Billing & Accounting Overview

Introduction

Zal Ultra provides a comprehensive billing and accounting system designed for ISPs with multi-tier reseller networks. This guide explains how billing works, from package pricing to profit distribution across all user levels.

Billing Types

Zal Ultra supports three billing types that determine how and when subscribers are charged:

1. Prepaid Billing

How it works:

Subscriber must have sufficient balance before activation
Payment is deducted immediately upon activation
Service is provided after payment confirmation

Balance Check Flow:

Subscriber Balance ≥ Package Price?
  ├── YES → Deduct balance → Activate service
  └── NO → Activation blocked → "Insufficient Balance" error

Use Cases:

Pay-as-you-go subscribers
New subscribers without credit history
Subscribers who prefer to pay upfront

2. Postpaid Billing

How it works:

Subscriber can be activated without immediate payment
Invoice is generated but payment can be collected later
Reseller's balance is used to cover the cost

Balance Check Flow:

Postpaid Activation:
  ├── Check Reseller Balance ≥ Package Cost
  │     ├── YES → Deduct from Reseller → Activate service
  │     └── NO → Check if Admin/Staff (no limit)
  │           ├── YES → Activate service
  │           └── NO → "Insufficient Reseller Balance" error
  └── Invoice created with "Due" status

Postpaid Options:

Setting	Description
`postpaid_subscriber_balance_required = 0`	Either reseller OR subscriber balance is enough (Default)
`postpaid_subscriber_balance_required = 1`	Subscriber MUST have balance (Strict Mode)

Use Cases:

Corporate/business subscribers
Trusted long-term subscribers
Monthly billing cycles

3. Pro-Rated Billing

How it works:

Charges are calculated based on actual days of service
Used for custom expiry dates or mid-cycle activations
Automatically calculates per-day pricing

Calculation:

Per Day Fee = Package Price / Package Duration (days)
Pro-Rated Amount = Per Day Fee × Actual Days Used

Example:

Package: 30 days for 300 BDT
Custom Expiry: 15 days from now

Per Day Fee = 300 / 30 = 10 BDT/day
Pro-Rated Amount = 10 × 15 = 150 BDT

Use Cases:

Custom expiry date activations
Fixed billing date alignment
Partial month activations

Package Pricing Structure

Multi-Tier Pricing Model

Zal Ultra uses a hierarchical pricing model where each level adds their profit margin:

Admin (Base Price: 100 BDT)
  │
  ├── Sets base price for package
  ├── Assigns to Reseller with price + profit margin
  │
  ▼
Reseller (Price: 100 BDT + Profit: 10 BDT = 110 BDT)
  │
  ├── Receives package at 100 BDT
  ├── Adds 10 BDT profit margin
  ├── Assigns to Sub-Reseller at 110 BDT + profit
  │
  ▼
Sub-Reseller (Price: 110 BDT + Profit: 10 BDT = 120 BDT)
  │
  ├── Receives package at 110 BDT
  ├── Adds 10 BDT profit margin
  ├── Assigns to Retailer at 120 BDT + profit
  │
  ▼
Retailer (Price: 120 BDT + Profit: 10 BDT = 130 BDT)
  │
  ├── Receives package at 120 BDT
  ├── Adds 10 BDT profit margin
  ├── Sells to Subscriber at 130 BDT
  │
  ▼
Subscriber (Final Price: 130 BDT)

Package Accounting Fields

Field	Description
`price`	Cost price from parent (what you pay)
`profit`	Profit margin from subscriber
`reseller_profit`	Profit margin from downstream resellers
`total_price`	price + profit (subscriber selling price)

Price Validation Rules

The system validates package pricing to ensure:

Price ≥ 0 - Price cannot be negative
Profit ≥ 0 - Profit cannot be negative
Price ≥ Parent Price - Cannot sell below cost

Validation Indicators:

Icon	Meaning
✅ Green	Valid price (> 0)
⚠️ Orange	Warning - Price is 0 (free package)
❌ Red	Invalid - Price below parent cost

Invoice Generation During Activation

Activation Flow

When a subscriber is activated, the following happens:

1. Validate Request
   ├── Check subscriber exists
   ├── Check package exists
   ├── Verify permissions
   └── Validate custom expiry (if any)

2. Pre-Activation Calculation
   ├── Calculate package fee (with pro-rating if needed)
   ├── Calculate extra fees (VAT, service charges)
   ├── Apply subscriber discount
   ├── Calculate salesperson profit
   └── Determine total activation fee

3. Balance Validation
   ├── Prepaid: Check subscriber balance
   └── Postpaid: Check reseller balance

4. Generate Invoice
   ├── Create invoice record
   ├── Add extra fee items
   ├── Set invoice status (Paid/Due)
   └── Link to subscriber

5. Process Payment
   ├── Deduct from subscriber/reseller balance
   ├── Create ledger entries
   ├── Create payment record
   └── Update cashflow

6. Profit Distribution
   ├── Calculate each tier's profit
   ├── Add profit to parent resellers
   └── Create distribution records

7. RADIUS Activation
   ├── Set expiration date
   ├── Update user group
   └── Apply bandwidth policy

8. Update Subscriber
   ├── Set profile status to Active
   ├── Update package assignment
   └── Set expiration date

Invoice Data Structure

Field	Description
`subscriber_id`	Subscriber receiving service
`package_id`	Package being activated
`billing_total_amount`	Total amount charged
`billing_package_amount`	Base package price
`billing_extra_fee_amount`	Extra fees (VAT, etc.)
`billing_discount_amount`	Discount applied
`invoice_status`	1=Paid, 2=Unpaid, 6=Due, 7=Reversed
`activation_status`	1=Activated (prevents cancellation)

Profit Distribution

How Profits Flow

When a subscriber pays, profits are distributed up the chain:

Subscriber pays 130 BDT to Retailer
  │
  ├── Retailer keeps 10 BDT profit
  ├── Retailer pays 120 BDT upstream
  │
  ▼
Sub-Reseller receives 120 BDT
  │
  ├── Sub-Reseller keeps 10 BDT profit
  ├── Sub-Reseller pays 110 BDT upstream
  │
  ▼
Reseller receives 110 BDT
  │
  ├── Reseller keeps 10 BDT profit
  ├── Reseller pays 100 BDT upstream
  │
  ▼
Admin receives 100 BDT (base price)
  │
  └── Admin keeps 5 BDT profit (if configured)

Distribution Records

Each activation creates distribution records:

User	Price	Profit	Total
Admin	100	5	105
Reseller	105	10	115
Sub-Reseller	115	10	125
Retailer	125	5	130

Profit Ledger Entries

Profits are recorded in the ledger system:

Ledger Entry:
  Type: Profit (4)
  To: Parent Reseller
  Amount: Profit Amount
  Note: "Profit from subscriber activation"

Payment Methods

Supported Payment Methods

ID	Method	Balance Change
1	Cash	No (tracking only)
2	Bank Transfer	No (tracking only)
3	Cheque	No (tracking only)
4	Balance	Yes (deduct from balance)
11+	Online Gateways	Yes (add to balance)

Cash vs Balance Payments

Cash Payments (1, 2, 3):

Money exchanged outside the system
System only tracks the transaction
Reseller's balance is cut to pay upstream
no_balance_change = true for subscriber

Balance/Online Payments (4, 11+):

Money flows through the system
Subscriber balance is deducted
Reseller balance is not cut (already paid)
no_balance_change = false

Subscriber Discounts

How Discounts Work

Subscribers can have a discount percentage that reduces their package price:

Package Price: 130 BDT
Subscriber Discount: 10%
Discount Amount: 13 BDT
Final Price: 117 BDT

Discount Validation

The system ensures discounts don't exceed the salesperson's profit:

If Discount > Salesperson Profit:
  └── Error: "Discount cannot exceed profit margin"

This prevents selling at a loss.

Extra Fees

Package Extra Fees

Additional charges can be added to packages:

Fee Type	Description
VAT	Value Added Tax
Service Charge	Service/maintenance fee
Installation	One-time installation fee
Equipment	Router/modem rental

Fee Calculation

Base Package Price: 100 BDT
VAT (15%): 15 BDT
Service Charge: 10 BDT
─────────────────────
Total: 125 BDT

Subscriber Extra Services

One-time or recurring services for individual subscribers:

Custom IP address
Static IP fee
Priority support
Additional bandwidth

Auto-Renewal

How Auto-Renewal Works

The system can automatically renew expired subscribers:

1. Check subscriber expiration
2. Verify auto-renew enabled
3. Check balance (prepaid) or reseller balance (postpaid)
4. Generate invoice
5. Process payment
6. Distribute profits
7. Update expiration
8. Send notification

Auto-Renewal Settings

Setting	Description
`auto_renew`	Enable/disable for subscriber
`billing_type`	Prepaid (1) or Postpaid (2)
`postpaid_subscriber_balance_required`	Require subscriber balance for postpaid

Invoice Reversal

Invoice reversal allows undoing an invoice and all related transactions. See Invoice Reversal for detailed documentation.

Reversal Types

Type	Refund	Use Case
Full	100%	Mistake, wrong package
Partial	Pro-rata	Early cancellation

What Gets Reversed

Subscriber profile restored
Balances refunded
Profits reversed
RADIUS configuration updated
Payment records marked as reversed

Ledger System

The ledger tracks all financial transactions:

Ledger Types

Type	ID	Description
Payment	1	Balance top-up
Expense	2	Balance deduction
Invoice	3	Invoice payment
Profit	4	Profit distribution

Ledger Fields

Field	Description
`to_profile_type`	1=User, 2=Subscriber
`to_id`	Recipient ID
`amount`	Transaction amount
`balance`	Running balance after transaction
`no_balance_change`	True for tracking-only entries

Best Practices

Package Pricing

Set realistic margins - Ensure each tier has reasonable profit
Validate pricing - Check for red/orange warnings
Consider extra fees - Include VAT in calculations
Test activations - Verify pricing before going live

Balance Management

Monitor reseller balances - Ensure sufficient funds
Set balance limits - Prevent over-spending
Regular reconciliation - Match ledger with actual balances
Track cash payments - Ensure physical cash is collected

Invoice Management

Review before activation - Verify amounts
Use proper payment methods - Cash vs Balance
Document reversals - Always provide reason
Keep audit trail - Don't delete records

Summary

Feature	Description
Billing Types	Prepaid, Postpaid, Pro-rated
Pricing Model	Multi-tier with profit margins
Profit Distribution	Automatic upstream distribution
Payment Methods	Cash, Balance, Online gateways
Invoice Reversal	Full and partial with pro-rata
Ledger System	Complete transaction tracking
Auto-Renewal	Automatic subscription renewal

The billing system ensures accurate financial tracking across all levels of your ISP business! 💰

Billing & Accounting Overview ​

Introduction ​

Billing Types ​

1. Prepaid Billing ​

2. Postpaid Billing ​

3. Pro-Rated Billing ​

Package Pricing Structure ​

Multi-Tier Pricing Model ​

Package Accounting Fields ​

Price Validation Rules ​

Invoice Generation During Activation ​

Activation Flow ​

Invoice Data Structure ​

Profit Distribution ​

How Profits Flow ​

Distribution Records ​

Profit Ledger Entries ​

Payment Methods ​

Supported Payment Methods ​

Cash vs Balance Payments ​

Subscriber Discounts ​

How Discounts Work ​

Discount Validation ​

Extra Fees ​

Package Extra Fees ​

Fee Calculation ​

Subscriber Extra Services ​

Auto-Renewal ​

How Auto-Renewal Works ​

Auto-Renewal Settings ​

Invoice Reversal ​

Reversal Types ​

What Gets Reversed ​

Ledger System ​

Ledger Types ​

Ledger Fields ​

Best Practices ​

Package Pricing ​

Balance Management ​

Invoice Management ​

Summary ​

Billing & Accounting Overview

Introduction

Billing Types

1. Prepaid Billing

2. Postpaid Billing

3. Pro-Rated Billing

Package Pricing Structure

Multi-Tier Pricing Model

Package Accounting Fields

Price Validation Rules

Invoice Generation During Activation

Activation Flow

Invoice Data Structure

Profit Distribution

How Profits Flow

Distribution Records

Profit Ledger Entries

Payment Methods

Supported Payment Methods

Cash vs Balance Payments

Subscriber Discounts

How Discounts Work

Discount Validation

Extra Fees

Package Extra Fees

Fee Calculation

Subscriber Extra Services

Auto-Renewal

How Auto-Renewal Works

Auto-Renewal Settings

Invoice Reversal

Reversal Types

What Gets Reversed

Ledger System

Ledger Types

Ledger Fields

Best Practices

Package Pricing

Balance Management

Invoice Management

Summary