Creating Invoices with Past Next Bill Dates

Learn how to handle recurring charges with Next Bill Dates that have already passed and how to generate invoices for these situations.

Understanding Past Next Bill Dates

Occasionally you will run into an instance where a customer has a recurring charge Next Bill Date for a billing cycle that has already been generated.

This can happen when:

• An incorrect next date is entered into the recurring charge
• You add a new customer with a service start date for an invoice period that Cornerstone has already generated

Important: Recurring charges with "Past" Next Bill Dates will not have invoices automatically generated by Cornerstone. You need to generate them or flag them for Cornerstone to run.

Cornerstone Invoice Run Dates

When entering next dates into the recurring charges screen, take into consideration the date that we run your invoices. We run invoices on ONE of the following dates:

• 2nd
• 12th
• 22nd
• 28th

Pre-Billing Audit Report

It is important that you run the Pre-Billing Audit report every month before Cornerstone generates your invoices. The Pre-Billing Audit report provides you with information regarding your customer's accounts.

The most common errors appear in:

• Customer Recurring w/o Stop Dates (first section)
• Dealer Recurring w/o Stop dates (third section)

Example of a Past Next Bill Date

Let's say today is 6/5/20, and we invoiced for you on 6/2/20 for your 7/1/20 next bill dates. If there is an account listed in the first section warning you that there is an account with a past next bill date, since the next date in the Customer's account is 07/1/20, it will not generate when we run the next batch of invoices.

In this case, Cornerstone has already processed the July invoices and there is an account that looks like it needs a July invoice.

Two Options to Resolve Past Next Bill Dates

Option 1: Change Next Bill Date to Next Month (Easier)

1. Change the Next Bill Date to the next month that Cornerstone will process
2. Set the charge to Prorate Yes
3. Enter in the service start date
4. Cornerstone will generate the invoice in our next batch
5. The invoice will state the next service period and specify the date range of the pro-rated service period

Note: This is the easiest for you but pushes billings out a month.

Option 2: Run the Invoice Yourself (More Work, More Customer-Friendly)

While this option requires work on your part, it is more customer friendly if:

• The service period is an annual cycle (you don't want to bill a year+)
• It is a checking debit account

Special Case: One-Time Recurring Charges

There are instances where dealers enter a 1-time recurring charge for an activation fee. This includes entering a Next Bill Date and a Stop Date for the charge.

If the charge ran and should not run again:

1. Edit the recurring charge screen so the Next Date is AFTER the Stop Date
2. Example: stop date=02/28/20, then next date=03/01/20 or later
3. This will remove the account from the Pre-Billing Audit report

Running the Invoice Yourself

Consider whether the invoice is an Autopay or Printer billing method:

If the Recurring Charge is Set for Autopay Method

If the Next Date is in the current month or a past month, the system will not allow you to generate the invoice as an autopay method because those transaction files have been processed and cannot accept 'New' transactions.

In this case:

1. Generate the invoice with the Billing Method as Printer
2. Process the payment through the AlarmPayments portal
3. Remember to change the Billing Method back to autopay for future invoices

If Generating an Invoice for a Future Month

The system will allow you to generate the invoice and automatically put the autopay information into Cornerstone's transaction files.

Warning: If it is too close to the transaction date or is a past date, you will get a warning to call Cornerstone. When in doubt, call Cornerstone to assist you.

Steps to Generate the Invoice

1. Go to the Invoice History
2. Click on Insert
3. Click on Recurring & Automatic
4. Click on OK

Note: Manual is a special permission use, as it requires you to manually enter all the invoice information.

4. You will see the date range for the invoice
5. Click on Start - the Invoice for the past next bill date will be generated
6. If you get an autopay warning, please call Cornerstone
7. Print and mail the invoice after generation or email it to your customer

Check Your New Accounts After Adding Them

A warning pops up when you close a recurring charge screen if the Next Date is a date for which Cornerstone has already processed your invoices.

Do not just click OK unless you plan to generate the invoice yourself.

Retry takes you back to set a new Next Date and set the Pro-rate.

Using the Accounts Created Report

Another way to check your accounts and ensure that the information you have entered is correct is to run an Accounts Created report.

This report allows you to:

• Search for new accounts that have been added within a specific date range
• View: Active since date, Next date, Monthly RMR, the type of charge, and other information
• Double check the information you have entered to make sure it's valid

Example

Let's say you entered an account on 06/05/20:

1. Choose your date range: 06/05/20 – 06/05/20
2. Run the report
3. Review the information provided

If you see an account with a next date of 07/01/2020 and your invoices for the period of 07/01/2020 have already been run, you would need to:

• Go into the account and edit the recurring charge next date information
• Determine if you meant to enter a charge for the upcoming cycle (08/01/20)
• Or if your customer still needs to be billed for the month of July and was entered into Cornerstone after the July invoices have been run

Need Help?

Still have questions? Contact Cornerstone Holding Co. 847-405-9517 or email us customer.success@alarmbills.com