> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://commet.co/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Invoices and Billing Cycles

> How Commet generates invoices, what they contain, and when customers are charged.

Invoices are the financial records Commet generates automatically whenever a subscription event or billing cycle occurs.

## Invoice types

| Type | When Generated | Example |
| - | - | - |
| **Recurring** | Every billing cycle | $99 plan base + $12.50 overage |
| **Overage** | Between cycles (quarterly, semiannual, and yearly only) | 15k extra API calls billed monthly |
| **Plan change** | Customer upgrades mid-cycle | Starter to Pro, prorated \$45 |
| **Credit purchase** | Customer buys a credit pack | 500 credits for \$40 |
| **Balance top-up** | Customer adds funds | \$50 balance top-up |
| **Add-on activation** | Customer activates an add-on mid-cycle | SMS add-on, prorated \$32.26 |
| **Adjustment** | Manual correction issued | \$10 refund for service issue |
| **One-time payment** | Standalone charge (`payments.charge` or a payment link) | \$250 one-off invoice, no subscription |
| **Reactivation** | Canceled subscription is reactivated | Fresh invoice, billing anchor reset to now |

The **One-time payment** type backs the [payments resource](https://commet.co/docs/accept-one-time-payments.md) — charges and payment links with no subscription. Its single line uses the `one_time` line type.

## Invoice line types

Each invoice is made of typed lines. The line type tells you what the charge is for.

| Line type | What it is |
| - | - |
| `plan_base` | The plan's recurring base price |
| `feature_overage` | Metered usage beyond the included allowance |
| `feature_seats` | Seat charges — advance for excess seats plus mid-cycle true-up |
| `feature_quota` | Quota charges — advance plus true-up |
| `discount` | Introductory offer discount |
| `promo_code_discount` | Promo code discount |
| `credit` | Credit application |
| `balance_overage` | Balance model overage when the balance is exhausted and usage isn't blocked |
| `addon_base` | An add-on's base price |
| `one_time` | A standalone one-time payment, with no subscription |

## When charges happen

| Component | When Charged | Example |
| - | - | - |
| **Plan base price** | Advance (period start) | \$99 on Jan 1 |
| **Boolean features** | Included in plan base | SSO, Custom Branding |
| **Metered overage** | True-up (period end) | 2,500 extra API calls |
| **Included seats** | Advance (with base) | 5 editor seats |
| **Additional seats** | Hybrid: true-up for the past period + advance for the next | 3 extra seats prorated for the days used, then billed ahead |

## Billing intervals

| Interval | Base Invoice | Overage Invoice | Consumption Reset | Example |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| **Weekly** | Every 7 days | Included in recurring invoice | Every 7 days | \$25/week every Monday |
| **Monthly** | Every month | Included in recurring invoice | Every month | \$99/month on the 1st |
| **Quarterly** | Every 3 months | Monthly | Every month | \$297 base quarterly, overage monthly |
| **Semiannual** | Every 6 months | Monthly | Every month | \$540 base every 6 months, overage monthly |
| **Yearly** | Every 12 months | Monthly | Every month | \$899 base yearly, overage monthly |
| **One-time** | Single charge at checkout | At period end (if overage exists) | Never | \$299 lifetime, no recurring charges |

For quarterly, semiannual, and yearly plans, overage is calculated and invoiced monthly even though the base charge is less frequent. For weekly plans, everything runs on a 7-day cycle. For one-time plans, the customer pays once at checkout and never receives a recurring invoice — only overage charges if applicable. See [One-Time Payments](https://commet.co/docs/one-time-payments.md) for details.

## Learn more

* [What Invoices Do Customers Receive and When](https://commet.co/docs/what-invoices-do-customers-receive-and-when.md)
* [How Do Monthly, Quarterly, and Yearly Billing Work](https://commet.co/docs/how-do-monthly-quarterly-and-yearly-billing-work.md)


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