Billing

---
name: "Autotask Billing"
description: >-
  Autotask billing item retrieval, approval-level workflows, and invoice search — covering
  billing item types, approval status filtering, and reconciliation of billable work against
  invoices for MSP finance teams.
when_to_use: >-
  When retrieving billing items, checking approval levels, or searching invoices in Autotask.
  Use when: autotask billing, autotask invoice, billing item autotask, billing approval, autotask
  billing item, autotask invoices, invoice search autotask, billable items autotask, or billing
  approval level.
---

# Autotask Billing

## Overview

Autotask billing tools give MSPs visibility into billable items, approval workflows, and invoices generated from time entries, charges, and contracts. Finance teams use these tools to review, approve, and export billing data.

## Anti-triggers

Billing items are derived records. When the question is about what
produced one:

- **The hours behind it** — use `autotask-time-entries`.
- **A charge posted straight onto a ticket** — ticket charges are a
  separate entity with their own approval path; use
  `autotask-ticket-notes-attachments`.
- **A technician's out-of-pocket cost** — use `autotask-expenses`.
- **Why the client is billed a recurring amount at all** — the
  agreement drives it; use `autotask-contracts`.
- **Cost the MSP owes rather than revenue it charges** — distributor
  and CSP invoices run in the opposite direction and never appear in
  Autotask; use `pax8-invoices` or `sherweb-billing`.
- **The invoice as the accounting system holds it** — Autotask billing
  items are the source for an invoice, not the posted ledger entry; use
  `qbo-invoices` or `xero-invoices`.

## API Patterns

### Get a Billing Item

Retrieve a single billing item by ID.

Tool: `autotask_get_billing_item`

Key fields returned:
- `id` — Billing item ID
- `ticketID` / `projectID` — Source entity
- `resourceID` — Who performed the work
- `billingItemType` — Type (time entry, expense, charge, etc.)
- `approvalStatus` — Current approval state
- `amount` — Billable amount

### Search Billing Items

Tool: `autotask_search_billing_items`

Key parameters:
- `companyID` — Filter by client company
- `invoiceId` — Filter by invoice
- `approvalStatus` — Filter by approval state
- `startDate` / `endDate` — Date range filter
- `page` / `pageSize` — Pagination (default 25, max 200)

### Search Billing Approval Levels

Tool: `autotask_search_billing_item_approval_levels`

Returns the configured approval workflow steps for billing items in your Autotask instance. Approval levels are instance-specific.

### Search Invoices

Tool: `autotask_search_invoices`

Key parameters:
- `companyID` — Filter by client company
- `startDate` / `endDate` — Invoice date range
- `page` / `pageSize` — Pagination

## Common Workflows

### Month-End Billing Review

1. Use `autotask_search_billing_items` filtered by date range and company
2. Review items with pending approval status
3. Check associated tickets/projects for context
4. Export approved items for invoice generation

### Invoice Reconciliation

1. Use `autotask_search_invoices` to find invoices for a client
2. Cross-reference with `autotask_search_billing_items` filtered by invoice ID
3. Verify all expected charges appear
4. Identify any missing or duplicate items

### Approval Workflow Inspection

1. Use `autotask_search_billing_item_approval_levels` to understand configured steps
2. Use `autotask_search_billing_items` filtered by `approvalStatus` to find items pending each step

## Notes

- Billing item types are instance-specific picklist values; use `autotask_get_field_info` with entity `BillingItems` to retrieve valid values for your instance
- Approval workflows vary per Autotask configuration — consult your instance settings
- Invoices are typically generated from approved billing items; unapproved items will not appear on invoices
- This area is read-only via MCP; creating or posting invoices must be done through the Autotask UI or billing integrations