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Using Electronic Batches

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Overview

If you have Internet banking and your bank supports file exchange for instructions then you can use Actionstep to create electronic batch files to upload to your bank.

Typical scenarios include:

  • Paying suppliers (direct credit)
  • Paying staff (payroll)
  • Receiving payments from clients (direct debit)

See Setting up Electronic Batch Facilities for instructions on how to setup your files for your particular bank

Example: Paying Suppliers

The process is similar for all types of electronic batches, but here we focus on creating a direct credit batch to pay your suppliers.

Pay an Invoice

  • Select the Electronic Payments account as the bank. Note: This will depend on the name you gave the account
  • Specify the payment date (these can be processed in advance).
  • If you have already prepared a batch and have more transactions to add to it  - select to add to that batch (a drop down list of available batches will display). Or do a new batch.

 

  • Add payees  
  • Post  

Review and Post the Batch

When you hit the "post" on your payment, the Batch Edit screen will automatically open. The location of the batch records is Accounting >Banking > Batches.

Edit the batch as required

  • Batch Name
  • Actual Payment Date
  • Bank Select the bank account you wish to pay from (or into for a DD)
  • Listing Indicator Do you want this proceesed as individual transaction or one total?
  • Our Particulars|Code|Reference
  • Direct Debit Code DD Batches will have this feild to enter your Authority code. 

Check the Participants (any changes to the participant Bank Account | Particulars | Code | Reference will feed back to the contact record (Except Payroll Batches where it will feed back to the Employee record).

If any of the Participants look incorrect, it is possible to delete them (and if you have missed any, go back to the payments screen and add them to the batch).

When you are confident that your Batch is correct, push the "Process" button. If the system detects any errors here, it will not process - instead it will require you to fix something.

Processing the batch will create a file for download and will process the transaction in your ActionStep system.  

Download the Batch and Import to your Bank Software

This can be done in advance of the day you are paying at anytime as your batch is dated.

Download to your computer make sure you know where your downloads go.

A big green bar for Download will now be at the top of your batch (there is also a button at the bottom)

Login into your Banking Software and go to the appropriate place to import your file



Find your file and Import.

 

 

Your banking software will also check the file at this point and you may need to make some adjustments (often to the name)

Carry on with the batch in the way that your usual process would be.

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