The Auto Contract Reconciliation feature reconciles payments that have been received by the government for funded course enrolments. The tool requires a spreadsheet to be uploaded containing the payments received from your reporting body. It will then match any enrolments in the aXcelerate system that have corresponding enrolment records that appear in the spreadsheet. Once the payments have been reconciled, invoices will be created in the system accordingly.
Finance
Tip: The Auto Contract Reconciliation feature is not enabled by default. If the tool is not enabled, you will be directed to use the existing manual reconciliation feature. If you are on aXcelerate Turbo and would like this feature enabled in your account please contact our Customer Success team.
Note: This feature currently supports spreadsheets in the standard Victorian (SVTS) and Queensland (User Choice and Certificate 3 Guarantee), NSW Smart and Skilled and QLD CSQ funding formats.
Set up a Contract and Schedule
Before you will be able to reconcile contract payments, a Contract and Schedule will need to be configured that match the enrolment records in your uploaded spreadsheet. The state being reported to for this contract needs to be selected and a Contact will need to be created to represent your reporting body. The Payment Amount of the Schedule should match the payment amounts you expect to receive from enrolments without loadings. This may require several different schedules to be created with differing Payment Amounts depending on the Contract.
Courses
- Click Add New Contract
- Set a Contract Code that matches enrolments in your spreadsheet
- Select the State you are reporting to
- Select a Contact for your reporting body e.g 'Victorian Government'
- Click Submit
- Edit the Contract
- Click Add New Schedule
- Select a Finance Code
- Set the Payment Amount
- Click Submit
Tip: Please refer to our Contracts and Contract Schedules help articles for further information.
Note: You will need to ensure that you have a Finance Code that is set as the default for Government Funded Training.
Upload a Spreadsheet for Reconciliation
The Auto Contract Reconciliation feature requires a spreadsheet to be uploaded containing enrolment information to match against records in the aXcelerate system. You should receive this spreadsheet from your reporting body according to the enrolments you have reported.
- Click Upload Spreadsheet
- Select a CSV File to upload
- Set the Name of the spreadsheet
- Select your reporting Format
- Click Submit
Tip: The spreadsheet you need to upload should list all of the payments you received and is sometimes referred to as the Payment Results spreadsheet. The Payments Summary spreadsheet is not compatible. For S&S payment summaries you will need to use the 'StudentPaymentValue' file.
Note: If a spreadsheet name is not selected, a name will be generated based on the file name.
Reconcile a Payment Spreadsheet
After a payment spreadsheet has been uploaded, it can be reconciled by clicking the arrow icon on the Spreadsheets tab or selecting the spreadsheet from the Reconciliation tab. Reconciling the spreadsheet will create invoices according to the payments that have been received in the spreadsheet provided and matched to enrolment records in the system.
- Click on the Spreadsheets tab
- Click on the Arrow icon next to an unreconciled spreadsheet
- Link all Unmatched Enrolments to enrolment records in the system
- Credit all Reclaimed Payments
- Approve all Pending Payments
- Click Reconcile once all payments have been approved
When the spreadsheet is being reconciled, the results will be separated into 4 tabs. Everything that appears in the Approved Payments tab is ready to be reconciled. Any records that appear in the other tabs need to be manually processed. Once all payment records have been approved, the spreadsheet can be reconciled.
Unmatched Enrolments are records that appear in the Payments Spreadsheet that do not precisely match an enrolment in the aXcelerate system. These records can be matched to enrolments in the system that are likely to be the correct record, or excluded if no match can be found. You should attempt to update details associated with the enrolment prior to excluding the payment from the reconciliation.
Reclaimed Payments are payments from the spreadsheet that have already been reconciled and now need to be paid back to the government. This may be due to overpayment or the student's funding being invalidated. Processing these records will create a partial credit against the previously reconciled amount.
Pending Payments are enrolments that appear in the spreadsheet and have been matched to a record in aXcelerate, but the payment received does not match the expected amount. The amount that the system expects to receive is based on the Payment Amount and Outcome Rules associated with the Contract Schedule linked to the enrolment. If any Loadings have been applied, this will also affect how much the system will expect to receive from the enrolment.
To get the expected amount to match what was received in the spreadsheet, you may need to update the Schedule Payment Amount associated with the enrolment or apply the appropriate Loadings.
Regardless of the amount that aXcelerate expects to receive, the records can be approved for reconciliation.
Approved Payments are payment records that are ready to be reconciled. Payments that appear in the spreadsheet that have been matched to an enrolment in aXcelerate where the amount received matches the expected amount will be automatically approved.
Any records that appear in the Pending Payments area will need to be manually approved before they will appear in this tab. Manually approved payments can also have their approval revoked if necessary.
Tip: All payment records from the spreadsheet that match the enrolment information and expected payment amount exactly will be automatically approved. Setting up Contract Loadings and Schedules to get the correct expected amount for each enrolment record will mean less records need to be manually reviewed prior to reconciliation. If these are not set up you will still be able to manually approve the payments received from the Pending Payments tab.
Note: Records that appear in the Unmatched Enrolments, Reclaimed Payments and Pending Payments need to be reviewed and processed. For performance purposes, there is a limit on the number of records to review at one time. After an action has been taken, more records will appear in the appropriate tabs for review. The number of records processed so far will be listed next to the total approved payments. Unit enrolments with an NR outcome will not be matched.
Warning: If you are attempting to reconcile a large number of payments, the reconciliation process may take a few minutes to load when first opening the spreadsheet and when performing the final reconciliation.
Link Unmatched Enrolments
Unmatched Enrolments are records that appear in the Payments Spreadsheet that do not precisely match an enrolment in the aXcelerate system. These records can be matched to enrolments in the system that are likely to be the correct record, or excluded if no match can be found. After an Unmatched Enrolment has been matched, it will be move into the appropriate tab according to the payment amount.
- Click the Unmatched Enrolments tab
- Click on the checkbox of a record with one match found to select it
- Click on Matches Found against a record with multiple matches and select the appropriate record to select it
- Click Link Enrolments to link each of the unmatched enrolments that have been selected to a record in the system.
Tip: Unmatched enrolments with one match found can be bulk selected using the checkbox at the top of the table.
Note: Unmatched enrolments can occur due to changes in your data between the time of reporting and uploading the payment spreadsheet. Another common reason for unmatched enrolments is the Contract not matching or the Contract Schedule not having the correct Payment Type set. This should be set to Subject or Hour depending on the funding format.
Exclude Unmatched Enrolments
If a match cannot be found for an Unmatched Enrolment, the record can be excluded from the reconciliation. This will also exclude the payment from the total payment created once reconciliation is completed.
- Click the Unmatched Enrolments tab
- Click the Exclude icon next to a record with no match found
- Click Exclude Enrolment
Tip: An excluded record can be re-included by clicking the undo icon next to an excluded record.
Note: You should attempt to update details associated with the enrolment prior to excluding the payment from the reconciliation.
Process Reclaimed Payments
Reclaimed Payments are payments from the spreadsheet that have previously been reconciled in the system and now need to have the partial or full amount paid back to the government.
- Click the Reclaimed Payments tab
- Click on the checkbox next to a record to select it
- Click Process Credit to credit all selected records
Tip: Reclaimed Payments can be bulk selected using the checkbox at the top of the table.
Note: Reclaimed Payments may occur due to overpayment or the student's funding being invalidated. Processing these records will create a partial credit against the previously reconciled amount.
Approve Pending Payments
Pending Payments are enrolments that appear in the spreadsheet and have been matched to a record in aXcelerate, but the payment received does not match the expected amount. The amount that the system expects to receive is based on the Payment Amount and Outcome Rules associated with the Contract Schedule linked to the enrolment. If any Loadings have been applied, this will also affect how much the system will expect to receive from the enrolment.
- Click the Pending Payments tab
- Click on the checkbox next to a record to select it
- Click Approve Payments
Tip: To get the expected amount to match what was received in the spreadsheet, you may need to update the Schedule Payment Amount associated with the enrolment or apply the appropriate Loadings.
Note: Regardless of the amount that aXcelerate expects to receive, the records can be approved for reconciliation as long as they match an enrolment record in the system.
Value
The value is the total amount that should be received from the enrolment once it has been completed.
Current
The current value refers to the amount that is expected to have been received from the enrolment in its current state. This field is more relevant for reporting formats that make periodic payments throughout the length of the unit. If a unit is paid in full when it is completed, this value will usually be the same as the due amount.
Reconciled
Reconciled is the amount that has been recorded in the system for a particular enrolment from previous reconciliations. If the reconciled amount is greater than the received amount, this will result in a reclaimed payment.
Due
The due amount is the value that is expected to be received based on the outcome of the enrolment, the schedule payment outcome rules and any loadings that have been applied. If the Due amount matches the received amount, the payment will automatically move into the Approved Payments tab.
Received
The received amount is the value that is recorded in the spreadsheet. This value will show an icon next to it to show whether the amount was an over or underpayment based on the due amount.
Apply Suggested Loadings
Once Loadings have been set up in the system, they can be applied to enrolments from the class enrolment page or on the Pending Payments tab. Certain types of Loadings can be suggested for enrolments according to data in the system. Bulk applying suggested loadings to Pending Payments may cause some of the records that show as overpayments to match the amount received and move into the approved payments tab.
- Click the Pending Payments tab
- Click on the checkbox next to a record to select it
- Click Apply Suggested Loadings
Tip: Records with a Plus icon appearing next to it have a Suggested Loading that has not yet been applied. Loadings can be manually applied by clicking on the number of Loadings applied to an enrolment.
Note: For training location based Loadings to be suggested, a Loading Region needs to be assigned to the associated Delivery Location.
Revoke Manually Approved Payments
Once a payment has been manually approved, the approval can be revoked from the Approved Payments tab. This payment record will then return to the Pending Payments tab.
- Click the Approved Payments tab
- Click on the checkbox next to a manually approved payment to select it
- Click Revoke Approval
Tip: Approval cannot be revoked for automatically approved payments where the expected value matches the amount received.
Import Default Loadings
When you first set up loadings in your account, it is recommended that you import each of the Default Loadings for the reporting formats used by your organisation. These loadings are based on the standards for each reporting format and can abe edited after they have been imported.
Finance
- Click Import Defaults
- Select the Loadings to import
- Click Import
Tip: Click More info to show additional details about a Loading.
Note: You should only import Loadings for the reporting formats used in your account.
Add New Loading
Loadings can be added manually and customised to meet your reporting needs. Each Loading is able to have different variants. Loadings Variants are used to apply Loadings that are not paid within conjunction with one another. The greater loading amount will be applied, if the requirements have been met for two or more Loading Variants.
Finance
- Click Add New Loading
- Set the Name of the loading
- Select a Reporting Format
- Select a Type for the Loading Variant
- Set a Label for the Variant
- Set the Loading Amount
- Select a Precedence
- Set the Rounding Amount
- Add additional Loading Variants as needed
Tip: It is recommended that you import the default Loadings for the reporting formats used in your account. In most cases, manual creation of Loadings and Loading Variants is not required.
Note: Precedence is used to determine the order in which Loadings are calculated. Variants with a higher precedence will be applied on top of variants with a lower precedence. Precedence applies across all loadings that are linked to an enrolment, not just loading variants within a given loading group
Indigenous
The enrolment will qualify for this loading type if the student self-identifies as being of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent. This loading will be suggested if the student has the Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander flag against their contact record.
Location
The enrolment will qualify for this loading type if the training is delivered in a particular region. Loading Regions are able to be assigned to Delivery Locations. Any enrolments assigned to a Delivery Location with a Loading Region will have the associated loading be suggested.
VCAL
The enrolment will qualify for this loading type if the student has obtained a Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning.
Youth
The enrolment will qualify for this loading type if the student is aged 15-19 years as at 1 January in the year of commencement of training. This loading will be suggested if the student's age in their contact record matches the requirements. The student must also not have a senior secondary certificate or an accredited qualification at AQF level II or above. The student must also be eligible for a concession in accordance with Clauses 3.7 and 3.8 of the Guidelines about Fees.
Disability
The enrolment will qualify for this loading type if the student has provided evidence of disability for eligibility for fee exemption based on Disability.
Long-term Unemployed
The enrolment will qualify for this loading type if the student has been unemployed for over 12 months. A letter from the Employment Service Provider is required.
Update Loading
Making changes to a Loading or Loading Variant will update any class enrolments linked to the Loading.
Finance
- Click the Update icon next to a Loading
- Make changes to the Loading as required
- Click Submit
Delete Loading
Click the delete icon next to a loading. You may wish to deactivate it by clicking the pause icon instead.
Finance
Note: A Loading can only be deleted if all Loading Variants have been deleted and the loading is not linked to any enrolments.
Apply Loadings to an Enrolment
Loadings can be applied to class enrolments where the class is linked to a reporting format containing loadings. View a class enrolment and select the appropriate loadings that apply to the student's enrolment.
Courses
Classes
View Class
View Enrolment
- Scroll to the Enrolment Administration Details section
- Select the relevant loadings that apply to the enrolment
- Scroll down and click Update All
Tip: Click 'Apply Suggested Loadings' to select any loadings that the system detects are applicable to the enrolment.
Note: Click 'More Info' to show all Loadings that can be applied to the enrolment. Next to each Loading an icon will show whether the student is eligible for the Loading. Loadings with an unknown eligibility are based on information not in aXcelerate and need to be individually selected.
Assign a Loading Region to Delivery Locations
Location-based Loadings can be linked to a delivery location. This will ensure that any enrolments that use that delivery location will have the appropriate loading be suggested.
Courses
- Edit a Delivery Location
- Select the appropriate Loading Region
- Click Submit
Auto Contract Reconciliation FAQs
Why is the Payment amount showing as more than what I recieved?
Some reporting formats provide a cumulative payment summary spreadsheet containing a record of all payments received over a given period, not just the new payments that have been made. When recording payments into aXcelerate, the system uses this spreadsheet and compares the amounts that have been recorded previously. If this is the first time using the feature and you upload a spreadsheet that has some historical payment records - as well as new ones - the system will record the entire spreadsheet as new payments. After the initial use of the feature, these payments would not be recorded again if uploaded. You can also get around this by adjusting the spreadsheet to only contain payments relevant for the period you are reconciling for.
Does this feature calculate the expected loading from the enrolment record?
Contract loadings are able to be configured from the Contract Loadings area. This allows you to import standard loadings or create customised loadings to apply to enrolments in the system. When reconciling enrolments, the system will calculate the expected amount received for each enrolment inclusive of any loadings that have been applied to the student's enrolment.
Does this feature forecast the expected cash flow from enrolments in the system?
No, the Auto Contract Reconciliation tool is not built to forecast expected payments. The purpose of this feature is to reconcile payments that have been received by the government and update financial records in the system to match the received payments.