Understanding Manufacturer, Utility, and Consumer Rebates in SetSale
SetSale has three different rebate types. This article explains how and when to use them in quotes.
SetSale has three rebate types, and they each adjust your pricing differently. By the end of this article you'll know which rebate types to choose, how to change them, and what happens to quotes you've already built when they are changed.
- Manufacturer
- A Manufacturer rebate reduces your job cost before margin is applied. Your pricing builds back up from that lower cost, so the homeowner's price drops by more than the rebate amount. That is correct behavior for a true manufacturer rebate — the distributor is reducing what you pay for the equipment, and your margin applies to the cost you actually carry.
- Utility
- A Utility rebate reduces the homeowner's price after pricing is calculated. A $1,000 Utility rebate takes exactly $1,000 off what the homeowner owes.
- Consumer
- A Consumer rebate is claimed by the homeowner, not by you. It is displayed on the quote so your customer knows the money is out there, but it doesn't change what they owe at signing — they file the paperwork and the check comes later.
If you built a rebate under the old Instant type to knock a fixed dollar amount off the homeowner's price, it is now calculating as a Manufacturer rebate — and discounting more than you intended.
| Type | When it applies | Effect on the homeowner's price |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturer (previously Instant) | Reduces job cost before pricing. | Price already includes the saving. It is not deducted again, and the drop is larger than the rebate amount. |
| Utility | Deducts from the homeowner price after pricing. | Exactly the rebate amount comes off what the homeowner owes. |
| Consumer | Claimed separately by the homeowner. | Shown for reference. Does not reduce the amount due. |
Which Type Should You Pick?
To answer this question, ask yourself: Who is paying?
- If your distributor or manufacturer is reducing what you pay for the equipment — keep it as Manufacturer. Nothing to change.
- If a utility or efficiency program is paying a fixed amount toward the job, or you want a flat dollar reduction on the homeowner's price — use Utility.
- If the homeowner files paperwork and gets a check later — use Consumer.
How to Change a Rebate's Type
- Go to Settings > Pricing > Rebates.
- Find the rebate you want to change.
- In the Type column, select Utility, Manufacturer, or Consumer.
- Set the amount as Value
- If you fund part of the rebate yourself, set your funded share in Paid by Contractor
- NOTE: Paid by Contractor is only available for Utility Rebates.
- The share you fund is added to job cost.
- Click create.
What Happens to Quotes You've Already Built
Rebate rules apply to new quotes and to quotes you recalculate. Older quotes keep their previous calculation until you confirm recalculation, so changing a rebate's type does not reprice a saved quote on its own.
To bring an existing quote onto the corrected math, open the quote, delete the old rebate, and add the new one.
If a quote has already been sent, signed, or accepted at the wrong price, don't recalculate it — start a chat with us from the Messenger and we'll work through it with you.