With order costs (*Auftragskosten*) you charge a client for every processed order – either as a flat rate per order or variably, e.g. per package or per pick line. Filters for module, order status, packaging and conditions decide which orders of the client count.

![Screenshot: Order cost templates list with client filter, columns Client, Module, Costs and Active](/billing/images/order-costs-overview.png)

## Before you start
- Your user needs the permissions for the order costs in the cost settings – ask your administrator.
- The client is an active client of yours, see [Clients](/company/clients.md). The client's sales channels appear in the **Module** field.
- A **Billing Category** is required, see [Service categories](/billing/service-categories.md).
- For the packaging filter: your packaging materials (cartons) are set up as articles marked as packaging.
- The orders are picked and packed in X-Sitter, see [Picking](/outbound/picking.md) and [Packing](/outbound/packing.md).

## Step by step
1. Open **WMS › Settings › Cost settings › Order costs** (*WMS › Einstellungen › Kosteneinstellungen › Auftragskosten*). Use **Filter by client** (*Mandant filtern*) to narrow the list.
2. Click **Create template** (*Vorlage anlegen*).
3. Choose the **Client** (*Mandant*), optionally a **Module** (*Modul*, default **All modules**), and enter a **Name** (*Name*) and optionally a **Custom Name** (*Individueller Name*) and a **Detailed description** (*Detailbeschreibung*).
4. Enter the **Costs** (*Kosten*) and choose the **Billing Type** (*Abrechnungs-Typ*):
   - **Flat rate (per order)** (*Pauschal (Pro Auftrag)*) – costs × number of matching orders.
   - **Per unit (variable)** (*Pro Einheit (Variabel)*) – also choose the **Basis for calculation** (*Berechnungsgrundlage*), e.g. **Packages** or **Pick positions (lines)**.
5. Choose **Calculate from** (*Ermitteln aus*): **History** or **Orders**.

![Screenshot: Order cost template form with Client, Module, Name, Costs, Billing Type "Per unit (variable)" and Basis for calculation "Packages"](/billing/images/order-costs-form-basics.png)

6. Choose the **Billing Category** (*Abrechnungs-Kategorie*) and the **Itemized statement on the invoice** (*Detail-Darstellung auf Rechnung*). Optionally set the **Order Status Filter** (*Auftragsstatus Filter*), the **Packaging Filter** (*Verpackungs-Filter*) and conditions (**Add a condition**, *Bedingung hinzufügen*).
7. Optionally set a [validity period](/billing/validity-period.md), tick **Active** (*Aktiv*) and click **Save** (*Speichern*).

![Screenshot: Lower part of the form with Order Status Filter, Packaging Filter and a condition "Shipping method equals …"](/billing/images/order-costs-form-filters.png)

## Fields and options
| Field | Meaning | Required |
|---|---|---|
| **Client** (*Mandant*) | The client you are billing. | yes |
| **Module** (*Modul*) | Only orders from this sales channel. Empty = all. | no |
| **Name** (*Name*) | Name of the item on the statement. | yes |
| **Custom Name (Optional)** (*Individueller Name (Optional)*) | Text per line in the detailed breakdown. Variables: `#Auftragsnummer#` (order number), `#Menge#` (quantity), `#Avisierungsnummer#` (advance notice number). | no |
| **Detailed description** (*Detailbeschreibung*) | Description of the item on the statement. | no |
| **Costs** (*Kosten*) | Price per order or per unit (€). | yes |
| **Billing Type** (*Abrechnungs-Typ*) | **Flat rate (per order)** or **Per unit (variable)**. | yes |
| **Calculate from** (*Ermitteln aus*) | **History (warehouses_history)**: orders from the packing data, date = order date. **Orders (orders + orders_products)** (*Aufträge (orders + orders_products)*): the orders and their lines, date = delivery date. Default: History. | no |
| **Basis for calculation** (*Berechnungsgrundlage*) | For variable billing: **Packages** (*Pakete*) = number of packages of the order (with a packaging filter only the matching packages); **Pick positions (lines)** (*Pick-Positionen (Lines)*) = number of different SKUs in the order; **Individual items** (*Einzel-Artikel (Items)*) = total quantity of all items in the order. **Inserts** (*Beilagen*) and **Weight** (*Gewicht*) can be selected, but are currently counted as one unit per order. | for variable |
| **Billing Category** (*Abrechnungs-Kategorie*) | Groups the item on the statement. | yes |
| **Order Status Filter (Optional)** (*Auftragsstatus Filter*) | If selected, only orders with these statuses are included, see [Order statuses](/orders/order-statuses.md). | no |
| **Packaging Filter (Optional)** (*Verpackungs-Filter*) | If selected, only orders/packages with these packaging types are charged. | no |
| **Itemized statement on the invoice** (*Detail-Darstellung auf Rechnung*) | **No details** (*Keine Details*), **As subheadings** (*Als Unterpunkte*, default) or **Detailed breakdown in the appendix** (*Einzelnachweis auf Anlage*). | no |
| **Conditions (Optional)** (*Bedingungen (Optional)*) | Field **Country** (*Land*) or **Shipping method** (*Versandart*), an operator (equal, not equal, contains, in list, not in list, greater/less …) and a **Value** (*Wert*). | no |
| **Active** (*Aktiv*) | Only active templates are charged. | – |

## How the charge is calculated
- The calculation runs live when you open the [client statement](/billing/client-billing.md).
- For every order of the client in the billing period, X-Sitter checks module, status filter, packaging filter and conditions. All conditions must apply; text comparisons ignore upper/lower case.
- **Flat rate:** costs × number of matching orders.
- **Variable:** costs × packages, pick lines or individual items of each matching order.

![Screenshot: Client statement with an order cost item and its detailed breakdown listing order numbers and quantities](/billing/images/order-costs-statement.png)

## Example
You charge 1.50 € per order plus 0.30 € per additional package for DHL orders:
1. Template "Order handling": **Flat rate (per order)**, costs 1.50.
2. Template "Package fee DHL": **Per unit (variable)**, basis **Packages**, costs 0.30, condition **Shipping method** contains "dhl".

## Good to know / Troubleshooting
| Message | Cause | Solution |
|---|---|---|
| The entry has been saved / The entry has been updated (*Der Eintrag wurde gespeichert* / *Der Eintrag wurde ge-updated*) | The template was saved. | – |
| Should the entry really be removed? (*Soll der Eintrag wirklich entfernt werden?*) | Confirmation before deleting. | Confirm – you see "The entry has been removed" (*Der Eintrag wurde entfernt*). |
| Item missing on the statement | Template inactive, wrong module or status, a condition does not apply, or outside the validity period. | Check the filters, **Active** and the [validity period](/billing/validity-period.md). |

- Use **Duplicate** (*Duplizieren*) in the list to copy a template. The copy is inactive until you activate it.