This chapter contains these topics:
This chapter is an overview of the manual billing process, which you use to bill tenants for one-time charges such as improvements, supplies, postage, promotions, and repairs specific to a given tenant. It is a single cycle in which you use processing options to specify such features as batch controls and tax processing. It also includes a text feature that lets you attach extended text to an invoice.
For each batch of documents that you create, the process actually involves two batches. They have the same batch number, but different batch types. The batch type is 1 for all unposted documents, which are kept in the Tenant/Lease Billings Detail file (F1511). When you post the batch, the system first creates documents for the G/L Account Ledger file (F0911) and either the A/R Account Ledger file or A/P Account Ledger file (F0311 and F0411, respectively). At this point, the batch type is now 2 for tenant A/R invoices and / (forward slash) for tenant A/P vouchers.
The flexibility of the Real Estate Management system lets you process A/P vouchers with the same screens related to manual billings. Because the system processes them separately, however, you cannot create invoices and vouchers within the same batch.
Caution:
In order to process invoices for a lease, the Lessee Flag field in the Tenant/Lease Master file (F1501) must be blank for the lease. The field must contain 1 or Y (Yes, allow A/P vouchers) to process vouchers for a lease. After the system has created billings for a lease, do not change this field.Before you add a manual billing, set up the following information:
Real Estate management constants and user defined codes
Facility, tenant, and lease information
General accounting and accounts receivable constants
Bill codes with their automatic accounting instructions (AAIs)
This screen lets you enter A/R invoices manually rather than have the system create them automatically through the recurring billing or other extraordinary billing processes. You can also use the screen to work with existing invoices without regard to how they were created, whether manually or automatically.
The batch review and approval facility is a paperless alternative to the traditional journal reports and includes three levels of detail:
At the first level, you can review and approve batches of transactions. From the list of batches, you can choose a specific batch and display the next level of detail.
At the second level, you can review all the documents in a batch. The system provides general information for each document. From this list, you can choose a specific document and display the next level of detail.
At the third level, you can review or change the detail in a document.
This screen, which is the first level of detail in the review process, lets you review and approve batches of transactions for posting. From this screen, you can access the other two levels of detail. This series of screens displays and updates information in the Batch Control Records file (F0011) and the Tenant/Lease Billings Detail file (F1511).
The system initially assigns a status of Error to all batches of invoices in the Tenant/Lease Billings Detail file. When you run Print Billing Edit/Register for a batch, the system verifies the invoices against other system information and changes the status of the batch to Pending or Approved. The status to which it changes depends on how the Manager Approval of Input field is set in the General Constants file (F0009). If an error exists or if a manual review is required for a document, the batch retains a status of Error.
The system also prints a report that can include a list of the transactions, total amounts, errors, and warnings.
Prior to posting, all A/R invoices are placed in the Tenant/Lease Billings Detail file. When you submit documents for posting, the system automatically runs a DREAM Writer version of the G/L Transaction Generation program (P15199), which does the following:
Associates the blank Lessee Flag field for the lease with the bill codes for the invoices to identify the automatic accounting instructions (AAIs).
Creates the A/R and G/L detail transactions and updates the balances in the Lease Financial Summary file (F1520).
Creates a batch of cash receipts for automatic prepaid application if the processing options are set accordingly.
Marks the documents in the Tenant/Lease Billings Detail file as posted.
For invoices, the version of the post program in the Real Estate Management system does the following:
Runs a DREAM Writer version of G/L Transaction Generation (P15199).
Selects unposted invoices from the G/L Account Ledger file.
Verifies the information in each transaction.
Posts the transactions to the G/L Account Balances file (F0902).
Marks the transactions as posted in the following files: G/L Account Ledger, A/R Account Ledger, and Batch Control Records. The posted codes in the three files are P, D, and D, respectively.
Creates and posts the automatic offsets to accounts receivable.
You must set up the Batch Type Selection processing option for tenant A/R invoices (batch type 2).
This screen and its three levels of review let you review the pay items for an invoice and verify that they are posted. However, you cannot use this screen to view the accounting distribution entries. To view these entries, you begin with the General Journal Review screen.
From this screen, three levels of journal entry information are available for posted A/R and G/L transactions. The screen, which is the first level of detail in the review process, lets you review batches of transactions with their balancing detail. From the second and third levels, you can also exit to the Journal Entries screen to view the accounting distribution for a transaction.
In order to view tenant A/R invoices, you must specify batch type 2 for a processing option.
You use the Print Invoices program to print an invoice that includes information created during the billing process. You use the Print Statements program to print many kinds of customer statements that include posted A/R information such as an account summary, current balance due, aging amounts, and so on. To ensure that all the information is current, verify that you have posted all invoices before you print statements.
You can use the manual billing process for A/P vouchers in much the same way as A/R invoices. The programs are used in conjunction with the Accounts Payable system. To process vouchers, note the following:
In addition to the setup for manual billings, you must also set up the accounts payable constants and set the Lessee Flag field in the Tenant/Lease Master file to 1 or Y (Yes, allow A/P vouchers) for the related leases.
Caution:
After the system has created vouchers for a lease, do not change this field.You enter vouchers on the Manual Billing Entry screen the same way you enter invoices. Remember that you cannot create invoices and vouchers within the same batch. You also use the Manual Billing Journal Review screen and Print Billing Edit/Register the same way you use them for invoices.
For Post Invoices, you must set up the Batch Type Selection processing option to batch type / (forward slash) for tenant A/P vouchers. The system works with the following files: G/L Account Balances, G/L Account Ledger, and A/P Account Ledger.
With G/L Transaction Generation, the system uses the code (Y or 1) in the Lessee Flag field for the lease with the bill codes for the vouchers to identify the AAIs and creates the A/P and G/L detail transactions.
For the General Journal Review screen, you must specify batch type / (forward slash) for a processing option in order to view tenant A/P vouchers.
After you have posted and reviewed the vouchers, you use the Accounts Payable system to print payments and other related A/P reports.