Fixing Remittance Issues in Auditor

Correcting Remittance Checks

Remittance checks can only be corrected in the back end, even in Auditor, even if the month is not yet closed.

Most corrections can be made by going to Auditor, then View Journal. You can correct the date, check number (SeqN column), or Memo in the top Journal section. The amount of the check and its splits can be corrected in the bottom Journal Items section.

If the check is just plain wrong, or if you need to add account lines, it's usually easiest to delete the check (select it in View Journal, then press Delete on your keyboard), then go back to the front end and write a new check via Accounting / Make Manual Remittance.

However, it is possible to add account lines to a check in the back end. First, go to Auditor / View Journal, find the check, and find its JournalID by hovering over the left-hand column. Close View Journal, and go to Tables / Accounts and find the AccountID of the account you need to add to the check. Go to Tables / JournalItems, and in the last line, type in the JournalID, AccountID, and Amount (the amount will generally be negative). Leave the JournalItemID blank. Then go back to the front end and verify that you did what you intended to do.

If you need to change the bank account, go to Auditor / View Journal, find the check, and find its JournalID by hovering over the left-hand column. Change the account in the lower Journal Items section. Then go to Tables / Accounts and find the AccountID of the bank account the check should be from. Go to Tables / Journal, use the JournalID to find the check, then change the zSingleAccountID column to the correct AccountID.

Stale Date Remittance Checks

Stale dated remittance checks must be handled with care, because if they are voided, Jewel will reverse the check and add the "unpaid" remittance to the next remittance check. This may occasionally be appropriate, but usually remittance checks end up with stale dates because they were duplicated in Jewel.

Duplicate Remittance Checks

When you see an old, uncleared remittance check, always check to see if it's a duplicate. Usually, the duplicate check will be entered early in the next month, and written out of local funds. To look for duplicates, go to Reports & Graphs / Check, choose a large date range around the date of the remittance, and sort by Payee. Another option is to go into the back end, to Tables / JournalItems, and sort by amount. Note the JournalIDs of the duplicate entries (not the JournalItemID, but the JournalID), then go to View Journal and find the specific transactions. The JournalID is shown in the left-hand column when you hover over it with the mouse.

Once you have found both checks, ensure that the correct check, the one written out of conference funds, got cleared on the bank reconciliation, and the check written out of local funds is marked outstanding (see section on Marking Transactions Cleared/Uncleared). Then you can void the outstanding check.

Non-duplicate Remittance Checks

If the stale-dated remittance check is not a duplicate, more research will be needed. Two options are to check bank statements to see if the check cleared, or contact the conference office to see if the check was received. For Jewel tech support, use your judgement regarding whether you do the research yourself or if you ask the treasurer to handle it and get back to you.

If the remittance funds are still owed to the conference, then the stale-dated check should be voided. Jewel will automatically add the unpaid funds to the next remittance submission. Tech support can re-send an ACH request (see Re-Sending a Remittance Report below). Or, if the conference prefers, treasurers can go to Accounting / Make Manual Remittance and write a paper check to replace the stale-dated check.

If the remittance funds are not owed to the conference, then void the stale-dated remittance check, and Transfer Funds from the affected conference funds into a local fund like Church Budget. Obviously, since tithe funds are sacred, this should only be done when you are very sure that the funds really weren't owed, and with the support/approval of the conference office. Also be sure to use the memos on the transfer and the voiding transaction to connect the transactions for an audit trail.

Re-Sending a Remittance Report

To re-send a remittance report, use Auditor to open the month whose remittance report needs to be re-sent, with the NextStep button set to Remit to Conference. Go to Accounting / Void a Check, and void the remittance check for that month. (The reason for voiding the original check is that, generally, it saves editing the remittance check.) Click Remit to Conference, and verify that everything on the check is correct. If it's not, click Edit Check and fix it. Click OK, then click the NextStep "Send Remittance Report" and confirm.

Note: Remember that for churches who have signed up for ACH, the Remittance Report is the ACH authorization. This is why it is so important to avoid sending duplicate reports to the conference, as duplicate reports can result in duplicate ACH withdrawals, and that just upsets everyone involved!