Charges
Use Charges to define the cost types your company records for carrier, vendor, and operational expenses.
Charges are the cost side of settlement. Services are the customer billing side.
Before you start
Make sure that:
- item charges or G/L accounts are available if costs are posted to Business Central financial documents,
- vendors and carriers are created,
- Freight Agreements are configured if charges are copied from carrier agreements,
- settlement rules are configured in TMS Setup,
- users understand which costs are estimated and which costs are actual.
How to create a charge
- Search for Charges.
- Choose New.
- Enter a code and description.
- Select the posting or purchase mapping used by your process.
- Fill defaults such as quantity, unit of measure, VAT/product posting data, or currency when required.
- Mark the charge blocked only when users must stop using it.
Fields that matter most
| Field | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Code | The charge identifier used on documents and settlement lines. |
| Description | Appears on cost lines, reports, and documents. |
| Vendor or carrier mapping | Controls which supplier context is used for cost processing. |
| Item Charge / G/L mapping | Controls how the cost is posted or allocated. |
| Blocked | Prevents new use without breaking history. |
Where charges are used
| Area | Use |
|---|---|
| Freight Order | Records expected or actual carrier cost. |
| Freight Agreements | Defines reusable carrier cost lines and calculation flags. |
| Settlement | Allocates cost to the Forwarding Order and calculates margin. |
| Purchase Assignment | Maps vendor purchase lines into Freight Order charges and settlement cost. |
| Purchase processing | Supports vendor invoice or cost document creation. |
| Reporting | Shows cost structure by charge type. |
Good to know
- Use short, stable charge codes. They become reporting dimensions for cost analysis.
- Do not delete charges used in historical documents. Block them instead.
- Keep service codes and charge codes separate. It helps users understand income versus cost.
Troubleshooting
| Problem | What to check |
|---|---|
| Charge cannot be selected | Check whether the charge is blocked. |
| Cost does not post correctly | Review item charge, G/L, VAT, and vendor mapping. |
| Margin is wrong | Confirm the charge amount, currency, allocation, and settlement recalculation. |
| Cost cannot be allocated | Check the settlement line status and linked Forwarding Order. |
| Purchase invoice line cannot be matched | Check charge setup and Purchase Assignment. |