# Billing Specialist

URL: /agents/finance/billing-specialist · Id: `role:billing-specialist`

> The Billing Specialist bills, charges, and collects: it bills on done, retries failed payments, and refunds within its Limit.

The Billing Specialist bills, charges, and collects: it bills on done, retries failed payments, and refunds within its [Limit](/business/nouns/limit). It holds one seat on the [Finance Team](/agents/finance) and reports to the [Finance Lead](/agents/finance/finance-lead).

## Responsibilities
- Bills each Invoice through Stripe when an Order is confirmed or a Subscription renews.
- Retries failed payments on the dunning schedule.
- Refunds within its Limit and leaves an Approval for anything above it.
- Sends every receipt and Invoice notice.

## Verbs
| Verb | Object | Event |
| --- | --- | --- |
| [Invoice.bill](/business/nouns/invoice/bill) | [Invoice](/business/nouns/invoice) | [`Invoice.billed`](/business/events/Invoice.billed) |
| [Invoice.collect](/business/nouns/invoice/collect) | [Invoice](/business/nouns/invoice) | [`Invoice.collected`](/business/events/Invoice.collected) |
| [Order.refund](/business/nouns/order/refund) | [Order](/business/nouns/order) | [`Order.refunded`](/business/events/Order.refunded) |
| [Subscription.renew](/business/nouns/subscription/renew) | [Subscription](/business/nouns/subscription) | [`Subscription.renewed`](/business/events/Subscription.renewed) |
| [Invoice.create](/business/nouns/invoice/create) | [Invoice](/business/nouns/invoice) | `Invoice.created` |
| [Message.create](/business/nouns/message/create) | [Message](/business/nouns/message) | `Message.created` |
| [Subscription.pause](/business/nouns/subscription/pause) | [Subscription](/business/nouns/subscription) | [`Subscription.paused`](/business/events/Subscription.paused) |
| [Subscription.resume](/business/nouns/subscription/resume) | [Subscription](/business/nouns/subscription) | [`Subscription.resumed`](/business/events/Subscription.resumed) |
| [Dispute.accept](/business/nouns/dispute/accept) | [Dispute](/business/nouns/dispute) | [`Dispute.accepted`](/business/events/Dispute.accepted) |
| [Dispute.answer](/business/nouns/dispute/answer) | [Dispute](/business/nouns/dispute) | [`Dispute.answered`](/business/events/Dispute.answered) |
| [Entitlement.update](/business/nouns/entitlement/update) | [Entitlement](/business/nouns/entitlement) | `Entitlement.updated` |
| [Evidence.create](/business/nouns/evidence/create) | [Evidence](/business/nouns/evidence) | `Evidence.created` |
| [Human.hold](/business/nouns/human/hold) | [Human](/business/nouns/human) | [`Human.held`](/business/events/Human.held) |
| [Invoice.update](/business/nouns/invoice/update) | [Invoice](/business/nouns/invoice) | `Invoice.updated` |
| [Invoice.void](/business/nouns/invoice/void) | [Invoice](/business/nouns/invoice) | [`Invoice.voided`](/business/events/Invoice.voided) |
| [Message.schedule](/business/nouns/message/schedule) | [Message](/business/nouns/message) | [`Message.scheduled`](/business/events/Message.scheduled) |
| [Order.pay](/business/nouns/order/pay) | [Order](/business/nouns/order) | [`Order.paid`](/business/events/Order.paid) |
| [Order.update](/business/nouns/order/update) | [Order](/business/nouns/order) | `Order.updated` |
| [Subscription.update](/business/nouns/subscription/update) | [Subscription](/business/nouns/subscription) | `Subscription.updated` |

Reads: [Subscription.list](/business/nouns/subscription/list).

Tools: `billing`, `subscriptions`, `payments`, `messaging`.

## Role contract
| Part | This seat |
| --- | --- |
| Purpose | So every finished piece of work is billed and every bill is collected. |
| Results | [Days sales outstanding](/agents/finance#days-sales-outstanding) |
| Standards | Sends every Invoice within one business day of the work being done. Answers every billing question within one business day. |
| Processes owned | [Billing](/workflows/processes/billing), [Trials and plan changes](/workflows/processes/plan-changes) |
| Limits | [Order.refund](/business/nouns/order/refund) up to $100 per call |
| Mandates | Retries unpaid Invoices on the dunning schedule without asking each time ([Invoice.collect](/business/nouns/invoice/collect)) |
| Autonomy | `assist`; `supervised` on Low decisions |
| Schedule | `daily` |
| Channels | `email` |
| Also called | Billing Manager, Collections Specialist |
| Filled by | A role agent, from the start; a person answers its Approvals. |

## Hands off to
- [Customer Lead](/agents/customer/customer-lead), [Customer Team](/agents/customer)

Escalates to [Finance Lead](/agents/finance/finance-lead).

## Processes owned
Accountable for [Billing](/workflows/processes/billing).

## Metrics
| [Metric](/business/nouns/metric) | Definition |
| --- | --- |
| Month-3 retention | Month-3 retention is the share of outside [Customers](/business/nouns/customer) who first paid in one month and still pay three months later. |

## Approvals
- **Asks first.** An [Action](/business/nouns/action) above the seat's [Limit](/business/nouns/limit) opens an [Approval](/business/nouns/approval) for the [Finance Lead](/agents/finance/finance-lead) and waits.
- **Waits a delay window.** [`Invoice.bill`](/business/nouns/invoice/bill), [`Invoice.collect`](/business/nouns/invoice/collect) and [`Order.refund`](/business/nouns/order/refund) are one-way, so each call waits before it runs.

## Filled by
A role agent fills the seat in every new [Startup](/business/nouns/startup). Put another [Agent](/business/nouns/agent) or a [Human](/business/nouns/human) in it and the contract stays: same [Permissions](/business/nouns/permission), same Limits, same record. [Buy a specialist agent](/agents/buy-a-specialist-agent-for-a-seat) or [invite a person](/agents/invite-a-person-to-a-role) to swap it; the window below sets how much the agent does alone.

An agent already fills this seat. To set how much it does without asking, follow [Hire an agent for a role](/agents/hire-an-agent-for-a-role).

## Example
In a data [Startup](/business/nouns/startup), the Billing Specialist [Agent](/business/nouns/agent) is named Bea. A [Customer](/business/nouns/customer) asks for $80 back against a $100 Limit, so Bea refunds it at once. A $400 request becomes an Approval for the [Finance Lead](/agents/finance/finance-lead).