Summary

The Adjustment Input Wizard is used to create adjustments on meter readings or transactions and can be used to create a billing adjustment, such as a misread, leak, or consumption adjustment. These billing adjustments are used to adjust a committed billing transaction on a UB customer account created in the New Billing, Final Billing, Miscellaneous Billing, or Additional Billing process. If you would like to adjust an uncommitted billing line item, delete the billing transaction in the open batch and regenerate the billing transaction.

To create a leak, misread, or consumption adjustment, open the Adjustment Input Wizard, select the transaction to adjust on the customer account and then modify the line items attached to the original billing.

Step by Step

1     Create a new Adjustments and Fees batch.

• Adjustment transactions added to an existing batch will not overwrite the transactions already entered into the batch, but the batch will return to the Input step if a Proof List or GL Distribution report has been created.
• Open the Adjustments and Fees Batches window (UB> Adjustments and Fees). The Batches window will display all the open Adjustments and Fees batches.
• Click the Create New Batch button to create a new batch. This will open the Create Batch window.
  • If there are open batches in the Adjustments and Fees process, you can create a new batch without affecting the open batches.
• Enter a Batch Month and Batch Year. These fields will default to the current calendar period and calendar year and are used for reference only. The batch month and batch year do not affect the transaction or journal entry date of the transactions in the batch.
  • The fiscal period the journal entry created is set up during the GL Distribution report (UB> Adjustments and Fees> GL Distribution> Journal Entry Date field).
• Click Create to create the new Adjustments and Fees batch.

2     Open the Batch Overview page.

• The Batch Overview page provides a general overview of the selected batch.
• The left navigation menu displays all the steps in the Adjustments and Fees process.
• In the main section you'll see information about batch steps that are currently processing, next available batch steps, and the last completed batch step.
  • Batch steps that are currently processing will display a blue indicator bar to alert you that the step has not yet completed.
  • Once the preceding batch step is complete, the next available batch steps will be enabled and you can select the next step you would like to run.
    • While some batch steps are optional, any batch step that includes the Required tag   must be completed before the batch is allowed to proceed through to the Commit step.
• The Batch Outputs section on the right will display any reports or exports that have already been generated in the Adjustments and Fees process.

3     Create a new adjustments transaction.

• Open the Input window (UB> Adjustments and Fees> Input). The Input window will display all of the transactions in the Adjustments and Fees batch.
  • Highlight an existing transaction and click the Delete button to delete the transaction.
  • Highlight an existing transaction and click the Edit button to open the transaction.
  • Click the Add button drop-down menu.
    • Select Adjustment from the drop-down menu. This will open the Adjustment Wizard.

4     Create an adjustment on an account.

• Enter an account number or click the Account Number field search button to select the customer account from a list.
  • This will populate the Reference Number, Customer Name and Service Address with the information attached to the selected customer account.
• Select Billing in the Transaction Type drop-down menu.
• Select an adjustment type in the Adjustment Type drop-down menu. The selected adjustment type will be attached to the adjustment type transaction line.
  • Only bill type adjustment types will display in the drop-down menu when Billing is selected in the Transaction Type drop-down menu.
  • Adjustment types are set up as bill types using the Adjustment Type Maintenance window (UB> Maintenance> Adjustment Type> GL Type drop-down> Select Bill).
• Modify the date in the Transaction Date field to change the transaction date of the adjustment. This field will populate with the current date.
• The Consumption Adjustment Type drop-down menu is used to create a leak, meter read, or consumption adjustment. Select N/A unless you would like to adjust the meter readings that resulted in the billing line item.
  • Select Leak to adjust a consumption value that was inflated by a leak.
  • Select Misread to correct an incorrect committed meter reading.
    • This will only adjust the most recent committed meter reading. If the misread meter is discovered after a subsequent, accurate meter reading and billing, use the Consumption type adjustment.
  • Select Consumption to adjust the current consumption value.
    • Consumption adjustments are meant to adjust a current consumption value if a misread is discovered prior to the last committed billing.
• Enter a description of the adjustment in the Description field if you would like to add a description to the adjustment transaction.
  • The description will display on the History tab of the Account Master Maintenance window (UB> Maintenance> Account> History tab> Description column).
• The Customer Name and Service Address fields will populate after you select a customer account in the Account Number field.
• Click the Next button after you have entered the information on the first step.
• If you would like to exit the Adjustment wizard, click the Cancel button   on any step in the process.

5     Select a billing line item to adjust.

• The second step of the Adjustment Input Wizard will display all of the billing line items on the customer account selected in the first step. The window will only display committed billing line items. Uncommitted billing line items cannot be adjusted.
  • If you would like to adjust an uncommitted billing, delete or modify the billing in the uncommitted batch. For example, if the billing you would like to modify is in a New Billing batch, delete the New Billing batch, modify the customer account, and then regenerate the New Billing batch. You can also commit the New Billing batch and then adjust the billing.
• Select the billing line item you would like to adjust. You can only select one billing line item at a time.
  • When creating a Misread adjustment, only the most recent committed billing line item can be adjusted.
• Check the Adjust Actual Amounts - Budget Bills toggle to adjust the Budget Deferred amount on an account set up for budget billing. If this toggle is left unchecked, the adjustment will be made to the account balance.
• Check the Reverse Transaction toggle if you would like to reverse the selected transaction. This will automatically create adjustment amounts on the billing adjustment step of the wizard that reverse the selected transaction.
• Click the Next button when the billing is selected.

6     Adjust the device consumption.

• The third step in the Adjustment Input Wizard will display the available devices on the account and the current reading on those devices.
• If you are creating a Misread adjustment, the Consumption Adjustment Type column will display "Correct Reading". Enter the new reading in the Corrected Read column and the Adjusted Consumption column will display the difference between the original and corrected readings.
  • Misread adjustments will change the Meter History reading totals on the UB Account Devices tab (UB> Maintenance> Account> Devices tab> Meter History).
• If you are creating a Leak adjustment, the Consumption Adjustment Type column will display "Leak Adjustment". Enter a new value in the Consumption Adjustment column.
  • Unlike the Misread adjustment, the Leak adjustment will not change the Meter History reading totals on the UB Account Devices tab. It will, however, create a Meter History line item on the Devices tab. The Description field on that line item will display "Leak Adjustment" and the total value of the adjustment.
  • Leak adjustments are primarily used to adjust a customer's billing totals because of a leak.
• If you are creating a Consumption adjustment, the Consumption Adjustment Type column will display "Consumption Credit". Enter a new value in the Consumption Adjustment column.
  • Like the Leak adjustment, the Consumption adjustment will not change the Meter History reading totals on the UB Account Devices tab. It will create a Meter History line item on the Devices tab. The Description field on that line item will display "Consumption Adjustment".
  • Consumption adjustments are primarily used to adjust a customer's billing totals because of an incorrect consumption value.
• Click the Next button when the consumption has been adjusted.

7     Adjust the billing detail line items.

• The billing line items associated with the billing selected previously will populate in the window. Enter an adjustment amount in the appropriate column to create the adjustment.
  • For example, if you would like to reduce the billing amount on a billed service rate by $15, enter -$15 on the line item of the service rate you would like to reduce.
  • If you enter 0 in the Adjustment Amount column, an adjustment will be created but it will have a zero amount. If you would like to reduce the billing down to zero, enter a negative amount to offset the billing.
  • The GL accounts used in the journal entry created by the adjustment transaction will be pulled from the service rates or fee codes being adjusted. For example, if you reduce the billing on the WT1 service rate, the GL accounts attached to service rate WT1 will be used to create the adjustment journal entry.
  • If the Reverse Transaction toggle was checked on the previous step, the Adjustment Amount column on the line items will populate with the values to reverse the transaction.
• Click the Finish button when complete to adjust the billing.
• Repeat this process to add additional adjustments to the batch.

8     Commit the billing adjustment.

• Once the adjustment has been created, you can view the adjustment on the UB customer account using the Account Maintenance window (UB> Maintenance> Account> History tab).
  • The adjustment transaction will display in red as it is still uncommitted.
• Print a Proof List.
  • Generate the Proof List (UB> Adjustments and Fees> Proof List).
  • The Sort By field is used to sort the Proof List by either Account Number or Receipt Number.
    • Once the required report settings have been specified, click the Print button   to print your report.
    • Click the options arrow on the right side of the Print button to see other print options.
      • Select Send PDF to Job Viewer to print the report in the default Springbrook format.
      • Select Send Excel to Job Viewer to export the report data to an Excel spreadsheet as unformatted data.
      • Select Send Excel (Formatted) to Job Viewer to export the report data to an Excel spreadsheet that includes much of the Springbrook formatting found on the printed version of the report.
    • Click the Schedule icon next to the Print button in order to schedule the report to generate at a later date and time.
      • Enter a Date and Time to generate the report and click SUBMIT.
  • The Proof List will display the adjustment amount, the service being adjusted and the customer account information.
• Print a GL Distribution report.
  • Enter the Journal Entry date, select a Report Type, and generate the GL Distribution Report (UB> Adjustments and Fees> GL Distribution).
    • Once a Report Type is selected for a GL Distribution report, that report type will be automatically set as the default for all UB GL Distribution reports.
  • The GL Distribution Report will display the journal entry created by the adjustment. The detail and sort options are determined by the Report Type drop-down menu.
  • The GL accounts attached to the service rates or fee codes on the billing line items being adjusted will be used in the journal entry. The revenue and cash accounts attached to the fee code or service rates will be used in the journal entry.
• Commit the adjustments.
  • Open the Commit window (UB> Adjustments and Fees> Commit).
  • The Commit window will display the journal entry date of the journal entry created by the process.