Meaning
Payment accuracy is ensured at the end of a billing period through a contractual calculation that compares actual usage against estimated amounts. Procurement teams use a true up formula to adjust payments based on the actual consumption of software or services.
Financial Reconciliation
Billing adjustments ensure that the final cost of a service matches the volume of resources consumed by the buyer. The true up formula accounts for variations in headcount, data throughput, storage volume or software seat counts that occurred during the term. This mechanism prevents either party from being disadvantaged by inaccurate initial projections.
Contractual Adjustment
Enterprise agreements often include a grace period or a buffer before additional charges are triggered by overages. Once the threshold is crossed, the true up formula calculates the additional liability based on the unit price defined in the original contract. This process typically occurs annually or quarterly and may result in a bill for the difference or a credit toward future services.
Careful monitoring of consumption throughout the year allows a procurement team to anticipate the size of this final settlement.
Settlement Process
Documentation of every usage event is required to verify the accuracy of the final calculation. Audit rights allow the customer to inspect the data used to generate the invoice.