Payment schedules provide a way of regularly sending payment requests (invoices) to persons that are on a recurring payment schedule, such as subscribers, members or regular donors.
1. Payment Schedules Overview Flow
The diagram above shows an overview of the process with details of each step described in the following sections.
2. Payment Schedules Setup
For creation of a new Payment Schedule, please refer to: How to set up recurring payments for invoicing (Payment Schedules)
3. Recurring Payment Processor
The Recurring Payment Processor will check for all Recurring Payments, including Payments schedules that are due to be charged on or before todays date.
For Recurring Payments of record type Payment Schedule, a Payment Txn record will be created with a status of “Payment Schedule Start”.
The Recurring Payment Processor only needs to be started the once. This can be done by pressing the Start button the Merchant Facility Tab. Once started, it will run every day at 1am. You can press the “run now” link if you wish to run it straight away.
4. Batch Processor
The Batch Processor is an automated process that runs every 10 minutes once started.
To start, press the Start Button next to the “Batch Payments Processor on the Merchant Facility”.
The Batch Processor changes the status from “Payment Schedule Start” to “Awaiting Payment”. This will trigger a workflow to email out an invoice to the payee.
5. Invoice is sent
A PDF Invoice is emailed to the payee. Should the Payee not have an email address on file, then the invoice will be sent to the default receipt address as setup on the Merchant Facility. This will enable staff to print the invoice out and mail it.
The body text of the invoice is maintained on the Payment Form record in the “Membership Renewal Text”.
5.1. Workflow that sends the invoice
Then click into “Send Payment Schedule Invoice”.
5.2. Invoice Email Template
- The actual email template sent can be maintained under
Classic : Setup > administration setup > Communication templates > email templates, or under Email > My Templates
Lightning : Setup > Administration > Email > Classic Email Templates - Select Payments2Us Folder
- Select "P" for templates beginning with “P”
- Then click into the email template “Payment Schedule Invoice”
6. Receiving Payments
There are a few different ways that payees can choose to Pay. Details are in the section below.
You may also wish to review procedure: How to set up 'Checkout & Pay Later' option and Import Files Overview
6.1. Online Credit Cards
The invoice link being sent out includes a “Pay Now” link.
This link will take the payee to an online credit card payment form where their details and amounts will be pre-populated and they can pay by credit card.
When a Credit Card Payment is made from a Payment Schedule, it is always considered a Once-off payment (i.e. will not interpret Payment Options and frequencies of Monthly etc.)
6.2. Manual Payment is Received
A Payee could mail in a Cheque, organise a Money order, bank transfer funds or similarly pay the invoice. The Payment Txn is located and is marked as Payment Received.
Please see the "Pay Later Payment Received" section of How to set up 'Checkout & Pay Later' option
6.3. Import File
The import file process allows for Payments to be uploaded into Payments2Us from a CSV file. For Payment Schedules / Invoicing process, the import file (BPAY) has some special processing to matching imported details with Payment Txns created as part of the Recurring Payments Payment Schedules Process.