# Creating & Updating Charge Items

Source: https://docs.astalty.com.au/guide/charge-items/managing-charge-items/creating-updating-charge-items

> Create and update individual Charge Items in Astalty.

Create, update or clone a Charge Item from [Charge Items settings](https://app.astalty.com.au/settings/charge-items). See the [Overview](https://docs.astalty.com.au/guide/charge-items/overview) for how items connect to services.

Creating and updating standalone Charge Items requires an Admin role and the corresponding Charge Item permission.

To manage Charge Items, navigate to the [Charge Items settings page](https://app.astalty.com.au/settings/charge-items).

## Creating a Charge Item

To create a Charge Item click *Add Charge Item* at the top right of the Charge Items table.

![The Charge Items card in Charge Items settings, with the Add Charge Item button beside Actions highlighted at the top right and an arrow pointing to it.](https://docs.astalty.com.au/assets/screenshot-2023-12-18-at-7.46.14-pm.png)

## Importing from the Price Guide

Before you import prices from the Price Guide, you'll need to ensure you have set your Region in [Business Settings](https://docs.astalty.com.au/guide/settings/business-settings). If you have not yet done this, you will be prompted to set your Region first.

### Search by name or number

Search by line item number or name.

![The Add Charge Item drawer with level 2 typed into the Search current NDIS Pricing Arrangements field, listing matching line items with their number, name and price, starting with 07\_002\_0106\_8\_3 Support Coordination Level 2: Coordination of Supports at $100.14.](https://docs.astalty.com.au/assets/screenshot-2023-12-18-at-7.49.16-pm.png)

### Select the line item

Select the line item to fill the Charge Item details form.

![The Add Charge Item drawer after selecting Support Coordination Level 2 from the search, with the Name, Number 07\_002\_0106\_8\_3, Price $100.14, Unit hour, Default claim type Direct Service and GST Code P2 filled in and the Reference left empty.](https://docs.astalty.com.au/assets/charge-item-creation-2.png)

## Manually entering or updating details

For an item outside the NDIS Price Guide, enter the Charge Item details manually.

After selecting a price-guide item, you can customise its price, name and reference. **Number** and **Unit** are locked in the import form. Once a Charge Item is saved, its Number and Unit cannot be edited; create a replacement if those are wrong. Claim Type is also fixed on [locked variants](https://docs.astalty.com.au/guide/charge-items/managing-charge-items/handling-claim-type-specific-line-items).

### Charge Item Number

This corresponds to the NDIS Price Guide. Unless you are charging for items outside the NDIS, you should not change this number as it may result in your payment request being rejected.

For non-NDIS work, use a clearly non-NDIS number such as `PRIVATE_SERVICE` and attach it to a **100 - Non-NDIS** service. Adding a letter to an NDIS-style number does not necessarily change the support category Astalty derives from its prefix. See [Services FAQs](https://docs.astalty.com.au/guide/participants/ndis-plan/services-faqs).

![The Add Charge Item drawer filled in manually for a non-NDIS Support Coordination item, with an arrow pointing to SC100 in the Number field, Enter the price including GST under the Price field, and a ticked Continue with P1 as the GST Code notice below.](https://docs.astalty.com.au/assets/non-ndis-charge-item-1.png)

### Charge Item Name

This is the name of the charge that will appear on the PDF invoices. You are free to customise this as you wish.

### Default Claim Type

When creating a Charge Item, you should select the Default Claim Type. This means that any time this Charge Item is assigned to a Task, the Claim Type for that charge will be set to the default.

### Unit

This corresponds to the NDIS Price Guide unit. Unless you are charging for items outside the NDIS, you should not change this value as it may result in your payment request being rejected.

### Price

The price of the Charge Item. You may customise this if you need however it will be prefilled with the price imported from the NDIS price guide.

If the GST Code is **P1**, enter the price including GST. Astalty works the GST out of the price rather than adding it on top, so a $95.00 price includes $8.64 GST, or $86.36 before GST. The invoice shows the GST in its totals, and the unit price stays $95.00 unless your [invoice settings](https://docs.astalty.com.au/guide/settings/invoices-settings#unit-price-display) show unit prices GST exclusive.

### GST Code

Astalty offers these codes:

| Code | Label           |
| ---- | --------------- |
| P1   | GST On Income   |
| P2   | GST Free Income |
| P5   | BAS Excluded    |

The form defaults to **P2**. Selecting another code requires confirmation before saving. Choose the code appropriate to the service and your tax treatment; a default or preset does not establish eligibility.

### Reference

This is a short and unique description of the Charge Item - This is what users will see when selecting the Charge Item in the Task.

### Notional unit price

Tick *This charge item has a notional unit price of $1.00* for Notional Charge Items, where we need to recalculate the quantity when we process the charge for invoicing. For more on Notional Charge Items see *Notional charge items* below.

You can tick or untick this at any time, including on a Charge Item you have already saved and used - see [Removing the notional unit price](#removing-the-notional-unit-price).

![The Add Charge Item drawer with a Support Coordination Level 2 line item filled in and a Reference of SC L2, and the This charge item has a notional unit price of $1.00 and Priced at a shared rate checkboxes unticked.](https://docs.astalty.com.au/assets/charge-item-creation-guide.png)

### Priced at a shared rate

Turn on **Priced at a shared rate** only when the price is already one Participant's share of a group support, such as a price prepared as a `1:2` rate. Astalty then leaves that price alone instead of applying the Group Support's automatic ratio a second time. Leave it off when the Charge Item holds the full service price that still needs to be split.

Changing this setting updates eligible charges that have not yet been invoiced, including charges in a draft Invoice Batch. Ratios set by hand are preserved. Astalty warns before a manual ratio is applied to a shared-rate item because that ratio reduces the already shared price again.

## Notional Charge Items

In Astalty, marking a Charge Item as notional uses a $1 unit price and recalculates the quantity to preserve the charge total. A GST-exclusive invoice display can adjust the displayed unit price for a GST-bearing item. For example:

- 10 units @ $1.50 = $15
- When we invoice this becomes 15 units @ $1

![The Add Charge Item drawer for Low Cost AT - Vision Related AT with a Price of $1 and a Unit of unit, the This charge item has a notional unit price of $1.00 checkbox ticked and highlighted, and a warning below about how notional Charge Items are invoiced.](https://docs.astalty.com.au/assets/charge-item-notional.png)

Once you have the Notional Charge Item created and setup within a Participant's Service, it can be assigned via the Finance tab within a Task.

![The Finance tab of a task to purchase vision aids, with the Low Cost AT - Vision Related AT charge highlighted in the Charges table, showing a Quantity of 650 units and a Total cost of $650.00.](https://docs.astalty.com.au/assets/notional-in-task.png)

### Removing the notional unit price

If a Charge Item was marked as notional by mistake, open the Charge Item, untick *This charge item has a notional unit price of $1.00* and save.

Once the notional unit price is removed, the Charge Item goes back to its normal unit price and quantity everywhere Astalty produces pricing, including:

- PDF invoices
- The charges listed on the invoice screen: the *N* badge next to the unit price disappears
- Bulk upload files

> **Charges you have already invoiced**
>
> Unticking the notional unit price is not limited to charges you have not invoiced yet. It also applies to charges sitting on invoices you have already raised.
>
> This is because Astalty does not store the notional unit price against each charge, and it does not keep a saved copy of the invoice PDF. The unit price and quantity are worked out from the Charge Item's current settings each time an invoice or claim file is produced. An invoice you raised before unticking will therefore show the corrected unit price and quantity the next time it is downloaded, emailed or resent. You do not need to void and reissue it.
>
> The invoice total does not change. Only the way the line is expressed changes: a charge invoiced as 15 units @ $1.00 goes back to 10 units @ $1.50, and either way the line is $15.
>
> The copy the Participant or Plan Manager already has is the PDF that was attached to that email, so it still shows the notional figures. Download the invoice again, or resend it, if they need the corrected version.

> **Invoices already sent to Xero or MYOB**
>
> Unticking the option does not resend an invoice already linked to Xero or MYOB. Its Xero or MYOB copy keeps the unit price and quantity that were sent previously.
>
> If the Xero copy needs correcting, review [Voiding](https://docs.astalty.com.au/guide/finance/invoicing/invoices/voiding) before voiding and re-invoicing the charges. Voiding requires an eligible unpaid invoice, and a linked Xero invoice must also accept the void. Confirm the result in both systems before issuing a replacement. Changing a copy directly in Xero does not update the Astalty charge.
>
> For an invoice in MYOB, void it in Astalty and invoice the charges again: voiding deletes the invoice in MYOB, or reverses it on a company file that requires reversals, and is refused while MYOB holds a payment or credit against it. See [Voiding Invoices](https://docs.astalty.com.au/guide/finance/invoicing/invoices/voiding#invoices-in-myob).

> **Editing from within a Charge Item Set**
>
> When you edit a Charge Item from within a [Charge Item Set](https://docs.astalty.com.au/guide/charge-items/managing-charge-item-sets), the notional unit price option is only available on the two kilometre travel Charge Items. For every other Charge Item, tick or untick it from the [Charge Items settings page](https://app.astalty.com.au/settings/charge-items) instead.

## Items without a price limit

In Astalty, you can charge for items that do not have a price limit. To do this, you should create a Charge Item with the relevant line item and set the price to $1. When using this Charge Item, you would then adjust the quantity to arrive at the desired total.

### From the NDIS Price Guide

Check the current NDIS pricing and claiming requirements for the item before using a notional price. Astalty's checkbox controls how quantity and unit price are presented; it does not determine whether the support can be claimed.

For example, a charge worth $530 can be represented as 530 units at $1.00. Confirm the correct item number and claiming treatment separately.

## Cloning a Charge Item

If you need a Charge Item that is similar to one you already have, you can clone it instead of re-entering every field.

To clone a Charge Item, click the three-dot menu at the end of its row in the Charge Items table and select **Clone**.

![The Charge Items table with the row menu open on SC-L2, showing View, Make Default and Clone, with Clone highlighted and an arrow pointing to it.](https://docs.astalty.com.au/assets/clone-charge-item-menu-guide.png)

The **Clone Charge Item** drawer opens, pre-filled from the original with its **Number**, **Unit**, **Price**, **GST Code**, **Default Claim Type**, and **Notional unit price** setting. The **Name** and **Reference** are also carried over, each with *(Copy)* added to the end. Every Charge Item Reference must be unique, so if that suggested Reference is already in use, including from an earlier clone of the same item, change it before saving the clone.

The price guide **Search** section isn't shown, so importing a line item can't overwrite the values you're cloning. The manual entry section is titled **Details** instead of **or add details manually**.

Once you're happy with it, click **Clone**. A new Charge Item is created, and the one you copied from is left exactly as it was.

> **A locked Charge Item stays locked on the clone**
>
> If the original Charge Item has a locked Claim Type, its **Number**, **Unit** and Claim Type stay locked on the clone. Importing an ordinary price-guide item does not by itself make its clone locked. Review the copied values before saving.

> **No Default Claim Type on the original**
>
> If the Charge Item you're cloning has no Default Claim Type set, the clone starts on **Direct**.

> **Permission required**
>
> **Clone** is only available to users who can create Charge Items, the same permission needed for **Add Charge Item**. If you don't see the option, your Account Owner or an Admin can clone the Charge Item for you.

> **Charge Items inside a Charge Item Set**
>
> This clones a standalone Charge Item from the [Charge Items settings page](https://app.astalty.com.au/settings/charge-items). Charge Items inside a [Charge Item Set](https://docs.astalty.com.au/guide/charge-items/managing-charge-item-sets) are fixed slots for weekday daytime, Saturday, public holidays and other rates, so there's nothing to clone into and no Clone option there. To duplicate a whole set, see [Cloning a Charge Item Set](https://docs.astalty.com.au/guide/charge-items/managing-charge-item-sets/creating-updating-charge-item-sets#cloning-a-charge-item-set).

## Video Walkthrough

Watch the following video to see a visual guide on how to create and update Charge Items.

Video walkthrough: creating and updating charge items.

### Updating Charge Item prices

Open the Charge Item, enter the new **Price**, then save. When the price changes, previously unlocked charges dated before today in your account's timezone retain the previous rate. Existing today/future charges still using the live price, and newly entered charges, can use the new rate. Use a **Unit Price** override when backdating requires an earlier rate.

Video walkthrough: updating charge item prices.