The quick answer
On a charge-based project, a fixed fee tied to a milestone comes from a Milestone Rule. Open the project, go to Financial > Fixed Fee Rules, switch View to Milestone Rules, and click New Milestone Rule. Enter a Name, pick the Milestone/Task, enter the Amount, choose a Billing Item and an Initial Charge Stage, then click Save. Saving the rule doesn't create a charge. NetSuite generates the charge after the milestone is completed.
The screenshots show sample data. Person and operating-company names are fictional. Use your own project, milestone, and values when following the steps.
Before you start
A project only uses charge rules when its Billing Type is Charge-Based. That needs the Project Management and Charge-Based Billing features turned on, and a role that can edit projects and their charge rules. Save the project first, with its customer set. You can't add rules to a project that doesn't exist yet.
The rule points at a task on the project's schedule, so the milestone has to exist before you start. Milestone/Task only lists tasks that are already saved on the project. If the one you need isn't there, add it on the Schedule subtab first.
This example is a design firm that agreed to bill Halvorsen Dental Group a fixed 7,500.00 when the design for a clinic remodel is approved. The project is PRJ-0412 Clinic Remodel Design, and it already has a Design Approval milestone. The form can show other fields, such as Activity Code, and labels and subtab names can differ a little by account, role, and form. The Billing Item has to be a service item with a usable income account that your project's subsidiary and currency can use. Each milestone can have only one milestone rule, so check the milestone isn't already used. Whether a charge can be invoiced without a sales order depends on how your account handles project billing.
01. Check the project's billing setup
Open the project and click the Financial subtab. Under Billing Information, Billing Type reads Charge-Based and Billing Schedule reads Month End. If your project is on a different billing type, charge rules won't apply to it. The Billing Schedule sets how often ready charges are billed. It doesn't trigger the milestone fee.
Scroll to Charges Summary. Ready For Billing, Hold For Billing, Billed, and Pending are all 0.00 here, so nothing has been charged yet.
02. Find the milestone
Click the Schedule subtab. In Project Tasks / Milestones, Design Approval shows Milestone = Yes, 0 planned work, and an end date of 10/15/2026. This is the task the fee will follow. The other milestone on the list, Permit Submission, isn't part of this fee.
03. Check for an existing milestone rule
Go back to the Financial subtab and open Fixed Fee Rules below Charges Summary. Change View to Milestone Rules. The list says No records to show., so no rule bills this project when Design Approval is completed. Fixed Fee Rules handles three kinds of rule: Fixed Date, Milestone, and Project Progress. The View list switches between them, and each has its own New button.
04. Create the milestone rule
Click New Milestone Rule. The Milestone Rule form opens with Customer:Project already set to the project. Name, Milestone/Task, Amount, Billing Item, and Initial Charge Stage are required. In this account Billing Item starts on Architecture Services, so change it.
Fill it in:
- Name: Design approval fee
- Milestone/Task: Design Approval
- Amount: 7,500.00. This is the fixed fee.
- Billing Item: Design Services. It's a service item that sets the item and income account on the charge. Its own rate doesn't change the amount.
- Initial Charge Stage: Ready, so the charge can be billed once it exists. Hold waits until someone releases it, and Non-Billable is left out of customer billing.
- Description: Fixed fee at design approval
Then click Save.
05. Confirm the saved rule
The form closes and the Milestone Rules view lists Design approval fee. Task / Milestone reads Design Approval, Amount 7,500.00, Billing Item Design Services, and Initial Charge Stage Ready. Status reads Not Started and Completion Date reads 10/15/2026. Those two come from the linked milestone task, not the charge. Because the milestone hasn't started, that date is its planned end date, not an actual completion. Nothing has been charged yet.
Check the result
- The Milestone Rules view lists Design approval fee for Design Approval at 7,500.00.
- Billing Item is Design Services and Initial Charge Stage is Ready.
- Status is Not Started and Completion Date is 10/15/2026, so no charge exists yet. 10/15/2026 is the milestone's planned date.
The recording stops here. It covers the rule only, not charge generation or invoicing. After the milestone is marked complete and saved, look on the project's Charges subtab for a 7,500.00 charge in the Ready stage. Charge generation runs in the background, and some accounts also forecast charges from the planned date before completion. If the charge hasn't appeared, run Generate Charges or check Charge Run History. A Ready charge is not an invoice yet. It's billed on the project's billing cycle, and the exact invoicing steps depend on your account's project billing setup. Also check how the rule's Description shows up on the charge and the invoice in your account before you rely on it as invoice text.
Common questions
Does saving a milestone rule create a charge?
No. Saving stores the instruction: 7,500.00 through Design Services when Design Approval is completed. NetSuite generates the charge after the task is completed and charge generation runs. The invoice is a separate billing step after that.
What's the difference between Fixed Date, Milestone, and Project Progress rules?
A Fixed Date rule charges a fixed amount on a date, or on a recurring schedule. A Milestone rule charges a fixed amount when a task is completed. A Project Progress rule calculates charges from the project's percent complete. The 7,500.00 fee here follows one piece of work, so it's a Milestone rule.
What does Initial Charge Stage mean?
It's the stage the generated charge starts in. Ready can be billed. Hold waits until someone releases it to Ready. Non-Billable is left out of customer billing. This example uses Ready so the fee can be billed as soon as it exists.
Why didn't a charge appear after I completed the milestone?
Charge generation runs in the background, so give it a little time and then look at the Charges subtab. If it's still missing, run Generate Charges or check Charge Run History. Also confirm you completed the same task the rule points at, and check the stage the rule starts in, because a charge on Hold or Non-Billable won't bill.
What does the Billing Schedule do compared with the milestone rule?
The rule decides what gets charged and for how much. The Billing Schedule decides how often ready charges are billed. Month End doesn't create the fee, and finishing the milestone doesn't change the schedule.
Why doesn't my task show up in Milestone/Task?
That list only has tasks already saved on the project's schedule. Add the milestone on the Schedule subtab, save it, then reopen New Milestone Rule. A milestone that another milestone rule already uses can't take a second one.