# Invoices

## Guaranteed Commitment Billing Process — How It Works

***

## The Billing Lifecycle at a Glance

| Step                                       | What Happens                                                                           | When                                  |
| ------------------------------------------ | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------- |
| **1. Active Guaranteed Commitments (GCs)** | Customer has purchased GCs that are live in their account                              | Ongoing (e.g., all of January)        |
| **2. Cloud bill finalizes**                | AWS / Azure / GCP closes the billing period and finalizes utilization data for each GC | By the **4th** of the following month |
| **3. Archera invoices**                    | Archera calculates premiums based on actual utilization and publishes the invoice      | **4th** of the following month        |
| **4. Payment collected**                   | Archera charges the customer's payment method (marketplace or credit card)             | \~**6th** of the following month      |

***

## Step-by-Step Breakdown

{% stepper %}
{% step %}

### Customer Has Active GCs

The customer has previously purchased one or more Guaranteed Commitments through Archera. These commitments are live in the customer's cloud account and running throughout the billing period (e.g., January).
{% endstep %}

{% step %}

### Cloud Provider Finalizes the Bill

Once the month ends, the underlying cloud provider (AWS, Azure, or GCP) finalizes the customer's bill. This includes the utilization data for every GC the customer held during that period.

This finalization always completes by the **4th of the following month** (e.g., January data is final by February 4th).
{% endstep %}

{% step %}

### Archera Calculates Premiums & Generates the Invoice

Archera evaluates each GRI individually:

* **GC saved the customer money →** A premium is charged for that GC.
* **GC did not save money →** No premium is charged. Zero.

The invoice is published to the customer's dashboard at [app.archera.ai/invoice](https://app.archera.ai/invoice) on the day after the cloud bill finalizes (the 5th).
{% endstep %}

{% step %}

### Payment Is Collected

Archera charges the customer's payment method on approximately the **6th** of the month. Payment is typically collected via one of two methods:

* **Cloud Marketplace** (AWS / Azure / GCP Marketplace) — the most common method. Note: because the charge is processed in February, marketplace customers will see their January GC premiums appear on their **February** cloud bill. The premiums will show up on the following month’s bill.
* **Credit Card** — charged directly.

**Heads-up for customer conversations:** If a customer is confused about premium timing, help them understand the one-month offset. January premiums show up on the February cloud bill because that's when the marketplace charge is processed — not because the billing is delayed.
{% endstep %}
{% endstepper %}

***

## Rebate GCs — Going Beyond Zero-Risk

For customers on **Rebate GCs**, Archera doesn't just waive premiums on underperforming commitments — it actively pays the customer back.

### How Rebates Work

When a Rebate GC does **not** save money in a given month, Archera credits the customer for their wasted usage. This rebate appears on the same monthly invoice alongside any premiums.

### Where the Rebate Goes

Credits are deposited into the customer's balance in the [Payment Planner](https://app.archera.ai/payment-planner) — a Venmo-like wallet within the Archera platform.

From there, the customer has two options:

1. **Apply credits to GC premiums** — This is the default. The credit automatically reduces what the customer owes on this invoice and future invoices.
2. **Cash out to a bank account** — The customer can request a payout to any bank account of their choice.

***

## Quick-Reference: Customer-Facing FAQ

<details>

<summary>"When will I see my invoice?"</summary>

By the 5th of each month, covering the prior month's GC usage.

</details>

<details>

<summary>"Why does my marketplace bill show GRI charges a month late?"</summary>

Because premiums for a given month are processed the following month (e.g., January premiums are charged in February and appear on your February cloud bill).

</details>

<details>

<summary>"What if my GC doesn't save me anything?"</summary>

You won't be charged a premium for that GC. If you have Rebate GCs, you'll actually receive a credit for the wasted spend.

</details>

<details>

<summary>"How do I use my rebate credits?"</summary>

They're automatically applied to your next invoice by default. You can also request a bank payout through the Payment Planner.

</details>

*Need help walking a customer through their invoice or rebate balance? Reach out in #sales-support on Slack.*


---

# Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation

If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question.

Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter:

```
GET https://docs.archera.ai/help-center/billing/invoices.md?ask=<question>
```

The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.

Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.