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Posting

The posting feature is used to apply a payment, credit or debit adjustment, discount, or any other transaction to an account. The posting screen will display the Balance Forward Posting mode or Open Item Posting mode based on the value specified in the Open Item field of the account number entered.

The Balance Forward Posting mode normally applies a payment to the oldest outstanding balance first. The user determines the default field the system will start applying payments at by selecting a value in the Account Settings screen. Note: Selecting another field in the Posting screen can overwrite the default field.

The Open Item Posting mode enables a payment or partial payment to be applied to specific invoice(s). Credit transactions can be posted to an Account and applied to the specific invoice(s) at another time.

The Open Item flag on the Account Record can be changed manually if one of the following applies:

• A new account with no activity
• An existing account with a zero balance and no activity since the last statement

For accounts that do not meet either of these criteria, see Convert To/From Open Item documentation to convert an account from Balance Forward to Open Item or from Open Item to Balance Forward.

Note: If attempting to post transactions to a Centralized Account, the following message will appear:

This is a centralized account. Payments must be sent to the central office for posting.  This means the store can’t post any transactions to these accounts.

To post and apply an amount to the account balance, access the Posting screen by clicking:

File | Account Maintenance | Posting

Posting Screen: 

• Posting Date:  If necessary, change the posting date to the appropriate date.  The date will default to the current calendar date.
• Account number: Type in the Account number to post or apply credit to and press Enter.
• Transaction Code drop down box: select the type of transaction to post. 

**Please Note: there are numerous transaction codes, and SBC suggests that the user use the most appropriate code for his/her purpose.  This is especially important because these codes are displayed on statements and on reports, where applicable.  In addition, these can be mapped separately when integrating with a GL software package.

       Possible Transaction Code values:

• Bad Debt Write Off:  Use to decrease the balance of a customer’s account when writing off bad debts.
• COD Correction: Used to correct COD payments taken through Point Of Sale or in the posting program.
• Credit Adjustment: Used to decrease the balance of a customer's account.
• Credit Memo: Used when a customer returns merchandise for credit.  Using the Credit Memo transaction code will display the same as creating a Credit Memo through Point Of Sale, however a ticket will not be created and inventory will not be affected.  In addition, The Credit Memo function will only track totals and not differentiate between parts or labor items.
• Debit Adjustment: Used to increase the balance of a customer's account.
• Discount %: Used to manually apply a discount percent to the account based on a particular dollar amount. When posting a discount, a box will display and ask the user to enter the amount to calculate the discount from.  You can enter the to-date-balance, last statement amount or any amount you prefer.
• Discount $: Used to manually apply a discount to the account based on a particular dollar amount.                                 
• Invoice: Used to post invoice totals to your accounts. The Invoice function will only track totals and not differentiate between parts or labor items. Inventory will not be affected.
• NSF (non-sufficient funds): the following 4 items are used when handling bounced checks. 

Example:  An account comes into the store and buys $100 worth of merchandise.  He pays with a check.  Days later the check bounces.

Charge the customer for the original amount of the invoice.  Use the NSF Check Post to charge the account the $100.00.  At the same time, use the NSF Fee Post transaction code to charge the customer a fee for bouncing the check (for this example, let’s charge the customer $25.00). 

When the customer pays the balance, use the NSF Check Redeposited to receive the $100 into the system again.  Finally, use the NSF Fee Collected to collect the fee, $25.00. 

Using these 4 NSF transactions appropriately will update an external GL software program with the correct information and for auditing purposes.

¨      NSF Check Post: Used to post monies back to an account, increasing the account’s balance.

¨      NSF Check Redeposited: Used to receive (for a second time) monies that were originally bounced. 

¨      NSF Fee Collected: Used to post the payment of a bounced-check fee.

¨      NSF Fee Post:  Used to post a bounced-check fee. 

• Payment on C.O.D.: Used to apply a payment to a C.O.D. account.
• Received on Account: Used when a payment is received from a customer.
• ROA Correction:  Used to apply a correction on a received on account.
• Service Charge: Used to apply an additional charge when necessary.
• Service Charge Waived:  Used to waive service charges.  This must be done after a statement reset has been done.

• Post Amount: enter the dollar amount to post to the account.
• Ref Num: enter a user-defined alphanumeric reference number for the user to identify and track the transaction. For example, the reference number can refer to an invoice transaction number being paid off or the check number being used for a payment.
• Cust PO Num: If applicable, enter a customer PO number for the customer to identify and track the transaction.
• Start Apply at Fld: select the appropriate age field to begin applying the posted transaction to. The system displays the default value defined in the Account Settings - Posting tab. (Note: this field will only be available for Balance Forward Accounts.)  Note: this field is only available when posting to a Balance Forward Account.

After all required information (displayed in RED) has been selected and entered for each field, select one of the following options:

• Accept Current Line: accepts information from each field and places in detail box.
• Clear Working Line: clears information selected and entered in each field.
• Delete Selected Line(s): removes selected line from detail box.
• Post to Account: all item(s) listed in the detail box will be posted to that account.  Note: until this button is pressed, the account is NOT adjusted.

When posting transactions to a Balance Forward account or an Open Item account without unapplied credits, the following question will be displayed:

Would you like to post to another account?

Select Yes to continue posting transactions for another account.

Select No if finished posting transactions and the following question will be displayed:

Would you like to print the posting log now?

Select Yes to print the posting log before exiting the posting screen.

Select No to exit the posting screen without printing the log at this time.

(Note: See Posting Log Print to print the posting session at a later time.)

When posting transactions to an Open Item account containing unapplied credits, the following question will be displayed:

Account #: XXX is an Open Item account. Would you like to apply credits now?

Select Yes to access the Apply Open Item Postings screen and apply credits to specific invoices.

Select No to apply credits at a later time and the following question will be displayed:

• Exit

If detail box is empty, exit the posting screen.

If items are listed in the detail box to be posted, the following question will be displayed:

Items have not been posted to Account #:XXX. What would you like to do?

Resume posting: returns back to posting screen to continue posting transactions

Post to Account: 

Exit without posting – if information is listed in detail box, it will be lost if not posted before exiting.

See also