SmartFusion Modules > Utility Billing > Parameters > Utility Billing System Settings > General Settings 

Recent Changes:
6.229 - Added Sewer Ceiling Date Range From/To under the meters tab. If 'Sewer ceiling' is set on a rate table associated with a meter and the bill date falls within the Sewer ceiling date range then the standard usage on the meter will be used for calculating the service charge. 

6.219 - Added a checkbox in the UB System File under General-Payments-Agreements "Always apply delinquent fees".
6.196 - Changed the 'Post Payments from' under the payments tab to radio buttons.  
6.194 - Moved the Budget Billing group box on the Payments tab to its own Budget Billing tab  
6.186 - Added "Post budget billed amounts to fund ledger" to the Payments tab in the section for Budget Billing  

6.181 - Added 'Automatically remove expired agreements' setting. If checked will remove the expired agreements during the update billing process in the Bill run Wizard. 

6.180 - On the Bills tab, added the ability to only print bills larger than a minimum set in the new Omit bill print balance minimum field. This is only enabled if the new "Use omit bill print minimum" checkbox is checked.

Refer to bottom of page for changes prior to version 6.180

General tab

Transaction and Bill Date Range
Charges Displayed on Budget Billing Reports

  • Actual charges
  • Contract charges

Next transaction number
Next update number
Budget Billing Post To Ledger (Hidden currently)

  • Actuals
  • Budget billed

Show bankruptcies on the disconnect list
Keep balances on location

Meters tab

Usage Range -

  • High - Valid value has to be greater than zero.
  • Low - Valid value has to be between -1 and -100.

Use Residential Equivalent Units(REU) -

Do not bill minimum on inventory meter - If checked it will not bill a minimum on a meter that has been changed out and moved from a disposed status to inventory.

Round Demand Usage -

Round Usage -

The round usage option is used in the calculation of service charges based on meter usage. If you choose to not round usage the exact usage is used for the charge. If you do choose to use rounding there are several options available. You can choose to round up or down and you can round to the nearest 10, 100, or 1000. The word rounding is a little misleading here because really this will step up or down your usage if the option is chosen. Below I will list a table of examples to better define how this option affects the service charge calculation

| Actual Usage | Rounding Direction | 10   | 100  | 1000 |
|--------------|--------------------|------|------|------|
| 1001         | Up                 | 1010 | 1100 | 2000 |
| 999          | Up                 | 1000 | 1000 | 1000 |
| 999          | Down               | 990  | 900  | 0    |
| 1001         | Down               | 1000 | 1000 | 1000 |

Sewer Ceiling Date Range From/To - If 'Sewer ceiling' is set on a rate table associated with a meter and the bill date falls within the Sewer ceiling date range then the standard usage on the meter will be used for calculating the service charge.

Bills tab

Charitable Contributions - select an Organization
Prorate Tabled Services for ... - select Final Bills or New Customers
Prorate Fixed Services for ... - select Final Bills or New Customers
Bank code for OCR scanning
Bill all charges less than - enter an amount
Use omit bill print minimum - if checked, will only print bills with a higher balance than the value in the Omit bill print balance minimum
Omit bill print balance minimum - used in combination with the Use omit bill print minimum checkbox, only enabled if the Use omit bill print checkbox is checked
Number of final bill reminders
Store reading as reading * multiplier for printed bills in the transaction table
Turn Services off for Landlord - used to determine whether the checkbox for "Turn Services Off" for assigning landlords in finalizing a customer location should default to being checked or not. It will match the state of this checkbox here.
Filter reminder bills by cycle - if unchecked, all reminder bills will be sent during the bill run wizard regardless of whether or not the user specified a billing cycle. Print Billing Barcode - used to determine whether to print a barcode on the Standard Utility Bill or the Standard Harris Print and Mail Utility Bill
Use OCR scanline type 2 - will use a new OCR scanline format for UB bills. By default this will be off
Print OCR on Bill - Prints the ocr on the bill for the Standard Utility Bill Harris Print and Mail format
Automatically remove expired agreements - If checked will remove the expired agreements during the update billing process in the Bill run Wizard. If agreement type is 'Due in Full by end of agreement' and if the agreement due date is less than the bill date it is an expired agreement. If agreement type is 'Cycle billed' and if the remaining amount is 0 during a billing then it is an expired agreement.

Payments tab

Accept payments in Cash Collections
Credit card on file installed - If checked, the feature to configure customers as having a credit card on file through the customer's Billing Options will be enabled. The Update Customers With Credit Card On File report will also be available if this setting is turned on.
Post Payments from

  • Utility Billing
  • Cash Collections

Distribute payments
Overpayments - selection of Distribute Payments is required

  • Track overpayments separately
  • Overpayment code - a payment transaction code which will be used for overpayments
  • Reversal code - a charge transaction code which will be used to reverse any unpaid and posted overpayments
  • User to use - User id to use when reversing any unpaid and posted overpayments. If none is selected it will use the userid of the user who is doing the bill run.
  • UB Overpayment Reversal Test Plan

Order Charges by

  • Transaction date then payment priority
  • Payment priority then transaction date

Display a warning when making a partial payment
Default receipt type
Import lockbox payments using simple layout - Visible only for CSI+ user.
Breakout past due amount on payment screens - If checked, will display the 30-60 day past due amount on the single and multiple payment screens only for Utility Billing module.

Agreement Settings

  • Agreement payments are due - Due in full by end of agreement or When cycled billed
  • Always apply delinquent fees

Apply Deposits tab

Reset Transaction Code Counters Settings

Number of days to reset delinquent counter

Number of days to reset disconnect counter

Apply Deposit Settings

Number of days not on delinquent or disconnect

Number of times on delinquent

Number of times on disconnect

Budget Billing tab

Contract length
Adjust the contract amount after every
Adjustment amount (%)
Adjust the billing amount based on
Increase budget billing amount by
Budget Billing Increase Letter
Post budget billed amounts to fund ledger

Changes Prior to Version 6.180

6.166 - Added validation to the Low Usage Range under the Meters tab. One will not be able to enter anything less than -100 and will not be able to enter anything greater than or equal to 0.  Added validation to the High Usage Range under the Meters tab. One will not be able to enter anything less than than or equal to 0.

6.164 - Added "Budget Billing Post To Ledger" settings. These will remain hidden for the time being until full functionality is released. 
6.152 - Updated Next Transaction Number field to reference the UB NextTransactionNumber configuration item. Previously was referencing the AR NextTransactionNumber.

6.150
- Update label from "Adjust the contract amount every" to "Adjust the contract amount after every"
- New field for "Adjustment amount (%)"

6.135 - Added the "Breakout past due amount on payment screens" option

6.128 
- Added the "Apply Deposits" tab 
- Added "Print OCR on Bill" option

6.127 
- Added new checkbox "Import Lockbox Payments Using Simple Layout" on the "Payments" tab which is visible only for "csi+" user.
- Added new checkbox "Use OCR scanline type 2" on the "Bills" tab.

6.102 - Added new checkbox on the "Meters" tab called "Do not bill minimum on inventory meter"

6.95 - New setting has been added called "Credit card on file installed" located on the "Payments" tab. 

6.94 - Added option to print barcode on standard utility bill

6.93 - Added new checkbox on the "Bills" tab called "Filter reminder bills by cycle"

6.90 - Added "User to use" selection for reversing posted over payments

6.86 - Made Overpayments Reversal Code optional

6.74 - Added Overpayments Reversal Code selection

6.59 - Added a check for "Turn Services off for Landlord" 

6.58 - Updated verbiage for selection to store "reading * multiplier" instead of "reading" in the transaction table  

6.52 - Added option to select a Budget Billing Increase Letter