface.

Users can:

  • Select the recipient email address

  • Attach additional supporting documents

  • Send the consolidated bill and related documentation in a single communication

This ensures customers receive everything they need in one organized package.


Benefits of Consolidated Billing

✔ Reduce administrative effort
✔ Simplify customer billing experience
✔ Improve invoice visibility and organization
✔ Streamline monthly accounting processes
✔ Maintain full entry-level traceability within one invoice


Summary

Consolidated Billing helps Customs Brokers transform complex, multi-entry invoicing into a streamlined and efficient process. By combining entries into a single bill and managing them through a clear workflow — Unconsolidated → Consolidated → Distributed — brokers can reduce manual work while improving customer communication and billing clarity.