Commit an Xpress Bill Pay Adjustment Batch

Summary

When a payment made through Xpress Bill Pay is refunded, returned, or reversed, Cirrus creates the offsetting adjustment for you in a new Adjustments and Fees batch (UB> Adjustments and Fees). Use this process to review that batch and commit it. Cirrus builds the adjustment automatically, so you do not create it yourself.

This process differs from a standard payment adjustment. A standard payment adjustment starts with you creating the transaction in the Adjustment Input Wizard (UB> Adjustments and Fees> Input). Here, the transaction already exists. Start at the Batch Overview page and review the batch instead. Do not enter a second, manual adjustment for the same refund or return, or the adjustment doubles.

Step by Step

1     Check for uncommitted Adjustments and Fees batches.

• Open the Adjustments and Fees Batches window (UB> Adjustments and Fees). The Batches window displays all the open Adjustments and Fees batches, including the batches Cirrus created from Xpress Bill Pay refunds, returns, and reversals.
• Check for open batches as part of your daily or weekly routine, the same way you check for new payment batches.
  • Cirrus creates the batch within a few minutes of the transaction clearing the processor. Returns can arrive days after the original payment, so a batch can appear on a day you were not expecting one.
  • If no batch exists, confirm the refund or return displays as completed on the Xpress Bill Pay admin site. A pending transaction has not been sent to Cirrus yet. If the transaction is completed and no batch exists, contact Xpress Bill Pay support with the payment confirmation number.
• Do not create a new batch for the adjustment. Open the batch Cirrus created.

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.
• The main section displays the batch steps that are currently processing, the next available batch steps, and the last completed batch step.
  • Batch steps that are currently processing display a blue indicator bar to alert you that the step has not yet completed.
  • Any batch step that includes the Required tag   must be completed before the batch is allowed to proceed to the Commit step.
• The Batch Outputs section on the right displays any reports or exports already generated in the Adjustments and Fees process.

3     Review the adjustment transactions.

• Open the Input window (UB> Adjustments and Fees> Input).
• The Input window displays all of the transactions in the batch.
• Confirm the customer account, transaction date, and adjustment amount match the refund, return, or reversal on the Xpress Bill Pay admin site.
• Do not change the adjustment type on the transaction. Cirrus applies the adjustment type configured for your organization when the two systems were connected, and uses that same adjustment type on every batch. Contact Xpress Bill Pay support if the configured adjustment type needs to change.
• You can also view the adjustment on the customer account using the Account Master Maintenance window (UB> Maintenance> Account> History tab).
  • The adjustment transaction displays in red because it is still uncommitted. The original payment transaction is not modified. The adjustment is a separate transaction that offsets it.

4     Print a Proof List.

• Generate the Proof List (UB> Adjustments and Fees> Proof List).
• The Report Sort field sorts the Proof List by either Customer Account or Order of Input.
• Check the Show Service Address toggle to include the service address of the lot associated with any UB accounts included in the batch.
• 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 PDF to print the report in the default Springbrook format.
  • Select Excel to export the report data to an Excel spreadsheet as unformatted data.
  • Select Excel (Formatted) 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 displays the adjustment amount, the service being adjusted, and the customer account information.

5     Print a GL Distribution report.

• Enter a Journal Entry date and select a Report Type, then generate the GL Distribution report (UB> Adjustments and Fees> GL Distribution).
  • The Journal Entry date sets the fiscal period of the journal entry created by the batch.
  • Once you select a Report Type for a GL Distribution report, Cirrus sets that report type as the default for all UB GL Distribution reports.
• 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 PDF to print the report in the default Springbrook format.
  • Select Excel to export the report data to an Excel spreadsheet as unformatted data.
  • Select Excel (Formatted) 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 GL Distribution report displays the journal entry created by the adjustment.
• The GL accounts attached to the service rates or fee codes on the payment line items being adjusted are used in the journal entry.
  • A refund, return, or reversal reduces the payment, so the adjustment debits the AR account - increasing the amount expected from the customer - and credits the cash account, decreasing the cash account balance.

6     Commit the batch.

• Open the Commit window (UB> Adjustments and Fees> Commit).
• The Commit window displays the journal entry date of the journal entry created by the process.
• Click the Continue button or press ENTER to commit the batch.  
  • If you click the Cancel button, you can still commit the batch via the Commit button  .
• Commit the batch. Nothing is finished until you commit. Until then, the customer's online bill still displays the original payment, the amount due is understated, and your Cirrus reports do not match your Xpress Bill Pay deposit and settlement reports.

7     Verify the customer account.

• Open the Account Maintenance window (UB> Maintenance> Account> History tab). The adjustment transaction no longer displays in red, and the account balance reflects the adjustment.
• If the customer's online bill still displays the original payment, have the customer refresh the page or log out and back in. If the bill is still wrong, contact Xpress Bill Pay support with the account number and the date you committed the batch.