TX Payment Processing

1.Configuring Workstation Devices #

Purpose

Use this procedure to configure workstation devices including:

Check validation printers
Cash drawers
Barcode Readers

Procedure

In PACS Collections, choose Tools > Configure Workstation.
To add a new workstation configuration, click New.
In the Workstation Configuration dialog box, click Browse to specify the PC for which to configure a device.
Tip In the Browse for Computer window, you may, for example, be looking for the icon with your machine’s name. If so, then you can locate your machine’s name by right-clicking on your machine’s My Computer icon, then, in the System Properties dialog box, choose the Computer Name tab.
If you are using a check validator, choose the Check Validator option and do the following:
- From the Validator Com Port drop-down list, select the port to which the validator is plugged in to your machine. Click Test to verify that you have selected the corresponding Com Port, allowing your machine to detect and use the validator plugged into your machine.
- To use the print lines set in the Set Check Validator Defaults dialog box (Tools > Set Validator Defaults) on transactions, choose Validator Default On. To omit default print lines, choose Validator Default Off.
To set up a cash drawer, choose the Cash Drawer option and do the following:
- Choose the Drawer Com Port from the drop-down list to set the port to which the Drawer is plugged in to your machine. Click Test to verify detection of the Drawer.
- If a cash drawer has already been opened for the day and you wish to use that drawer, enter the name in the Open Cash Drawer field.
If you have plugged in a barcode reader and installed the necessary drivers for the device, choose Barcode Reader Installed to enable the device.
Use the Default Tab drop-down list to choose the tab that is displayed by default when a property record is opened (either the Summary panel or the Taxes Due panel).
Click Close to save your changes and close the dialog box.

Suggest edit

Last updated on September 26, 2021

2.Reviewing Taxes Due #

Purpose

Use this procedure to review taxes due on a property, such as:

Taxes due on a property
Fees and bills
The status of fees and bills

Procedure

In PACS Collections, open a property and open the Tax Due panel.
In the header section of the Tax Due panel, complete the following options to filter the data that is displayed.
- Select either a specific tax year or all tax years, using the drop-down list in the Year field.
- To specify whether to consider only current tax due, only delinquent tax due, or all tax due, select one of the three options: All, Current, or Delinquent.
To review the taxes due on a property, verify that Statement is selected in the Views drop-down list.
- If the property’s bills are associated with more than one taxpayer, use the Taxpayer drop-down list to view statements associated with a specific taxpayer.
- To view original tax, tax paid, and various amounts due recorded in a statement, highlight the statement ID in the window and click Summary.
To enter or review bills, choose one of the bill-type display options from the Views drop-down list: Bills, Quarterly Bills, Half Bills, Installment Bills.
- To hide paid bills from view, select Exclude Paid Bills. To view paid bills, deselect this option.
- To view all bills associated with a specific entity, choose the entity name from the Entity drop-down list.
- If the property is associated with more than one taxpayer, use the Taxpayer drop-down list to view only bills associated with an individual taxpayer.
- To view summary data on a bill, as well as current due amounts adjustments, and a transaction history of the bill, select Bills from the Views drop-down list, highlight the bill ID in the window and click Details.
Review the following values:
- Total Due – The total taxes that are on the property.
  
  Note: Fees are not displayed here. For information on Fees, see the Fee Processing user guide.
- Selected Total – The total of the tax that has been selected.
  
  Note: The Total Due and Selected Total fields are located at the bottom of the Tax Due panel.

Suggest edit

Last updated on September 26, 2021

3.Creating or Closing a Payment Batch #

Purpose

Use these procedures to:

Create a new payment batch.
Close an existing batch.

Prerequisites

In order to perform these procedures, the Create New Batch and Open Batch user rights are required.

Procedure – Creating a Batch

Do one of the following:
- Click Batch in the Post Payment dialog box, then click New in the Select Batch dialog box when prompted to select a batch. This generally occurs at the time a payment is being processed or modified, or a mass operation is being processed that requires a batch.
- Choose Activities > Enter Payment Batch, then click New in the Select Batch dialog box.
Complete or review the following fields as required:
- Description – A brief description of the new batch. Each description must be unique, and cannot be duplicated.
- Comment – Information relevant to the new batch. Not required.
  
  Caution Do not enter the Close Date unless you want to close the batch.
To reprint tax receipts for payments in the batch, click Reprint Tax Receipts.
Click OK.

Procedure – Closing a Batch

Choose Activities > Enter Payment Batch.
In the Select Batch dialog box, highlight a batch and click Details.
Complete or review the following fields as required:
- Comment – A lengthy description of the new batch.
- Created Date – The date that the batch was created.
- Balance Date – The date that dictates when the payments, voids, and refunds paid in the batch are reported to the entities.
  
  Note: You cannot set the Batch Balance Date to a day that has already been closed.
  
  Tip Batch data is included in reports when the Balance Date falls within the Date Range specified in report criteria.
- Close Date – The date the batch is closed; the batch can no longer be used after closing unless it is reopened.
- Deposit Date – The date the payments were deposited to the bank. This field is not required.
If you have entered the Close Date, click OK to close the current batch (which is displayed in the Batch ID field).

Note: After a batch is closed, no payment or other function will be allowed to use the batch. Payments cannot be posted to a closed batch, and any operation requiring a batch does not accept a closed batch.

Reopening a Batch

In PACS Collections, choose File > Open > Batch.
Highlight the required batch in the Batch List, right-click and choose Details.
In the Batch dialog box, click Reopen Batch.

Caution Reopening a batch and adding or modifying transactions nullifies previous batch balance reports. If the day is closed, you will not be able to reopen a batch with a balance date on that closed day. To reopen a batch on a day that is closed, you must first reopen the day and then reopen the batch. We do not recommend this because the closing of the day usually indicates that the entity reports have been generated.

Suggest edit

Last updated on September 26, 2021

4.Processing Payments with Payment Cart #

Purpose

Use the Payment Cart to create, manage, and present a list of items to be paid.

You add items to be paid, such as bills, fees to the Payment Cart from various records in PACS Collections, including Taxpayer and Property records. The Payment Cart shows detailed bill and fee information about the collected items. You can then create a single payment for all of them. Also, multiple tenders of the same or different type may be processed for each bill or fee.

Items are removed from the cart they are paid, when you close the Payment Cart, or when you log out.

Prerequisites

The Post Payment user right must be assigned to your user ID.

Procedure

Suggest edit

Last updated on September 26, 2021

5.Quick Post #

Purpose

Use this procedure to quickly post a payment for one or multiple statement, Geo, or Property IDs.

Prerequisites

The Post Payment user right must be assigned to your user ID.

You know the statement ID, property ID, or taxpayer ID associated with the statements to be posted.

If you printing a tax receipt, the Tax Receipt Printer is set in the Report Printers dialog box (Tools > Configure Workstation, click Printers).

Caution Do not modify bills or run the supplement Create Bills process while mortgage company payments and mailed-in payments are being processed in large quantities. If you do so, your bill amounts will not match the incoming payment amounts.

Procedure

In PACS Collections, select Activities > Quick Post (Single Item/Payment – Mail in Payments).
If you are processing a full payment, select Set Amount Paid to Amount Due.

Note: If processing mailed-in payments in which amounts due are paid in full, selecting Set Amount Paid to Amount Due may save some time. Further, the dialog box is designed to allow users to use the Tab key to move quickly from one field to the next.

Tip We recommend that you post small numbers of property payments–maybe twenty five to fifty–at a time. Occasionally, for example, someone who mailed a payment may have another payment posted at the counter on the same day. For this reason, you may not want to wait until you have entered 400 entries before processing.
If your workstation is configured and you are using a barcode scanner for payment processing, then select Using Barcode Scanner.
In the top section of the Post Payments dialog box, select the ID type from the ID Type drop-down list. Then enter the ID of the statement, property, or taxpayer that currently has amounts due.
Click Paid By to open the Select Owner Wizard from which you locate and choose name of the person making the payment. To specify a different payor, either click the X to the right of this field and enter the new or existing information, or select the Paid By option to search for a new payor.
Choose the type of payment from the Payment Code drop-down list.
To post a half or quarter payment, click either Create Half Pay or Create Quarter Pay.
Example: If you receive a check for $250 and the statement coupon accompanying the payment reads $1000 and the property qualifies for quarterly installments (it has OV65, OV65S, DP or DPS exemption on it), then you would likely click Create Quarter Pay, automatically setting the bills in quarter pay status.
In the Additional Options section, verify or enter the year that corresponds with the statement.
Then select the following options as needed:
- Validate Checks – Select this option to validate the checks with a check validator attached to your workstation.
- Print Receipt – Prints receipts at the time of posting.
  - Copies – The number of receipts to print. The default value in this field can be set through Tools > Set Receipt Copies.
- Change Batch – Click this button to create a new batch, select an already existing batch, or change the current batch. The selected batch is displayed in the field to the right of this button.
Next, enter the following payment details:
- Check Amt – Amount currently being paid by check.
  - Check #
- MO Amt – Amount currently being paid by money order.
  - MO #
- Cash Amt – Amount currently being paid in cash
When you have finished entering the payment details above, click Submit.

Note: After a payment has been submitted, it is displayed in the payment grid. Payments are not processed until you click Post.
To begin entering new payment details, enter the new statement ID. To clear all fields and reset defaults, click Clear.
Continue entering payments as required.
To view the details of a previously submitted payment, highlight the payment in the grid and click Details.
To remove a previously submitted payment, highlight the payment and click Remove

Note: Removing a payment prevents the payment from being processed.
Review the total amount submitted–the sum of all payments in the grid–in the Amount Paid field. The number of payments is displayed in the Total Items field.
To process the submitted payments, click Post.

Next Steps

After posting, the grid and all payment information is cleared and the dialog remains open. You can continue posting payments as needed.

Suggest edit

Last updated on September 26, 2021

6.Quick Post All Items #

Purpose

Use this procedure to quickly post single payments for multiple properties or taxpayers at the same time.

Caution Do not modify bills or run the supplement Create Bills process while mortgage company payments and mailed-in payments are being processed in large quantities, or while running the Payment Import Prepare Run process. If you do so, your bill amounts will not match the incoming payment amounts.

Prerequisites

The Post Payment user right must be assigned to your user ID.

Procedure

In PACS Collections, select Activities > Quick Post (All Items).
In the Search section of the Post Payments dialog box, complete the following options as required:
- ID Type – The ID type to search by.
- ID – The ID of the statement, property, GEO code, or taxpayer.
- Year – Enter the year to search in. This must be the year on the statement.
Click Submit to display the data for the statements based on the ID type, ID, and year that you entered.

Note: If you need to remove the ID type, ID, and/or year that you entered, click Clear.
Complete the following options to prepare to process payments:
- Change Batch – Click this button to create a new batch, select an already existing batch, or change the current batch. The selected batch is displayed in the field to the right of this button.
- Paid By – The name of the person making the payment is displayed in this field. To specify a different payor, either click the X to the right of this field and enter the new information, or select the Paid By option to search for a new payor.
  
  Caution Because Quick Post All Items may be used to process one payment for multiple properties under different taxpayers, please note that the last property entered in the wizard automatically updates the Paid By field to reflect the taxpayer on that last property. If the actual taxpayer is not the taxpayer on that last property entered, use the Paid By function to navigate to the correct taxpayer or to create a new one.
Select the payment type from the Code drop-down list. If you are processing an installment, the code defaults sets to Partial because the balance is not being paid in full. Over Payment and Under Payment describe payments made that fall within the overage or underage allowance respectively.
If the submitted statements are eligible for half or quarter pay and you wish to process partial payments, click Create Half Pay or Create Quarter Pay as needed.

Note: Any entries submitted in the Post Payment dialog box of the Quick Post All Items process are set in half pay or quarter pay status when the option is selected. If some items need to be set in half or quarter pay and other items do not, be sure to post each group separately.
To remove an individual statement from the grid, highlight the statement ID and click Remove.
Review the remaining information in the Payment Information section:
- Total Items– The total number of statements submitted for processing.
- Amount Due – The total amount due before payment for all statements submitted for processing.
- Current Amt Due – The total amount due on all submitted statements.
To process the payment, do the following in the Amount Paid By section:
- If you are entering more than payment type for a single statement, then select Multiple Tenders. Then, for each payment entered, click Submit to queue the payment for posting and clear the above fields for the next payment.
  
  Tip Submit all payments in the Amount Paid By window prior to posting.
- Tender Type – Select the method of payment from the Tender Type drop-down list. Then enter the following as required:
  - Tender Amount – Amount being paid; this field is required
  - Check#/MO# – For Check or Money Order payment types, the check or order number displayed on the payment (optional)
  Note: Money orders are not included in the Check Register Report. If you wish to run a Check Register Report that includes money orders, we recommend entering the money order as a check and indicating the number in the Check#/MO# field.
  - Description – Brief note on the payment
When processing multiple tenders, use the following options displayed near the Amount Paid By payment window:
- Details – Displays the recently entered payment info of the highlighted payment
- Remove – Deleted the payment from the queue
Review the following information displayed at the bottom of the Post Payment dialog box and use the options as needed:
- Amount Paid – The total amount of payments to be posted.
- Balance Due – The balance that will remain due on the bills included in the transaction. This is the difference between the amount paid and amount due.
- Print Receipt – Prints the receipt at the time of posting.
  - Copies – The number of receipts to print. A default can be set by choosing Tools > Set Receipt Copies.
Click Post to post the payments. If multiple tenders were submitted, then all submissions are posted.

Next Steps

The Post Payments dialog box remains open and all windows and fields are cleared. Continue submitting statements, entering payment information and posting payments as needed. Or, click Close.

Suggest edit

Last updated on September 26, 2021

7.Posting Payments for Tax Statements #

Purpose

Use this procedure to post payments for tax statements.

Prerequisites

The Post Payment user right must be assigned to your user ID.

You have the statement IDs you intend to process.

Procedure

In PACS Collections, choose Activities > Post Statement.
Enter the Statement ID or Property ID, and enter the Year and click Search.

Note: The year must correspond with a statement year that currently is unpaid.
Review the Owner Name & Address and Property Information sections.
In the Payment Information section of the Post Statement dialog box, complete the following options as required.
- Batch – Click this button to create a new batch, select an already existing batch, or change the current batch. The selected batch is displayed in the field to the right of this button.
- Paid By – The payor. To clear this field, click the X to the right of this field.
- Payment Code – Indicates the type of payment, including the following:
  - Full Payment – The taxpayer paid exactly the amount that was owed.
  - Partial Payment – The taxpayer paid less than the amount that was owed and will have to pay the rest later. The money will be distributed among the bills and fees that can be partially paid. This is also the default setting for installments.
  - Under Payment – The taxpayer paid an amount less than what was owed, but within the allowed underpayment variance. The taxpayer will not be billed for the difference.
  - Over Payment – The taxpayer paid an amount more than what was owed, but within the allowed overpayment variance. The taxpayer will not be refunded the difference.
  - Over Payment – Refund – The taxpayer paid more than what was owed outside of the allowed overpayment variance. An Overpayment Credit will be created that can later be refunded.
Review the Amount Due.
In the Amount Paid By section, enter information about the tenders used to make the payment:
- If you are entering more than payment, select Multiple Tenders. Then, for each payment entered, click Submit to queue the payment for posting and clear the above fields for the next payment.
  
  Tip Submit all payments in the Amount Paid By window prior to posting.
- Tender Type – Select the method of payment from the Tender Type drop-down list. Then enter the following as required:
  - Tender Amount – Amount being paid; this field is required
  - Check#/MO# – For Check or Money Order payment types, the check or order number displayed on the payment (optional)
  Note: Money orders are not included in the Check Register Report. If you wish to run a Check Register Report that includes money orders, we recommend entering the money order as a check and indicating the MO # in the Check # field.
  - DL Number – The driver’s license number of the payor writing the check (optional)
  - DL Expiration – The expiration date displayed on the payor’s driver’s license (optional)
  - DL State – The state that issued the payor’s driver’s license (optional)
  - Credit Card Type – For Credit Card payment types, the brand of the credit card; select from the drop-down list
    
    Note: Credit Card types are created through Tools > Code File Maintenance > Credit Cards > Types and Tools > Code File Maintenance > Credit Cards > Charge.
  - Last 4 digits – The last four digits of the credit card
  - Auth. Code – The authorization code of the credit card
  - Description – Brief notes about the payment
When processing multiple tenders, use the following options displayed below the Amount Paid By payment window:
- Details – Displays the recently entered payment info of the highlighted payment
- Remove – Deleted the payment from the queue
Review the following information displayed at the bottom of the Post Payment dialog box and use the options as needed:
- Amount Paid – The total amount of payments to be posted.
- Balance Due – The balance that will remain due on the bills included in the transaction. This is the difference between the amount paid and amount due.
- Print Receipt – Prints the receipt at the time of posting.
  - Copies – The number of receipts to print. A default can be set by choosing Tools > Set Receipt Copies.
Click Post to post the payment. If multiple tenders were submitted, then all submissions are posted.
If you selected the Overpayment – Refund payment code, in the Bill List dialog box, specify the bills that should receive the credit and then click OK.

Note: For more information about processing refunds, see the Mass Post Refunds user guide.

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Last updated on September 26, 2021

8.Printing Property Receipts #

Purpose

Use this procedure to print a property receipt. A property receipt details a specific payment and only reflects the portion of that payment that was made for the property you are viewing. So, if a payment was only one of a set of payments covering multiple properties, the property receipt would only display information relevant to the property you are viewing.

Prerequisite

The default for number of receipts printed for “all” users in the PACS System network is set through Tools > Set Receipt Copies. It can be modified at the time of posting if needed.

Procedure

In PACS Collections, open the Pay History view of the property record.
Select a payment and click Print Property Receipt.

Suggest edit

Last updated on September 26, 2021

9.Managing Posted Payments #

Purpose

Use this procedure to:

Find and view payments that have been previously made.
Browse the payment details in multiple views.
Reprint a receipt.
Validate a slip.

Procedure

In PACS Collections, open a property. Then open the Payment History panel.
Select either the Payment View or Transaction View as needed.
In the Payment(s) and Payment Transaction(s) windows, review the following information as required:
- A list of all payments for the property.
- To examine a payment in detail, select the payment or refund and click Payment.
- The Amount Paid
- The Paid Date
- The Post Date
- The Entity
Open the Payment detail to do the following:
- Void Payment.
- Reprint Receipt
Note: Other options are available in the Payment Distribution tab of the Payment detail (highlight a payment in the Payments window of the Pay History tab and click Payment). From here you can see the entity bills and fees paid, or select individual transactions to void in lieu of voiding the entire payment.

Suggest edit

Last updated on September 26, 2021

10.Changing the Posting Date #

Purpose

Use this procedure to change the posting date for any payments and transactions that you enter after completing this procedure.

Caution Changing the posting date affects the accrual of penalty and interest and attorney’s fees.

Prerequisites

In order to perform this procedure, the Change Posting Date user right is assigned to your ID.

Procedure

In PACS Collections choose Activities > Change Posting Date.
In the Change Posting Date dialog box, select the new effective posting date.
Click OK.

Caution The Posting Date remains as you have set it until you either log out of the application, close the application, or until you change the posting date again. Every time you log into the application, the posting date resets to the current date by default.

Suggest edit

Last updated on September 26, 2021

11.Closing or Reopening the Day #

Prerequisites

The Distribute Funds user right is assigned to your user ID.

Prior to closing a day, we recommend that you run and balance all reports for that day.

Procedure

In PACS Collections, choose Activities > Daily Collections > Close/Reopen Day.
In the Close/Reopen Daily Collections dialog box, select the day you wish to close or reopen. Use the drop-down lists at the top of the dialog box to select the month and year, if necessary.
Then use the following options as needed:
- Close Day – Closes the selected day.
- Reopen Day – Reopens the selected day.
  
  If possible, do not reopen a day or month if distribution has already been performed for that day or month. To correct transactions that were incorrectly posted on a day or month that has already been distributed, we recommend opening a separate batch for the day. To continue with reopening the day for which monies have been distributed, you are required to complete procedures for reopening the month. See Closing and Reopening the Month for more information.
When you are finished, click Close.

Next Steps

To do your daily distribution for the County and other entities, every day, after you have balanced for the day, closed the day (Activities > Daily Collections > Close/Reopen Day), choose Activities > Daily Collections > Distribute and select those charts of accounts that you are cutting the checks for or doing ACH deposits on that day. For more information on distributions, see Distribution.

Suggest edit

Last updated on September 26, 2021

12.Closing and Reopening the Month #

Purpose

Use this procedure to close the month after you have balanced the month. You can also reopen a month by following this procedure.

Months must be closed in order to perform Year End Procedures which rolls over fiscal year end balances into new beginning fiscal terms. For more information, please see the Fiscal Year Processing user guide.

Prerequisite

The Distribute Funds user right is assigned to your user ID.

All days in the month are closed.

Procedure

In PACS Collections, choose Activities > Month End Procedures > Close/Reopen Month.
In the Close Month dialog box, select the month you wish to close or reopen. If required, use the Year drop-down list. Then choose one of the following options:
- Close Month
  - If you clicked Close Month, then adjust the Begin Date and End Date for the fiscal month as needed, then click OK.
  Note: If any days within the selected date range are not closed, a warning displays.
- Reopen Month
If you are finished, click Close.

Suggest edit

Last updated on September 26, 2021

TX Payment Processing

1.Configuring Workstation Devices #

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2.Reviewing Taxes Due #

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3.Creating or Closing a Payment Batch #

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4.Processing Payments with Payment Cart #

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5.Quick Post #

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6.Quick Post All Items #

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7.Posting Payments for Tax Statements #

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8.Printing Property Receipts #

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9.Managing Posted Payments #

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10.Changing the Posting Date #

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11.Closing or Reopening the Day #

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12.Closing and Reopening the Month #

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