How Does Service Suspension Impact Revenue

When a service is suspended in Discovery, billing behavior depends on the type of charge. Recurring charges stop, but certain vendor-driven charges may still appear on a client's invoice. This guide explains what to expect and what to watch out for.

Base Charges

How suspension impacts revenue depends on whether the service is pass through or not.

If not pass through, suspending a service stops new recurring base charges from being billed to the client.

• If a service is suspended partway through a billing period, the client is only billed for the days the service was active. The suspended days are not charged.
• When the service is resumed, recurring billing picks back up from the resumption date — again, prorated if it falls mid-period.

If the service is pass through, suspending a service does not stop a base charge from being billed to the client.  Pass through base charges from the vendor invoice generate billable expenses.  Since a vendor invoice came in with a base charge, it can be passed through to the client regardless of suspension status.

Per-Unit and Per-Occurrence Charges

If a vendor invoice is received that includes per-unit or per-occurrence charges, those charges will still be billed to the client — even if the service is currently or was recently suspended.

This is by design. These charges reflect real activity that the vendor has invoiced for. Because an actual vendor cost was incurred, it flows through to the client regardless of the service's suspension status.

Example: A service is suspended, but the vendor still invoices for a special pickup that occurred during the suspended period. That per-occurrence charge will appear as a billable expense on the client's invoice.

Quick Reference

What If the Client Was Already Billed for the Full Period?

If a client was invoiced for a full billing period before the service was suspended mid-period, Discovery will not automatically issue a credit for the unused days.

Example: A client is billed for all of March on March 1. The service is then suspended on March 15. The March invoice remains as-is. The April invoice will correctly show $0 for the suspended service, but there is no automatic credit for March 16–31.

In this case, a manual adjustment is required. A billing specialist will need to create a Prior Period Adjustment or Rebate on the client's next invoice to account for the overbilled amount.

Best practice: If a service is suspended mid-period and the client has already been invoiced for the full period, flag it for a manual credit adjustment on the next invoice cycle.

Key Takeaways

• Suspension pauses scheduled, recurring billing — it does not prevent charges tied to actual vendor activity from reaching the client.
• If you see per-unit or per-occurrence charges on an invoice for a suspended service, that is expected behavior.
• Discovery does not automatically credit clients for pre-billed periods. If a client was billed upfront and the service is suspended mid-period, a manual adjustment is needed.

If you have additional questions or need more in depth information, please feel free to send us a message using the help beacon in the lower right-hand corner.