Splitting one BPay invoice between two or more Strata Plans

This article will assist you to process BPay invoices, usually from a Power or Water provider, where only one invoice is sent for more than one Strata Plan or Owners Corporation. From here we will use the term 'Strata Plan' for any entity affected in this way.

When paying by BPay a reference number or CRN is provided, to enable the Biller to identify the payer.

The Creditor Card is linked to CRN's which in turn are linked to a payer Strata Plan, which is important for accurate records and transactions.

Therefore, if you try to create 2 invoices, from two different Strata Plans, using the same creditor with the same CRN, you will receive an error message.

The options to overcome this are -

1. Add a separate Creditor Card for each Strata Plan. Only one Creditor Card can be paid by BPay. Read below for more information.

2. Pay the invoice from one Strata Plan and then reimburse that Plan from the other Strata Plans. Read below for more information.

3. Contact the provider and request separate invoices in the future. This may involve meter changes and could be costly. If there are already separate meters then you could request the separate invoices.

It is recommended all instructions are read thoroughly prior to actioning.

Add a Creditor Card for Each Strata Plan or Owners Corporation

1. Add a creditor card for a second Strata Plan. Go to Manage > Creditors > click Add button.
2. In the Creditor Name, make reference to the Strata Plan it is to be used for. Ensure it is clear when selecting a Creditor in invoice processing.
3. In this Creditor Card make the payment method cheque. 
4. If you do not use cheques, you can still allocate a cheque payment type and it will be defined by a cheque number for tracking purposes. Then when the payment is made, you can log into your Bank Website and create a BPay payment as per the invoice. This will match the cheque when reconciling your bank.
5. If you do use cheques, you can either post the cheque or you can place lines through the cheque and write "cancelled, funds sent by BPay" then log into your Bank Website and create a BPay payment as per the invoice. Ensure you keep the cheque for your auditor.
6. If there are more than two Strata Plans involved, only one Creditor Card is paid by BPay and the other Creditor Cards are marked as cheque.

Pay invoice from one Strata Plan and then reimburse from the Other Plans 

1. Pay the invoice in full from one Strata Plan.
2. Transfer funds from the other Strata Plans to the Strata Plan that will pay the invoice by BPay.
3. Click the link in this step, to the instruction on transferring those funds. The instruction is titled "When an Invoice has been paid from the wrong plan" however it is the basis of this alternative. Note there are 2 methods listed on this instruction. If the Strata Plans have separate bank accounts, you could use either method, Quick Pay or Journals - When an Invoice has been paid from the wrong plan
4. If no Strata Plan has sufficient funds to pay the whole invoice as in step 1, you could transfer funds from the other Strata Plan/s first, then make the Bpay payment.