Posting Annual Dues in AM.NET

Many reports and routines involved in posting annual dues are now available in AM.NET. To see which report and routines are available—and since it’s always a good idea to review the dues posting process—let’s review what it takes to properly post annual dues.

The overall annual dues process involves two separate and distinct procedures:

• Posting the annual dues
• Printing the invoices

Users sometimes confuse the terms invoicing and posting. Here's the difference.

Posting refers to updating data to a table (the file that contains the data). Invoicing, on the other hand, refers to the process of printing and sending invoices to members. Invoicing rarely has any effect on the underlying data.

Posting the annual dues refers to the process of adding a fee record to the Dues Journal file, reflecting the amount the individual will owe for the new year’s dues. After AM4 or AM.NET adds these records, it adjusts each person's balance in the Dues ledger file to include the new amount. In some instances, such as for a new member who has never paid dues, the system may add an entirely new record to the Dues Ledger file.

Posting the annual dues
Actually posting the dues only takes the click of a button. However, to insure the posted data is valid you should follow the outlined reports and procedures below in the order listed.

1. Review your billing classes and other data

Each society has a custom program built into their system that assigns billing classes to each member based on the member's specific data each time AM.NET or AM4 saves the record. If a billing class were based on member type, for example, the billing class program would change the dues billing class whenever you change a person's membership type. With this in mind, you must ask two things before proceeding with the dues posting:

• Has your billing class structure changed in any way?
• Have you changed the codes stored in the system in any way that might contradict the logic used to determine each individual’s class?

If the answer to either of these questions is “yes,” contact CDS for an updated custom billing class program.

2. Review your Dues Rate file

Select Special Routines > Rates Table Maintenance from Dues Routines in the Dues group on the Main button bar. Review the dues billing classes, the annual dues amount (stored in the dues column), and the pro-rated amounts (stored in the "month" fields).

3. Re-set Administrative Hold

If your system uses the member type code in calculating dues billing classes, and you have any members flagged with the special member type of Administrative Hold, you will need to temporarily reset these to the correct type in order for these individuals to be placed in the correct billing classes. You must reset these members back to a member type of Administrative Hold as soon as you complete the annual posting process.

4. Recalculate all dues billing class codes

Select Special Routines > Recalculate Dues Billing Classes from Dues Routines.

This examines the entire Names table, applies the tests in the custom Dues Billing Class program, and establishes the correct dues class for everyone. Although the billing class is automatically updated any time a user changes any data in a Names table record, running this program is still necessary for two reasons:

• To correct any possible corruption
• To update any date sensitive billing classes, such as ones based on number of years certified, or years of membership

We strongly recommended that no one performs any Names or Firms maintenance while this procedure runs since it may distort the billing class data. All users may resume using the system when the routine finishes.

5. Print the dues error report (Please note that this report is not yet available in AM.NET. Run this report in AM4 for the 2007 – 2008 dues cycle.)

Select Options > Dues > Reports - Other > Ledger/Journal Out of balance. This report compares the summary figures stored in the Dues Ledger table against the detailed financial transactions stored in the Dues Journal table, and then lists any discrepancies. If the system finds any discrepancies, you must correct them before proceeding further.

If the journal appears correct and the ledger is out of balance—which is the most common circumstance—simply go to the Dues tab in the individual’s Names record. The system will force the ledger into balance with the journal. If, on the other hand, the journal appears to be in error, contact User Support. (Note that going to the dues tab to force the ledger into balance only works in AM4. In AM.NET there should rarely be a discrepancy between the ledger and journal.)

6. Print the projected revenue report

Select Other > Projected Dues Revenue from Dues Reports. This report analyzes what your dues revenues would be if you posted dues using the current billing classes and dues rates.

There are two reasons to run this report:

• You should review the billing class breakdown in the first part of the report for any possible discrepancies, such as a suspicious number of members in a particular class, inappropriate dues amounts, or anyone in the dues billing error class, which is usually class XX.
• You will later compare the amounts on the report to the amount of the actual posting to insure that nothing went awry during that procedure.

Note
You can also use this report to compare the effects of different dues rates changes. Alter the rates as desired in the dues field in the Dues Rates table (Special Routines > Rates Table Maintenance in Dues Routines). Then print this report. Repeat to compare different scenarios.

7. Notify staff

From this point forward, no one should enter any data in the dues module, including:

• Posting any individual dues
• Making dues adjustments
• Receiving dues payments
• Issuing dues refunds

Otherwise, the balances you compare before and after the annual posting may not equal.

All other users may continue regular operations in other modules, but notify other staff not to enter any dues transactions in the system.

8. Print a receivables report

Select Receivables > Aged Receivables Report. Leave all report defaults as they appear. The report will show any members who still owe dues from prior years. Review the report for any discrepancies. If you don't find any discrepancies, save the report to compare after the posting process.

Note
You should close any outstanding cash receipts batches containing dues payments prior to printing this report. Also, export and import any credit card dues payments to and from the bank. Otherwise the receivables report will not include these payments.

Warning!
You can substitute the Detailed Receivables report if you prefer, but that report is sensitive to the current dues year default and will give erroneous results if you already advanced the default dues year to the upcoming year.

9. Set the new dues year default (Please note that you cannot yet set system preferences in AM.NET. Set the new dues year default in AM4 for the 2007 – 2008 dues cycle.)

• Select File > System Preferences.
• Select the Dues tab.
• Advance the Current Dues Year.
• Click OK to save and exit.

Warning!
Never advance the dues year until you complete all the previous steps since this change may cause erratic results in some of the above reports.

10. Change the current accounting period (Please note that you cannot yet set the accounting calendar AM.NET. Set the current accounting period in AM4 for the 2007 – 2008 dues cycle.)

Note
If the dues posting date is within the current accounting period, you can skip this step.

Select Options > Utilities > Accounting Setup > Update accounting calendar or select current periods. Advance the Dues module to the applicable period. Revenue from the annual dues will be posted to the General Ledger in the selected accounting period, assuming you are using the AM4 month-end G/L Journal Entries procedures. You do not, however, have to use the posting date on the printed invoice.

11. Avoid performing names maintenance that will affect billing class calculations

Avoid performing names maintenance that will affect billing class calculations during the dues posting process. The posting process in AM.NET runs much faster than in AM4 and should complete in less than 10 minutes.

12. Post the annual dues

• Select Special Routines > Post Annual Dues in Dues Routines.
• Verify that the dues year is correct. If you are going to include applicants, select the Include Applicants checkbox.
• If you would like to select a transaction date other than the current date, click Change Transaction Date.
• When you are ready to begin the posting process, click OK. Because of the importance of this procedure, two additional confirmation windows appear. Click OK for each if you are sure you want to proceed with the dues posting.

Depending on network speed and the number of records to be posted, the procedure may run from five to ten minutes. The Posting Completed window appears when AM.NET completes the process.

13. Print the posting summary report

Select Transactions > Posting Summary from Dues reports. Enter the annual dues posting date as the beginning and ending dates for the report. The report will print summary totals first, and then a detailed listing of all individuals. Because of the potential length of this report, we recommend that you primarily view it on screen. If you require a hard copy, you can print the first page by indicating this on the Windows Print window.

You should compare the totals on this report to the totals in the previously printed Projected Dues Revenue report. If there is any variation, fax or email both reports to User Support, with a cover note; you may then proceed with the next step but no further until you discuss the variation with CDS.

14. Print a new receivables report

Select Receivables > Aged Receivables Report from Dues reports. Change the report ending date to the annual dues posting date. Preview the report on screen, going to the last page. Because of the extreme length of this report, if you require a hard copy, you may want to only print the last page.

Compare the total shown on this report to the combined total on the previously printed Projected Dues Revenue and Aged Receivables reports. They should equal. If they do not, do not proceed further and contact CDS.

15. Reset the dues year and accounting period

If the dues accounting period was set forward, it should now be set back to the correct current period.

16. Reset Administrative Hold

If you temporarily changed this type code for any members, reset it before continuing.

17. Release the system for use

Assuming you found no errors, the annual dues posting process is now complete. Other staff may now begin using the system.

Note
Please carefully examine any new custom dues invoices, or any changes made to existing dues invoices. CDS is not responsible for the mathematical accuracy of dues calculations made on custom invoices.

AM.NET also allows you to processes cash and credit card dues payments, adjust dues fees, and post dues for individuals.

For more information about posting individual dues and dues adjustments in AM.NET, please see AM.NETWorks issue 3.

For more information about cash receipts in AM.NET, please see AM.NETWorks issue 4.

If you have any questions or comments about this or any AM.NET feature, please contact user support.