Your clients' usage is always taken from your usage balance at ContentForge's price. Billing a client is separate: it's what the client pays you, through your own payment account. The money goes straight to you; we take no cut.
Choose per client
Clients → client → Business app → Usage billing:
- You pay (absorb it): nothing shows for the client.
- Rebill the client: they get a monthly invoice and see their usage in their app.
- On Growth it's at cost.
- On the Agency plan you can add a markup: one % for everything, and a different % per usage type if you like (0% to 400%). Only you see the markup and your cost; the client sees their price.
A markup change applies from then on. If you move from Agency to Growth, markups stop and later usage is billed at cost.
Set the defaults for new clients in Billing & credits → Usage.
Connect your payment account
Billing & credits → Usage → Charge clients for usage: create a new payment account, connect an existing one, or use the one your own business already takes booking payments with. Finish the account's details until it shows Ready to charge clients.
The client's card
Under the client's Usage billing: Email card link (sent to the client's owners) or Copy card link (works for 30 days). The client can also add a card in their own Settings → Usage. The card is saved on your account; we keep only the brand and last 4 digits.
Invoices
- Monthly: on the 1st, last month's usage, one line per type, charged to the saved card. The invoice comes from your account.
- Early charge: when a client's unbilled usage this month passes your amount (default $100), they're charged early.
- Amounts under 50¢ wait for the next invoice.
- Sales tax (see below).
Sales tax
We don't work tax out ourselves; your own payment account does it, if you turn it on.
- Tax turned on in your payment account: every usage invoice gets the right sales tax added automatically. Clients are asked for their billing address when they save their card (it's needed to work out the tax). A client without an address isn't invoiced until they add it (send them the card link again); their usage waits for the next invoice. The tax shows on the invoice and in the invoice list.
- Tax not turned on: no tax is added. To turn it on, open your payment account's Tax settings, add your business address and where you're registered to collect tax, then press Check status in Billing → Usage → Charge clients for usage.
The panel shows which one applies: Sales tax is on or No sales tax.
When a payment fails
- The payment provider tries again over about two weeks and emails the client.
- You get a bell notification and an email; the client's owners get a note to update the card.
- After the last try, the client's automated paid messages, calls and replies pause (unless you untick Pause automated messages if they don't pay). Their people can still reply by hand.
- When they pay (or save a new card, which tries again at once), everything carries on.
Their usage is still taken from your balance while they haven't paid.
No card yet
Usage keeps running (your balance carries it) and the client shows No card yet. Tick pause automated usage until a card is added if you prefer.
Monthly limits
Optional, per client: a limit per usage type and a total. When one is reached, that kind of usage pauses for that client only until next month or until you raise it. Free emails keep going.