Boarding Billing Setup: Getting Your Invoicing Configured

Setting up your boarding barn billing system correctly from the start is significantly easier than fixing it after a month of incorrect invoices. This guide focuses specifically on the billing configuration steps, from charge structure documentation through your first successful invoice cycle.

Pre-Setup: Document Everything First

Before opening your billing software, create a billing reference document that includes:

1. Every board package with its exact monthly price
2. A clear description of what each package includes and excludes
3. Every add-on service with its price and billing method
4. Your billing schedule (invoice date, due date, grace period)
5. Your late fee structure

This document is your configuration blueprint. If you make decisions during software setup that aren't in this document, add them before you close the document. Inconsistencies between your written policy and your software configuration create billing errors.

Board Package Configuration

Create one template per board package in BarnBeacon. Template components:

Package name: Descriptive and client-facing. "Full Board" not "FB-PKG1."

Monthly price: The exact figure that appears on invoices.

Included services: A brief description of what's included, which appears in the invoice header or as a package description.

Associated add-ons: If certain add-ons automatically apply to this package (e.g., a training board package always includes a training log), link them.

Add-On Charge Configuration

Each add-on in your price list becomes a charge item in the system. Important configuration details:

Charge type: Monthly flat rate (appears automatically on every invoice for horses with this add-on) vs. per occurrence (logged manually each time the service is rendered).

Amount: The exact charge. Don't approximate or round; enter the precise figure from your price list.

Name: What appears on the client's invoice. Clear and self-explanatory.

Billing Cycle Configuration

Set the following with intention:

Invoice generation date: When does the system compile charges and create the invoice?

Invoice delivery date: When does the invoice get sent to owners?

Payment due date: The date on the invoice.

Grace period: How many days after the due date before late fees apply.

Automated reminder schedule: Set up at minimum one pre-due reminder (3-5 days before) and one post-due reminder (1-3 days after).

Late fee rule: Amount or percentage, and whether it applies automatically or requires manual approval.

First Invoice Validation

Before sending your first invoices to owners, generate and review them internally:

• Is every horse on the correct board package at the correct rate?
• Are all expected add-ons appearing?
• Are any add-ons appearing that shouldn't be?
• Is the due date correct?
• Are the payment instructions clear?
• For any mid-month horses, is the proration calculated correctly?

Fix every issue you find. Your first invoice cycle sets expectations with boarders. A billing error on the first invoice undermines confidence in the new system.

See boarding billing management for ongoing management after setup is complete, and boarding barn billing setup for a broader setup framework.