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Fuel Management Process Guide

This article outlines the process of managing fuel deliveries, entering invoices, handling payments, and reporting fuel profits

Updated today

Overview

Fuel management involves several important steps to ensure accurate fuel tracking, invoicing, and profit reporting. To set up and maintain fuel management in your system, you will need to:

  • Enter your tank sizes

  • Send a copy of your gas invoice to calculate your tax rate

  • Record deliveries and match invoice totals closely

  • Finalize and prepare invoices for payment

  • Apply credit card batches if needed

  • Update batch fees for accurate financial tracking

  • Regularly update your retail fuel prices to track profit margins

Step-by-Step Process

  1. Go to C-Store Essentials Web Account

  • You can access C-Store Essentials by clicking here or going to https://secure.cstorepro.com

    • Click the “Forgot Password” button if you need help resetting your password

2. Gas Settings Setup

  • On the left side of the screen, click on Gas

  • Next click on Settings

  • Enter your tank sizes

  • Send a copy of your gas invoice so the tax rate can be calculated

3. Enter Gas Deliveries

  • Navigate to Gas Delivery

  • Click Add a New Delivery

  • Select your Delivery Date

  • Enter your PO Number

  • Specify if the charge is Gross or Net by entering the appropriate values

    • Gross: Enter gross gallons

    • Net: Enter net gallons

  • Enter unit prices (cost per gallon), which may extend to 5–6 decimal places

  • Enter your freight costs

  • Ensure that the Total Invoice Value matches your actual invoice amount

    • If it does not, adjust using Miscellaneous Cost / VAT and note the adjustment under Memo

  • Click the checkbox to Finalize this Invoice and make it Eligible for Payment

  • Click Add Delivery.

💡 Note: If you receive two deliveries on the same day, you must select Load 2 for the second delivery because Load 1 is already used. Enter the second delivery’s BOL (Bill of Lading)

4. Handling Multiple Deliveries on the Same Day

  • For a second delivery on the same day:

    • Add a new delivery

    • Select Load 2

    • Enter the second BOL (Bill of Lading)

    • Follow the same steps as above

5. Adjust for Rounding Differences

  • If the system’s calculated invoice total does not match exactly:

    • Adjust using the Miscellaneous Cost / VAT fields

    • Add or subtract the difference as needed to match your actual invoice amount

  • In the Memo field, note the adjustment (e.g., "Added $0.47 due to rounding" or "Subtracted $0.65 due to rounding")

  • Click the checkbox "Click here to finalize this invoice and make it eligible for payment"

  • Click Update

6. Pay Invoices

  • Navigate to Pay Invoice

  • Invoices that you finalized (checked the box earlier) will appear as eligible for payment

  • Select the invoice(s) you want to pay

  • Click Select and Continue

7. Apply Credit Card Batches (If Used)

  • If your jobber applies credit card batches against your invoice balance:

    • Select Credit Card Batches

    • The system pulls your Day Report credit card batches for the selected delivery dates

    • Your jobber will send you an EFT notification showing the amounts drafted

    • Match the draft days and amounts

    • Select continue

💡 Note : If your credit card batches collected more than your invoice, the system will show a negative amount (what they owe you back)

8. Updating Credit Card Batch Fees

If your bank charges you fees for processing credit cards:

  • Go to Credit Cards > Update Batch Fee

  • Find your batch for the correct time period (e.g., 2022 if you're looking historically)

  • Enter the fee amount charged based on your EFT notification

  • Save the updated fees

💡 Note: When you update your batch fees, they will automatically reflect when paying invoices, ensuring your amounts match exactly

9. Running Profit Reports

  • To properly calculate your fuel profit and loss, you must regularly:

    • Update your retail gas prices inside your C-Store system

    • Enter both your purchase cost and your sale price

      • Without sale prices, profit reporting for fuel will not be accurate.


Frequently Asked Questions

Why do I need to send a copy of my gas invoice?

  • We need your gas invoice to calculate your correct tax rate for fuel sales and reporting.

What happens if my total invoice value does not match the actual invoice?

  • You should adjust the amount slightly by adding or subtracting under Miscellaneous Cost / VAT and document the change under Memo.

How do I handle two fuel deliveries on the same day?

  • You must add a second load (Load 2) and enter a second Bill of Lading (BOL) separately in the system.

Does this system connect to my bank account for payments?

  • No, the system is only used for tracking purposes. It marks invoices as paid but does not actually move money.

Why do I need to update my batch fees?

  • If your bank charges batch fees for credit card transactions, updating this ensures your payment records accurately reflect what you are charged.

How often should I update my fuel prices in the system?

  • Fuel prices should be updated regularly in your C-Store system to accurately track and report your fuel profit and loss.

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