How to Fix Wrongly Billed Water & Electricity Charges in i-Account
Introduction
In i-Account, invoices for Water and Electricity are issued based on meter reading values that the user adds or imports into the system. At times, a wrong meter reading value could have been added for certain units, leading to an incorrect calculation of the consumption and invoice amount.
If this is only detected after the invoice is generated, certain steps can be taken to rectify the records. The relevant steps will depend on whether the invoice represents an Undercharged or Overcharged amount. To make the correction, refer to the steps listed below.
Please note that we refer to “Water” in our guide below but the same steps are applicable for both Water and Electricity billing.
Undercharges (Billed Consumption < Actual Consumption)
If a Water meter bill is undercharged, there are 2 options:
I : Void the incorrect invoice > Edit the incorrect reading value > Generate a new invoice with the same reading
a) Void the incorrect invoice at Setup > Maintenance > Void a Transaction.
b) After voiding the incorrect invoice, you can edit the reading value at Property > Water Meter.
II : Issue Credit Note for the full amount of the invoice > Import new reading with the correct reading values (current & previous) > Generate another invoice with the newly added reading.
Option 1: Void Incorrect Invoice & Edit Reading
1. Once invoices have been generated for the water meter reading, users can view the invoices at the Water Meter page. In our example below, if the water meter reading for unit A-1-1 on 21st April 2021 is not correct, we can void the invoice that has been generated. Check the invoice number by clicking on the view invoice icon.
1. Once invoices have been generated for the water meter reading, users can view the invoices at the Water Meter page. In our example below, if the water meter reading for unit A-1-1 on 21st April 2021 is not correct, we can void the invoice that has been generated. Check the invoice number by clicking on the view invoice icon.
2. This is the sample of the incorrect water bill.
3. Next, go to Setup > Maintenance > Void a Transaction to void the incorrect invoice. For the Transaction Type menu, select the Sales Invoice option.
4. Select the incorrect invoice by clicking on the pencil icon.
5. After selecting the invoice, users will be directed to the bottom of the page, where we can enter a Memo to record why the invoice needs to be voided. Then, click on the “Void Transaction” icon to proceed with the void action.
6. This confirmation message will pop out once you click on the “Void Transaction” icon.
7. Click on the “Proceed” icon at the bottom of the page to confirm.
8. After the invoice has been voided, the user needs to go to the Property > Water Meter page again to edit the meter reading. The edit icon will appear once the invoice has been successfully voided.
9. Click on the edit icon to amend the water meter reading for that particular unit and click “Update” to save the changes.
10. After entering the correct meter reading, you can now generate a new invoice for this unit at Property > Batch Invoice page using the edited reading.
Option 2: Issue Credit Note for the Whole Invoice and Import New Meter Reading
a) Issue Credit Note for the Whole Invoice
1. For the 2nd option, we will use another unit, B-1-4 as the example.
2. In this option, firstly, issue a Credit Note for the whole amount of the incorrect invoice. Go to Accounting > Sales > Transactions > Customer Credit Notes.
3. Select the owner and Credit Note Items, then enter the price based on the invoice amount for water billing. Click the (+) icon to add the item in the line.
4. Next, click on “Process Credit Note” at the bottom of the page.
5. Once the Credit Note has been issued, allocate the Credit Note against the invoice. Go to Accounting > Sales > Transactions > Allocate Customer Payments or Credit Notes to allocate the Credit Note.
6. Select the owner’s name, for instance owner for B-1-4. System will show the Credit Note that has been issued to that particular owner.
6. Select the owner’s name, for instance owner for B-1-4. System will show the Credit Note that has been issued to that particular owner.
7. Click on the “Allocate” icon in order to do the allocation.
8. Users will be directed to the Allocate Customer Payment or Credit Note page. Allocate the amount to the water bill.
9. Click on the “Process” button to proceed with the allocation.
b) Import New Meter Reading & Generate New Invoice
Next, you need to import a new meter reading but using a different date, e.g. next day. For each unit number, the system only allows entry of one reading on each date. For example, as the previously incorrect meter reading was for 22/4/2021, import a new reading for 23/4/2021.
1. Go to Property > Water Meter page and click on “Upload Data” to import the new reading.
IMPORTANT NOTE:
In the import file, you must key in the Previous Reading Date & Previous Reading Value (in addition to the Current Reading).
If you leave the previous reading columns blank, the system checks existing records in the system in order to calculate the usage/ consumption. As the previously entered reading for this unit was incorrect, this will lead to incorrect calculation of usage.
Do not import the new reading using the same Current Reading date. Use a different date, e.g. next day. For each unit number, the system only allows entry of one reading on each date.
3. Once you have successfully imported the new meter reading, go to Property > Batch Invoice page to generate a new Water Bill/Invoice.
Overcharges (Billed Consumption > Actual Consumption)
If the Water meter bill is overcharged, Admins can follow the steps below:
1. Issue a Credit Note for the overcharged amount. For example, if on 30/04/2021 for unit A-1-3, the correct reading is 15 m3 while invoice amount is supposed to be RM30.00 (RM2.00 x 15 m3) but you have wrongly invoiced at RM40.00 (RM2.00 x 20 m3), issue a Credit Note for RM10.00 (RM40.00 - RM30.00). Refer to the Option 2 section above for more details on how to issue a Credit Note.
2. Next month/next time when you are importing meter reading, you need to key in the correct previous month values for this particular unit in the import file. Please take note of the following:
IMPORTANT NOTE:
In the import file, you must key in the Previous Reading Date & Previous Reading Value (in addition to the Current Reading).
If you leave the previous reading columns blank, the system checks existing records in the system in order to calculate the usage/ consumption. As the previously entered reading for this unit was incorrect, this will lead to incorrect calculation of usage.
Note: If some of the screenshots or steps viewed here are different from the ones in the current system, this is due to our continuous effort to improve our system from time to time. Please notify us at info@timeteccloud.com, we will update it as soon as possible.
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