The events of 2026 have placed global supply chains under unprecedented pressure. With fuel prices surging amid geopolitical instability – including the ongoing tensions surrounding Iran and their impact on global energy markets – organisations are facing a renewed challenge: how to recover rising transport costs without introducing complexity, inconsistency, or administrative burden.
SapphireOne addresses this directly with its newly introduced Fuel Levy functionality – a purpose-built enhancement designed to bring structure, accuracy, and automation to an increasingly volatile cost environment.
Turning Volatility into Control
In periods of instability, the difference between reactive and proactive systems becomes immediately apparent. Many organisations have historically relied on manual adjustments, spreadsheets, or ad hoc surcharges to account for fluctuating fuel costs. These approaches are not only time-consuming, but also prone to inconsistency and audit risk.
SapphireOne replaces this with a structured, rules-driven model.
Once enabled at the client level, fuel levies are automatically applied to every Sales Client Invoice (SCI), ensuring that cost recovery becomes embedded within the invoicing process itself – not an afterthought.
Designed Around Real Operational Logic
What sets this functionality apart is its alignment with how transport and logistics costs are actually incurred.
Rather than applying arbitrary percentages or flat surcharges, SapphireOne calculates levy charges based on pallet quantities – a practical proxy for freight load. This ensures that levy charges scale naturally with the volume being transported.
Even more importantly, the system applies consistent rounding logic. Any fractional pallet is always rounded up, reflecting real-world freight realities where partial loads still incur full handling and transport costs. The result is a model that mirrors operational truth rather than theoretical averages.
The levy is not only calculated from pallet quantities — the levy line quantity on the invoice directly reflects the total pallet count, ensuring a transparent and proportional relationship between freight volume and cost.
The result is a model that mirrors operational truth rather than theoretical averages.
Consistency Without Manual Intervention
Once configured, the process becomes entirely automatic.
Each client can be assigned a specific levy type – whether based on distance (such as 5 km, 10 km, or 50 km ranges) or geographic regions (such as NSW, Victoria, or international zones). These levy types are defined using Non-Diminishing inventory items, ensuring they behave as fixed charges rather than stock movements.
From that point forward:
- Every invoice raised for the client includes the levy automatically
- No manual line entry is required
- The levy is applied consistently across all transactions
- Conversion workflows (such as OCI to SCI) inherit the levy seamlessly
Bulk Application Capability
Levy settings can also be applied across multiple clients in a single step using SapphireOne’s Add Levy tool, enabling rapid rollout or updates without manual record-by-record configuration.
This approach ensures that levy application is not dependent on user behaviour, reducing both oversight risk and administrative effort.
Built for Accuracy, Auditability, and Scale
In a climate where margins are tightening and scrutiny is increasing, accuracy is critical.
By embedding levy logic directly within SapphireOne’s transaction flow, organisations gain:
- A single, consistent method for cost recovery
- Clear audit trails on every invoice
- Elimination of manual calculation errors
- Scalable configuration across multiple regions or pricing models
Because levy items are fixed and centrally defined, changes can be managed at a configuration level rather than across individual transactions.
Integration at Scale
Through Sapphire Gateway III integration, levy configuration — including the assigned inventory item — can be imported and managed across the client base, supporting large-scale updates and system-wide consistency.
Because levy items are fixed and centrally defined, changes can be managed at a configuration level rather than across individual transactions.
A Strategic Response to a Changing World
While the immediate driver for this functionality is the global fuel crisis, its value extends far beyond current conditions.
It represents a broader shift towards automated cost recovery, where external volatility – whether fuel, freight, or regulatory costs – can be absorbed into structured, system-driven processes.
For organisations using SapphireOne, this means:
- Faster adaptation to market changes
- Reduced operational friction
- Greater confidence in pricing integrity
This article provides an overview of how the Fuel Levy functionality works in practice. For detailed configuration steps, examples, and implementation guidance, refer to Accounts Mode > Accounts Receivables > Accounts Receivables Inquiries > Receivables Clients – Levy Functionality.