This article covers the frequently asked questions about billing, invoicing, and contract management within Atera.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What contract types are supported for MSP billing?
A: Atera supports flexible contracts, including Block Hours, Hourly, Retainer/Flat Fee, Remote Monitoring, Block Money, Project (Hourly/One-Time Fee), and Online Backup.
Each customer can have multiple contracts with differentiated rates for projects, off-hours, or third-party products.
- Block Hours
- Hourly
- Retainer/Flat Fee
- Remote Monitoring
- Block Money
- Project (Hourly/One-Time Fee)
- Online Backup
Q: How does batch billing and invoicing work?
A: You can create invoice batches monthly or for a selected period, pulling resolved ticket time entries, contract services, products, and expenses.
Invoices can be edited, exported as CSV, sent by email, or integrated directly with QuickBooks Online/Desktop and Xero.
Q: How does contract selection affect billing?
A: When logging time on tickets, you select which contract and rate the work is billed under.
This allows for accurate billing of retainer, after-hours, project, or ad hoc work, all of which is reflected in exported invoices.
Q: Can recurring billing be set up for services like Office 365?
A: Yes. Use a Retainer/Flat Fee contract to facilitate monthly or recurring billing.
Manual adjustments may be necessary for services like Office 365 since usage or license sync is not automatic.
Q: How do I view or manage invoices and billing history?
A: To view or manage invoices and billing history in the Atera billing module, go to the left panel in Atera, click on Billing, and then access the Invoices section at the bottom; here you can open, view, edit, export, email, print, or change the status of invoices, and search or filter by date or customer as needed.
Q: What if the timesheet and invoice batch amounts do not match?
A: Differences can result from additional products, services, or rate items in the batch, inclusion or exclusion of resolved/billed tickets, or filter selection in timesheet reports.
Once a ticket is billed, further edits to that ticket will not affect the batch invoice. To bill additional work, open a new ticket.
Q: Which integrations are available for billing?
A: Invoices can be exported directly to QuickBooks or Xero, with batch and flexible invoice creation fully compatible with these platforms.
Q: Can I add taxes to invoices?
A: Yes. You can add and manage taxes directly on invoices as part of both standalone and batch invoicing workflows.
Q: What happens if a ticket is reopened after being billed?
A: Already billed tickets cannot be edited, merged, or have additional time applied.
For further work, create a new ticket and bill it separately.
Q: Is it possible to link or merge tickets for billing?
A: Currently, billed tickets cannot be merged or linked.
Any new billable time should be tracked in a new ticket.
Q: Can invoices be edited, deleted, or resent after batching?
A: Yes. You can edit invoices within a batch if they’re not exported or paid.
Individual invoice corrections require reissuing, but deleting a batch will release tickets so they can be rebilled.
Q: How are products, expenses, or part-time billed?
A: Add products and expenses to tickets or contracts; they’ll be included automatically in batch invoices.
Unbilled time and items remain available for future batches unless tied to a locked batch.
Q: How does Atera integrate with accounting software?
A: Batch and individual invoices can be exported to QuickBooks Online/Desktop or Xero, keeping billing and reconciliation in sync.
Q: Can invoice templates and branding be customized?
A: Yes. You can add your logo and customize invoice templates for branding under Admin > White Label.
Q: What happens if tickets or invoices need corrections after a batch is completed?
A: You must delete the batch to release tickets for rebilling.
Editing a single invoice within a closed batch isn’t possible if it has already been exported or paid.
Q: How are taxes, discounts, and surcharges managed?
A: Add taxes, discounts, and surcharges directly within each invoice.
QuickBooks/Xero users can sync tax rates with their accounting system.
Q: How do I set up or assign contracts to customers?
A: Navigate to the Customers or Contracts section, create your contract, assign it to the customer, and set defaults for each service.
Q: What reporting is available for billing and contracts?
A: Atera provides detailed billing, contract, and profitability reports, as well as operational and analytical reports for auditing, consumption, and outstanding balances.
Q: Which billing features are only available with the MSP product?
A: The billing module—contracts, contract rates, products/expenses, invoices, QuickBooks/Xero integration—is exclusive to Atera MSP.
The IT Department (ITD) edition does not include these features.
Q: How do I automate batch invoice creation for recurring contracts?
A: You can schedule batch invoice runs at the end of each billing period for recurring contracts (like Retainer/Flat Fee), ensuring all billable items—tickets, hours, and products—are included automatically.
Q: Can I set up contract-specific billing rates for different services or technicians?
A: Yes. Contracts can include multiple rate items for different services, roles, or after-hours work.
You can select the appropriate rate when logging time or creating tickets.
Q: How do I handle billing for prepaid services or block hours/money?
A: Atera tracks usage and remaining balances for Block Hours and Block Money contracts.
The system issues alerts when thresholds are reached and shows real-time balances in the contract section.
Q: Is it possible to bill for products and expenses not linked to tickets?
A: Yes. Products and expenses can be added directly to contracts or invoices even if they’re not tied to specific tickets.
Q: How do I manage billing for customers with multiple locations or sub-accounts?
A: Use sub-accounts or custom fields to differentiate locations, assigning contracts and generating invoices per site as needed.
Q: Can I customize invoice numbering, terms, and payment instructions?
A: Yes. You can customize invoice templates for numbering, payment instructions, terms, and branding.
Q: How do I reconcile payments and track outstanding invoices?
A: Mark invoices as paid manually in Atera, or auto-sync payments via QuickBooks or Xero.
Billing reports display payment status and outstanding balances.
Q: What happens if a contract is changed mid-billing period?
A: Contract changes apply only to new tickets or time entries moving forward.
Previously billed items remain unchanged.
Q: Can I void or credit invoices for billing errors?
A: You can void or credit unpaid or exported invoices.
Corrections after export must be handled directly in your accounting software.
Q: How do I handle taxes, discounts, or surcharges for international customers?
A: Set default taxes, discounts, or surcharges in Admin settings and apply them per invoice as needed.
Multi-currency billing is supported.
Q: Is there an audit trail for billing changes and invoice edits?
A: Atera maintains a full history of billing actions, invoice edits, and batch operations for compliance and auditing purposes.
Q: Where can I find more information and guides?
A: Refer to the Atera Knowledge Base for step-by-step guides on:
