Add an Adjustment

Adjustments can be added in two locations. Single adjustments that result from direct contact with a customer are usually added by clicking the icon on the Account Information header bar in Customer Service. If your organization processes adjustments for multiple accounts at one time or you have one user who enters all the adjustments for your organization, you would usually use the New button on the Adjustment List page. The Adjustment page will launch with the General tab displayed.

Several types of adjustments are possible: 

• RAISE OR LOWER BILL - This type of adjustment will alter the amount of a bill. Reasons the original bill amount may be incorrect include a meter malfunction, an incorrect read, or a data entry error.
• RAISE OR LOWER PAYMENT - This type of adjustment will alter the amount of a payment. Reasons that a payment amount may be incorrect include a check being returned for insufficient funds or a data entry error.
• Refund - Creating a refund in Customer Service for a credit balance creates an adjustment transaction. The refund is then processed through Adjustments.
• Overpayment - This type of adjustment will alter the amount of an overpayment on the account. Reasons this amount may be incorrect include a payment being incorrectly applied, where the correct application of the payment results in an overpayment. The overpayment adjustment is then created to record the overpayment on the account.

1. The Account field is required. If you are entering the adjustment from Customer Service, this field is populated. If you are entering the adjustment from Adjustment Processing, enter the number of the account for which the adjustment will be created. If you are not sure of the account number, you can uses the Search for Utility Accounts (eyeball) prompt to help you find it.
2. Enter the Transaction Date that should be used as the adjustment date. This value is required. The current date is the default value.
3. The G/L Date defaults to the current date but it may be overwritten for cases where the adjustment will hit the general ledger on a different day. More It is not recommended to enter a date in the previous billing period because Accounts Receivables may have already been balanced to the G/L. One exception to this rule is processing NSF adjustments. In this case, it may take 2-3 weeks for the bank to notify the utility organization that the NSF has occurred. In this scenario, it is advisable to enter the date that the bank removed the payment transaction from the cash account. This will make cash account reconciliation easier. However, it is still recommended to check with Finance that it is fine to use an earlier date in a different period.
4. Select the Adjustment Type. This value is required. The options are Bill Adjustment to Raise the Balance, Bill Adjustment to Lower the Balance, Payment Adjustment to Raise the Balance, Payment Adjustment to Lower the Balance, and Overpayment Adjustment. This field is disabled in Edit mode.

Note: Note: Refund adjustments, while processed in Adjustment processing, are created in Customer Service. On the Transaction attribute,clicking the Refund button will create a refund for the selected row.

5. The Transaction field will display "No Reference Transaction" between the field label and the Search for Transactions (eyeball) prompt. If desired, use the prompt to select the transaction (e.g., the original bill or payment being adjusted) that this adjustment refers to. If you select a reference transaction, the delete (red x) icon will appear next to the search icon in case the reference transaction needs to be changed or removed.
6. The Activity Date is populated with the date of the Transaction, if a transaction is selected. If there is no Transaction, this date is required. Enter the date of the activity for which the adjustment is being created. More For example, if you are making an adjustment because you billed the account too much on their last bill, this value would be the transaction date of the bill. This date also determines how the delinquent process will treat the adjustment.

Note: Note: Bill or payment adjustments that raise the account balance (positive adjustments) must now use the Activity Date value on the Adjustment entry page. Click here for more details.

7. Select the Reason for the adjustment. This value is required. The options are defined in Validation Set 108, Utility Management Adjustment Reason. Common reasons for an adjustment include NSF checks, misapplied payments, and exception bill conflicts.
8. If desired, enter a Descriptionto further explain the adjustment. This field may contain up to 256 characters.
9. In Edit mode for refund adjustments, the Refund Recipient fields display to the right of the Transaction Details fields described above. More
10. The Select Recipient field is required. The default value is the primary customer on the account. The other options are all the associated customers on the account, as well as a 3rd Party option. For any value other than 3rd Party, the system will default the name and address information into the fields below.

    Note: NOTE: If the user does not have the Allow Recipient Change check box selected in User-Based Security, the primary customer will be defaulted in the Select Recipient field, and the name and address fields will be disabled.The recipient’s Name is required if it is enabled. If a name has not been defaulted in, enter the third-party recipient name here.

    The first line of the Address is required if it is enabled. If an address has not been defaulted in, enter the street address for the third-party recipient here.

    The Zip Code is required if it is enabled. If a Zip Code has not been defaulted in, enter the Zip Code for the third-party recipient here. This will populate the City and State values, both of which are also required if they are enabled.

11. The list of charge categories appeared at the bottom of the page once the Adjustment Type was selected. Enter the total amount of the adjustment against the correct charge category or categories. The totals at the bottom of the page will show the effect of the changes. Adjustments to lower the balance or to remove an overpayment should be entered as negative. More The Current column shows the current balance for each charge category as of adjustment date. The Adjustment column enables fields for charge categories for which an adjustment is relevant given the type of adjustment being entered. The Results column shows the effect of the adjustment; that is how it changes the Current amount.
12. The list of charge categories appeared at the bottom of the page once the Adjustment Type was selected. Enter the total amount of the adjustment against the correct charge category or categories. The totals at the bottom of the page will show the effect of the changes. Adjustments to lower the balance or to remove an overpayment should be entered as negative. More The Current column shows the current balance for each charge category as of adjustment date. The Adjustment column enables fields for charge categories for which an adjustment is relevant given the type of adjustment being entered. The Results column shows the effect of the adjustment; that is how it changes the Current amount.
13. Once you have entered the adjustment amount(s), review the totals to make sure the changes are correct. If everything is correct, click Save. No changes can be made once the adjustment is saved. Your adjustment will now be listed on the Adjustment List page and can be taken through the remaining processing steps.

Note: NOTE: Some situations require that compound adjustments be created. See Compound Adjustments for more information about scenarios where this is relevant.