# Demurrage Check: Every demurrage and detention invoice checked against the FMC rule and disputed on time.

> Forward every demurrage and detention invoice to one address. We check it against the FMC billing rule, recalculate the free time from your own dates, and send you a ready dispute before the 30-day window closes.

- Page: https://rotomal.com/demurrage-invoice-check/
- Category: Freight and logistics
- Language: en
- Billing: subscription
- From: $39 per month
- Request (free, no card): https://rotomal.com/demurrage-invoice-check/request/

- Each invoice is checked for the required items, including free time, the container availability date, the tariff or contract rule, and the two carrier certifications.
- The issue date is checked against the date the charge last accrued. Invoices sent more than 30 days later are flagged as not payable.
- Every flagged invoice gets a dispute letter citing the section it breaks, with the date your request is due and the date the carrier must answer by.

## Demurrage and detention invoices are paid because nobody has time to check them

Demurrage and detention invoices arrive weeks after the container moved, often by email to whoever booked the shipment. Checking one means rebuilding the free time from the arrival notice and the gate-out and empty-return dates. That is slow, so most small importers simply pay.

Under the FMC billing rule, an invoice has to contain specific information and must be issued on time. If it misses either requirement, the billed party is not obliged to pay. But disputes run on a clock: the invoice must give you at least 30 days to ask for mitigation, a refund or a waiver, and the window can be exactly that short.

The money is lost through paperwork, not through bad logistics. Nobody compared the invoice with the rule and with your own dates before the deadline passed.

- A demurrage or detention invoice must be issued within 30 calendar days of the date the charge was last incurred. If it is not, the billed party is not required to pay the charge (46 CFR 541.7, checked 7 November 2026). (source: https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/46/541.7)
- If an invoice leaves out any of the minimum required information, the billed party no longer has to pay that charge (46 CFR 541.5, checked 7 November 2026). (source: https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/46/541.5)
- The billed party must get at least 30 calendar days from the invoice date to request mitigation, a refund or a waiver. The billing party must then try to resolve the request within 30 calendar days (46 CFR 541.8, checked 7 November 2026). (source: https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/46/541.8)
- Required contents include the allowed free time, the free-time start and end dates, the container availability date for imports, the tariff rule or contract and rate, a dispute contact, and certifications that the charges comply with FMC rules (46 CFR 541.6). (source: https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/46/541.6)

## How it works

1. **Forward invoices to your inbox address.** You get a dedicated forwarding address. Send it every demurrage and detention invoice, plus the arrival notice and gate-out and return dates if you have them. One mail rule, about five minutes.
2. **We check each invoice within one business day.** A person on our team checks the 46 CFR 541.6 items, compares the issue date with the last accrual date, and recalculates free time and chargeable days from your dates.
3. **You get a verdict and, if needed, a dispute.** Each invoice gets a verdict: pay, dispute or ask. Disputes come with a letter citing the section and both deadlines. You send it from your own email.
4. **We track the answer.** Copy the carrier reply to your address. We log whether it came inside the resolution window and draft your follow-up.

## Features

- **Required-contents check.** Every element in 46 CFR 541.6 is checked, from B/L and container numbers and free time to the dispute contact, both certifications and why you are the proper party to bill. Missing items are named in the letter.
- **30-day issuance check.** We compare the invoice date with the last day the charge accrued. If more than 30 calendar days passed, the invoice is marked not payable under 541.7.
- **Free-time recalculation.** We rebuild the free-time start and end and the chargeable days from your arrival notice, gate and return dates. Where they differ from the invoice, the dispute shows both calculations side by side.
- **Deadline calendar.** Each invoice gets two dates: when your request is due, and when the billing party has to answer. We email you three business days before your request deadline if the dispute is still unsent.
- **Dispute letters in your name.** Plain letters citing the section, invoice number and defect, ready to paste into your email. We never contact the carrier unless you ask in writing.
- **Monthly summary.** One page per month: invoices received, amounts by verdict, disputes sent and outcomes. Exports to CSV.

## Who it's for

- **Small and mid-size importers.** You bring in a handful to a few hundred containers a year and pay whatever invoice arrives. You get a check on every invoice and a dispute ready before the deadline.
- **E-commerce brands shipping full containers.** Your operations lead handles booking, receiving and the 3PL alone. Invoices are forwarded with one mail rule, and the month ends with a one-page summary.
- **Small forwarders and NVOCCs.** You receive carrier invoices and bill your own customers. You see which incoming invoices are defective before you pass them on, client by client.

## Works with

Email forwarding (Outlook, Gmail, any mail server), PDF and scanned invoices, Carrier and NVOCC invoice portals (you download, we check), Arrival notices and delivery orders, Terminal and tracking exports (CSV), QuickBooks and Xero (CSV export of verdicts), Excel and Google Sheets

## Pricing

Billed monthly, cancel any time. We confirm the plan that fits your volume by email before you pay. Flat fees, with no contingency share of what you recover. Plans count invoices checked per month; extra invoices are $6 each, or $4 on Forwarder. We found no service publishing a price for checking demurrage and detention invoices against the FMC rule when we checked on 7 November 2026. Founding customer pricing stays fixed while you remain subscribed. We onboard new accounts within 2 business days.

| Plan | Price | Includes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Starter | $39 per month | Up to 5 invoices checked per month; Required-contents and 30-day issuance checks; Free-time recalculation from your dates; Dispute letter for every flagged invoice; Deadline reminders; Monthly summary |
| Importer | $99 per month | Up to 25 invoices checked per month; Everything in Starter; Carrier reply tracking and follow-up letters; Wrong-party and duplicate-invoice flags; CSV export for accounting; Email support within one business day |
| Forwarder | $249 per month | Up to 100 invoices checked per month; Everything in Importer; Separate tracking per client; Intermediary 30-day extension tracking; Quarterly review call; Extra invoices at $4 each |

## Compared with the alternatives

- **Checking invoices yourself.** Free, and the rule is public. It works if someone has the time to rebuild free time from three documents for each invoice and keeps track of two 30-day clocks. In most small companies nobody does.
- **Your forwarder or customs broker.** Some will dispute on request, but disputing their own carrier partners' invoices is not their priority, and some pass invoices straight through. Demurrage Check can work alongside them.
- **Container tracking tools such as Terminal49.** Terminal49 has a free plan for up to 10 active containers and paid plans on request (checked 7 November 2026). Tracking helps you avoid charges. It does not check invoices that have already arrived.

## Security and data

- Invoices and shipping documents are stored encrypted on servers in the EU or US, and only the people checking your account can open them.
- We need no login to your carrier portals, ERP or bank. You forward documents and download them yourself.
- Documents are kept while you subscribe and deleted 60 days after cancellation, or sooner if you ask.

## Your first week

We onboard new accounts within 2 business days. Most teams only set up one mail rule and send us a few past invoices.

- Day 1: we confirm your plan by email and you subscribe.
- Day 2: you get your forwarding address and set up a mail rule.
- Day 2–3: send us open invoices from the last 30 days; we check those first.
- End of month: your first one-page summary.

## FAQ

### Does the FMC rule apply to my invoices?

Part 541 covers demurrage and detention invoices for ocean shipments under the Shipping Act, including invoices an NVOCC passes on to its customer. Trucking detention on domestic legs and fees billed by your customs broker are different. Each check tells you whether that invoice falls under the rule.

### What if the 30 days have already passed?

We still check the invoice. An invoice that is late or missing required information can still be raised with the billing party. Whether to push further, for example through the FMC's dispute resolution services, is your decision, and we note it in the verdict.

### Do you contact the carrier for me?

No. You send the dispute from your own email, so the carrier is dealing with its customer. If you want us to correspond for you, tell us in writing and we copy you on every message.

### What do you need from me?

The invoice, plus the arrival notice and the gate-out and empty-return dates from your trucker, terminal portal or tracking tool. With only the invoice, we still check its contents and issue date.

### Is this legal advice?

No. Demurrage Check is an invoice-checking and document-drafting service, not legal advice. For contested claims, formal complaints or litigation, talk to a maritime attorney or the FMC.

### What if I cancel?

Download your summary and letters as CSV and PDF at any time. Access ends at the end of the billing period, and your invoices and documents are deleted 60 days later.

## Guides

- [FMC demurrage and detention billing rule: what an invoice must contain and how to dispute it](https://rotomal.com/demurrage-invoice-check/fmc-demurrage-detention-billing-rule/): What a demurrage or detention invoice must contain under 46 CFR 541, the 30-day issuance limit, and how long you have to dispute it.

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Rotomal · https://rotomal.com/demurrage-invoice-check/ · hello@rotomal.com