Table of Contents
Document Summary
Late Fee Processing allows you to apply late payment penalty fees to households that owe balances for services on/after a specified date. When the Late Fee Processing program is run, the system searches the Activity Section range entered and applies the Late Payment Fee to any enrollee's balance for which an amount is still due. Additionally, an entry is made in the household's Transaction History listing.
Note: Current functionality for this program is limited to Activity Sections only. Functionally for additional modules may be added at a later date.
The Late Fee Processing program provides the option to print a preview journal that lists the patron's Name, Household Number, Activity and Section, and the Late Payment Fee that will be charged. This program can be run "as desired" (i.e. multiple times) during the run of the activity/program, in the event you charge late payment penalty fees on a scheduled basis. This program can be run "on-demand" or it can be scheduled.
License – Maintenance Agreement
The Late Fee Processing Interface is free. Use of the interface requires a Vermont Systems license and annual maintenance agreement for RecTrac and the component modules discussed in this document. Prior to implementing any process outlined in this document, please contact the Vermont Systems Sales department at 1-877-883-8757 to verify that you are authorized to use the modules discussed in this document and if not, to obtain a quote and/or approval.
Setup Steps
To run the Late Payment Processing program:
- Create Late Payment Fees (Fee Type = Standard Fee, Transaction Type = Late Payment) and link them as desired in the Activity Fee hierarchy.
- Run the Late Fee Processing program as needed on or after your due date for full payment.
This document provides the basic File Maintenance steps required to prepare your RecTrac database for Late Fee Processing. It also provides step-by-step instructions for running this program. If you have additional questions about Activity Visit Processing setup and operation after reading this document, please contact Vermont Systems Customer Service by phone at 887-883-8757 or generate a Support Case through the Customer portal of the Vermont Systems website using your Customer ID and password.
Before You Begin
This document is written with the following assumptions. If any of the items listed below is NOT true, contact Vermont Systems Support prior to continuing, as the steps in this document may prove difficult to complete and unexpected results may occur.
- Your organization is running RecTrac 3.1.04.01 or greater.
- You have a full understanding of how late payment fees are charged at your organization and what those fees are and when, during the course of a program, they will be charged.
- The User ID with which you sign into RecTrac has the requisite permissions and ability to access all modules and functions pertaining to Late Fee Processing, including but not limited to: Activity and Activity Section Management, Late Fee Processing, and the Document Center.
- You understand Activity Management and have created the Activities/Sections for which you will charge Late Fees.
- You understand RecTrac DataGrids and how to maneuver through them.
- You have an understanding of RecTrac Fees and the multiple levels of hierarchy at which Fees can be linked in RecTrac. This document does not provide instruction for RecTrac Fee Maintenance beyond the minimum requirements necessary to set up and run Late Fee Processing.
File Maintenance Setup
File Maintenance Setup for Late Fee Processing is relatively straightforward:
- Go to Activity Section Management and determine whether you wish to Charge Late Fees Multiple Times.
- Create and link a Late Payment Fee at some level of the Activity hierarchy (Fee Type = Standard Fee, Transaction Type = Late Payment).
Note: All file paths and screen/tab locations in this document refer to file paths and screen/tab locations as they appear in the standard, default Vermont Systems Design. Your setup and Design may vary.
Activity Section Management
When charging Late Payment Fees for Activity Enrollments in RecTrac, you need to determine whether you wish to charge the Late Payment Fee one time only per enrollment into a program or multiple times if the balance remains unpaid. In RecTrac, this is managed by the Charge Late Fee Multiple Times? option on the Fees tab in Activity Section Update.
For Example: Your Tiny Tots Swim Camp runs for eight (8) weeks in June and July. Full payment is required by the end of the 4th week. At the beginning of the 5th week, you run the Late Fee Processing program. Any household with a balance due in Tiny Tots Swim will be charged your Late Payment penalty fee.
- IF you were to run the Late Fee Processing program on the 6th, 7th and 8th week of the program AND charge households an additional Late Payment Fee for each week they continue to run a balance in your program, you would enable this option for each applicable section of Tiny Tots Swim.
- IF you choose to charge a Late Payment fee one time only, you would disable this option.
To Set the Charge Late Fee Multiple Times Option
- In RecTrac, go to Management Ribbon • Activity Management • Section Management.
- Select the Section for which you wish to charge Late Payment Fees multiple times and click Change
- Click the Fees tab.
- Click to enable the Charge Late Fee Multiple Times option.
- Save your changes. You will be returned to the Activity Section Management DataGrid.
- Repeat these steps as necessary for additional sections for which you wish to charge Late Payment Fees multiple times.
Note: To enable this option for multiple sections in bulk (as opposed to doing it by individual section), click Bulk Change at the bottom of the Activity Section Management DataGrid and Add ChargeLateFeeMultipleTimes to the Bulk Changes to Add box. Process your bulk changes as you normally would.
Create and Link a Late Payment Fee
A Late Payment Fee in RecTrac is a Standard Fee Type with a Late Payment Transaction Type. The number of Late Payment Fees you need is up to your Department's policy and is dependent upon a number of variables, such as but not limited to:
- Whether you charge different rates for different programs.
- Whether you charge different rates for Residents/Non-Residents or Members/Non-Members
- Whether you charge a flat rate or a percentage of the enrollment tuition
- Etc….
Suffice to say that the more complex your Late Payment Fee policy is, the more complex and detailed your Late Payment Fees set up will be in RecTrac to the point where Criteria and Fee Sets may be involved.
For purposes of example, this document assumes that one (1) $5.00 Late Payment Fee only is required and that it is applied to anyone in any program with a balance. Under this set up, one (1) Fee only is needed and the Fee does not require any criteria because it applies to everyone.
Your Late Payment Fee must be linked in some manner to the Activity for which you wish to charge it. Where a Fee Set is linked determines what it will impact.
The following chart displays where you can link a Fee to the Activity Module and what impact it will have.
Fee Linked | Fee Applies To |
---|---|
To the Activity Module | All Activities and their Sections in your database |
To an Activity | All Sections in the Activity to which the Fee is linked |
To an Activity Section | That Section only |
To an Activity Category | All Activities in your database to which that Category System Code is linked |
To an Activity Type | All Activities in your database to which that Type System Code is linked |
To an Activity SubType | All Activities in your database to which that SubType System Code is linked |
To a Season | All Activities in your database to which that Season System Code is linked regardless of Year |
For purposes of example, this document assumes the $5.00 Late Payment Fee is standard policy for all Activities/Programs offered. Therefore, it will be linked at the Activity Module Level of hierarchy. Filters on the the Late Fee Processing program allow you to select the programs for which you wish Late Fees to be applied.
To Create and Link a Single Late Payment Fee
- In RecTrac, go to Management Ribbon • System Management • Fee/Rule/Question Management Group • Module Management.
- Highlight/select AR - Activity Enrollments and click Change. You will continue to the Module Update screen.
- Click the Fees Tab. Any Fees already linked will be displayed.
- Click Advanced Fee Add. You will continue to the Fee Update screen.
Note: Fee Default Record Permissions determine whether or not you receive a Default Record Add pop-up message upon clicking Add Fee.
If you receive the pop-up message, you have Permissions to add "Regular" Fee Records and Default Fee Records to your database. Expand the Drop-down list and make your selection:
- If you have a Default Late Payment Fee established in your database, you may opt to use that, if desired.
- If you do NOT have a Default Late Payment Fee established in your database, Vermont Systems recommends choosing --New Blank Record-- as that option will create a new Fee.
If you do NOT receive the pop-up, you do NOT have Permissions to add Default Fee Records to your database. You will be adding a new Fee Record only.
Fee Default Record Permissions are maintained on your Permissions profile • Default Record Permissions group. Default Fees are maintained in Fee Management.
- Enter a Fee Description. For Example: AR - Late Payment Fee.
- Enter the Amount you wish to charge.
- Click the Picklist icon for Revenue and GL Code and make your selection. This is a mandatory field for the default Vermont Systems RecTrac Design. Your Design and setup may vary.
- Accept the default entry for Standard Fee in the Fee Type field.
Note: Late Payment Fees MUST be Standard Type Fees.
- Expand the Combo Box icon for Transaction Type. Click Uncheck All, THEN scroll down the list and select Late Payment. Close the Combo Box.
Note: Late Payment Fees MUST be Late Payment Transaction Type.
- For Installment Billing/Auto-Debit/ACH Fees Only - If you are Installment Billing with Late Payment Fees, expand the Installment Billing Settings group. In the Installment Billing Option field, select Always Charge.
- Fill out the remaining fields as necessary. Add criteria as desired.
Use the "i" and "?" Help icons for field definitions, if needed. - Click Save when done to save your record. It will appear in the Fees DataGrid.
- Click Save again to save the Fee to the Module. Changes take effect immediately.
Note: The Fee just created requires NO Criteria and is linked at the Module Level of hierarchy because it is a flat fee that will apply to anyone with a balance in any applicable Activity/Program when the Late Fee Processing program is run.
This completes the File Maintenance Setup for Late Fee Processing in RecTrac. Additional Late Fees could be created with Criteria, if necessary, to target certain individuals only (Residents/Non-Residents, for example) and Late Payment Fees could be linked at a different level of hierarchy, if needed. How Late Payment Fees are created and linked, ultimately, is up to your Department policy.
Run the Late Fee Processing Program
Late Fee Processing allows you to apply late payment penalty fees to households that owe balances for services on/after a specified date. When the Late Fee Processing program is run, the system searches the Activity Section range entered and applies the Late Payment Fee to any enrollee's balance for which an amount is still due. Additionally, an entry is made in the household's Transaction History listing.
- The Full Payment Due Date is determined by your local policy.
- This program can be run manually on/after the Full Payment Due Date OR it can be scheduled to run at regular periodic intervals.
- This program can be run multiple times for the same Activity Section Range.
- If the Charge Late Fee Multiple Times option is enabled on the Section(s) in your range, Late Payment Fees will be assessed to each enrollee with a balance due each time this program is run.
- If the Charge Late Fee Multiple Times option is NOT enabled on the Section(s) in your range, Late Payment Fees will be assessed one time only per enrollee regardless of how many times this program is run.
To Run the Late Fee Processing Program Manually
Note: The following steps walk you through Late Fee Processing using the manual option. This program can be Scheduled to run at regular, periodic intervals. To Schedule this program, follow the steps below. When instructed to click Post Late Fee, click Schedule instead. You will continue to Schedule Generator screen.
- In RecTrac, go to Management Ribbon • System Management • Period End Processes Group • Late Fee Processing. You will continue to the Late Fee Processing screen.
- Click the Picklist icon for Begin Section and End Section to enter the range of Activity Sections for which you wish to process Late Payment Fees.
Note: Current functionality for this program is limited to Activity Sections only. Functionally for additional modules may be added at a later date.
- Click the Picklist icon for Season to select the Season System Code. Sections in your range above with matching Season codes and Year will be included in this processing run. This is a mandatory field for the default Vermont Systems RecTrac Design. Your Design and setup may vary.
- Enter a Year. Sections in your range above with matching Season codes and Year will be included in this processing run. This is a mandatory field for the default Vermont Systems RecTrac Design. Your Design and setup may vary.
- Determine whether you wish to use Unique Family Members Only:
- Enabled - Any enrollee who owes late fees for more than one activity will be listed once only, with a single total for late payment fees being charged.
- Disabled - Any enrollee who owes late fees for more than one activity will be listed for each applicable activity with the amount due for that activity.
- Click Display Rosters. The Late Fee Roster Records DataGrid will populate.
Note: IF you are set up to Charge Late Fees one (1) time only, and IF you have already run Late Fee Processing for Rosters in your range, then any rosters for whom Late Fees have already been charged will not be displayed.
- Review the DataGrid. In the event, you do not want to charge someone a Late Fee, highlight/select those rosters in the DataGrid and click Remove Selected Rosters.
- When ready, click Post Late Fee
THEN
Select whether you wish to Print/Preview/Email the resulting report. - The process runs on the AppServer. The Notification Center will alert you when the process is complete. Click Here to See a Sample Posting Journal.
- Re-run the program as needed for additional Activity Sections or click Close to exit.
- Spot-check household balances as desired.