Total Access: Billing & Finance Best Practices
Total Access Program Management | Updated each term
This article walks through the invoice sequence your program follows each term, what to review at each step, and the practices that keep your billing accurate and your program costs predictable.
Why billing accuracy matters
Your Total Access program follows a structured invoice cycle each term. The earlier you stay engaged, particularly around adoption completeness and enrollment accuracy, the closer your actual invoices will match your forecasts. The most common source of billing surprises are adoption changes made after the cost forecast has been generated.
Invoice sequence
Your program may generate up to five billing touchpoints each term. Here is what to expect at each one and what action is needed from your team:
| Timing | What you receive | What you should do |
| ~90 days before term start | Cost forecast: covers approximately 80% of estimated physical material costs based on current adoptions | Review against prior-term actuals and acknowledge receipt of email. Flag any unexpected variances and alert your CSM. |
| ~60 days before term start |
Prepayment Physical Invoice: covers 80% of estimated physical costs * may vary based on contract with school |
Pay invoice |
| First day of class (FDOC) | Second Prepayment Physical Invoice: covers the remaining ~20% of estimated physical costs | Pay invoice |
| ~30 days after class start | Activity invoice: captures variance between the actual physical usage versus prepayment (any difference between the two is represented). Additionally, digital usage is also captured. This includes student participation (opt outs and drops). | Review for any unexpected activity. Late adoption changes and enrollment adjustments are reflected here. |
| ~30 days after course start | Service fee invoice: calculated separately based on attempted credit hours for the term | Confirm your finance team is expecting this as a separate document from the activity invoice. |
| End of term | True-up invoice: captures any remaining adjustments, credits, or reconciliations to close out the term | Review carefully and pay invoice. Flag any unexpected credits or charges to your CSM. |
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Keep in mind: The cost forecast is based on adoptions at the point in time it is generated, approximately 90 days before your term start. Changes made after the forecast are not reflected until the activity invoice approximately 30 days into the term. The more stable your adoptions are at forecast time, the more accurate your estimates will be. |
Each-term checklist
- Review and acknowledge the cost forecast when shared (~90 days before term start)
- Compare the forecast to your prior-term actuals. Flag variances before acknowledging forecast
- Review physical activity invoices received prior to term start.
- Reconcile the activity invoice (~30 days into term) against actual enrollment and opt-out data (where applicable)
- Confirm your finance team is expecting the service fee invoice. It arrives separately, around the same time as the activity invoice
- Hold student refunds or credits until after your census date or end of add/drop
- Review and ensure end-of-term true-up invoice is paid to close the term
Understanding the service fee
The service fee is calculated based on attempted credit hours for the term, not material costs. A few things to know:
- Attempted credit hours include students who opted out of the program
- Students who dropped a course are excluded from the calculation
- The fee is invoiced separately from material costs. Your finance team should expect two distinct invoices around the 30-day mark
- The per-credit-hour rate is based on your contract. Contact your CSM if you need to confirm your rate or if you have any questions regarding how your service fee is managed.
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Watch out for: Finance teams sometimes expect a single combined invoice at the 30-day mark. Make sure your billing contact knows the service fee arrives as a separate document from the activity invoice. Both come around the same time but cover different charges. |
Reviewing forecasts against prior-term actuals
When you receive a forecast, compare it to what you were actually invoiced in the prior comparable term (if applicable). Look for:
- Significant increases in physical material costs. This often signals new physical-only adoptions or a shift in format mix
- Enrollment changes that affect scale. More students or higher credit loads will increase material and service fee costs
- OER or library resource adoptions that may reduce costs. Confirm these are still being adopted correctly
- Any high-cost materials that were not in the program before. Courseware adoptions in particular can have a large per-student cost impact
- Review existing inventory tab: if applicable, existing physical inventory from prior terms will be applied towards the forecast for the current term.
If something in the forecast looks unexpected, contact your CSM before acknowledging. It is much easier to investigate before the term starts than after invoicing begins.
Refunds and charge timing
When and how you charge students for Total Access fees has a direct impact on your reconciliation process:
- Credit hours are generated on the activity invoice 30 days after the term start. You can use this activity invoice to process refunds for add/drops as part of the student billing process. Note: Any residual activity after the 30 days from term start will be captured in the end of term invoice.
- All procured materials are included on the invoice.
- Our team will attempt to return any undelivered materials. Some materials are unreturnable, such as custom materials/lab manuals/etc. This is noted on the forecast when possible.
- Students who opt out before physical materials ship will have their orders cancelled.
- Students who opt out after physical materials are shipped may need to be charged by the school for any unreturned materials.
- We recommend waiting to issue credits before confirming that physical materials have been returned. Contact your CSM if you are unsure of a student's return status
How adoption changes affect your invoice
Every adoption change made after the cost forecast has been generated can affect what you are invoiced. The gap between forecast and actuals is almost always driven by:
- Late adoption additions: materials not in the forecast must be procured and added to the activity invoice
- Physical format selections made after the forecast. Physical materials carry additional shipping and handling costs
- Adoption removals after materials have shipped. The school will still be responsible for procurement and shipping costs already incurred
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Watch out for: Adoption creep: small changes made throughout the term add up. Each individual change may seem minor, but collectively they can significantly increase what you are invoiced vs. your original forecast. Reinforce your adoption change cut-off date with departments and route all changes through adoptions@vitalsource.com. |
Accessing your invoices
Invoices are sent to your billing contact by email.
Each invoice includes:
- A PDF summary will show the invoice total
- An Excel backup file will include the line-by-line transaction detail and total
Contact
Billing or invoice questions: contact your Customer Success Manager
All other program questions: success@vitalsource.com
Questions? Contact your VitalSource Customer Success team at success@vitalsource.com