Backdating Subscription Changes

Introduction

After enabling the Backdating subscriptions and invoices feature in your Chargebee site, users can backdate certain subscription actions and invoices. For example, when editing an existing subscription record to upgrade, downgrade, revise the price, or add a charge or quick charge, users can specify a date from the past to backdate the subscription action. The subscription will continue to renew based on this backdated date.

This document explains how to backdate subscription changes, cancellations, reactivations, and the addition of charges and quick charges to a subscription in your Chargebee site.

Backdating Subscription Changes

The following prerequisites must be met to backdate subscription changes in Chargebee:

• Ensure that the setting for Backdating Subscription Change is enabled on your Chargebee site.
• Ensure that the day you perform the backdating does not exceed the limit set in Chargebee for backdating subscription operations.
• The subscription record is in Active, Cancelled, or Non-renewing statuses.
• Only the following subscription changes can be backdated:
  • Changes in the recurring items or their prices.
  • Addition of non-recurring items.

To backdate a subscription change in your Chargebee site, follow these steps:

1. Select the subscription record you want to change to open the details page.

2. Click Edit Subscription and make the necessary changes.

3. In the Apply Changes section, select On a specific date and choose a date from the past to specify when the changes should be applied. Click Apply.

   

   Make sure you select a date within the current billing term of the subscription.

   • When backdating a subscription change to a past date after the last renewal date:
     • If there are any subscription changes after the last renewal date, you can only backdate the subscription change up to the date of the last change. For example, if today is February 15, the subscription was last renewed on February 1, and a change took effect on February 10, you can only backdate the change between February 10 and 15 (for millisecond-based proration) or between February 10 and 14 (for day-based proration).
     • The subscription change must be a price-level change, meaning you are changing the price of existing items or adding new items that alter the subscription price. Changes like updating the PO number, custom fields, or adding contract terms are not considered here.
   • When backdating a subscription change to the last renewal date:
     • This is possible when there are no changes to the subscription between the last renewal date and the present date, provided there are no refunds or credit notes raised against the renewal invoice.
     • You can choose to provide full credits on the renewal invoice at the time of backdating the subscription change.

4. In the Invoicing Options section, select Immediately. Click Set the Invoice date to a past date and select a specific date to backdate the invoice. You can backdate the invoice by up to the current term start or one month in the past, whichever is shorter. However, you cannot select a date earlier than the subscription change date.

   

5. Click Update to save your changes.

Backdating Subscription Cancellation

The following prerequisites must be met to backdate subscription cancellation in Chargebee:

• Ensure that the setting for Backdating Subscription Cancellation is enabled on your Chargebee site.
• Ensure that the day you perform the backdating does not exceed the limit set in Chargebee for backdating subscription operations.
• The subscription record is in Active, Non-renewing, Pause, In-trial, or Future statuses.

To backdate a subscription cancellation in your Chargebee site, follow these steps:

1. Select the subscription record you want to cancel to open the details page.

2. Click Cancel Subscription from the subscription details page.

   

3. In When do you want to cancel the subscription, select Cancel on a specific date and choose a date from the past using the calendar. Click Apply.

   • Make sure the past date for cancellation falls within the current term.
   • When backdating cancellation to a past date after the last renewal date:
     • If there are any subscription changes after the last renewal date, you can only backdate the cancellation up to the date of the last change. For example, if today is February 15, the subscription last renewed on February 1 and a scheduled change took effect on February 10, you can only backdate the cancellation between February 10 and 15 (for millisecond-based proration) or between February 10 and 14 (for day-based proration).
     • When backdating cancellation to the last renewal date:
       • This is possible when there are no changes to the subscription between the last renewal date and the present date, provided there are no refunds or credit notes raised against the renewal invoice.
       • You can choose to provide full credits on the renewal invoice at the time of backdating the cancellation.

4. You can enable the setting to backdate the invoice and select the invoice date using the calendar. You can backdate the invoice by up to the current term start or one month in the past, whichever is shorter. However, you cannot select a date earlier than the subscription scheduled cancellation date.

5. Select how you want to handle credits for the unused period and click Cancel.

The subscription record is canceled successfully with the cancellation backdated to the selected date.

Backdating Subscription Reactivation

The following prerequisites must be met to backdate subscription reactivation in Chargebee:

• Ensure that the setting for Backdating Subscription Reactivation is enabled on your Chargebee site.
• Ensure that the day you perform the backdating does not exceed the limit set in Chargebee for backdating subscription operations.
• The subscription record is in Cancelled status.

To backdate a subscription reactivation in your Chargebee site, follow these steps:

1. Select the canceled subscription record you want to reactivate to open its details page.

2. Click Reactivate.

3. In Reactivate From, select a date from the past using the calendar, then click Apply. Make sure the selected reactivation date falls within the current term.

   

4. In the Invoicing Options section, select Immediately. Click Set the Invoice date to a past date and select a specific date to backdate the invoice. You can backdate the invoice up to the current term start or one month in the past, whichever is shorter. However, you cannot select a date earlier than the subscription reactivation date.

   

5. Click Reactivate.

The subscription record is reactivated successfully, with the reactivation backdated to the selected date.

Backdating Charges and Quick Charges

The following prerequisites must be met to backdate the addition of charges and quick charges in Chargebee:

• Ensure that the setting for Backdating All one-time actions is enabled on your Chargebee site.
• Ensure that the day you are performing the backdating does not exceed the limit set in Chargebee for backdating subscription operation.

To backdate the addition of charges and quick charges in your Chargebee site, follow these steps:

1. Select the subscription record to which you want to add a charge, then click +Add Charge or +Create Quick Charge.
   Note: To add a charge to a customer record using the API, click here.

2. On the Add Charge page, click +Add Charge or +Add Quick Charge and enter the required details.

3. Under Service Period, specify dates from the past. You can backdate all one-time actions by up to two years. However, you cannot select a date earlier than the subscription start date.

   
   

4. In the Invoicing Options section, select Immediately. Click Set the Invoice date to a past date and select a specific date to backdate the invoice. The invoice date is based on the service period and cannot be more than one month in the past from today.

5. Click Add.

Your charge or one-time charge is added to the subscription, and this one-time action is successfully backdated to the selected date.