Steps for billing audit review
- 01
Open billing activity or the organization’s activity history.
- 02
Filter recent changes by type or result.
- 03
Open each change to see who made it and the invoice or report it touched.
- 04
Use the record to explain the decision to whoever asks.
What the finished work leaves you with
A note that traces a billing event to who did it, where it came from, the linked record, the outcome, and any open question.
What to do when the review finds a problem
The history covers more than one organization or source
Filter by organization, date range, and event source before reading a change.
You have selected a settings or billing event
Read who acted, the source, and the outcome together. Do not infer intent from today’s state.
The event links to an invoice or report
Open it and check that both records agree.
The event does not explain what you see now
Record the mismatch and assign someone to follow up.
A common mistake to avoid
Using today’s settings to explain a past billing decision without checking the recorded event.
Franchise billing audit review checklist
Use this checklist to trace a billing change through the activity history and related records. It sets the date range, identifies who changed what, follows the invoice or report involved, and records open questions, without drawing legal or accounting conclusions.
Before you start
- Open the activity history for the right organization.
- Choose the source, outcome, date range, invoice, or report filters your question needs.
- Decide where to keep record references and open follow-ups for this review.
When a billing audit event is missing or unclear
The activity history should show who changed what, when, and what changed as a result. When it has gaps, leave the current state alone and piece together the few records you need before drawing a conclusion.
A recent billing change has no matching entry in the activity history.
Check first
- Search the right date range and filters rather than only the current record.
- Compare the record’s last update time with the history, minding the time zone.
- Check whether the change was made in a way that is logged as a different kind of entry.
Next action
Note the gap with the record and its update time, and send it to whoever owns the activity history. Do not guess who made the change or infer the cause from today’s settings.
Confirm the result
Your note includes a search someone else can repeat, the current record, and either the entry you found or a clearly open gap.
An entry names who acted, but the action is hard to understand.
Check first
- Read the action, outcome, and linked record together.
- Compare the entry time with the before and after values on the record.
- Check whether the actor is a person, an automatic step, a sync, or an import.
Next action
Describe the entry using only what it records, then ask the owning team to explain an unclear label. Keep your interpretation separate from the facts.
Confirm the result
Your note names who acted, the action, the before or after values, and an owner for any open question.
An entry links to an invoice or report that does not match.
Check first
- Compare the linked record’s type, franchise, and period with the entry.
- Check whether it links to a related line, file, or parent record rather than the one you are reviewing.
- Open the linked record and compare when it was created or updated with the entry.
Next action
Note both records separately and send the mismatch to whoever owns the activity history. Do not relabel a related record as the affected invoice or report.
Confirm the result
Your note says whether the link is exact, related, or unclear, and keeps both records for follow-up.
The activity history seems to skip a step.
Check first
- Search a wider time range and include related filters.
- Compare the first and last visible states with the record’s timestamps.
- Check whether a batch, retry, or automatic step combined several changes into one entry.
Next action
Write down the before and after states and the missing gap, then send it for review. Do not fill the gap with an assumed action or use today’s settings as proof of what happened earlier.
Confirm the result
Your note includes the search used, the visible changes, the missing gap, and an owner for anything still to piece together.
When you need to hand it on
- Include the date range and time zone, who acted, the action, the outcome, and the linked records.
- Leave raw payment data and private details out of the note; keep only the facts and record references.
- Ask the owner of the activity history whether a gap needs a technical investigation or a business follow-up.
Link to the record instead of copying passwords or unrelated personal details into your note.
A situation to work through
A reviewer needs to explain a billing change after a run. They follow the activity history entry to its invoice, report, rule, or payment record and note what changed and who changed it.
Link each event to the record it changed, who acted, when, and the result before closing the question.
This is a planning example, not a customer result.
How can billing changes be traced later?
Filter the billing activity and activity history to recent changes, open the linked invoice or report, and see who made each change and when.
Put the workflow into practice
In Granite, the activity history records who changed billing rules, invoices, access and franchise records, and when.
Set it up in Granite with your own franchises, reporting periods and billing rules.