A surcharge is an extra fee, charge, or tax that is added onto the cost of a good or service, beyond the initially quoted price.

Common examples include environmental fees or additional fuel charges. Surcharges are a special type of service that will become a line item on invoices. Surcharges can be added as an additional tax (percentage) or a flat rate.

In this article you will learn how to add surcharges when creating invoices.

Before You Start

Here are some things to know before you create and use surcharges:

1. You must have Manager, Admin or Owner level permission to create surcharges
2. Read over the FAQs section at the bottom of this article
3. Surcharges are considered a type of Accounting "Service" in ServiceCore
4. Surcharges will always have a quantity of "1" on invoices
   • To add multiple surcharges of the same type, you will want to add the surcharge to the invoice multiple times
5. Surcharges are calculated on the invoice subtotal (services + rental rates), before taxes and discounts

Create and Edit Surcharges

To create surcharges, please follow the steps outlined in this help article: Add Services and Surcharges.

To edit surcharges, please follow the steps outlined in this help article: Edit Services or Surcharges

How to Add Surcharges to Invoices

Once you've added your surcharges via settings, now you can begin using them when creating an invoice or a recurring invoice. Visit these help articles to learn how to use surcharges when creating your invoices:

1. Create a Recurring Invoice
2. Create a Rental Invoice with Recurring Billing
3. Create a Rental Invoice with One-Time Billing

Follow these steps to use surcharges on invoices:

1. If you have surcharges created in your company settings you will see a new section on invoices called Surcharges
2. You add surcharges to invoices by using the search box
   
3. Percentage surcharges will be automatically calculated on the Invoice Subtotal on all invoice, even during bulk billing including rate proration
   

For Users that Sync with QuickBooks

Both syncs, QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Desktop, allow services to sync two ways. This means whenever a service is created or update on one side the change will sync to the other.

QuickBooks Online (QBO)

QuickBooks Online does not provide a special distinction for services that use a percentage rate. Here are some rules when syncing surcharges with QBO:

Initial Sync

• During the initial sync we will import all of your services.
• Since QBO does not have a surcharge flag all surcharges will import as services into ServiceCore.
• Once your onboarding is complete you may edit the service and make it a surcharge.

From ServiceCore into QBO

• Surcharges that are a flat rate will sync like any other service into your QBO account.
• Surcharges that are a percentage will sync as flat rate, converting the percentage into a dollar amount.
• Example: 6.00% Environmental Fee surcharge, will sync into QBO as a service "Environmental Fee" with a rate of $0.06.

From QBO into ServiceCore

• Similar to the initial sync all services import with a rate not a percentage.
• There is a special case:
  • Let's say you created a percentage surcharge in ServiceCore that synced as a flat rate into QBO. Once you "edit the service" in QBO, it will sync back as flat rate service into ServiceCore.
  • Going forward your newly created invoices will no longer automatically calculate the percentage surcharge, they will just appear as a flat rate.

QuickBooks Desktop (QBD)

QuickBooks Desktop allows services with a percentage rate, therefore ServiceCore will sync the surcharge services correctly into your QBD file. Here are some rules when syncing surcharges with QBD:

Initial Sync

• During the initial sync we will import all of your services.
• If services in QBD are set as percentage, then the service will sync into ServiceCore as a percentage surcharge.
• If the service is a flat rate then it will sync into ServiceCore as a service, not a surcharge.

From ServiceCore into QBD

• Surcharges that are a flat rate will sync like any other service into your QBO account.
• Surcharges that are a percentage will sync into QBD.

From QBD into ServiceCore

• Similar to the initial sync, all services import as they are in QBD.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Below are some frequently asked questions we receive about surcharges in Servicecore.

Why can't I select surcharges on an invoice?

You will see a surcharge section on invoices if you have surcharges created in your company settings > accounting > services tab. You cannot search for surcharges in the services section. Here is how to Add Services.

How are surcharges calculated?

Surcharges are calculated from the invoice subtotal before taxes and discounts.

Can I change an existing service to a surcharge?

Yes, you can. All services not related to a product (rental rate) can be converted to a surcharge.

What happens to my invoice and recurring templates if I change a service to a surcharge?

Existing, already created invoices will NOT be affected. All recurring invoice templates and all newly created invoices will reflect the change.

Why can't I edit the quantity or rate for surcharges?

Most surcharges are an additional tax (percentage). To ensure the correct calculation based on the invoice subtotal we made the quantity and rate for surcharge line items not editable.