You can bill a customer for a subscription product once you add the item to the customer’s Billing tab. The billing cycle does not add records for a customer; it only bills the records that you have added previously.
Set up billing cycles window
From Billing, select Set up module> Billing cycles
Cycle Name
Indicates the designated name for the group of records from which renewal notices will be generated. This name displays on the Process billing window with a list of available cycles.
Forms
Drop-down list of renewal notice formats
Member Types
A list of available customer types available to include in the billing cycle. For multiple selections, hold down Ctrl or Shift (selects range) while you select your selections. To bill all customer types, select *ALL* at the top of the scrolling list. For example, for a subscription cycle where the subscription can be purchased by any customer, select *ALL*.
Categories
A list of categories available to include in the billing cycle. For multiple selections, hold down Ctrl or Shift (sequential range) while you select your selections. To bill all categories of customers or subscribers, select *ALL* at the top of the scrolling list. If BLANK is selected, only customers or subscribers with a blank or empty category will be selected.
Products
A list of products available to include in the billing cycle. For multiple selections, hold down Ctrl or Shift (sequential range) while selecting other selections. Products selected in this list will be billed only if an active subscription line item already exists for the customer.
For dues product billing, only select products that are optional add-on items to the mandatory or regular dues products. The Add Member Type Items option must enabled. If the Add Member Type Items option is enabled, all products listed on the Set up customer types window for the customer types selected will be billed automatically during this billing cycle. These customer type-referenced products should not be selected on the scrolling list.
Shortcut – To select all chapters (CHAPT) and sections (SEC), enable the Include all sections and Include all chapters options located in the Other Billing Instructions section.
Major Sort
This option specifies the order in which the bills are sorted for printing. The choices include Country/Zip (postal code), Company (company sort), and Contact (individual’s last name, first name).
Member Sort
This is used only for list bills (where the dues and/or subscription products for several individuals or branches are itemized on a single bill and sent to a single parent company or a third party). It establishes the order in which the individuals (Ship to) are listed on the list bill. You can sort by Name (last, first) or Rank (under development for a future release).
Product Sort
This option controls the order of the line items on the dues bill. Select Name (to sort alphabetically by product code) or Rank (to sort by the payment priority shown on the Set up products window).
Include
Specific options that are included in the billing cycle, when enabled.
■ Inactive Members – Select to bill customers whose status begins with I (inactive).
■ Inactive Sections – Select to force the billing of SEC-type subscription in which the subscription’s status begins with I (inactive).
■ Suspended Members –Select to bill customers whose status begins with S (suspended).
■ Print Zero Balance –Select to print bills with zero balances. For example, if you enable this option, iMIS will generate a bill for a customer who receives a complimentary (zero dollar amount) membership. Not enabling this option causes iMIS to bypass all zero balance bills during the printing process.
Note: This option applies only to bills with a total balance of zero.
Other Billing Instructions
Include all sections –Bills all active subscription records of the product type SEC for the customer types selected. If multiple sections exist, all sections will be included.
Include all chapters –Bills active subscription records of the type CHAPT for the customer types selected. If multiple chapters exist, all chapters will be included.
Add Member Type Items –Use for dues billing. This option bills customers for all product codes defined on the Set up customer types window. If this option is enabled, select only those items in the Products list not covered on the Set up customer types window or by the options Include All Sections and Include All Chapters.
Note: When Add Member Type Items is selected, new subscription records will be created only for items included on the Set up customer types window. All other products selected for the dues billing cycle will be billed only if an existing active subscription record already exists for that customer. The Add Member Type Items option must be enabled for dues billing and should not be enabled for non-dues product billing.
Update Complimentary Paid Thru at Payment Time – When enabled, allows the Paid Thru date for complimentary items (no charge products) for this billing cycle to be updated at payment time instead of billing time. During dues billing, iMIS first checks the billing cycle, then the Set up general options window, to determine how to handle complimentary item Paid Thru dates.
Billing Type
Annual/Anniv – Drop-down list used to select when the billing cycle should be billed (Annual or Anniversary) or to retain the default setting. iMIS defaults to the setting specified on the Set up general options window. You may want to change the setting if you bill dues products annually and subscriptions by anniversary.
Cash/Accrual – Drop-down list used to select the accounting method of Cash or Accrual or to retain the default setting. iMIS defaults to the setting specified on the Set up general options window. You can select Cash or Accrual if the default accounting method on the Set up general options window is set to Accrual. If you try to set the billing cycle accounting method to Accrual when the dues product accounting method system default is Cash, iMIS displays a message informing you that the accounting method system setup must be changed to Accrual.
Bills/Reminders button
Opens the Billing and Reminder Notices window where you can specify when iMIS should send first and second reminder notices to the customers included in the billing run.
To set up a subscription billing cycle
1. From Billing, select Set up module> Billing cycles to open the Set up billing cycles window.
2. Click New.
3. Enter the name of the billing cycle in the Cycle Name field.
4. Select a form from the Forms drop-down list.
5. Select whom to bill:
□ Select the customer types to bill from the Member Types column.
□ Select the Categories to include for this billing cycle.
6. Select a SUB product from the Products scrolling list.
7. Click Save.
To run a non-dues billing
You can bill an individual member or run a mass billing based on a billing cycle.
1. If billing a customer:
□ From Customers, select Manage customers, find a customer, and then select the Billing tab, and then
□ Click Create Invoice to display the Dues Billing Selections window and continue with the next step.
2. If billing for the cycle:
□ From Billing, select Process billing to open the Process billing window. Continue with the next step.
3. Click New.
4. Select the Renewals options under Billing Options. The Effective Date field displays.
5. Select the Initial Bill option under Printing Options.
6. Select the cycle in the Select a Cycle to Process field.
7. Verify that the Effective Date is correct for the date range you are going to process.
8. Click Run to process the cycle and print the invoices.
9. From Customers, select Manage customers, find the customer record, and select the Billing tab.
