Creating a Direct Debit Batch (Payrix)

This article gives you in-depth step by step instructions on how to run a Direct Debit Batch.

If you would like a simple, visual, step-by-step timeline to follow, see this article: Direct Debit Timeline - Step by Step Process example

If you have not yet set up your family's Direct Debit Agreements or your direct debit configuration, see this article first: Direct Debit - System Configuration and Family Set Up.

Go to Administration -> Direct Debit:

Your Direct Debit screen is split into three sub-headings:

1. "Direct Debit Processing" shows your two actions: "Create Direct Debit Batch" or "Provider Specific Functions". 

2. "Current / In-progress Direct Debit Batches" lists your current batch/es and shows the status as either "Ready" (prepared but not sent out for processing) or "Processing" (sent out for payments).

3. "Previous Direct Debit Batches" shows a list of your previous Direct Debit batches that have been closed.

Part One: Creating a Direct Debit batch

1. Go to Administration -> Direct Debit and click on "Create Direct Debit Batch".

2. From the drop down menu, select what type of Direct Debit you are creating and then hit next. (This is set up in "Direct Debit Types" in your configuration you have previously set).

Note: If there is already a batch of this type open, you will get an error message asking you to close that batch first before you will be able to run another batch of the same type.

3. Select the date range of when you want families to be charged, add your processing date (this defaults to the current date and can be left as the current date or future dated - this is the date the batch will be processed by Payrix). Generally you would create and send the batch on the same day. Then click "Next".

For Calculated Lesson Value direct debit types (e.g. fortnightly debits):

Start date: First date in the range you want to debit (e.g. fortnightly payments would be the start of the fortnight)

End date: Last date in the range you want to debit (e.g. fortnightly payments would be the end of the fortnight)

Payrix Processing date: defaults to today's date.

EXAMPLE:

For Account Balance direct debit types (e.g. monthly debits): 

Calculate Balances as at: date should be the last date in your run (e.g. monthly would be the last date of the month you are debiting, e.g. 31/12/2023)

Payrix Processing date: Defaults to the current day's date. Generally you would create and send the batch on the same day. This date can be future-dated if you wish.

EXAMPLE:

4. Confirm the details of the batch and click "Create Direct Debit Batch". This will return you to the main direct debit screen.

EXAMPLE:

5. The newly created batch will be in the the "Current / In-progress Direct Debit Batches". The batch will say "READY" in the status column. Creating the batch does not send the batch. (Note: It is best to prepare the batch as close to when you want to send it as possible, preferably the same day). 

Click on the magnifying glass icon to open your READY batch.

6. Check over the details of the batch - run your eye over and check families and amounts to make sure everything looks right and that there are no strange amounts.

Here, you have two actions:

1. "Process NOT SENT Payments" - this will send the batch out for processing; or 

2. "DELETE Batch" - this will delete the batch without any payment action. 

7. To send out your batch and collect payments, click once only on "Process NOT SENT Payments". Only click once, you will see on your tab at the top of your screen that it is processing by the circle going around. Depending on the size of your batch, this may take some time (e.g. it could take 5 minutes or so), just keep the screen awake and wait for the process to complete.

When the batch has been sent, the status back on the Direct Debit home screen will change to "PROCESSING" (in the "Current / In-progress Direct Debit Batches" section) and payments in the batch will change from NOTSENT to PENDING.

NOTE ON PAYMENT PROCESSING TIMES

Payments by Credit Card are generally received the same day (even within the hour).

Payments by bank account will need to allow up to 3 to 4 banking days for processing and receipt of payments. (So for example, if you send the batch out on a Thursday, it may take until the following Tuesday afternoon for bank accounts to be debited).

Part Two: Checking on the Payment Status and closing your batch

You have sent out your batch and want to check on your payments. It is recommended to wait the 3 to 4 banking days before checking on the payment status. 

1. Go to Administration -> Direct Debit. Click on the magnifying glass action to open the Direct Debit Batch that you are PROCESSING and want to check. 

2. You will see the status of all payments in the batch is listed as "PENDING". Click ONCE ONLY on the "Check PENDING Payments" action. This brings back the payment status of your batch. Depending on the size of the batch, it may take a few minutes. Please be patient and wait.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Only click once on this action and wait for the spinning processing icon on your browser tab to finish. Do not double click, click more than once, refresh the screen or hit the back button. This will result in a duplication of receipting of payments that will need to be escalated to Support for removal.

This will then update the list and show whether payments have been APPROVED or DECLINED. Declined payments will appear at the top of the list.

You can click on the "Family Name" to go to that Family's page, or you can click on the magnifying glass to see the reason behind the decline:

3. Once the status of all payments has been checked and has a status of either Approved or Declined (i.e. no payments still say "PENDING"), you have the option to "Retry DECLINED Payments" in the batch or "CLOSE Direct Debit Batch". 

CLOSE Direct Debit Batch: You can close a batch once you have checked your pending payments and ALL payments are either APPROVED or DECLINED. Do not close the batch if there are any PENDING payments.

Retry Declined Payments Action: This means that all the declined transactions be attempted for payment again. However, you will have already automatically had your "Direct Debit Failure" SMS and/or E-mail go out to these families, and they may pay by other means in the interim period. Another option is to retry each declined payment individually. HOWEVER the recommended action once you have got a returned status for all payments is to close the batch - even with those declined payments. As mentioned above, you will have already automatically had your "Direct Debit Failure" SMS and/or E-mail go out to these families. In that template you can say something like "Payment will be attempted again on Friday" or "on the 15th of the month" - whatever the case may be. This will give them time to make sure that they have sufficient funds available. Then on that day/date, create a new Direct Debit Batch for the same date range of the batch you have closed. Not only will this new batch pick up those declined payments and failure fees, but it will also pick up any new students in that window, along with any class changes in that window (e.g. if someone adds an extra class or has some other change), but it will omit anyone who has already paid in that window. Then just follow the steps again to process the batch, give it 4 banking days to "Check PENDING Payments" and once all completed, close the batch.

Note: Once a direct debit batch is closed it can not be opened or changed.

When you close a Direct Debit batch, it will appear in the "Previous DirectDebit Batches" section of the "Direct Debit home screen and the status will be "CLOSED". You can still view these batches by clicking on the magnifying glass on the left hand side.

Last updated: 28 November 2023