Payment and Clarification

Payments are the Receivables getting from the customer or the third-party vendor to the Utility Company.

There are three types of Payment methods:

• Direct Debit
  
• Payment through vendors
• Cash Journal Payments

Direct Debit

The customers provide bank account details or credit card details to the utility company stored in the Master data level. Whenever there is due item for contract account, it will automatically fetch the due item during the daily batch run and post the payment for the corresponding due item in customer’s account. Like there will be large number of accounts who are enrolled for this direct debit method the system will check for the due item in a batch process method.

Once the Batch job run is completed and it will create the File with the Customer details and send to the House bank in a daily basis. Once the House bank received the file, they will send to the respective customer bank for debiting the amount from their account.

From the list of account, if the account does not have sufficient balance or any other reason for the failed amount debit those accounts are consolidated and sent back to the Utility company. That file is posted as Returns.

a) Configuration of Direct Debit

FICAIMG -> Business Transaction ->Payments->Incoming/Outgoing Payments creation -> Define Payment Methods

• Select the country which you want to add the payment method, click on new entry to create payment method
• Selection the check box ‘Payment method for incoming payments’ option, otherwise the payment method is considered as the outgoing payment method.
• Give the payment method format as ‘ACH’ and Document type and Clearing reason you can add based on the requirement. Click on Save.
  

b)Creating File for House Bank Clearing

On the part of the Direct debit payment there will be 2 methods like Credit card and bank account configuration. For debit batch job run, the sap system will run the program twice for credit card and bank account configuration separately. File format for bank account and Credit will also be different, so need to create the separate file for both payment methods.

Example of the File creation for Bank account Configuration

FICAIMG ->Business Transaction ->payments ->Incoming/Outgoing Payment creation -> payment medium-> Define payment medium formats.
To configure the format for the ACH file creation, go to Define Payment medium formats.

We need to specify the program module to run the file creation. As keep reference to the below screen shot 10 -> header line creation 30 -> footer record 20-> Detailed Record line item based on the number of records available in the system per day.

How will it run FPY1 and when?

On daily basis the batch job will be run for the accounts with the payment method as D and having the line with this due date. Those accounts are picked up and added to the batch job once the run completed. The file will be created at the end of the day and will be send to house bank for clearing process.

Create a new variant for ACH in the payment medium program SAPFKPY3.

File path is also maintained at the variant level and save the variant.

Maintain the back details and incoming payment method in account level.

Go to T-code BP to maintain the Bank details for the Direct debit purpose.

Add the Incoming Payment “D-Direct Debit” in the Contract account.

Validate the account in FPL9, open due items exist on it.

Example:

Run FPY1 to clear the open due item. In background the same transaction will run in a batch every day to pick CA with the Due open items available in an account with the Incoming payment configured as Direct debit.

Give the Contract account Details that is optional, in real time it will run for all the account which are configured for direct debit. Give the due date for picking up of the due items available in the account with method as “D”.

In Bank selection tab select the house bank account for the processing of the Direct debit, rest of the tabs are leave it with the default values. Save the details and run.

Payment posted to customer account and clear the open items.

To create a file, go to Environment ->Payment Medium. Give the variant and schedule it.

File successfully created in AL11.

Payment through vendor

In a real-time, Payments has been posted in an automatic way by calling the custom program in background for posting payment to the Customer account from based on the file which will get from the vendor.
Whenever the File is created by the third-party vendor and sent to the SAP system the system picks the file from PI/PO to the AL11 folder on which it is configured to place. Once it got placed SAP must design the custom program based on the Client request to read the file and Convert to SAP readable format. That custom program will help to convert the File to SAP readable format there is not any specific standard program for this conversion.

a) Creation of file through the Program RFKKZEDG

Program which helps the system to create a sample File in an SAP readable format. To create a sample file to run the Report RFKKZEDG through the SE38 T-code and execute it. Enter the details as per below.

File will be generated in AL11 directory.

FPB3 transaction will help us to post the payment to the customer account.

Give the lot name in identification and respective path of the file. Execute it.

Posting is scheduled for payment.

Verify the Posted Lot in the FP05 T-code.

If the file is showing the error failed to post the payment. Correct the file by using the T-code FPB4.

Correct the Lot based on the error description raised in the T-code screen FPB4. In this example profit center is missing in the Lot header.

Once the Error is cleared save the lot and Re-execute the Lot and check for the payment scheduled.

Go to FPB3 and select the process error option and click on execute.

Manual Lot creation through FP05

Incoming Payment to the customer account is posted manually using the FP05 transaction. Enter the CA and amount details, Close and Post the lot.
Once the Lot is closed, we cannot add any item to the Lot. Post the lot for the successfully posting of payment to account.
If there are any errors in the lot, it will create clarification case for that Lot. Once the Error is rectified then the payment is getting posted to the account successfully.
Example:

Fill the required field (Bank clearing act, company code, currency, etc) in the next screen.

Click on new item and enter the amount and Contract account (selection category K)/BP(G) or document (B).

After closing the lot, we can’t be able to add entries in the lot.

Click on “Post “for posting the payment to the account.

In the account level, we can see the payment.

Clarification of Payment Lot

When the posting is made with some errors or while processing the payment lot file if the vendor missed any character in the file will push those line item to the post processing. 

The below screenshot gives you the example to clarify the items posted.

Correct the error and post the payment.

Verify the completed status is the clarification case.

Cash Journal Payments

Currently most of the utility company not using this method of payment. T-code used is FPCJ. Going directly to Utility company and paying the cash across the due item available in account.
Click on go to Cash desk.

Give the CA details and if you want to post the payment against the Open items available in the account, then click on Open item button at the top of the screen. Click on the select items to choose for the amount to be posted across the customer’s account. Or give the payment and post.

Once the Items are selected for the post click on the post at the top of the screen.

Verify the Payment posted through the account balance display screen FPL9.

Following the above process, we shall be able to post payment.