BizBillingInfoHub
OEB internal reference, product changes, billing, deposits. Last updated 24th Wed 2026.
Internal use only. Do not reference internal tools or system names in customer-facing communications.
Sections
What to Do (Start Here)
The verification checklist for every account before getting off it. Plus billing sheet and snippets generator links.
Blocking Debtors from Leaving
10 objection criteria, process flow, Kraken views, customer messaging, FAQ.
Security Deposits
Replaces advance payments. Credit tiers, return schedule, Kraken ledger, FAQ.
Payment Plans
Manual scheduling, 12-month max, variable DD rules, how to set up in Kraken.
Billing Basics
Invoices vs statements, how to issue, meter types, what goes where, DD checks.
Held Invoices
All held invoice reasons and what to look out for / do for each.
VAT & CCL
Thresholds, exemption categories, how to add exemptions in Kraken, rebilling.
EBRS & EBDS
Government energy support schemes, rates, dates, discount types, Kraken application.
What to Do
The verification checklist for every account before you get off it. This is what we check for feedback.
Quick Links
Billing Sheet
The sheet we are billing from
Snippets Generator
Use if you don't have snippets set up
What to Do
- Bill the supply point up-to-date across all accounts. If there are no up-to-date reads, generate an estimate on the account for the 1st of this month and bill up to date.
- Fill in any billing gaps. This may mean a full rebill if there are reading issues, or just filling in the gap.
- Write-offs. Refer to #business-backbilling-requests. Do not add a write-off to the account without sign-off from this channel.
- Generate invoices / credit notes and issue out. The uninvoiced sections across all accounts should be issued where applicable.
Then: If usage is over 2 billing periods old, or you have rebilled
- Reschedule the payment towards the invoice / outstanding debt balance to be collected in 14 days time and approve the payment. If in credit, cancel any payment requests.
- Send a follow-up email to the customer for usage over 2 billing periods old. E.g. if sending a bill in September, any usage prior to July 1st should be emailed.
- Email subject example:
FYI: Regarding your latest invoice.
What to Check, Kraken
| Check | What to look for |
|---|---|
| Account Status | Status should match the flows. |
| Supply period | If a supply is rejected / objected, the supply period needs to be removed. |
| Agreements tab | Is there a missing tariff? |
| Uninvoiced sections | Keep this clean across all accounts, with a few exceptions: imported Bulb credits, old Junifer billing. |
| CoTs | If there have been any change of tenancies, look on every account for any gaps and keep the uninvoiced sections clean. |
| Negative charges | Avoid issuing negative charges where possible, especially where there has been a tariff change. |
| Direct debit payments | If they have an active DD with a held payment, have you approved the payment? |
| Advance payment ledger | Should be settled if the account is lost and they stayed for the length of their contract. |
| Export | We are focusing on import billing. If export is ready to bill to an actual reading then do so, otherwise leave export. |
| Account checks | Are they all green ticks? |
Blocking Debtors from Leaving
~29% of OEB debt sits in accounts no longer on supply. This closes that gap.
Customers in debt above threshold can be blocked from switching away. Do not disclose full criteria to customers.
10 Objection Criteria, all must apply
- Debt >£1,000 over 44 days old
- No 'Change of tenancy' flag received in COS flow
- No active complaint
- No active dispute
- Not flagged as deceased
- No erroneous transfers
- No campaign tag for disconnection started
- Not flagged as insolvent
- Either: no Direct Debit
- Or: Direct Debit with failed payment in last 60 days
Kraken decides at point-in-time. Reducing debt below £1k and re-applying will succeed, so do not advertise this loophole.
What to Tell Customers
Reason: "Outstanding balance of [£x] on your account."
1
Best: Clear full balance, then re-apply to switch.
2
Set up payment plan, switch after balance settled.
3
Reduce debt below £1,000, then re-apply.
4
Exhaust options, refer to credit team / third-party support.
Viewing in Kraken
Events tab: Customer receives email, e.g. FMRS/AUTO-OBJECTED-LOSS
Properties tab: MPAN shows auto-object; CoS Loss shows status. Reason example: DELINQUENT DEBT ABOVE THRESHOLD
Process Flow
Customer tries to switch → Blocked?
- Not blocked switches away normally
- Blocked, has DD credit ops outbound dial
- Blocked, no DD enters debt collection: Dunning → DCA → Field visit → Business credit team → Disconnection
At any point: customer clears balance, can switch if they still want to.
Inability to Pay
Insolvent
Check Companies House. Remove objection if valid insolvency confirmed.
Can't pay
Offer payment plan (up to 12 months), or reduced plan to bring debt below £1k. Signpost to credit team / third parties.
Disconnection Criteria (credit team owned)
- Debt >£800
- No DD or repayment plan
- Octopus is supplier
- Commercial account
- No active complaints / disputes
- No shared supply
- Accurate balance confirmed
Post-disconnection: still Octopus customer (can't switch). Reconnection fee: £20 to £900. Handle debt case-by-case.
FAQ
Why only >£1,000?
Cost of ops time, future debt risk, disconnection costs (£600+). Initial threshold for learning, may reduce later.
Why not object to customers with a good DD?
Future-proofing. DD should clear the full balance. Limits initial inflow for testing.
What if a complaint comes in after objection?
Log it. Process continues. Remove objection only to terminate contract for losses.
Once a switch is accepted, can it be reversed?
No. Once accepted, switch proceeds even if account status changes later.
Mid-contract + debt, who pays what?
Customer must pay both exit fee and outstanding debt. Security deposit can offset.
Security Deposits
Replaces Advance Payments for new customers. Upfront, held separately, returned to good payers.
We offer affordable contracts for all small businesses regardless of credit score. Deposits cover the risk so we can do this.
How It Works
- Must pay deposit before coming on supply
- Amount varies by credit score (CreditSafe soft check, does not affect customer's credit file)
- Held in the Business Security Deposit ledger, not applied to bills
- Returned to good payers during contract (sliding scale, see below)
- Remaining balance returned on leaving once any debt is cleared
- Only required for first fixed agreement, renewals do not need a second deposit
- Separate deposit required for each new account, even within a portfolio
Credit Score, Deposit Tiers
| Credit Score | Deposit |
|---|---|
| 80+ | No deposit |
| 50 to 79 | 1 month's estimated charges |
| Charity (any score) | 1 month's estimated charges |
| <50 or no credit score (e.g. sole traders, partnerships) | 3 months' estimated charges |
Return Schedule
Kraken checks each quarter of the tariff term. If the customer has an active DD and no aged debt over 30 days, 25% of the deposit is returned to the main ledger.
| Tariff complete | Deposit returned |
|---|---|
| 25% | 25% |
| 50% | 50% |
| 75% | 75% |
| 100% | Remainder (after any debt cleared) |
Checks continue until full deposit returned, even after the initial agreement ends. Returned credit can be refunded to the customer's bank on request.
Payment Timing
Switch within 21 days: Card payment required during sign-up (Stripe).
Switch over 21 days away: Taken via Direct Debit straight into the deposit ledger.
Kraken checks the day before supply start date. If deposit ledger not fulfilled, switch is rejected.
FAQ
What was this called before?
Advanced Payments. Same concept, new name and ledger structure.
Does the deposit go towards energy bills?
No. It sits in a separate ledger and is not used for energy charges.
Does the credit check affect the customer?
No. CreditSafe soft check only, does not appear on their credit file.
24-month tariff, still max 3 months deposit?
Yes. Max is always 3 months regardless of tariff length.
HH meters?
Same rules, handled manually for now.
Customer wants to switch away before full deposit returned?
Return any remaining deposit value once they've paid off any debt on the account.
Billing Basics
Monthly billing only. No weekly or quarterly invoices. Variable DD only.
Billing queries: #biz-ops-help-hub
Business vs Domestic
| Business | Domestic |
|---|---|
| Invoices & Credit Notes | Statements |
| Charges and credits on separate documents | Running balance on one statement |
| Monthly only | Various cycles |
| Statements available on request for business accounts. | |
Billing Schedule
- Bills sent in the first 10 working days of each month
- Billing date: 1st of the month
- Kraken looks for a reading in the last 5 days and bills to that
- Many bills are manually reviewed by the business team before issue (to catch discrepancies)
How to Issue a Business Invoice or Credit Note
1
Un-bill and re-bill readings as needed (same as domestic). Charges and credits appear under Uninvoiced charges & credits on the left of the Invoices tab, created but not yet on a document.
2
Tick each charge or credit. Press Actions. Add charges to a new invoice, credits to a new credit note. Never mix them on the same document. They'll now show under Unissued invoices.
3
Click Preview. Check the billing period matches the charges period. Then select Issue to customer. After reload, the issued document appears on the right side of the tab.
4
Check the Payments tab to confirm the correct DD amount is scheduled. Invoices over £3,000 need manual approval. Rebilling may require deleting or adjusting payment amounts.
Meter Types
| Type | Code | Reading Source |
|---|---|---|
| Traditional NHH | N | Customer readings or estimate |
| AMR | RCAMY / RCAMR | D10s or estimate |
| Smart | S1 / S2 | Smart reads or estimate |
| Half-Hourly | H (PC=0) | Half-hourly data |
What Goes Where
| Invoice | Credit Note |
|---|---|
| Usage charges | Reversed charges |
| CSG (balance-related) | Settled advances |
| Write-offs | GSOP payments |
| Metering jobs | CSG (non-balance related) |
| Exit fees | Deposit returns |
Payment Plans
Manually scheduled so they do not impact Variable Direct Debit payment schedules. Last modified 17/02/2026.
Energy Specialists can offer a maximum plan of 12 months. Anything over needs to be confirmed by the credit team on #credit-queries-general.
TLDR
- Payment plans for businesses need to be manually scheduled so they do not impact Variable Direct Debit payment schedules
- Energy Specialists can offer a maximum plan of 12 months; anything over needs to be confirmed by the credit team on #credit-queries-general
Key Rules
When setting up a payment plan, only use a fixed DD if we have lost supply or the account is final.
- Businesses must have a variable DD in place to cover their ongoing usage. Establishing a fixed DD means a customer is breaching our terms and conditions and not covering its usage. Instead, schedule payments one by one once the DD is initiated.
- If a customer is on supply with us, they may request a payment plan for up to 12 months to settle debt less than 12 months old. Unpaid debt over 12 months must be paid upfront. If a customer cannot afford this, raise it in #credit-queries-general and a Business Credit Specialist will help you.
- If a direct debit fails and the customer is on a payment plan, delete the existing individual payment segments then re-add the individual monthly DD payment requests for the payment plan.
How to Set Up a Business Payment Plan
1
After the account is billed to date on an actual read, we can have a true reflection of their outstanding amount and offer a payment plan.
2
Once the customer has agreed to a suitable length of plan and confirmed what date payments can be taken, we can begin setting this up (we can offer payments to be taken between the 1st and 28th).
3
To do this, go to Payments and select +DD, then add the payment accordingly.
4
This step then needs to be completed and scheduled for each payment of the entire plan length.
Once set up, you will be able to see all payment plan payments under Payments.
VAT & CCL
Most businesses pay 20% VAT. Low users and certain categories get 5% and CCL exemption.
Standard Thresholds
| Fuel | Daily threshold | Monthly threshold | If below |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electricity | <33 kWh/day | <1,000 kWh/month | 5% VAT + CCL exempt |
| Gas | <145 kWh/day | <4,397 kWh/month | 5% VAT + CCL exempt |
Over threshold: 20% VAT + full CCL applies.
Exemption Categories
A business qualifies for 5% VAT and CCL exemption regardless of usage if it is:
- A charitable organisation
- A home, hospice, rehabilitation residence, or place of care for children, addicts, students or the elderly
- A nunnery, monastery or other religious building
- Self-catering holiday accommodation, caravan or primary residence for over 90% of occupants
- A premises where at least 60% of energy supplies meet one of the above criteria
Customer must complete the VAT Reduction & CCL Exemption form. Once received, check progress in the linked Google Sheet before making any Kraken changes.
Adding an Exemption in Kraken
1
Attach the completed form as a note on the Kraken account.
2
Go to the Properties tab. Scroll to Business tax exemptions. Click +.
3
Fill in: Qualifying Usage (% from form), Effective from (SSD), Effective to (leave blank), Tax type (VAT or CCL).
4
Repeat step 3 for the other tax type. Dual fuel accounts need this done on both gas and electricity.
If VAT/CCL was incorrectly charged already: un-bill the affected invoices first, add the exemption, then rebill.
Held Invoices
Identify and resolve before issuing. Billing period must match charges period on preview.
Credits (CSGs, write-offs, etc.) must go on credit notes, not invoices. Same process, preview then approve and send.
Held Reasons, click to expand
Contains a charge with zero consumption +
- Usually multi-meter MPANs with usage on only 1 or 2 meters
- Dual fuel accounts with one supply having no usage / 0 standing charge tariff
Contains non-energy charge +
- Returned advance payments on invoices must be issued as credit notes. Delete invoice, make credit note. If 1p rounding error remains, add 1p charge under default reason and include on the credit note.
- CSGs / balance transfers ideally go on their own invoice or credit note depending on balance effect.
- Advance payment invoices not yet issued: issue as invoice and delete any duplicate payment request if already paid/scheduled by DD. Separate out any charges so advance payment is issued first.
- Deposits on invoice: try deleting the invoice to see if deposit disappears. If not, raise a query in #biz-ops-help-hub.
- Electroverse charges can be issued alongside usage charges. If standalone, issue as normal invoice.
Individual negative charge / negative charge too much +
- Usually over-estimations being corrected by new DC readings
- Check for digit errors and erroneous readings, photo may be required (
<b.photo>)
Individual zero charge / zero total +
- No standing charge tariffs, 99% will be 0 usage and 0 standing charge. Can be issued quickly.
Manually held +
- Open complaints, check with complaint holder
- Held pending billing error check, dispute, or DMEX info
- There should be a reminder on the account from the person working it, check before touching
Meter exchange in period, De Minimis VAT risk +
- Check rebill readings, do we have opening and initial readings? Right number of digits?
- If final reading is 0, estimate. Missing a digit, add a 0 to the end. No readings, get job card, estimate if nothing provided.
- Has old meter been deactivated for the correct date?
- Check for billing gaps, don't leave partially unbilled.
- Verify VAT is correct based on days and usage.
Mixture of customer and estimated readings +
- Billed to customer readings on 1st to 5th of month, usually fine to issue
- Previously billed to DC reading then estimate this month, check flows. If D10 arrived recently, may need reprocessing, leave for those with the powers
- Smart readings, issue normally
- Gas estimate with elec billed to actual, check the gas estimate isn't too wild
- Opening reading to estimate (no other readings), best we have, can be issued
Total credit too much +
- Returned advance payments must be credit notes not invoices (see above)
- Credit notes with reversals, likely incomplete rebill, needs working
- Opening reading higher than following customer readings, request meter photo (
<b.photo>), dispute once received. If second backup already exists, raise dispute and delete held invoice. - Digit issues, customer may have misread meter. Use
<b.photo> - Write-offs must be on credit notes. Balance must be at £0 before issuing. If still in debt or credit, leave a note and move on.
Contains no charges +
- Often credits (referral rewards, deposit returns) added to an invoice with no charges
- Delete the invoice, re-add credits to a credit note and issue
Contains old charges (over 60 days) +
- Could be incomplete rebill or charges stuck for some reason
- If usage spans over 2 billing periods (60+ days), email customer and delay payment using the relevant templates
Negative total and from estimate +
- Reading submission error or dispute required
- 'Reversed' estimate causing incorrect credit
- Transposed readings, unbill, swap them, rebill
- Referral credit pushing total into negative can be issued if usage itself isn't negative
Previous invoice not issued +
- Likely multiple held invoices / credit notes with ongoing or old unbilled work. Work through oldest first.
S1 meter, transposed readings after DCC enrolment +
- See the dedicated Knowledge Owl page for the resolution process for this specific issue.
Unexpectedly higher than previous +
- Usually needs re-estimating or disputing
- Request photo via
<b.photo>, check if already asked recently, don't ask repeatedly - May be a digit issue, check previous readings
Unexpectedly lower than previous, with estimates +
- Usually needs re-estimating or disputing
- Request photo via
<b.photo>if needed, check you haven't already asked recently
Skipped invoice numbers +
- Check the last issued invoice number on the right. If it's not the number before the current one on the left, delete invoices until you get back to the correct sequence.
EBRS & EBDS
Government energy support schemes for business customers during the energy crisis.
EBRS, Energy Bill Relief Scheme
Ran: 01/10/2022 to 31/03/2023
Initial government support scheme. Unit rate discounts applied automatically as a line item on eligible invoices. Eligibility and discount varied by tariff type and agreed dates.
| Electricity | Gas | |
|---|---|---|
| Max discount | 34.5p/kWh | 9.1p/kWh |
| Lowest support price | 21.1p/kWh | 7.5p/kWh |
EBDS, Energy Bill Discount Scheme
Ran: 01/04/2023 to 31/03/2024
Successor to EBRS. Three discount types:
Baseline (Core) Discount
Significantly reduced from EBRS. Applied automatically in Kraken. Fewer customers eligible.
| Electricity | Gas | |
|---|---|---|
| Max discount | 1.961p/kWh | 0.697p/kWh |
| Lowest support price | 30.2p/kWh | 10.7p/kWh |
ETII, Energy and Trade Intensive Industries
Customers had to apply. Additional support for businesses within certain SIC codes. Larger discount on first 70% of consumption; remaining 30% received baseline EBDS discount. Applied automatically in Kraken once approved.
| Electricity | Gas | |
|---|---|---|
| Max discount | 8.9p/kWh | 4.0p/kWh |
| Lowest support price | 18.5p/kWh | 9.9p/kWh |
QHS, Qualifying Heat Supplier
Customers had to apply. Additional support for heat suppliers to domestic end users. Discount supports the wholesale element of a heat network's unit rate down to the minimum supply price. Applied manually in Kraken.
| Period | Min price, Electricity | Min price, Gas |
|---|---|---|
| 01/04/2023 to 31/01/2024 | 34p/kWh | 7.83p/kWh |
| 01/02/2024 to 31/03/2024 (fixed contracts from 01/02/2024 + all variable) | 28.24p/kWh | 6.5p/kWh |
Both EBRS and EBDS are now closed schemes. These rates are for reference when handling historical billing queries only.