Split billing is a way for a team to cover charging up to a maximum cost per kilowatt hour (kWh). The team wallet pays the charge point operator (CPO) in full for every session. When a session costs more per kWh than the team allows, the driver covers the difference from their personal wallet or payment card.
This article explains the concept. For setup steps, see How do I set up split billing for my team? For the driver experience, see How does split billing work for me as a driver?
Why use split billing?
- Cost control — set a maximum price per kWh the team will pay. Set separate caps for alternating current (AC) and direct current (DC) charging.
- Driver flexibility — drivers charge on any public network. No allow lists, no location restrictions.
- No manual reconciliation — when costs exceed the covered rate, personal contributions are calculated per session, batched per driver, and collected automatically each month.
- Behaviour change, not revenue collection — pre-charge price warnings and the map filter guide drivers toward cheaper charge points. Most sessions stay within the team's covered rate.
- Suitable for union agreements — a per-kWh cap limits exposure to expensive charging without setting a hard spending limit on the driver.
What do the key terms mean?
- Effective rate — the total session cost divided by the kilowatt hours charged. Includes the energy price, start fees, minute fees, idle fees, and every other charge billed for the session — not just the kWh price displayed at the charge point.
- Covered rate (kWh price cap) — the maximum effective rate the team will cover. Set separately for AC and DC.
- Personal contribution — the amount a driver owes for a session where the effective rate exceeds the covered rate. Calculated as (effective rate minus covered rate) multiplied by kWh.
- Settlement — the monthly transfer of accumulated personal contributions from the driver's personal wallet or payment card to the team wallet.
- Fully covered — both AC and DC caps are empty. The team pays the full session cost. No personal contribution is created.
- Team share — the part of a session cost the team covers.
- Dynamic pricing — pricing where the kWh price changes during a session, for example based on time of day or grid load. Split billing handles dynamic pricing automatically.
How does split billing work?
- The team owner sets a maximum cost per kWh for AC, DC, or both.
- A driver charges at a charge point where the price exceeds the cap.
- The driver sees the cost breakdown before starting (in the Charge app).
- The team wallet pays the full session cost to the CPO.
- The difference accumulates as the driver's personal contribution for the month.
- On the 1st of the following month, the accumulated contributions are collected from the driver's personal wallet or payment card.
- The collected amount is transferred to the team wallet.
What price does Monta use to calculate the excess?
The excess is calculated against the effective rate of the completed session, not the kWh price shown at the charge point.
- The effective rate uses the total charge cost — the energy price plus every additional fee (start fee, minute fee, idle fee, and any other charge billed for the session).
- The total cost is then divided by the kWh delivered to get a single per-kWh figure for the session.
- This is the figure compared against the team's covered rate. If it is above the cap, the driver owes the excess for that session.
How does dynamic pricing work with split billing?
Many charge points use dynamic pricing, where the kWh price changes during the session. Split billing handles this automatically.
- Monta does not compare the cap against each price point during the session.
- After the session ends, Monta aggregates the total cost of the session and divides by the total kWh charged.
- If that average exceeds the team's covered rate, the driver pays the excess for the session.
The driver sees a single effective rate on the charge summary, even if the price changed during the session.
Worked example
Team caps: AC 0,50 €/kWh and DC 0,70 €/kWh.
A driver charges 25 kWh at an AC charge point. The total session cost, including all fees, is 18,75 €.
- Effective rate: 18,75 € divided by 25 kWh = 0,75 €/kWh
- Covered rate (AC): 0,50 €/kWh
- Excess: 0,25 €/kWh
- Personal contribution: 0,25 € multiplied by 25 = 6,25 €
- Team share: 12,50 €
The team wallet pays 18,75 € to the CPO. 6,25 € is added to the driver's pending settlement.
How does the money move?
Split billing uses a two-transaction model. The CPO always receives a single, full payment per session. The personal contribution is settled later between the driver and the team.
- The team wallet pays the CPO.
- Happens immediately when the charge completes.
- The team wallet pays the full session cost.
- The driver reimburses the team.
- Settled monthly. All of a driver's personal contributions for the month are batched into one settlement.
- On the 1st of the next month, Monta collects the total from the driver's personal wallet first, then from their payment card.
- This is a reimbursement from employee to employer. No VAT applies.
What happens with multi-currency sessions?
The cap is in the team wallet currency. When a session is in a different currency, Monta converts the effective rate at the moment the charge completes. Settlements are created in the team's currency.
What happens if a settlement cannot be collected?
- Monta retries up to 3 times across a few days.
- The driver receives an email and an in-app notification at each retry.
- If every retry fails, the settlement is cancelled.
A cancelled settlement means the team covered the full charge cost. Monta does not send funds to the team for unpaid personal contributions. The employer can follow up with the driver directly.
What documents are produced?
- Team owner (employer) — charging costs appear on the team invoice. Reimbursed amounts from settlements appear in Account Activity and are included in the net amount due.
- Driver (member) — receives a personal contribution statement for the monthly amount settled. This is a reimbursement summary, not a VAT receipt.
FAQs
Can the covered rate be different for AC and DC charging?
Yes. Team owners set separate caps for AC and DC. The correct cap is applied automatically based on the connector type used.
What counts toward the effective rate?
Everything billed for the session. Start fees, energy fees, minute fees, idle fees, and any other charges are all included. The effective rate is the total session cost divided by kWh charged.
What if a session has a high start fee but a low kWh price?
A high fixed fee on a short session can push the effective rate above the cap, even when the kWh price alone is below the cap. The personal contribution is calculated against the effective rate.
What happens when dynamic pricing changes the kWh price during a session?
Monta does not evaluate split billing while the session is running. After the session ends, Monta takes the total session cost and divides it by the total kWh delivered. If that average is above the team's covered rate, the driver owes the excess. A session that started below the cap can still create a personal contribution if dynamic pricing pushes the average above the cap.
What happens if the covered rate changes during the month?
The cap in effect at the time of each session applies to that session. Earlier sessions use the old cap. Later sessions use the new cap.
What happens if a driver never pays?
After 3 failed collection attempts, the settlement is cancelled. The team absorbs the cost of those charges. Monta does not send funds to the team for unpaid personal contributions. Follow up with the driver directly.
Is this a monthly spending cap?
No. Split billing is a per-kWh price cap, not a spending limit. There is no cap on how much a driver can charge — only on the effective rate the team will cover.
What if I set only AC or only DC?
The cap applies on that side only. The other side is fully covered with no limit. For example, set DC at 0,70 €/kWh and leave AC empty to cap public DC charging while covering all AC charging in full.