Billing

Understanding your invoice

What each line on your bill means, why the first invoice looks different and how billing periods work.

Your monthly invoice is issued in advance and sent to the email address registered on your account. Every invoice is also available in the client portal.

This guide explains what the various lines mean — particularly on your first invoice, which almost always looks different from the ones that follow.

What’s on the invoice

SectionWhat it tells you
Invoice numberThe unique reference for this invoice. Quote it in any billing query.
Customer numberYour account identifier — the same on every invoice.
Invoice dateThe date the invoice was issued.
Due dateWhen payment must reach us. Late payment may lead to restriction or suspension.
Billing periodThe service period this invoice covers. Services are billed in advance.
Line itemsEach charge, described individually — see below.
Balance brought forwardAnything unpaid from previous invoices.
Total dueThe amount payable, including any outstanding balance.
Payment detailsHow and where to pay, plus the reference to use.

Common line items

  • Monthly service charge — your package fee for the coming billing period.
  • Pro-rata charge — a part-month charge, usually on your first invoice, covering from installation to the start of the first full billing period.
  • Installation fee — the once-off charge for setting up your service. Appears on the first invoice only.
  • Equipment — any hardware supplied outside your package, where applicable.
  • Additional services — extras such as static IP addresses, additional access points or VoIP extensions.
  • Credit or adjustment — a correction, refund or goodwill credit applied to your account.
Why your first invoice is bigger

The first invoice usually combines three things: the once-off installation fee, a pro-rata charge for the partial first month, and your first full month in advance. From the second invoice onwards you’ll see a single, consistent monthly figure.

How pro-rata works

If your service starts partway through a billing cycle, you’re charged only for the days you actually had it. A connection activated on the 20th of a 30-day month is billed for ten days, not the full month. The same principle applies when you upgrade or downgrade mid-cycle.

The billing cycle

  • Services are billed monthly in advance — the invoice you receive covers the month ahead, not the month behind.
  • Invoices are emailed to the registered address and posted to the client portal at the same time.
  • Payment is due by the date shown on the invoice.
  • Package changes take effect from the next billing cycle unless we agree otherwise.

If your invoice hasn’t arrived

  1. Check your spam folder. Automated invoices are commonly filtered, particularly the first one.
  2. Log in to the client portal. Every invoice is there regardless of email delivery.
  3. Confirm your email address is correct in the portal. A typo means nothing reaches you.
  4. Add our billing address to your contacts so future invoices aren’t filtered.
  5. Contact us if it’s still missing — we’ll resend it and check what went wrong.

Querying a charge

If something on your invoice doesn’t look right, contact our accounts team with the invoice number and the specific line you’re questioning. We’ll investigate and explain or correct it.

Please raise queries before the due date where possible. A disputed line doesn’t suspend the rest of the invoice, so paying the undisputed portion on time avoids any restriction while we look into it.

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