AI Fee Billing Agent

A single wrong fee schedule repeats across every account and every quarter, quietly. A Fee Billing Agent calculates fees against each schedule, reconciles against custodian data, and flags exceptions before anything posts. It runs the cycle; a person approves the run.

Tecla builds and operates it in your environment, across your billing rules, custodians, and portfolio systems, under the controls your firm answers to.

The shift underway

Advisory fee billing is quietly one of the highest-risk operational tasks a firm runs, because a small error repeats across every account and every quarter. The numbers show what that costs and where automation helps.

0.05–0.15%

of AUM a year lost to billing errors: underbilled fees and missed adjustments.

Source: Cerulli, industry estimates

$50–150k

a year in revenue never collected at a $100M firm from billing errors alone.

Source:

RIA operations analysis, 2026

3,300+

advisory firms now run dedicated fee billing platforms, up sharply year over year.

Source: AdvicePay

How it works

How the agent works

Fee billing is a chain of calculation, reconciliation, and posting, and a single wrong schedule quietly repeats across every account and every cycle. The agent runs the whole chain, holds at the points that need a person, and leaves an auditable trail.

01

Fee Calculation

Calculates each account's advisory fee against its schedule, tiered, flat, banded, or blended, and in advance or in arrears, exactly as the client agreement specifies.

Runs the numbers
02

Reconciliation

Reconciles the calculated fees against custodian balances and account status, so a fee is never billed on a closed account or the wrong asset base.

Checks the data
03

Exception Check

Flags the fee schedule mismatches, householding errors, and billing-status changes that quietly cause overand under-billing, before anything posts.

Catches the errors
04

Invoice & Debit

Generates client-ready invoices and the custodial debit files on approval, formatted for each custodian to collect against.

Bills the client
05

Audit Record

Logs every calculation, adjustment, and approval, so each billing run leaves a complete, examination-ready trail.

Keeps the record

Human in the loop

The agent runs the calculation and reconciliation, but it holds at the gate that matters: a person reviews the flagged exceptions and approves the billing run before any invoice or debit posts. Nothing bills a client without that sign-off.

Scoped to you

This is a typical fee billing build. The exact steps are scoped to how your firm runs: your fee schedules and householding rules, which custodians you debit against, and how billing feeds your accounting and reporting.

See what this would look like built around your portfolio operation.
How it reaches production

Built, run, and owned, one phase at a time

A billing tool that works in a demo can still repeat one wrong schedule across a thousand accounts. A scoped brief, a named team, and someone accountable at each stage are what make this one safe to run every cycle.

Sprint

Scope, fixed price

We map your fee schedules, the custodians you bill against, and the exception rules that need a person, then return a plan and a price before you commit.

AI Solutions Lead
Build

Built into your environment

Senior engineers assemble the billing chain inside your environment, wired into your fee schedules, custodian connections, and portfolio and accounting systems.

AI Systems Lead
Run

Monitored and improved

The agent adapts as fee schedules and custodian rules change, and we report against the metrics set at scope: billing accuracy, exceptions caught, staff hours per billing cycle.

Systems Lead + Engineers
Own

Yours, improving

The system is yours to keep, and it stays accurate as fee schedules and custodial requirements shift rather than repeating a stale rule across every quarter.

Your team

It starts with a fixed-price Tecla Sprint that scopes and prices the build before you commit.

‍ Book a scoping call
How it holds up

Reliable enough to bill real client fees

A billing error done once repeats across every account and every quarter, so the agent is built to check rather than assume. What makes it safe to run is the structure around it: what it reconciles, what a person approves, and the record it leaves.

Reviewed by trajectory

Every fee leaves a record

Each calculation, adjustment, and approval is logged as it happens, so a billing run is auditable without anyone rebuilding the math in a spreadsheet later.

Human in the loop

Nothing posts without approval

The agent calculates and reconciles but posts nothing on its own. A person reviews the exceptions and approves the run before anything goes out.

Tuned over time

It keeps the schedules straight

As fee schedules and custodial requirements change, the agent is kept current, so billing reflects the agreements you actually have.

Start the build

Run every billing cycle with the checks built in

A scoping call maps your onboarding chain and returns what the agent would handle end to end, what escalates to your team, and the fixed-price Sprint to build it.

Fixed-price AI Systems Sprint. No commitment until scope is confirmed.

What operations leaders ask about billing

What is an AI fee billing agent?

It runs the advisory fee cycle: it calculates fees against each schedule, reconciles them against custodian balances, flags exceptions, and generates invoices and debit files once approved. Tecla builds and operates it inside your environment, so billing runs accurately each cycle with a person approving the run.

How is it different from billing software like BillFin or AdvicePay?

Those give your team a billing engine to operate; the agent runs the cycle. It calculates, reconciles against custodian data, catches the exceptions, and prepares the run for approval, rather than waiting for someone to configure and launch it. It works with the fee schedules and custodians you already use.

Does it charge clients on its own?

No. It calculates and reconciles but posts nothing on its own. A person reviews the flagged exceptions and approves the billing run before any invoice or custodial debit goes out. The agent does the work; the adviser approves what bills.

How does it prevent billing errors?

It reconciles every calculated fee against custodian balances and account status, and flags fee schedule mismatches, householding errors, and status changes before anything posts. Billing errors quietly cost a firm real revenue every quarter, which is why the checks matter more than speed.

What does Tecla's fee billing build cover?

Tecla scopes the build to your firm: your fee schedules and householding rules, which custodians you debit against, and how billing feeds your accounting and reporting. It runs inside your environment and Tecla operates it, so the schedules stay accurate over time.

Can it handle tiered, flat, and householded fees?

Yes. It calculates tiered, flat, banded, or blended schedules, in advance or in arrears, exactly as each client agreement specifies, and it householdes accounts where your billing rules call for it. The build maps your actual fee arrangements rather than a generic template.

How is client data kept secure?

The agent runs in your environment, integrated with your systems, under your own access rules. Billing and custodial data stays within the boundaries your firm already answers to, and you own and control the system Tecla operates.

How long does a build take?

It starts with a fixed-price Tecla Sprint that scopes and prices the build before you commit. The Sprint maps your fee schedules, custodial debits, and exception rules, so the agent that follows fits how your firm actually bills.

We have an operations team already. Where does the agent fit?

It takes the quarterly calculation, reconciliation, and invoice preparation off the team, so they spend their time on exceptions and client questions rather than spreadsheets. Tecla builds and operates it alongside them, leaving an audit trail on every run.

How do we get started?

A scoping call maps your billing operation and returns what the agent would run, how success is measured, and the fixed-price Sprint cost. Book a scoping call with Tecla to start.

Have any questions?
Schedule a call to discuss in more detail.
Book a Call