> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.plock.io/plock-overview/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.plock.io/plock-overview/guides/subscriptions.md). # Subscriptions The **subscription is the link between a customer, what products they purchase, and what prices they have agreed to pay.** Subscriptions can be created manually from the customer page, through automation via pre-built CRM integrations, or using the Plock API. ## Subscription states * **Active**: Currently billing * **Draft**: Created but not yet started * **Paused revenue collection**: Invoicing temporarily stopped — charges still accrue * **Ended**: Cancelled with an end date If a customer purchases products with different payment schedules, put them in separate subscriptions. ## In advance & in arrears Each product in a subscription can be charged either at the start or end of the billing period — independently of other products: * **In advance**: Fixed fee products are invoiced at the start of the billing period * **In arrears**: Usage-based products are invoiced at the end of the billing period, after consumption is measured {% hint style="info" %} **Tip:** This lets you combine a yearly licence invoiced upfront with usage-based products invoiced monthly at the end of each period — all in one subscription. {% endhint %} ## Billing interval Subscriptions can bill monthly, quarterly (every 3 months), every 6 months, annually, or on a custom interval (e.g. every 2 months). Products with different billing schedules should be in separate subscriptions.
## Billing period modes Two modes control how billing periods are calculated: * **Calendar month**: Periods align to calendar months regardless of the subscription start date * **Continuous**: Periods follow the subscription start date — starting on the 15th means each period runs 15th to 14th of the following month ## Renewal anchor date The renewal anchor date aligns the first billing period to a specific date — for example, the start of a fiscal year. Only the first period is affected; all subsequent periods follow the normal billing interval from there. Useful when onboarding mid-year customers who need their contract aligned to an annual cycle. ## Proration When a subscription starts mid-period, charges for that first period are automatically prorated — only the portion of the period from the start date is billed. ## Minimum commitment A subscription can have a guaranteed minimum amount per billing period. If the calculated total falls below the minimum, the minimum is charged instead. Any usage above the minimum is billed as overage. Invoices are always generated regardless of usage level — minimum commitment sets a billing floor, not a threshold that defers or suppresses invoicing. ## Rebates Discounts can be applied at both the subscription level and per item: * **Percentage**: A percentage off the total or individual item * **Fixed per unit**: A fixed deduction multiplied by quantity * **Fixed total**: A flat deduction from the invoice line regardless of quantity or usage * Rebates can have an **end date** — they expire automatically without any manual action needed ## Price indexation Indexation raises a subscription's prices automatically once a year, on the indexation date. It is set up per subscription under **Renewal terms > Indexation**, where there are three options: * **Off**: prices are never adjusted automatically. * **Fixed percentage**: you enter an indexation date and a percentage. On that date each year, prices are increased by that percentage. * **By index**: you enter an indexation date and pick a published price or labour cost index, and Plock calculates the percentage from the index each year. ### Indexing by a published index With **By index**, the percentage comes from an official statistics publisher instead of being entered by hand. Plock fetches new index values from the publisher every day, so you never need to look up or type in the yearly change. Plock supports a range of consumer price and labour cost indices from publishers such as SCB, SSB, Eurostat and ONS. You pick one from the **Index** list on the subscription. Missing one you need? Contact Plock support. **How the percentage is calculated** Plock compares the most recently published index value with the value for the same period one year earlier: ``` percentage = (latest index value / index value one year earlier − 1) × 100 ``` * For a monthly index, that means the latest published month compared with the same month the year before. For a quarterly index, it is the latest published quarter compared with the same quarter the year before. * "Latest published" means the latest value available on the day the rate is set, not the month of the indexation date. Publishers release figures a few weeks after the period ends, so the latest value is usually one or two months old. For example, with an indexation date of 1 January and SCB KPI, the latest published month on 1 January is normally November, so the rate is November compared with the previous November. * The result is rounded to two decimals, the same precision the publishers use for their own year-over-year change. * Prices never go down. If the index has fallen, the index part of the percentage counts as 0%. * For SCB KPI, Plock uses the shadow index (skuggindex), which is the series SCB calculates its published 12-month change from. * For ONS CPI, ONS publishes the index rounded to one decimal but calculates its headline annual rate from unrounded figures, so Plock's rate can differ from the ONS headline rate by around 0.1 percentage points. **Index offset** Some contracts say something like "KPI + 2%". Enter the extra percentage points as the **Index offset**, and it is added on top of the index change. The offset is always applied in full, even in a year when the index is flat or has fallen. Example: the index went from 100.00 to 103.50, a change of 3.50%. With an offset of 2%, prices increase by 5.50%. If the index had instead fallen by 1%, prices would increase by 2%. **When the rate is locked** * **On indexation date** (default): the percentage keeps updating as new index values are published, right up until the indexation date. * **Lock rate one month ahead**: the percentage stops updating one month before the indexation date. Use this when you need to notify customers of the new prices in advance, so the rate you communicated is the rate that gets applied. Until the rate is locked, the subscription shows the projected percentage next to **Indexation** in its terms, and forward-looking CARR reporting uses that projection. The percentage can't be edited by hand on a subscription that is indexed by index. ### What gets indexed * Fixed fee products are always included. * Usage-based products are included only if **Automatically index usage-based products** is turned on in the indexation settings. * A product can be excluded entirely with **Exclude from indexation** on the product. * The new price amounts are rounded to at least two decimals, keeping more if the original price had more. ### After an indexation The new prices are added to the subscription as a scheduled change starting on the indexation date, marked **This change was triggered by an indexation**. The subscription timeline shows the adjustment percentage for that date, and a notification is sent about a week before an upcoming indexation. The indexation date can't be set in the past. Choose today or a later date. ## Cancellation period A configurable notice period (e.g. 3 months) before a subscription can be ended. This is tracked and visible in the subscription details. ## Cost centre and project fields Individual subscription items can be assigned a cost centre and project for financial tracking. These fields appear on invoices and can be used for internal cost allocation. ## Group billing When a master account has child accounts, their subscriptions can be billed together. If billing periods and practices match, Plock consolidates charges into a coordinated billing run. See [Customers](/plock-overview/guides/customers.md) for how to set up account groups.