Tariffs — the basics
Tariffs are the priced rules SHIPM8 uses to work out what to charge. When an invoice or a cost calculation is produced, SHIPM8 looks at the relevant tariffs, decides which ones apply, calculates an amount for each, and turns those into invoice lines.
Open them from Sidebar → Admin, under the area that uses them (for example Cost Calculations → Tariff groups). You need the Tariff admin permission. Tariff groups are organised by application area, so you'll always be looking at the groups for one area (such as the cost calculator).
Tariff groups and tariffs
Two levels work together:
- A tariff group is a collection of related fees — for example Harbour dues, Pilotage, or Towage. The group sets shared properties (currency, VAT, the period it's valid, and how many of its tariffs may apply at once) and is the thing that's "gated" to a port or situation.
- A tariff is one individual fee inside a group. It has an amount and a rule for how that amount is worked out.
How a calculation uses them
When SHIPM8 calculates, for each relevant tariff group it:
- Checks the group's conditions — does this group apply at all (right port, right ship type, within its validity dates)?
- For each tariff in the group, checks the tariff's own conditions and works out the amount using its calculation rule.
- Respects the group's maximum applied tariffs setting — some groups apply every matching tariff, others only the first/cheapest/most-expensive match.
- Produces an invoice line per resulting amount.
The "conditions" and "calculation rule" parts are the business logic, which is where most of the power (and complexity) lives.
What's in this section
- Tariff groups — create and configure a group.
- Tariffs — add the individual fees and how their amount is sourced.
- Tariff matrices — band/bracket lookup tables for a tariff.
- Business logic — basics — conditions and calculations.
- Business logic — advanced — the deeper options.
- Metadata — tagging tariffs for bookkeeping export.
A few buttons — Save, New, Add, Search, Edit — show in English even when the app is set to Dutch. This guide uses those English labels so they match your screen.