ACH Step By Step - Part 1 - Setup
This topic is part of a step by step series to walk you through
setting up and using Billing Tree Service for posting ACH
payments in Collect!.
When you have proceeded with the steps below, you should:
- Be more familiar with Billing Tree Service in Collect!
- Be able to set up your Billing Tree login information
- Be able to set up ACH payments
- Be able to set up Client Settings for convenience fees
- Be able to set up EFT notices
- Understand how to customize the default settings
We will cover:
Setting Up Billing Tree Service For ACH Payments
There are several areas in Collect! where you can configure your
Billing Tree ACH payment settings.
ACH Transaction Types
Billing Tree Service requires several Transaction Types that
will be used for each part of the ACH payment posting,
including convenience fees and NSF returns.
Collect! ships with several transaction types already set up
to use for posting Billing Tree ACH transactions.
By default, Collect! uses these Transaction Types:
107 - Payment
105 - Payment Reversal
301 - NSF Charge
307 - Convenience Fee
305 - Convenience Fee Reversal
View: ACH Payments Transaction Types
It is not necessary to make any changes to these unless
you happen to be using the same Transaction Type codes
for conflicting purposes in your working database.
If you do need to make changes to these settings,
please see the "ACH Customized Settings" section
further on in this topic.
You will see the Transaction Type codes when you open
the ACH Payments Setup form.
ACH Payments Setup
The ACH Payments Setup form enables you to enter the details
for your Billing Tree ACH payments. Use this form to enter the
Server and UserId information given to you by Billing Tree when
you set up your ACHNow Web Service account for ACH
transactions. Other information entered in this form will be used
as defaults for your ACH payments.
To access this setup area:
1. Select System from the top menu bar in Collect! and then
select Preferences from the drop-down choices. Select
Billing Tree Setup to open the Billing Tree Setup menu.
Billing Tree Setup
2. Select the ACH PAYMENTS SETUP button to open the
ACH Payments Setup form.
ACH Payments Setup
3. This is where you enter the Server and UserId information
given to you by Billing Tree when you set up your ACHNow
Web Service account.
To use Billing Tree for ACH payments in Collect!,
you must have an ACHNow Web Service account set up
with Billing Tree.
4. Collect! fills in the Transaction Types that will be used,
by default, for each part of the ACH payment posting,
including convenience fees and NSF returns.
It is not necessary to make any changes to these choices
unless you happen to be using the same Transaction Type
codes for conflicting purposes in your working database.
If you do need to make changes to these settings,
please see the "ACH Customized Settings" section
further on in this topic.
5. The Last Reconcile Date is used by Collect! when you
process your ACH payments through Billing Tree. When you
first start using Billing Tree Service, you should put in the
date that your account with Billing Tree was set up.
When you start using the Reconcile ACH History
function as part of your Billing Tree procedures, the
Last Reconcile Date will be updated automatically
every time you run a successful reconcile. Running the
reconcile will be covered in Part 4 of this ACH Step by
Step series.
Press F1 from the ACH Payments Setup form to
see details for each setting on this form.
EFT Notices Setup
Another choice in the Billing Tree Setup menu is
EFT Notices Setup.
1. Select the EFT NOTICES SETUP button to open
the EFT Notices Setup form.
EFT Notices Setup
2. This is where you select the letters to use for authorization
and notification reminders. You can also set the " Days prior"
to suit your requirements. Collect! uses these settings to
schedule authorization letters and EFT notices for recurring
ACH payments.
3. Collect! ships with sample authorization and notification letters
that you can use with Billing Tree Service to comply with
EFT regulations. If you need to make changes to the letters,
please refer to the ACH Customized Settings section
further on in this topic.
Press F1 from the EFT Notices Setup form to see
details for each setting on this form.
View EFT Notices
ACH Client Settings
If you are going to charge convenience fees when posting
ACH payments, you need to enable this at the Client level
for each Client that permits you to add this fee to their
accounts.
1. Open the Client Settings form by selecting the ADVANCED
button on the Client form and switch ON "ACH convenience fees."
Client Settings form
Debtor Detail
If you have previously used the Debtor Detail form to store
banking information for your accounts, Collect! may be able
to use this "as is" when you post an ACH transaction.
However, if you are using some of the fields differently
from what Billing Tree Service needs, you may need to
correct this when you post payments.
This will be covered in more detail in the
ACH Step by Step - Part 2 - Single Payment topic.
Posting Payments
After you have entered the settings described so far, you are
now ready to post ACH payments to your accounts. You
can proceed to ACH Step by Step - Part 2 - Single Payment
and other topics in the ACH Step by Step series for
detailed instructions.
Customizing Default Settings
Collect!'s Billing Tree Service ships with several default
items set up for your use. If you can use them "as is"
this will save you time. However, if you do need to modify
any of the settings, you may do so.
Transaction Types for ACH Transactions
You can select other Transaction Types for the payments
and fees and reversals that are displayed in the
ACH Payments Setup form. Please ensure that any
Transaction Types that you substitute have the same
settings as the defaults shipped in the Collect! Demo.
By default, Collect! uses these Transaction Types:
107 - Payment
105 - Payment Reversal
301 - NSF Charge
307 - Convenience Fee
305 - Convenience Fee Reversal
View: ACH Payments Transaction Types
Transaction Types for Payment and Payment
Reversal must be "Payment" type transactions.
Transaction Types for NSF Charge, Convenience Fee
and Convenience Fee Reversal must be "Fee" type
transactions.
EFT authorization and notification letters
Collect! ships with ACH authorization and notification letters
that may be modified as needed. The wording can be changed
to suit your needs, but the printable information codes
should be left alone. These pull the banking information and
promised payment amounts stored for you recurring ACH
payments.
View EFT Notices
Summary
Billing Tree Service enables you to post ACH payments
electronically and to schedule pre-authorized withdrawals
from a payer's bank account. Once you have set up the
various areas in Collect! as outlined in this topic, you are
ready to use the Billing Tree Service feature.
See Also
- Billing Tree Service Topics
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