1.1. Bills Interface

The Billing Tab in the Patron Account

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In Evergreen, billing and payments are managed in the Bills tab of a patron account. From here, staff can view charges, make payments, and apply new bills as needed. 

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When a patron account has bills attached to it, a note displays under the patron name in the patron summary panel.

To view more information about the patron’s bills, or to make payments on or edit the bills, click on the Bills tab from the patron account screen.

1.2. Billing Types

Grocery and Circulation Billing Types

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The two basic billing types in Evergreen are Grocery (manually applied) and Circulation (automatically applied). Both billing types may have a variety of billing sub-types available.

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Evergreen has two different mechanisms for billing patrons: manual and automatic.

Grocery Bills: The manual method of billing a patron is known as a grocery bill. These can be applied at any amount for any charge. Libraries that have regular bill types, such as for copies or lost card fees, may request to have a sub-type created that can be applied as a grocery bill.

Common sub-types of grocery bills include the following, but libraries may request any label they need:

• Lost Card
• Copies
• Non-Resident Fee
• ILL
• Book Sale

Circulation Bills: The automatic method of billing a patron is known as a Circulation bill. Any bill that is applied as the result of a transaction is classified as a Circulation bill. Circulation bills may not be applied manually in any way, but can be triggered by the following actions, depending on library policy:

• Overdue materials 
• Lost items 
• Damage
• Processing Fees

1.3. Creating a Grocery Bill

Manually Billing Patrons

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Grocery Bills are manually applied charged. Staff can charge patrons for copies, lost cards, out-of-county feees, and more by clicking the "Bill Patron" button in a patron's account. The sub-types available are set by the library. 

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All manually applied bills in Evergreen are listed under the Billing Type "Grocery."

Creating a Grocery Bill

1. Navigate to the patron's account. Click on the "Bills" tab.
2. Click the button labeled "Bill Patron" just above the grid of current bills.
   
3. In the pop-up modal, click on the drop-down Billing Type field to see all the available sub-types of Grocery Bills available at your library.
   
4. Input the amount to charge the patron in the Amount field.
5. Add any necesarry notes.
6. Click the "Submit Bill" button.
   

The new charge will show up in the current bills grid. The "Type" column will indicate "grocery" and the Last Billing Type column will indicate the specific sub-type you selected when applying the bill.

Note: Sub-types for this billing category are set by your library. In addition to any specific sub-types, all libraries have a miscellaneous option they may apply when assessing manual bills.

1.4. Adding Charges to Existing Bills

Add Billing to Cirulation Bills

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If staff need to add extra charges to an existing bill, they may do so using the Add Billing function in the Actions menu within the Bills tab of a patron's account. This function allows a library to add extra charges for processing fees or incidental damage, in addition to anything that is included in an initial bill based on a library setting.

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While standard processing fees are created based on library settings, in some situations a library may need to add charges to existing bills.

For example, if a patron loses a book and plans to address the bill by providing a replacement copy, the library may wish to add a small fee to cover the cost of new barcodes, pockets, and mylar covers. Rather than create a seperate grocery bill, they may add these processing fees to the existing fee in order to ensure the full costs are linked together in the patron's record.

In other situations, a library may not wish to add processing fees to all lost items, but may need to charge patrons for new cases or accessories related to only specific types of materials. The Add Billing function allows them to apply processing fees as needed, rather than relying on a library setting which may not be necesarry in all cases.

How to Add a Charge

1. Navigate to the patron's record and click on the Bills tab.
2. Select the bill to which you need to add an extra charge from the billing grid.
   
3. From the Actions menu, select "Add Billing."
   
4. In the pop-up modal, click on the drop-down Billing Type field to see all the available sub-types of Grocery Bills available at your library.
   
5. Input the amount to charge the patron in the Amount field.
6. Add any necesarry notes.
7. Click the "Submit Bill" button.
   

The new charge will show up in the current bills grid. The "Type" column will indicate "circulation" and the Last Billing Type column will indicate the specific sub-type you selected when applying the bill.

2.1. How to Pay Fines

Paying Bills on a Patron Account

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Patron bills may be arked as paid within the Bills tab of a patron account. In this tab, staff can mark bills as paid by selecting the bill from the grid, applying the appropriate payment type, inputting the amount, and annotating if necessary. Both full and partial payments may be made using this method.

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When a patron account has bills attached to it, the Fines Owed section in the patron summary panel will be colored red. Also, the top tabbed button of Bills in the patron summary panel will be colored red as well.

To view more information about the patron’s bills, or to make payments on or edit the bills, click on the Bills button from the patron account screen.

Partial Payments

If your library allows patrons to make partial payments, the process is the same as indicated above. When inputting the amount paid, list the partial amount. This will be subtracted from the total amount billed, and the bill will remain in the current bills grid until it has been paid in full. 

2.2. Payment Types

Paying Bills with Cash, Check, Credit Card, Work, or Goods

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Payment types in Evergreen include cash, check, credit/debit card, work, goods and forgive. Each type is applied using the same functions in the bills interface, but some payment types may require set up of third-party software (credit/debit cards), additioanl details (check number), or recommended annotations (goods, work, forgive).

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Evergreen is configured to accept payment for bills using the following methods:

• Cash
• Check
• Credit Card
• Debit Card
• Work
• Goods
• Forgivement

Do not mark any payments as cash unless physical money has been paid. In order for daily cash drawer reports to tally with the money in the drawer at the end of the day, cash should only be marked if it was the actual form of payment.

Cash

The most straightforward payment type. When taking cash paymnets, select cash for the payment type, enter the amount, and submit payment. Annotate only when taking a partial payment.

Check

When taking a payment by check, enter the check number in the field underneath the payment type drop-down.

Credit/Debit Card

Libraries must have a credit card processing solution set up with a third party vendor in order to take credit card payments. Find out more about setting up credit card processing in the Evergreen Credit Card Set-Up Page.

Work

If your library allows patrons to work of fines with volunteer hours, this should be reflected through the work payment type. This payment type should be applied using the same method as standard cash payments. The amount should reflect the dollar amount of the bill to be paid. It is highly recommended that staff annotate these payments with details about the work done.

Goods

The Goods payment type may be used for either:

• Food drive or other donations
• Replacement copies of lost or damaged materials

These payments should be applied using the same method as standard cash payments. The amount should reflect the dollar amount of the bill to be paid. It is highly recommended that staff annotate these payments with details about goods supplied, especially when accepting replacement copies.

Forgive

In situations where the transaction that caused a bill should be retained, but the library willnot require thepatron to pay for that bill, staff should select a payment type of Forgive. This functions as a payment, closing both the bill and the related transaction. The amount should reflect the dollar amount of the bill to be paid. It is highly recommended that staff annotate these payments with details about the reason for the forgiveness, and the staff who approved it.

2.3. Payment Removal Options

How to Remove Bills Without a Payment

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Evergreen provides three functions for removing bills without payment: Adjust to Zero, Void, and Forgive. Staff should use the Forgive option in most cases, in order to maintain a record of the bill. The process for each removal function is outlined on this page ,along with information about how the function impacts accounts.

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In situations where a patron was billed in error, or the library has determined that a bill should be removed from an account without payment, there are three options for removing the bills:

• Adjust to Zero: Used to fix negative balances
• Void: Used to removeall record of a bill
• Forgive: Used to close a bill without payment but maintain details of the bill. (Recommended option in most cases.)

Adjust to Zero:

Libraries should only use the Adjust to Zero function to remove negative balances that have occurred as a result of refunds.

To use this option:

1. Select the bill to be paid.
2. Choose "Adjust to Zero" from the Actions drop-down menu.
3. A pop-up confirmation will appear. Click Ok/Continue.

What happens when you choose this option?

• The bill is removed from the patron's current billing list
• Bill appears as paid in billing history but not in the Payments sub-tab
• Coded as a Account Adjustment
• Closes out billing transaction
• Does not show up in cash report 

 

Void

Libraries should only use this function to remove bills completely. Voiding will close out the initial transaction, but will also remove the history of the bill. It should only be used when a bill was applied in error.

What happens when you choose this option?

• The bill is removed from the patron's current billing list
• The bill does not appear in the billing history or the payments
• There is no code associated, but the "Void" field is set to true in the database's history of the bill
• Removesvisible record of billing transaction.
• Does not show up in cash report 
• Closes out relevant circulation transaction

Forgive

Functionally, Forgiveness is a payment type. Using this function maintains the full record of the bill and shows it as closed out. In almost all cases, this is the recommended method for removing bills without payment.

What happens when you choose this option?

• Bill removed from current billing list
• Bill appears as Paid and in Payments sub-tab
• Shows as forgive_payment payment type, appears in forgive_payments table in database
• Shows up in cash reports (under staff user payments).

3.1. Transactions History

Checking Billing History

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Evergreen includes further details about bills (both paid and unpaid) in the Bill History page. From this page, staff can add additional charges to existing bills, view details about bills and payments, and print itemized bills.

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After a bill has been paid, it is no longer visible in the current bills grid. The Bills tab in a patron's account includes access to history and more details about current and closed bills and related payments. 

1. In the patron's account, navigate to the Bills tab.
2. Click the "History" button above the current bills grid.
   

Viewing the Grid

The grid in the bill history interface shows all bills that have not been voided, regardless of payment type or status. Staff can set a date range during which they wish to see bills. By default, the range is set to one year.

To change the range, re-set the startand/or end date in the date fields.

You can set them manually or by using the calendar widget to select a date.

Grid Actions

Staff may perform actions on line items in the grid by selecting the specific bill to perform the action on and choosing an action from the Actions menu:

• Add Billing: Add an extra charge to an existing bill, such as a damage or repair fee added to overdue charges, or a processing fee for a lost item. Find intructions for this function in the Billing Patrons chapter of this book.
• Full Details: View an itemized statement of both the selected bill and any related payments. Learn more about the Full Details page.
• Print Bills: Print an itemized list statement of the selected bills, including related payment details. 

Payment History

Within the history interface, staff can specifically view payment history by clicking on the Payments tab within the history interface.

Just like with the standard History page, staff can chage the range that's listedin the grid. 

3.2. Full Details

Viewing Itemized Details About Bills & Payments

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The Full Details interface may be accessed directly fromtehbills grid for a current bill, or from the Billing history for any bill that has not been voided. From the full details interface, staff may see an invoice with a running balance, or open detailed grids where some actions may be performed.

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Any bill that has not been voided, whether current, paid, or forgiven, may be opened in a Full Details interface. Within this interface, staff may view itemized descriptions of the bill and any added billings, as well as any payments or forgiveness that have been applied.

Accessing Full Details

Staff can access the Full Details of a bill from the current bills grid or from the Bill History.

From the Current Bills Grid

Use this method to access details about bills that have not been paid or forgiven.

1. Select the bill to be viewed from the current bills grid.
2. Choose Full Details from the Actions menu.
   

From the Bill History

Use this method to view details about bills that have been paid or forgiven.

1. Click the Bill History button above the current bills grid.
   
2. Select the bill to be viewed from the grid.
3. Choose Full Details from the Actions menu.
   

Viewing Statement

The Full Details interface includes two tabs. The first is the bill statement. In this tab, staff can view an intermized statement of the bill and related payements.

The billing line items will include the billing sub-type, the date of the bill, the total amount charged, and a running balance.

The Payment line items will include any notes applied to the paymentm the payment timestamp, the amount paid, and the running balance (which will reflect thepayments subtracted from the amount due).

At the bottom of the statement, the total amount of all related bills will be listed as the Total Charges. The total amount paid will be listed as the Total Payments,and the balance due will be the Total Payments subtracted from the Total Charges.

Viewing Details

The second tab in the Full Details interface is labeledas "Details." This tab contains two grids:

• Bills
• Payments

Bills Grid

The Bills grid lists all related bills. This includes the initial bill and any additional bills that have been added. 

Staff can perform two actions on these itemized bills by selecting a function from the Actions menu:

• Void Billings: Just like when voiding a full bill, the Void action in this case will remove the bll entirely. This function allows staff to void additional bills,insteadof the full billing. This function should be used with caution.
• Edit Note: Any bills that are charged automatically, such as for Lost Items, will include a note stating"System Generated." You may edit this note, or add a new note on manual bills, by selecting this function from the Actions menu and adding thenote to the field in the pop-up modal.
  

Payments Grid

The Payments Grid will list all payments or forgiveness that have been applied to this bill. Only one action is available from the actions menu: Edit Note. This allows you to add a note to a payment that does not have one, or edit an existing note.

4.1. Cash Reports

Pre-Formed Daily Cash Reports

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Evergreen's canned reports give admin users access to reports of payments and forgiveness. Users can scope these reports to a specific date range, and specific branches.

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Evergreen provides two built-in report functions that administrators may access to see information about payments duringa specified time period. These reports are:

• Desk Payments
• Staff User Payments

The primary distinction between the two is that desk payments involved a transaction in which money is paid, and staff user payments involved transactions which effectively close bills, but without the payment of money.

Accessing Cash Payments

1. From the Administration menu, select "Local Administration."
   
2. In the Local Administration splash page, click the link labeled Cash Reports.
   
3. Set the date range for your reports by filling in the startand end date inthe fields at tehtop of the page.
   
4. The reports will automatically scope to the working location set in your workstation.You can change the scope to a different branch in your system by selecting it from the drop-down menu labeled "View reports for."
   

4.2. Desk Payments

Money Payments Made at the Desk

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One of the two Cash Reports available is the Desk Payments report. This summarizes any real money payments made, and reports them by workstation where the payment was made.

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Desk payments include payments made with cash, check, and credit card and are recorded by the workstation that accepted the payment. 

Summary

The summary of payments is listed near the top of the interface, and includes totals for each payment type.

Payment Grid

The grid of payments will include columns for each payment type, and a row for each workstation that took payments during the date range selected.

Libraries that do not accept credit or debit cards will have no entries in that column. You can remove these columns using the gear icon above the grid.

4.3. Staff User Payments

Non-Money Payments and Forgiveness

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One of the two Cash Reports available is the Staff User Payments report. This summarizes any non-money payments made, such as the goods and work payment types, as well as forgiveness. The grid in this interface reports these payments by the staff user who approved them.

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Staff user payments include forgiveness, as well as non-monetary payment types such as work and goods. User payments are recorded by the staff account that awarded the credit against a bill. 

Summary

The summary of payments is listed near the top of the interface, and includes totals for each non-monetary payment type.

Payment Grid

The grid of payments will be divided into rows for each staff user who approved payments during the date range selected. The grid will include columns for each payment type, and for details about the staff user (first and last name, email address, and home library).

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