Options

Here you can change many settings which will apply throughout Arbor Finance, affecting its appearance and how the system behaves.

On the System menu, you access the options via the System setup area. You can then configure a range of options by selecting the appropriate sub-tab:

• Display
• Records
• Transactions
• VAT
• Period end
• Budgeting - only available to schools importing a payroll file alongside using MIS sync for staff contracts

 

Display

Reconciliation - this determines whether unprinted cheques and unprocessed BACs payments are shown in the bank reconciliation screens.

Additional analysis levels - this determines whether Funding stream and Cost centre fields are displayed in transaction screens and also makes the tabs available in Records > Analysis records.

Virement type - this determines whether virements must be balanced (recommended) or not and if you would like to print a report after processing a virement.

Budget overspend - when switched on this will make the system either warn or stop you overspending your budget or budget/analysis budget.

Note: the overspend functionality will include commitments as well as current spend

If changing any of the settings ensure you click on save at the bottom right of the screen to save the new setting.

Records

Send email on BACS changes - select on if you would like a member of staff to be notified by email if a change is made to the BACS records in the contacts area. You will need to enter the email address when this is switched on.

Creditor reference in contact - for non cheque book schools using the LA payment file or PACL. Switch on to ensure you do not forget to add the unique supplier reference when adding suppliers.

If changing any of the settings ensure you click on save at the bottom right of the screen to save the new setting.

Transactions

Purchase orders - this setting determines whether the system prompts for postage and packing when posting a purchase order.

Payment description - this determines what is recorded in the payment description area when paying a purchase order. you can choose either the system generated PO number or the user order number. If user order number is selected but is blank on the order then the system generated PO number will be used.

Secure orders - this determines the level of editing permitted to outstanding orders that are currently held in the system. Allowing limited editing will prevent users from editing the quantity field, adding new lines and duplicating existing lines.

Payments printing - this determines which payment methods can be used. To use printed cheques and BACS ensure the setting is turned on and Cheques/BACS is selected. If you are not using printed cheques or BACs the setting can be set as off. If you are not generating any type of payment from the system: printed cheques, BACs or LA payment file but would like to print a payment authorisation form (perhaps for hand written cheques) you can turn the setting on and select payment authorisation. Please note that by doing this the system will disable all payment options ( printed cheques, BACs and centrally invoiced).

Express orders - allows you to set default wording to populate the description field when creating an express order (particularly useful if these are always attached to a handwritten requisition sheet).

Expenditure transactions - this determines whether an invoice number is required for all expenditure transactions.

Income, Expenditure and Credit note transactions - select whether the addition of details should be mandatory or not.

Income transactions - this determines which combination of budget/analysis codes are mandatory or not for income transactions. select the relevant option depending on you requirements.

Link analysis and budget codes - select on if you would like to link budget and analysis codes to prevent mis posting to incorrect code combinations. When switched on you can then choose; Stop on error. This will prevent you from using codes which are not linked. Warn on error. This will issue a warning message but will allow you to select codes which are not linked. No warn/stop on error. This will not warn or stop you from selected unlined codes.

Auto-Reconciliation - this will allow you to use the auto reconciliation feature to reconcile your bank account. When switched on you can select the relevant bank accounts you would like to activate the feature for. Please note schools importing a rec file will need to switch auto-reconciliation on.

Mandatory Item Description on PO - this setting allows you to choose if you would like the item description field on purchase orders to be mandatory or not.

Don't allow same day BACS Transactions - By default this setting will be switched on but can be turned off if it is necessary to send a same day payment.

Use Analysis accounts with Budget allocations - this setting is not editable by users. If set to On the school is dual budgeting. If set to Off the school is single budgeting.

Leave the Invoice Date Blank - When set to Off the system will automatically populate the invoice date filed with todays date. If you would prefer the date to be left blank you can switch the setting to On.

Manual selection of transactions for LA Payment File - this setting allows users who are generating the LA payment file to manual select the payments they want to include on the file. If this setting is set to Off, all payments marked as centrally invoiced will automatically be included on the next payment file generated.

Stop LA Bank Statement Overwrite - this setting will be default turned On and will stops schools who import a rec file from importing a new bank statement for reconciliation if they still have one in the bank reconciliation screen from before.

Mandatory catalogue number on PO - this setting allows you to choose if the PO catalogue number is a mandatory field. Useful if you do not have catalogue entries saved for a supplier and you do not want to enter the default '0' code each time you add a line when creating a new purchase order. 

Warn on Duplicate Transaction - if switched on the system will scan the previous seven days for expenditure transactions which have the same value, analysis and budget code. A warning will be displayed and the user can decide if they want to proceed with the transaction. A useful way to avoid duplicating transactions which may not have an invoice number. 

If changing any of the settings ensure you click on save at the bottom right of the screen to save the new setting.

VAT

Tolerance checking - this determines whether the system checks the amount of VAT when a transaction is posted and the VAT is manually adjusted. If switched off the system will not check if the VAT is manually adjusted and exceeds the system calculated VAT. If switched on you can enter the amount of pence the tolerance check should be active for, and if the system warns or stops on error when exceeding the pence amount entered.

VAT marking - this determines whether transactions that have been included in VAT reports are marked to ensure that they will not appear on any subsequent VAT claims, even in the same date/period range; this is to prevent accidental double claims.

VAT debtor default code - in the year end process, this defines which VAT code is applied to any outstanding transaction where no VAT code has been set; typically the standard VAT rate is used.

Income default VAT code - this determines the default income VAT code on school income.

Expenditure default VAT code - this determines the default VAT code when entering expenditure transactions.

If changing any of the settings ensure you click on save at the bottom right of the screen to save the new setting.

Period End

Period end reporting - this determines whether, during the year end process, the user is prompted to print the 'Transactions not yet printed' report.

If changing any of the settings ensure you click on save at the bottom right of the screen to save the new setting.

Budgeting (Only shown if Budgeting tab is enabled for non cheque book schools)

Create transactions from payroll - this setting should be switched on for schools importing a rec file and posting their salary in the budgeting > monitoring tab. When switched on you should select either single transaction for each staff salary ( salary, NI and pension are all combined) or multiple transaction for each staff salary ( salary, NI and pension are separated).

If changing any of the settings ensure you click on save at the bottom right of the screen to save the new setting.