Step by step
- Give the obligation a Shortfall fee: a flat fee when the obligation is missed, or a fee per missing credit. Per-credit multiplies by how short the family is: $25 per credit and 3 credits short is $75.
- When the season wraps, open the obligation’s Billing tab. The header shows how many families are short and the dollars outstanding.
- Click Generate drafts. Each short family gets a draft row with their credits short and the computed fee. Run it again later and drafts refresh to the live numbers; families who caught up drop off.
- Adjust before charging. Click an amount to edit it, or select rows and Set amount to change several at once. Only drafts change, generated invoices are never touched.
- Turn drafts into money. Per row: Create draft invoice (or, with roll-up billing on, Add to next bill (roll up) or Invoice now (bypass roll up)). In bulk: Invoice all drafts and Finalize & charge all.
- From there it’s a normal invoice: finalize and charge, send it by email, mark as paid, or void. The Status column tracks each family from Not drafted through Draft, Open, Paid, and friends.
Commit Swimming - Team Shortfall billing is a web task. Use team.commitswimming.com in a browser.
Common questions
Can I forgive one family? Yes. Delete their draft, or edit its amount to what feels right (including a partial fee). Nothing bills until you invoice.
Can I charge a family that technically met the goal? Yes. Their row menu has Create draft, which starts a zero draft you edit. Useful for the family who met credits on paper but no-showed a shift you removed.
I set no fee on the obligation. The Billing tab will tell you: edit the obligation, set the fee, then generate drafts.
Who can do this? Shortfall billing needs the Finances permission set to Edit. The Jobs permission alone doesn’t show the Billing tab.
When should I run it? After the season’s last job event, once you’ve removed no-shows. Drafts refresh to live numbers, so generating early does no harm, but invoice once at the end.
Does the invoice say what it’s for? Yes, it’s labeled with the event, the obligation name, and “Volunteer Obligation Shortfall”, so families know exactly what they’re paying.