How to Pause Customer Billing

Modified on Sun, 12 Apr at 10:20 PM

Overview

This article explains how to post a Billing Pause Discount Credit to a customer account. A Billing Pause credit is used when a customer's recurring charges need to be temporarily offset — for example, during a service interruption or hold period. The process involves three main stages: adding a Stop Date to the relevant recurring charge, posting the open credit to the account, and verifying the credit in the customer's Credit History.

Step 1 — Navigate to Recurring Charges

Open the customer's record in Customer Maintenance and select Recurring Charges from the left-hand navigation menu.

The Recurring Charges screen will open, displaying all active recurring charges for the account. In the example below, account PX1010 (99th Precinct Building) has a monthly total of $45.98 across two charges: MON ($34.99) and RAD ($10.99).

Step 2 — Add a Stop Date to the Recurring Charge

Select the recurring charge line you need to pause (e.g., the MON charge, highlighted in green below) and click Change.

In the Recurring Charge detail screen, enter the appropriate date in the Stop Date field. This tells the system when the recurring charge should stop generating invoices.

⚠️ IMPORTANT

The Description Override field (33 character limit) can be used to note the reason for the pause, such as a pending quote reference. This field is usually left blank under normal circumstances.

Click OK to save the Stop Date on the recurring charge.

Step 3 — Open Customer Credit History and Insert a New Credit

Return to the Customer Maintenance screen and select Credit History from the left-hand navigation menu.

The Customer Credit History screen will open. Click Insert to begin creating a new open credit for this account.

Step 4 — Complete the Post Open Credit Form

The Post Open Credit window will appear. Complete the form fields as described in the steps below. Note that credits posted here will be applied to future invoices.

4a — Set Invoice Type Applicability

In the upper-right panel labelled Credit Can Be Applied To These Invoice Types, ensure the appropriate invoice types are checked. For a Billing Pause credit, check Product Invoices in addition to Recurring Invoices as needed.

4b — Enter the Original Credit Amount

Enter the credit dollar amount in the Original Credit field (e.g., 150.00). The Available Credit field will automatically reflect the same value. Note the Use Pretax amt for Discount Credits option displayed alongside this field.

4c — Select the Type of Credit

Use the Type Of Credit dropdown and select DISCOUNT. Once selected, the Credit Category (Discount) field and additional detail fields will become available.

4d — Set the Credit Category

In the Credit Category (Discount) field, enter or look up BILLPAUSE using the magnifying glass search icon. This category links the credit to the Billing Pause discount type and automatically populates the GL Code as DISCOUNT.

4e — Enter the Credit Description

Complete the Desc Of Credit field with a description such as Billing Pause. The Desc To Print field (which appears on printed/emailed documents) should also be completed — for example, Billing Pause. The GL Code field will display DISCOUNT and is auto-populated based on the selected Credit Category.

⚠️ IMPORTANT

The Credit Number and Credit Create Date are assigned automatically by the system. The Post To Account# field should reflect the correct customer account number (e.g., PX1010). Verify this before saving.

Once all fields are completed, click OK to post the credit to the account.

Step 5 — Verify the Credit in Credit History

After posting, the system will return you to the Customer Credit History screen. Confirm that the new Billing Pause credit appears in the credit list with the correct Original and Available amounts, Credit Type (DISCOUNT), Category (BILLPAUSE), and Description (Billing Pause). The Credit Activity and Credit Adjustments tabs at the bottom of the screen provide additional detail on how the credit has been applied.

Summary of Fields

Field	Value / Action
Post To Account#	Customer account number (e.g., PX1010)
Original Credit	Dollar amount of the credit (e.g., 150.00)
Type Of Credit	DISCOUNT
Credit Category (Discount)	BILLPAUSE
Desc Of Credit	Billing Pause
Desc To Print	Billing Pause (appears on customer-facing documents)
GL Code	DISCOUNT (auto-populated)
Invoice Types Applicable	Recurring Invoices and/or Product Invoices
Stop Date (Recurring Charge)	Date the recurring charge should stop (e.g., 4/08/2026)

Need Additional Help?

Our Customer Success team is here to assist you.

Phone: 847-405-9517 x1
Email: customer.success@alarmbills.com