Creating a Direct Bill Customer Receipt

HawkSoft enables you to create a customer receipt for a payment received. Creating a customer receipt documents the transaction in the client and generates a receipt for the customer.

A customer receipt transaction can have different end results. For example, the Payment dialog can be used to process a payment made for less than the amount due, which results in a receipt with a balance due. In the case of an overpayment made by the customer, you can create a refund or an unapplied credit.

Agency contact information and the signature of the user taking payment will be included on the receipt.
See to enter your agency phone number and other contact information.
See My Account Information and Signature for instructions on importing your signature into HawkSoft.

For Agency Bill, see Processing a Payment for an Invoice.

To create a customer receipt (Create Payment)

When you create a direct bill payment, HawkSoft 6 automatically creates a new matching invoice and associates it to the payment. This provides a consistent view of what transactions to expect to see across clients and carriers, and between HawkSoft and QuickBooks.

1. Retrieve the client, and then select the policy you are taking a payment on.

2. Click Action, and then select one item in each of the first three lists to describe what prompted this transaction.

3. Click Trust Accounting > Create Payment.

   The Payment dialog opens.

   Depending on existing transactions in the client, HawkSoft may present an Unapplied Credits dialog first. Select a credit to apply to this payment, and then click OK or click Skip to continue.

4. Conditional: If your agency associates payments with agents, use the Search Agents box to select an agent.

   This box appears if Show Agent Field on New Payment is selected when configuring Trust Accounting Settings, defaults to Agent 1 on the policy, and is used to track fees that are to be split with an agent.

5. Select the Invoice Item from the drop-down list.

   The Invoice Item determines how the money is disbursed.

   You can also click into the field and begin typing an Item name to filter the selection.

   Example: If Agency Check to Company is selected, the insured's funds are deposited into the agency's Trust account, and the agency sends an agency check to the carrier. In addition, the bank account assigned to the invoice item will automatically populate at the top of the payment.

   See and for more information.

6. Verify the information in the Policy column.

   The Policy defaults to the policy you selected prior to selecting your Action items.

7. Enter the gross amount due in the Amount to Apply column.
8. If there are credits you are using to apply to this payment, click the Add Credits button to select the credit you are applying.

9. In the Payment Items section:

   1. Select the Pay Method(s) from the drop-down list.

   2. If applicable: enter the Check or Reference number.

   3. Confirm or modify the Amount Tendered is the amount the insured is paying.

      If the payment is less than or more than the amount due, skip to the appropriate section below: Receipt with a balance due or Overpayment on a receipt.

   4. Optional: Enter a message in the Printed Comment field to appear on the generated customer receipt.

   5. Optional: Enter an internal Internal Note.

      This does not appear on the customer receipt but will become part of the documentation in the client.

10. Optional: If you want to print the receipt after creating it, check the Print box.

    When checked, the receipt opens as a PDF in a new window, with the print dialog already opened. Confirm the correct printer and print settings, then click "Print".

    If the invoice has not been paid in full, you will also be able to print the invoice after saving the payment.

11. Optional: If you want to email the receipt after creating it, check the Email box.

    An "Attachments Queued for Email" pane will then appear on the Action Menu, listing the transaction(s) to send. From there, click Send Now to draft the email immediately, Cancel Email to cancel it, or continue working in the Action Menu — HawkSoft will open the email dialog when you click Finish.

12. Click the Save Payment and Exit button when you have completed the payment.

    If there is an unpaid balance remaining for an Invoice/Item you created on this receipt, the Amount Still Due dialog opens, prompting for an Invoice Due Date. This dialog will not appear if you are paying an existing invoice or if you are paying multiple invoices.

    The Create Payment Saved dialog opens.

13. Click Close Window.

    The payment is now documented in the client, the , and the receipt is attached to the Attachments tab of the selected policy.

    Receipts show the open balance of any invoice(s) that payment was applied against.

    The Action menu opens.

14. Click Finish.

    The Finalize Log dialog opens.

15. Optional: Add client tags and Tasks, as needed.

16. Add log comments and create a Task as needed, and then click Save Log.

The payment is now documented on the client, the Trust Accounting Report, and the receipt is attached to the Attachments tab of the selected policy.

To view trust accounting transactions on this client, select the Trust Accounting tab from any policy tab or from the Client tab. This will show all invoices, receipts, and credit memos. HawkSoft will show which invoices or payments have an open balance, and will show the customer's net balance. Optionally, you can enable the Show only Open Items slider.

Receipt with a balance due

When the total amount due exceeds the total amount tendered, HawkSoft generates a receipt that includes the amount tendered and the remaining amount due. HawkSoft then creates an invoice with transaction details that include the new Amount Due.

1. Follow steps 1 - 8 in the section above, To create a customer receipt (Create Payment).

   Once you have entered the actual payment tendered, the Amount Due is automatically calculated for you.

2. Optional: Enter a message in the Printed Comment field to appear on the generated customer receipt.

3. In the Other Data section:

   1. Optional: Enter an internal Note.

      This does not appear on the customer receipt, but will become part of the documentation on the client file.

4. Click Save Payment and Exit button when you have completed the payment.

   The Finalize Create Payment dialog opens.

5. Add comments as needed and then click Finish.
   
   The Create Payment Saved dialog opens.

6. Click Close Window.

   The payment is now documented in the client, the , and the receipt is attached to the Attachments tab of the selected policy.

   Receipts show the open balance of any invoice(s) that payment was applied against.

   The Action menu opens.

7. Click Finish.

   The Finalize Log dialog opens.

8. Optional: Add client tags and Tasks, as needed.

9. Add log comments and create a Task as needed, and then click Save Log.

The invoice will appear on the Trust Accounting tab located on the customer file.

The receipt is now complete and the client has an open invoice for the balance due. The invoice and the receipt are attached to the client, and are viewable on the Attachments tab and Trust Accounting tab on the Client/Policy detail bar.

Until the balance is paid, this invoice appears on the Open Invoices dialog. See for more information.

Overpayment on a receipt

When the total amount due is less than the total amount tendered, HawkSoft enables you to process the excess as a refund or an unapplied credit.

1. Follow steps 1 - 8 in the first section above, To create a customer receipt (Create Payment).

   Once you have entered the actual amount received, the overpaid amount is automatically calculated for you. See step 4, below.

2. Use the Overpayment drop-down menu to indicate how the excess funds will be processed.

   Change - Seelct this option if you are giving the customer a cash refund.

   The Change option is only available if the customer has given you cash.

   Client Credit - Select this option if you will be issuing a refund check for the overpayment amount.

   Refund - Select this option if you will be issuing a refund check for the overpayment amount.

3. Optional: Enter an internal Note.

   This does not appear on the customer receipt, but will become part of the documentation on the client file.

4. Click Save Payment and Exit button when you have completed the payment.

   The Finalize Create Payment dialog opens.

5. Add comments as needed and then click Finish.
   
   The Create Payment Saved dialog opens.

6. Click Close Window.

   The payment is now documented in the client, the , and the receipt is attached to the Attachments tab of the selected policy.

   The Action menu opens.

7. Click Finish.

   The Finalize Log dialog opens.

8. Optional: Add client tags and Tasks, as needed.

9. Add log comments and create a Task as needed, and then click Save Log.

The payment receipt is now complete. Depending on the overpayment type selected, the customer receives a cash refund, a refund generated in the form of an agency check, or an unapplied credit recorded in HawkSoft to apply to a future payment.

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