Answers to common support questions on The Accountant's Partner time and billing, practice manager software are available here. Simply click on the given issue below to read its corresponding answer.
If your accounts receivable transactions are duplicated, it is a sign that the accounts receivable files are damaged. This might be due to hardware failure, file damage or the system being interrupted while the Consolidate A/R procedure was running. To check your files follow these steps:
From within the Client's Accounts Receivable Balance screen (Receivables|Client Balance or Binocular icon)
- Select RECEIVABLES REPORTS (Top of screen)
Print CLIENT BALANCE Report
Print OPEN ITEMS Report
Check if individual client balances on both of these reports match. If these balances do not match, you have 3 possible courses of action:
A. Restore your files from a valid backup.
B. Restore your files to their original state prior to your last Consolidate A/R Transactions. Each time you perform Consolidate A/R Transactions, the system gives you the option to backup important files. If you answered YES to "Backup Files?" you can go to MAINTENANCE menu option, Files, Receivables Files, and select RESTORE FILES. Once the files are restored, reprint the CLIENT BALANCE Report and the OPEN ITEMS Report to check your data.
C. If options A or B are not possible, you will need to set your client balances down to zero and re-enter beginning balances. To do so, follow these steps:
1 - Back up all your TAP data files
2 - Delete the following data files
ARTRNDET.TPS
ARTRNHDR.TPS
ARFINCHG.TPS
ATFINVCE.TPS
BATCHPAY.TPS
TMPARDET.TPS
TMPARHDR.TPS
3- Set all client balances to zero in the client master, client exposure, A/R balance field.
4- Attempt to print CLIENT BALANCE and OPEN ITEMS Reports. They should equal 0.
5- Be sure your next invoice number will not create a duplicate number, as this can recreate the original problem.
6- Select RECEIVABLES menu option
7- Select ENTER AFTER THE FACT INVOICE and enter client balances for the first 5 clients. In the description you should reference original invoice number.
8- Select POST(icon) After The Fact Invoices
9- next select Receivables | Consolidate Client Accounts
10- Print CLIENT BALANCE and OPEN ITEMS Reports
11- If the balances on these two reports match, enter the remainder client balances.
12- If balances do not match, you might have skipped a step.
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If you have duplicate invoice numbers it could be because someone changed the "Next Invoice #" field (maintenance, company, company update screen, next invoice #). Once the next invoice number is assigned, it should not be changed, as this can cause numbers to overlap. If this has occurred, you need to do Consolidate Client Accounts (found in Receivable menu option) and print an Open Items report and an Client Balance report. Compare the totals for each individual client on both reports. For any client that the balances are not matching, do the following:
1-Access the Client Exposure tab of the given client within the accounts receivable module (look in Clients menu option, Edit Clients, Client Master, Client Update, Client Exposure tab) and set the Client Balance, A/R Balance field to equal to the amount of the A/R BALANCE report, even if this is not the desired balance.
2-If necessary, enter an adjustment thru Receivables menu option, Batch Payments/Adjustments, to bring the balance to the correct amount. Use a negative number to decrease a client’s balance.
3-Post the adjustments.
4-Reprint the receivables Open Items and the Client Balance reports. Each client’s balance should match.
If your clients’ accounts receivable Client Balance report total do not match the receivables Open Items report total, you first need to look at the first two issues in this page. If the first two issues do not apply, then perform the following steps:
From within the Clients Accounts Receivable Balance screen:
- Select Receivables Reports Submenu
- Select AGING REPORTS
The individual client balances in each report should be the same. If they are not then:
Enter the correct client A/R balance in Clients, Edit Clients, Client Master, Client Update, Client Exposure tab, Client Balance heading, A/R Balance field so that it matches the corresponding invoices total. Next enter adjustments thru Receivables menu option, Batch Adjustments/Payments as may be needed.
You may enter prepayments in the Receivable menu option by selecting Enter Prepayments. Each prepayment will be assigned a new invoice number. Prepayments will list on aging reports and on payment journals. When you are ready to apply a prepayment to an invoice, you will need to issue two adjustments. The first adjustment will made against the prepayment (as a positive number). The second adjustment is made to the invoice you are applying the payment to, but this time enter the adjustment as a negative number. Do not issue a payment as this will result in having two payments for the same client on the payment journal.
You may enter a client’s retainer balance directly into Clients menu option, Edit Clients, Client Exposure tab/screen, Retainer balance field. After a retainer balance for the client has been established, you reduce this retainer balance by issuing invoices that decrease a client’s retainer balance (this option is available every time you select to print an invoice). You may, alternatively, take prepayments into account by selecting Billing menu option, Standard Bill and issuing a new invoice. Upon selecting to print the invoice, select to Increase the Affect Retainer field in the Print/Email invoices screen. The system will track the client’s retainer balance for you and will printed separately on aging reports.
Another way of tracking prepayments is simply to enter a negative After The Fact invoice for the amount received. You may enter “prepayment” as your transaction description. When you later issue an invoice for this prepayment, you will need to make a positive adjustment to the “prepayment” after the fact invoice to bring the invoice to a zero balance, and re-enter the payment, this time applying it to the actual invoice.
The message "Invalid record declaration" comes up when the system encounters data files in one version and the program in a different version. This will come about when you upgrade from a prior version and the conversion instructions were not followed correctly. Restore your prior version and data files. Go into the old version and verify the version number your are upgrading from. Read over and go thru the conversion process again.
When attempting to delete a client, the system will scan to make sure that all temporary files are empty. This is to prevent you from deleting a client for which outstanding transactions exist. This also means that the system is checking files, not specific clients. If you have invoices, payments or adjustments that have not been posted, you will need to post these first.
When you select to delete a client and a file is not empty, the system will indicate which file you need to attend to. For example, the system might give you the following message: "PB, un-posted Standard Bills exist. A client cannot be deleted while un-un-un-posted transactions exist". You must post or delete related message transactions before proceeding." In this case, go to Standard Bill in the Billing menu option and print any standard bill listed. Next, exit PB and access Receivables and Post invoices. The system may also prompt you that "T/I, un-posted time clock transactions exist." In this case, post any time transactions entered in Time It, Current Clock Transactions prior to attempting to delete a client. Other messages that might appear are "PB, un-posted time transactions exist". Post all selected to bill time transactions in Time Bill, Time Transactions, or" PB, un-posted recurring invoices exist", Post Selected To Bill Recurring Transactions invoices.
The next thing the program checks is if the client has a zero balance in Accounts Receivable. You may check this by going to Clients' Accounts Receivable Balance. You may also view a client’s outstanding balance from within the Client Exposure tab for any given client. When attempting to delete a client that has an outstanding balance the system will display the following message: "There are no records available to process." You will need to enter the necessary adjustments from within the Batch Payments/Adjustments option and post these prior to attempting to delete the client. Remember to use a negative number in the amount field if you want to decrease a client’s balance.
Once a client ID is assigned, you cannot change it. If you wish to assign a new ID, you will need to delete the current client and create a new client. Remember, the client balance must be at zero and all transactions be posted prior to deleting.
Prior to posting a selected time bill to accounts receivable it may be changed. One may do so by either selecting View Pending To Print Invoice from the Transaction Invoicel or Header Invoice submenu in Time Transactions and clicking on Change (to change only the description), or by selecting the Undo Pending To Print Invoice function found in the Transaction Invoice or Header Invoice submenu. The Undo Pending To Print Invoice switches the corresponding time transaction back to 'N', not billed. You may then alter your time transactions to reflect your desired outcome and reselect to bill again.
Prior to posting a recurring bill invoice to accounts receivable it may be changed. One may do so by either selecting The Edit/Print Selected To Bill Recurring Transactions screen and clicking on Change (accessed thru Recurring Bill Clients screen, Edit/Print Selected To Bill Recurring Invoices icon), or by simply changing the clients original recurring transactions, tagging the desired clients and reselecting your billing frequencies.
Prior to posting a recurring bill invoice to accounts receivable one may add additional billable transactions (charges) to it. One may do so by either selecting The Edit/Print Selected To Bill Recurring Transactions screen and clicking on Insert (accessed thru Recurring Bill Clients, Edit/Print Selected To Bill Recurring Invoices icon), or by simply adding the new charges to the clients original Recurring Entries screen, tagging the desired clients and reselecting your billing frequencies.
You will get this message if the programs trial period has expired, or is about to expire. To remove this message and unlock the program simply enter the e-mailed or faxed access code you received from ON-Q Software Inc. as per your manual's instructions.
This message is displayed if you have exceeded the number of licensed users you purchased. It can also be displayed if a system crash has occurred while you where using your program. In the event of a system crash, simply follow your manual's instructions to regain access to your program. If you need access for additional users, you will need to contact ON-Q Software, Inc. and purchase additional user licenses.
The Accountant's Partner - Support Questions & Answers The Accountant's Partner - Support Questions & Answers