Billing entities define the currency, tax rates, and invoice details for purchase plans. You can create reusable configurations for different regions or business requirements, and assign them to specific purchase plans.
Use Cases for Billing Entities
Some uses for billing entities include:
- Multi-region operations: An educational institution creates separate billing entities for each of its international campuses, each with local currency and tax rates.
- Multiple legal entities: A training provider operates through different registered companies and creates billing entities for each to maintain separate financial records.
- Different tax treatments: An organisation creates one billing entity for GST-inclusive domestic sales and another for GST-free international sales.
- Subsidiary operations: A parent company creates different billing entities for each subsidiary to manage revenue and invoicing through the correct legal structure.
Creating a Billing Entity
To create a billing entity, navigate to Sales and Finance in the left-hand panel, then to Billing Entities.
Select New Billing Entity.
Note: to set up and manage billing entities, you must have access to Finance Admin.
This is managed via the user profile, under the Finance & Sales tab. For more information, visit our help article on Managing Sales and Finance Permissions.
Currency and Tax Settings
Configure the currency, tax rates, and business identification settings that will apply to all purchase plans using this billing entity. These settings determine how transactions are processed and how prices are displayed to customers.
| Form Field | Description |
| Billing Entity Title | The name of this billing entity used for internal reference. This appears when selecting a billing entity for purchase plans. |
| Billing Entity Code | A short code to identify this entity in reports and exports. This helps distinguish between entities for reporting. |
| Status | The current status of this billing entity. Draft entities can be edited, but won't be available for purchase plans. Active entities are available for use. |
| Country | The country where the billing entity operates. |
| Currency | The currency used for all transactions under this billing entity. All purchase plans assigned to this entity will display prices and process payments in this currency. |
| Tax Label | The name of the tax that appears on invoices and receipts (such as GST or VAT). Leave blank if no tax applies. |
| Tax Rate | The percentage rate for the tax. This tax rate applies to all taxable purchases under this entity. |
| Default to ‘purchasing on behalf of an organisation or business’ | When enabled, the purchase workflow defaults to organisational purchasing rather than individual purchases. This is useful for entities primarily serving corporate clients. |
| Include business identification number in purchase workflow | When enabled, customers are required to provide their business identification number (such as an ABN) during checkout. |
| Include purchase order number in purchase workflow | When enabled, customers can add a purchase order number during checkout. This is useful for corporate clients who need to track purchases against their internal PO systems. |
| Price display method | Select whether prices are shown inclusive or exclusive of tax. This affects how prices display to customers throughout the purchasing journey. |
Invoice and Receipt Settings
Configure how invoices, credit notes, and receipts are generated and numbered for this billing entity.
| Form Field | Description |
| Invoice & Receipt Issue Method | Choose how invoices and receipts are generated. 'Platform Issued Invoices & Receipts' means Academy automatically generates and manages all financial documents. Select this option unless you're using external invoicing software. |
| Invoice Code | A short prefix that appears on all invoice numbers (e.g., 'INV' creates invoice numbers like INV-00012345). This helps distinguish invoices from other document types in your records and finance system. |
| Credit Note Code | A short prefix that appears on all credit note numbers (e.g., 'CRN' creates credit note numbers like CRN-00012345). Credit notes are issued when refunding or adjusting invoices. |
| Credit on Hold Code | A short prefix that appears on credit on hold documents (e.g., 'CR' creates numbers like CR-00012345). These documents track credits that customers can use for future purchases. |
| Invoice / Credit Note / Receipt Digits Length | The number of digits used for the sequential number portion of document numbers. For example, setting this to 8 creates document numbers like INV-00012345. Higher numbers provide more capacity for future growth. |
Pay Later Settings
Select available pay later methods for customers.
| Form Field | Description |
| Stripe | When enabled, customers can choose to pay later and receive an invoice to pay by credit card. The payment is processed manually or through your payment tracking system once funds are received. |
| Bank Transfer | When enabled, customers can select bank transfer as a payment method and receive an invoice with your bank account details for direct deposit or EFT payment. |
| Minimum Purchase Price | Set a minimum order value required for customers to use the pay-later option. For example, setting this to $500 means customers must pay immediately for orders under $500, but can choose pay later for orders of $500 or more. Set to 0 to allow pay later for all purchase amounts. |
Organisation Details
Configure your organisation's details and branding that will appear on invoices and receipts generated for this billing entity.
| Form Field | Description |
| Organisation Name | The legal or trading name of your organisation as it should appear on all invoices and receipts. |
| ABN | Your Australian Business Number or equivalent business identification number. |
| Contact Address | Your organisation's address as it should appear on invoices and receipts. This is typically your business's registered or primary address. |
| Contact Phone Number (Optional) | A contact phone number for customer enquiries about invoices. This appears on invoices and receipts. |
| Contact Email Address | An email address for invoice-related enquiries. This appears on invoices and should be monitored for customer questions about billing. |
| Invoice Logo (Optional) | Upload your organisation's logo to appear on invoices and receipts. Accepted formats are .png and .jpg. |
Pay Later Details
These instructions will appear on invoices when customers select the pay later option. Use this to provide your bank account details, payment reference instructions, or any information customers need to complete a direct bank transfer or EFT payment.
There are also some variables you can copy and paste into your pay-later instructions. These automatically populate with the correct information for each invoice (e.g., @invoice_number@ becomes the actual invoice number, @invoice_due_date@ becomes the payment due date).
Payment Terms
Set invoice due dates, payment terms, and customer-facing payment instructions. These will appear on all invoices using this billing entity.
| Form Field | Description |
| Invoices are due | The number of days after purchase that payment is due. For example, setting this to 28 means invoices are due 28 calendar days after the purchase date. |
| Modify closer to start date | When enabled, invoice due dates can be adjusted to ensure payment is received before a program starts, providing an additional safeguard for advance payment. |
| OR no later than [X] days before program start date | When enabled, ensures invoices are due at least this many days before the program starts, regardless of the standard payment terms. Useful for programs requiring payment in advance. |
OR [X] day if purchased within [X] days of start date |
When enabled, shortens payment terms for last-minute purchases. For example, "1 day if purchased within 14 days of start date" means customers purchasing close to the start date must pay within 1 day. |
| Invoice Payment Terms Description | Customer-facing payment instructions that appear on every invoice. Use this to explain payment methods, banking details, or any special instructions. You can format this text using the rich text editor and include variables like invoice number and due date. |
| Invoice Variables | You can copy and paste these variables into your payment terms description. These automatically populate with the correct information for each invoice (e.g., @invoice_number@ becomes the actual invoice number). |
At the bottom of this screen, you also have the option to preview your invoice.
Stripe Settings
Configure your Stripe payment gateway settings.
| Form Field | Description |
| Webhook URL | Copy this URL and add it to your Stripe account's webhook settings. This allows Stripe to send payment notifications back to Academy, ensuring transactions are tracked and processed correctly. You can find webhook settings in your Stripe Dashboard under Developers > Webhooks. |
| Stripe Secret Key | Your Stripe secret API key from your Stripe account. This key allows Academy to process payments through your Stripe account. Find this in your Stripe Dashboard under Developers > API keys. Keep this key secure and never share it publicly. |
| Stripe Signing Key | This key verifies that webhook notifications are genuinely from Stripe, ensuring secure communication between Stripe and Academy. Find this in your Stripe Dashboard under Developers > Webhooks after creating the webhook endpoint. |
| Stripe Publishable Key | Your Stripe publishable API key from your Stripe account. This key is used to display payment forms securely to customers. Find this in your Stripe Dashboard under Developers > API keys. |
Notifications
Configure automated notifications that will be sent to customers after a purchase is made in this billing entity.
| Form Field | Description |
| Email Templates | Set up customised email templates for purchase confirmations, receipts, and other transaction-related communications. Click 'Add Default Templates' to start with pre-configured templates that you can customise for your organisation. Email templates determine what customers receive after completing a purchase. |
| Due Date Reminders | Set up automatic reminders for upcoming invoice due dates. These reminders help customers remember when payment is due and can reduce late payments. Click 'Add Reminder' to configure when reminders are sent (e.g., 7 days before due date, 3 days before due date, on the due date). |
| Overdue Reminders | Set up automatic reminders for overdue invoices. These reminders are sent after an invoice's due date has passed and payment hasn't been received. Click 'Add Reminder' to configure the timing of overdue notifications (e.g., 1 day after due date, 7 days after due date, 14 days after due date). |
Reconciliation
If you will be reconciling payments with your finance system automatically, you will need to add your FTP server details here. This information will be found in your finance system.
Configure the file settings to ensure the columns in Academy reconciliations match the fields in your finance system. This will ensure payments are matched correctly and avoid mismatches.
Next Steps
Once you've completed all sections of your billing entity setup, save your changes and set the entity status to Active. The billing entity will then be available to assign to purchase plans within your programs.
Please note, certain settings, such as currency and country, cannot be changed once the entity is active and has been used for transactions. Review all settings carefully before activating.
If you need to create additional billing entities for different regions, currencies, or legal entities, return to the Billing Entities list and create a new entity with the appropriate configuration.