Common Platform and Microsoft invoice discrepancies

When comparing reconciliation files from Microsoft with Platform, you can find differences. Some of the billing data can be invoiced earlier or later by Platform than Microsoft. For the most common cases please see below:

1. Billing period is a period aligned to a billing cycle of a contract or subscription. It can be monthly or annual.

In Platform billing period start and end date always have the same day (end date of a billing period is the same as the start date of the next one). The start date of a billing period is included to period, the end date is not. So, the billing period 01/01/2018 – 01/02/2018 represents dates from the 1st of January, 00:00:00 to 31st of January, 23:59:59. For any subscription, which started on 29, 30, 31 of any month, the billing cycle is 1 and days between the subscription start date and the beginning of the next billing period are not charged.

Microsoft billing period includes the start and end dates. So, the billing period 01/01/2018 – 01/02/2018 represents dates from the 1st of January, 00:00:00 to 31st of January, 23:59:59.

2. Billing periods for different billing cycles
Microsoft invoice usually comes with a delay, so purchase fee for subscriptions which started on billing day is included to invoice; Platform considers this as a new period and invoices this only next month. Subscriptions started on 29^th, 30^th and 31^st have billing cycle 1 – and it also may be a reason for “delaying” purchase fee until next month.

Example:

Your billing date is the 1 of each month. On October 1 you purchase a new subscription with one license for EUR 10 per month and select monthly billing. As per example, the subscription has the following events:

The platform will generate invoices in the following way:

There will be no license-based reconciliation file on October 1.
The November 1 reconciliation file will contain the following billing lines:

Purchase fee is for period 01.10.2018 - 01.11.2018: 1 license * 10 EUR, total 10 EUR.

Quantity at the beginning of the billing period is 1. Cycle fee for period 01.11.2018 - 01.12.2018: 1 license * 10 EUR, total 10 EUR.

The December 1 reconciliation file will contain the following billing lines:

Quantity at the beginning of the billing period is 1. Cycle fee for period 01.11.2018 - 01.01.2019: 1 license * 10 EUR, total 10 EUR.

Microsoft will generate invoices in the following way:

The October 1 license-based reconciliation file will contain the following billing lines:

Purchase fee is for period 01.10.2018 - 31.10.2018: 1 license * 10 EUR, total 10 EUR.

The November 1 license-based reconciliation file will contain the following billing lines:

Quantity at the beginning of the billing period is 1. Cycle fee for period 01.11.2018 - 30.11.2018: 1 license * 10 EUR, total 10 EUR.

The December 1 license-based reconciliation file will contain the following billing lines:

Quantity at the beginning of the billing period is 1. Cycle fee for period 01.11.2018 - 30.11.2018: 1 license * 10 EUR, total 10 EUR.

3. Corrections are issued only for the closed billing period, even if a change to the current billing period happened before the invoice date. Corrections for such changes are included only in next month's invoice. Microsoft includes such corrections to the current invoice (but sometimes does not for all cases).

Example:

Your billing date is the 1 of each month. On May 7 you purchase a new subscription with 3 licenses for EUR 10 per month and select monthly billing. On June 28 you decide to suspend as per example, the subscription has the following events:

Platform will generate invoices in the following way:

The June 1 reconciliation file will contain the following billing lines:

Purchase fee is for period 07.05.2018 - 07.06.2018: 3 licenses * 10 EUR, total 30 EUR.

The July 1 reconciliation file will contain the following billing lines:

Quantity at the beginning of the billing period is 3. Cycle fee for period 07.06.2018 - 07.07.2018: 3 licenses * 10 EUR, total 30 EUR.

The August 1 license-based reconciliation file will contain the following billing lines:

Negative correction for unused days is prorated. Correction for period 07.06.2018 - 07.07.2018: - 3 * 10 EUR * (8/30), total - 8 EUR.

Microsoft will generate invoices in the following way:

The June 1 license-based reconciliation file will contain the following billing lines:

Purchase fee is for period 07.05.2018 - 06.06.2018: 3 licenses * 10 EUR, total 30 EUR.

The July 1 license-based reconciliation file will contain the following billing lines:

Quantity at the beginning of the billing period is 3. Cycle fee for period 07.06.2018 - 06.07.2018: 3 licenses * 10 EUR, total 30 EUR.

Negative correction for unused days is prorated. Correction for period 07.06.2018 - 06.07.2018: - 3 * 10 EUR * (8/30), total - 8 EUR.

4. Usage fee

All usage data is synchronized to Platform the next day after actual usage. Thus, consumption for a billing period in Platform is “shifted”, and the amounts may slightly differ. However, there is no data loss, and all “shifted” consumption will be included in the next invoice.

5. Invoicing for Azure plan

If your billing cycle is 2-28, then Azure plan charge period generated by the Platform will begin on billing date and end the date before billing date. Charges for Azure plan will be included in your monthly invoice, if charges are in the same currency. If currency differs, then another invoice will be generated by the Platform.

Microsoft Azure plan charge period is calendar month and invoices for the services on the 8th date the next month.

6. Microsoft delays for annual subscriptions

Microsoft may delay corrections for annual subscriptions. Platform may generate a correction, and Microsoft will include it to their invoice one or two months later.

7. Microsoft common cases to be further clarified with MS Partner center:

• Microsoft provides insufficient invoice data for usage-based subscription
• Microsoft uses price that cannot be found in the price list
• Microsoft uses the previous price
• Microsoft starts applying new price before the subscription renewal
• Microsoft does not invoice subscription at all
• Microsoft generates cycle fee for previous quantity
• Microsoft does not send subscription events
• Microsoft uses different quantity for cycle fee
• Microsoft correction price is different