Invoices

Invoices are controlled the BILL_ENABLE_INVOICES config options. They are stored in the INVOICES table. Generating Invoice numbers for the View Bill is not dependent on the 'Accounts Receivable' (AR) license.

Generating Invoices

When the BILL_ENABLE_INVOICES config option is enabled, the Bill process generates INVOICES records. One Invoice is generated for each GLA in the Bill.  Invoices are generated with a Pending status. This process creates an incremented Invoice number for each GLA in the Bill. All billing transactions in each Invoice are linked back to the generated Invoice.

Bill Approval

After a Bill is generated, it has a status of Complete. It can be Approved by clicking the 'Approve/Unapprove' button on the Bills grid. Approving the Bill allows it to be seen on CustomerCenter. Additionally, the Approval process updates all the Invoices generated on that Bill from status Pending to Billed. Once Approved, the Bill can be Unapproved to remove it from CustomerCenter. However, this DOES NOT change the Billed Invoices back to Pending. 

In addition to setting the Billed status on all the Invoices, the Approval process sets the specified date as Invoice Date on every Invoice.  The Due Date is also set using the BILL_INVOICE_DUEDAYS config option. This option specifies the number of days after the Invoice Date that each Invoice is Due. The default setting for this config option is 30 days.

Bill Deletion

Once Approved, a Bill can still be deleted which removes all Invoices associated with the Bill. However, only Pending or Billed Invoices can be deleted. Once any Invoice associated with a Bill has been Paid (Paid in Full or Partially Paid), they cannot be deleted, and the Bill that generated them cannot be deleted.

Invoices Grid

The Invoices grid can be found at Admin > Billing > Invoices. This grid allows Users to search, sort, and report on any Invoice generated in PCR-360. The Invoices grid is available if whether the Accounts Receivable module is on or not.

Invoice Overview

The 'Invoice Overview' form is an easy way to see the status and totals on an Invoice. It displays the Transaction Details and any associated Payments.

Invoice Number

The 'Invoice Number' is a unique incremented sequence for each INVOICES record. The format of numbers is controlled by the BILL_INVOICE_FORMAT config option which controls the number of digits displayed. Leading zeros are added to pad the number.

Status

Invoices can have five statuses: Pending, Billed, Partial Payment, Paid in Full, and Archived. The different statuses alter how the application interacts with the Invoice records.

Pending: The Bill process uses this status when generating Invoices. Pending Invoices are excluded from all calculations regarding outstanding account totals.

Billed: Approving a bill updates all the Invoices on that Bill to the Billed status. Once Billed, the Invoices are included in calculations regarding outstanding account totals.

Partial Payment: Payments are applied to specific Invoices. Whenever an Invoice has been partially paid, the status reflects Partial Payment. Invoices with this status are included in calculations regarding account totals.

Paid in Full: When payments are applied to specific Invoices if the payment(s) covers the entire amount then the status will reflect Paid in Full. Invoices with this status are excluded from calculations regarding account totals.

Archived: This status is used for Invoices created before establishment of the Accounts Receivable module. When these Invoices are converted to records in the INVOICES table, the Archived status is applied. These Invoices are excluded from all calculations regarding outstanding account totals.

Invoice Date

The 'Invoice Date' is the date that was specified when the Bill was Approved. It is set during the Bill Approval process.

Due Date

The Invoice 'Due Date' is set during the Bill Approval process. It is calculated using the BILL_INVOICE_DUEDAYS config option. This option specifies the number of days after the Invoice Date that each Invoice is Due. The default setting for this config option is 30 days.

This date is used when calculating outstanding account balances and determining which of the monthly totals to add this Invoice.

Billed Amount

The 'Billed Amount' is set at the end of the Bill process. This is the total amount that was billed on this Invoice to the specified GLA. The Billed Amount is never changed after the Bill is generated to keep a consistent record.

Payment Amount

A total of all payments that are made against a specific Invoice is recorded in the 'Payment Amount'. Whenever a payment is processed, the Payment Amount is increased to reflect the total of all payments against this Invoice. This total never exceeds the Billed Amount total.

Current Balance

The 'Current Balance' is set at the end of the Bill process. This field tracks how much is currently due on each Invoice. Whenever a payment is processed against an Invoice, the Current Balance is reduced. This total should always equal the Billed Amount minus Payment Amount.

Current Balance is used when calculating outstanding account balances determining amounts for the monthly totals.

Transaction Details

The 'Transaction Details' tab shows all Invoices are associated with individual Billing transactions. These transactions correspond to Charges or Usage billed to the GLA on the specified Invoice. The Invoice Overview and Printout both provide a breakdown of each Billing transaction associated with an Invoice.

Payments on Invoice

Payments are applied to specific Invoices and are displayed on the 'Payments on Invoice' tab. Unless manually specified, Payments are always associated to the oldest Invoices first. The Invoice Overview and Printout both provide a breakdown of each payment associated with an Invoice.  This tab is suppressed for Non-AR GLAs or when the license is turned off.

Invoice Printout

The 'Invoice Printout' is a printable display for each Invoice. It can be accessed with the 'Invoice Printout' button on the Invoices grid. The printout uses the Primary Contact and the Billing Address from the GLA associated with the Invoice. If this data is missing from the GLA, it is not populated on the Printout.

Each of the monthly totals and other Invoice fields are displayed on the Printout. Additionally, the Billing Transactions Recent Payments associated with the Invoice are also listed on the printout.

For non-AR GLAs or when AR is turned off – The following sections will not display on the print out:

• Payment Amount
• 30 days past due
• Current Balance
• Payment Grid
• Remittance Coupon

Custom Text can be applied to the Invoice Printout using the INVOICE_CUSTOMTEXT_TOP parameter.

Remittance Coupon

Remittance Coupon is only included in the printout if the 'Accounts Receivable' module is on.

On the Invoice Printout, there is a 'Remittance Coupon'. This allows Customers to return this Coupon with the Payment. This can be displayed at the top or bottom of the Invoice, depending on the value for INVOICE_REMITTANCE_COUPON_POSITION.

Printout Configuration Options

There are several Configuration Options to control the output of the Printout. All of the Configurations related to the printout start with 'INVOICE'.

Emailing Invoices

Emailing Invoices can be done automatically by triggering the Invoice email. On the Bills grid, there is an button that opens the 'Manage Send Invoice Email to Account Primary Contacts' form. This dialog allows the User to input the Subject and Body of the email. This default email body can be set with the INVOICE_COORDINATORS_EMAIL config option. The 'Attach Invoice PDF' flag on this dialog generates an Invoice Printout for each email and attaches it as a PDF.

Once triggered, the Invoice Email Event looks up all the Invoices generated on a Bill and attempts to send an email for each.

• If the Invoice is not associated with an AR GLA, no email is sent.
• If there is no Primary Contact for that AR GLA, no email is sent.
• If the Primary Contact does not have a Primary Email address, no email will be sent.

Additionally, the specific GLAs can opt-in or out of this automatic email with the 'Email Invoice' flag on the Account Management tab of the GLA.