Customs / Operations — Billing Invoice
Creates AR invoice charges, AP vendor costs, and GL Sales (SLS) vouchers from operational data
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Operations Billing Invoice — Cross-Module Connection Guide

The Operations Billing Invoice screen is a cross-module transaction hub. It uses operational data (Entry Summary, In-Bond, FTZ, ISF, shipment and carrier details) to create a customer invoice and capture the financial consequences of that work.

  • AR outcome: customer charges post to Accounts Receivable as invoice line items.
  • AP outcome: vendor costs/payouts (freight, duties, exams, third-party fees) create payables tied to the invoice.
  • GL outcome: invoice creation generates a SLS Sales voucher for posting in General Ledger.
  • Tip: If costs are not final, place the invoice on Hold to prevent premature posting.
Key concept: A single billing line may represent both (1) what the customer owes (AR) and (2) what is owed to a vendor (AP). The invoice process also creates the GL Sales voucher for revenue recognition and reporting.

Behavior Controlled by Setup

Billing Invoice Entry behavior is controlled by manager setup options on Billing Interface Setup. If a user’s screen prompts, posting timing, printing output, or interest behavior differs from what you expect, review the setup page below.

Open Billing Interface Setup

  • Description edits: may be allowed or locked.
  • Negative lines: credits/adjustments depend on setup.
  • Invoice date defaults: Operations vs Current date impacts aging/periods (Prompt #5).
  • “Attention To” prompt: may appear during entry (Prompt #7).
  • AR posting timing: Immediate vs Batch (Prompt #11).
  • Invoice Hold: available when enabled (Prompt #12).
  • Invoice printing: address selection, crunching, desktop print routines (Prompts #2–7) of Additional Screen.
  • Interest / late fees: optional and setup-driven (Prompt #9–14) of Additional Screen.

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Operational Data Sources

This billing screen is typically launched from (or tied to) an operational file. Many header values and references may be pre-filled from upstream operations modules. The purpose is to ensure the invoice is traceable back to the operational work performed.

Common source modules

  • Customs Entry — entry number, importer/consignee, arrival date, carrier/bill references.
  • In-Bond — in-bond movements tied to the file, carriers, routing and dates.
  • FTZ — zone activity that drives billable services and related costs.
  • ISF — filing activity that may generate service charges and compliance-related billing lines.
  • Shipment data — pieces, weight, shipper/consignee, origin/destination, MAWB/HAWB or MBL/HBL.

Screen Reference

The screen is divided into a header section (who/what/when) and a charge grid (what is billed and what is payable). The grid is where AR and AP transactions are created.

Important: If a line includes a Vendor and Payout/Cost amount, it is committing an AP cost/payout. Verify vendor and amount before posting.

Header Fields

Header fields identify the transaction and connect it back to the operational file and customer. Several values may be pre-filled based on the file and upstream modules.

Primary identifiers

  • File No. — operational file/job number that ties billing to the shipment/entry.
  • Inv# (Next) — invoice number; using N to Next assigns the next available invoice number.
  • Date — invoice date (drives AR and AP aging and the accounting period downstream).
  • Hold? — flag to hold the invoice to prevent premature posting/processing (use when costs are incomplete).
  • Attn — attention/contact (often prints on invoice forms and helps customer routing).

Billing party and references

  • Bill To — customer billed (AR customer account).
  • Impr Ref# — internal reference number (audit, customer ref, or reconciliation).
  • Description — description of the billed work (often prints on invoice).

Operational / shipment details (typical) - Defaults from Operations Data

  • Pieces / Weight — shipment details (informational; helps audit and customer questions).
  • Shipper / Consignee — parties tied to the file.
  • Origin / Dest. — routing references.
  • Arr Date / Export Date — date references used for timelines and support.
  • Entryno — customs entry number (critical for duty billing).
  • Carrier / Mb # / Hb # — carrier and bill references (MAWB/HAWB or MBL/HBL depending on mode).

Charges & Costs Grid (AR + AP)

The grid is where you enter billable charges to the customer and (when applicable) the vendor cost/payout associated with that charge. This is the key bridge between AR and AP.

Typical columns

  • B/C — Bill Code. Enter / to view list or enter the proper Code
  • Description — Service/Charge description (what customer sees; maps to Bill Codes).

    Note: Whether descriptions can be edited is controlled by Billing Setup.

  • Chg Amnt — amount billed to customer (creates AR invoice line).
  • Est Payout — vendor cost/payout amount (creates AP cost/payout when Vendor is populated).

    Note: If Bill Code is setup for pass-through then Est Payout must be the same as the charge amount. See Bill Codes Entry Manual.

  • Vnd No. — vendor to be paid (trucker, carrier, U.S. Customs, warehouse, exam site, etc.).
  • Vnd Ref No. — vendor reference (invoice #, entry reference, waybill, etc.) used for AP matching.
Examples:
  • Freight billed to customer + payout to trucker: Chg Amnt (AR) + Est Payout + Vendor (AP).
  • Duty billed to customer + payable to U.S. Customs: Chg Amnt (AR) + Vendor = U.S. Customs (AP).
  • Brokerage fee: Chg Amnt only; vendor fields blank (AR-only).

GL Voucher (SLS) Impact

Creating the invoice also generates a Sales voucher with type SLS. This voucher is posted in the GL module according to your posting workflow and period controls.

What the SLS voucher represents

  • Revenue recognition for billable services (based on your charge-code to GL account mapping).
  • Offsets/clearing depending on your accounting setup (AR control, revenue, and any configured clearing accounts).
  • Period controls determined by invoice date and GL period settings.
Note: The specific GL accounts used are determined by your charge code / revenue mapping configuration in Bill Codes Entry.

Posting Flow (End-to-End)

  • 1) Enter invoice — select File No / Bill To, confirm operational references, enter charge/cost lines.
  • 2) Hold decision — if costs are incomplete, set Hold? to stop premature processing.
  • 3) AR posting — invoice becomes part of AR aging/statements and AR reporting per your AR posting workflow.
  • 4) AP processing — vendor costs created here move through AP approval/payment (check run / EFT) workflows.
  • 5) GL posting — SLS voucher posts to GL, impacting period financial reporting.

Posting timing: Manual invoices may interface to A/R immediately or in batch depending on Billing Posting Options.

Operational reality: It is common to bill the customer while still waiting on a final vendor invoice (or vice versa). Your policy should define when estimates are allowed and how adjustments are handled.

Best Practices

  • Use Hold for incomplete costs: If freight/duty/third-party amounts are not confirmed, place the invoice on Hold until verified.
  • Validate duty vendor mapping: Ensure U.S. Customs (or broker payable entity) is correct so AP payment routes properly.
  • Make vendor references useful: Enter vendor invoice #, entry #, or waybill reference to speed AP matching and reduce rework.
  • Review AR vs AP separately: Chg Amnt is customer-facing (AR). Est Payout is vendor-facing (AP). Validate both.
  • Prefer reversals over edits for posted items: Use approved reversal/adjustment workflows for audit clarity.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does Operations Billing create AP items?

Many billed services have a corresponding vendor cost (freight, duties, exams, storage, third-party fees). Capturing the cost at billing time ties the vendor payable directly to the customer invoice for easier reconciliation.

Why does my manual invoice screen/printing/posting behave differently?

Manual invoice behavior is controlled by manager setup options on Billing / Manual Invoice Setup — including description edits, negative amounts, date defaults, Immediate vs Batch posting, Hold, printing formats, and interest/late fees.

Can a billing line create AR without AP?

Yes. If no vendor number and no payout/cost amount is entered, the line is treated as a customer charge only (AR).

When is the GL Sales (SLS) voucher posted?

The voucher is created during invoice creation, but it posts to GL based on your GL posting workflow and period controls. In some environments, “created” and “posted” are separate steps.

What should I do if freight or duty costs are not final yet?

Place the invoice on Hold or follow your company policy for estimated costs. If estimates are used, ensure adjustments are handled via approved corrections or supplemental billing.

Where should this screen be documented?

This page should live under Customs / Operations because invoice creation is driven by operational files. The AR, AP, and GL manuals should link to this page as the source-of-truth for how invoices, costs, and SLS vouchers originate.