# Demurrage and detention billing software that audits the charge before you pay it

> Demurrage and detention billing is the charging of fees for cargo or equipment held beyond agreed free time, with demurrage covering cargo inside a terminal and detention covering equipment outside it. Since the Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 2022, 46 CFR Part 541 sets who may be billed, what the invoice must contain and the timeframes for issuing and disputing a charge. Neurobird rebuilds free time from the actual event record and audits each line before it is paid.

- URL: https://neurobird.com/demurragedetenti/
- Product: Neurobird Demurrage Detention Billing Revenue Recovery Platform
- Niche: demurrage detention billing
- Buyer: drayage carriers, NVOCCs and BCO logistics teams
- Status: in development, open for early access
- Updated: 2026-08-21

## What Neurobird Demurrage Detention Billing does

- Parse inbound demurrage and detention invoices into charge lines you can actually audit
- Rebuild free time from tariff, service contract and gate or vessel events rather than from a phone call
- Assemble a dispute pack inside the window, with the event evidence attached
- Track aging, credits received and what is still owed on each container

## How it works

1. **Take the invoice apart** Inbound PDFs and EDI become charge lines with container, charge type, dates and days billed, so you are auditing data rather than reading a scan.
2. **Rebuild free time** Tariff terms and contract free time are held as rules and applied against the real gate, vessel and availability events on that container.
3. **File inside the window** Where the charge does not stand, the dispute pack assembles with the event evidence attached and the 30 day clock tracked.

## From the source material

> The Commission sought comments on whether the Commission should require billing parties to issue demurrage or detention invoices within 60 days after the charges stopped accruing.

Source: fmc.gov, https://www.fmc.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/2022-10-07NPRMDnDBillingRequirements.pdf

## Industry context

- **46 CFR 541** The federal demurrage and detention billing requirements: who may be billed, what information an invoice must contain, and the process for requesting fee mitigation. (source: eCFR, 46 CFR Part 541, https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-46/chapter-IV/subchapter-B/part-541)
- **2024** The billing requirements rule was published in the Federal Register on 26 February 2024 and most of it took effect on 28 May 2024, setting out the reasoning behind each required invoice element. (source: Federal Register, demurrage and detention billing requirements, https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2024/02/26/2024-03123/demurrage-and-detention-billing-requirements)
- **Public Law 117-146** The Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 2022, the statute that directed the regulator to write billing rules for these charges. (source: GovInfo, Public Law 117-146, https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/PLAW-117publ146)
- **46 CFR 542** Companion rules on unreasonable conduct in ocean shipping, the other half of the framework a disputed charge is argued under. (source: eCFR, 46 CFR Part 542, https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-46/chapter-IV/subchapter-B/part-542)
- **Federal filings** The Federal Maritime Commission publishes its rules, dockets and complaint procedures, which is where a charge dispute escalates when it is not resolved commercially. (source: Federal Maritime Commission, https://www.fmc.gov/)

## Pricing

- Single lane: $149 per month, up to 500 containers
- Regional: $299 per month, up to 2,500 containers
- National: $499 per month, unlimited containers

## Questions

### What is demurrage and detention billing?

Demurrage and detention billing is the charging of fees for cargo or equipment held beyond agreed free time. Demurrage generally covers cargo sitting inside a terminal, detention covers equipment held outside it. The dispute is almost always about when the clock started and whether it should have run at all.

### What rules apply to these invoices?

In the United States, 46 CFR Part 541 sets billing requirements for demurrage and detention under the Shipping Act, following the Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 2022. It defines who may be billed, what an invoice must contain, and the timeframes for issuing and disputing a charge.

### How long do we have to dispute a charge?

The federal billing rule sets specific windows for issuing an invoice and for requesting fee mitigation, generally measured in 30 day periods rather than open ended. The practical problem is not the window, it is assembling the evidence inside it.

### Does this replace our TMS?

No. It reads the events your TMS and terminal feeds already produce, then audits the charge against free time. What you pay or dispute goes back out to your accounting system.

## Sources

- [46 CFR Part 541, billing requirements](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-46/chapter-IV/subchapter-B/part-541)
- [Federal Register, billing requirements rule](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2024/02/26/2024-03123/demurrage-and-detention-billing-requirements)
- [Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 2022](https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/PLAW-117publ146)
- [Federal Maritime Commission](https://www.fmc.gov/)

## Contact

- office@neurobird.com
- https://neurobird.com/