Administering Payment Plans

This chapter provides an overview of payment plans and discusses how to:

Link students to deferral contracts.
Administer payment plan contracts.
Administer third-party contracts.
Enroll multiple students in a payment plan or third-party contract.

Understanding Payment Plans

This section lists common elements and provides an overview of payment plans.

Common Elements Used in This Chapter

Status

This field displays the current status of the contract.

Active: Select to make the contract available for use. This is the default value for this field until the student has been linked to the contract by posting. After the student has been linked to the contract, the other options become available.

Cancelled: Select to remove the student from the contract.

Hold: Select to prevent new transfers from the plan account but not to discontinue its use completely.

Inactive: Select to discontinue use of the contract.

Not Posted: Indicates that a new or changed contract has not been posted.

Reference Number

Enter an optional reference number for each student on a particular contract. The reference number entry is for information purposes only and does not appear on the student’s charges.

Understanding Payment Plans

Using Student Financials, you can create and maintain these different types of payment agreements for students with diverse financial needs or responsibilities:

Deferral contract
Payment plan
Third-party contract
Collection agreement

Deferral Contracts

Deferral contracts are designed for students who, for whatever reason, need to defer payment of charges for a short period of time. Essentially, deferral contracts extend the charge due date for eligible charges. You can link multiple students to one deferral contract definition, or you may prefer to create individual contracts to accommodate each student’s unique needs.

Payment Plans

Payment plans enable you to offer students the flexibility of paying their education expenses over a period of time rather than in one lump sum. Student Financials provides several choices for you to create and process student payment plans. The three types of payment plans are calculated, existing, and lump sum. These types differ from the deferral contract in that the deferral contract only adjusts the due and billing dates. The calculated and existing payment plans defined in this section actually credit the eligible charges.

The calculated payment plan enables you to use item type groups to define eligible charges. Also, the calculated payment plan has the ability to use the offset charges feature. Adjustments to student charges can affect this payment plan. This payment plan may be available through self-service.
The existing payment plan enables you to manually select individual charges that may be eligible for the payment plan. Adjustments to the student charges can affect this payment plan.
The lump sum payment plan uses the Charge Priority List feature to determine which charges may be paid by the initial lump sum payment. The initial lump sum payment will be posted to the payment plan account type. Adjustments to the student charges will not have an effect on this payment plan. This payment plan may be available through self-service.

Third-party Contracts

Third-party contracts are credit agreements between your institution and a third-party sponsor—typically, corporations or government agencies. The third party agrees to sponsor one or more students and pays all or part of their tuition, fees, or expenses. The sponsor establishes all parameters regarding what portion of which expenses it pays.

When a student is linked to a third-party contract, a credit is applied to the student’s account, the receivable is moved from the student's account to the sponsor's account, and the student’s sponsor is sent a bill. This contract type is especially beneficial for students in a retraining program or an employee education program who may not have the cash to pay the tuition and fees in advance and then seek reimbursement. If the sponsoring organization does not pay, the temporary credit is reversed and the student is liable for the payment.

Collection Agreement

Often, when a student or external organization agrees to repay a past due debt, they are unable to pay the full balance in one lump sum. Use a collection agreement to set up and maintain a payment schedule, produce billing entries, and track receipt of payments.

Linking Students to Deferral Contracts

When you link a student to deferral contracts, you specify certain parameters that are specific to the student you are linking.

Pages Used to Link Students to Deferral Contracts

Page Name	Object Name	Navigation	Usage
Defer Student	DEFER_STUDENT	Student Financials, Payment Plans, Assign Deferral Contract	Define student-specific details for a deferral contract.
Deferred Charges	ITEM_LINE_DEFER_SP	Click the Deferred Charges link.	View all active charges in the student’s account and confirm that eligible charges have been deferred to the correct due date.
Defer Student Charges	DEFER_STDNT_LINE	Student Financials, Payment Plans, Assign Deferral Contract, Defer Student Charges	Confirm the deferral contract calculation results.

Defining Student-specific Details for a Deferral Contract

Access the Defer Student page.

Calculate

Click to calculate charges to be deferred. After calculating the contract but before posting it, look at the Defer Student Charges page to confirm which charges the system selected for deferral.

Post

Click to defer charges.

Deferred Charges

After posting, click to confirm that the charges have been deferred to the correct dates.

Display Errors/Warnings

Click to see errors and warning messages.

Assessment Fee

The default amount in this field is the fee you specified during the setup of the deferral contract. Use this field to override the default amount.

Student Max (student maximum)

The default value for this field is the maximum amount you specified during the setup of the deferral contract. You can override this amount.

Waive Fee

Select to waive the student’s assessment fee.

Administering Payment Plan Contracts

This section discusses how to:

Confirm and modify payment plan contract parameters for an individual student.
Confirm and modify additional payment plan contract parameters for an individual student.
Recalculate payment plan contracts.

Pages Used to Administer Payment Plan Contracts

Page Name	Object Name	Navigation	Usage
Payment Plan 1	PAY_PLAN_SF_1	Student Financials, Payment Plans, Assign Payment Plan, Payment Plan 1	Confirm and modify payment plan contract parameters for an individual student.
Payment Plan 2	PAY_PLAN_SF	Student Financials, Payment Plans, Assign Payment Plan, Payment Plan 2	Confirm and modify additional payment plan contract parameters for an individual student.
Payment Distribution	TP_PPLN_QCK_POST	Student Financials, Payment Plans, Assign Payment Plan, Payment Distribution	Review the payment schedule, charge amounts, billing dates, and due dates for the payment plan. You can adjust the billing dates and installment amounts on this page.
Recalc Payment Plan (recalculate payment plan)	RUNCTL_PMTPLNRECAL	Student Financials, Payment Plans, Recalculate Payment Plan	Recalculate payment plan contracts.

Confirming and Modifying Payment Plan Contract Parameters for an Individual Student

Access the Payment Plan 1 page.

All of the values populating the fields on this page are default values from the contract setup pages. You can override values in any fields that are available, but you cannot exceed the limits established when you set up the contract. Not all fields are available with all types of contracts.

Confirming and Modifying Additional Payment Plan Contract Parameters for an Individual Student

Access the Payment Plan 2 page.

First Bill Date, Payments, and Adjustment Option

The values that appear in each of these fields are set by default from the payment plan contract setup. You can override these values.

Status

The value that appears in this field is set by default from the payment plan contract setup. You can override this value to make the student Active, Inactive, or Cancelled. After you set the student status to Cancelled, you can later reactivate the payment plan contract for the student by changing the student status back to Active.

For calculated payment plan contracts, the system distributes the charges equally across all unbilled installments, regardless of the selected adjustment option, when you reactivate a calculated payment plan contract for a student. Subsequent adjustments to a reactivated plan follow the rules of the plan's adjustment option.

For both calculated and existing payment plan contracts, the system charges any designated assessment fee upon reactivation.

For existing payment plan contracts, the system allows additional charges for students with a status of Active if the associated contract has a status of Inactive.

Plan Type, Billing Cycle, Pay Plan Type, Account Type, Due after Days, Item Type, and Pay Item Type

The values that appear in each of these fields are set by default from the payment plan contract setup. The values are for information only and cannot be changed.

Amount

For calculated and lump sum payment plans, the value that appears in this field is set by default from the Maximum Amount or Lump Sum Amount field on the Payment Plan 1 page, respectively. For the existing type payment plans, the value of the selected charges after calculation appears in this field.

Waive Fee

If an administrative fee was initially defined in the payment plan setup, then you can waive the fee. Select this check box if you want to waive the fee for individual students.

Eligible Charges

When you add a student to an existing type payment plan, all eligible charges appear at the bottom of the page. Select one or more charges to include in the payment plan.

Calculate

Click to create the payment plan agreement. The payment plan agreement consists of all scheduled payments and plan fees. This button is unavailable if the student status is Inactive.

After you click this button, you can review and adjust billing dates and installment amounts on the Payment Distribution page.

Post

Click to post each of the scheduled payments and plan fees to the student's account.

Recalculating Payment Plan Contracts

Access the Recalc Payment Plan page.

Contract Number From and Contract Number To

Select contract numbers. You can recalculate one contract or a range of contracts. To calculate just one, enter the same number in both fields. To recalculate a range of contracts, enter the first and last contract numbers in the range.

You should recalculate payment plan contracts on a regular basis until the adjustment date has passed so that your payment plan balances are up-to-date and reflect adjustments to the student’s charges.

Note. The Payment Plan Recalculation (SFPPLNCL) process only recalculates payment plans of the calculated type.

Administering Third-Party Contracts

This section discusses how to:

Link students to third-party contracts.
Recalculate third-party contracts.

Page Used to Administer Third-Party Contracts

Page Name	Object Name	Navigation	Usage
Third Party Contract	TP_STUDENT	Student Financials, Payment Plans, Assign Third Party Contract	Link students to third-party contracts.
Recalc Third Party Contracts (recalculate third-party contracts)	RUNCTL_TPRECAL	Student Financials, Payment Plans, ReCalc Third Party Contracts	Recalculate third-party contracts.

Linking Students to Third-Party Contracts

Access the Third Party Contract page.

ID

Enter the ID of the student you are linking to the third-party contract.

Student Max (student maximum)

The amount that you specified during the third-party contract setup appears by default in this field. You can decrease the amount.

Priority

If a student is linked to more than one third-party contract, you may want the contracts to apply in a preferred order. Enter a priority value to determine the order in which the contracts apply. The default priority value is 999999. The lower the number, the higher the priority.

Course List

Confirm the default course list attached to the third-party contract or override the selection with a different list. If you override the default selection, the list applies only to the individual student being linked to the contract. If the contract was not set up with the Specific Course List option, it cannot be added on this page.

Note. To use a course list with a third-party contract, you must consider the setup issues related to term fees.

Post

Click to link the student to the third-party contract.

Find

Click to access the Explorer User prompt. Use the Explorer User prompt to enter a student’s ID to quickly locate their record in the third-party contract.

Corp Accounts (corporation accounts)

Click to access the Corp Accounts page, where you can review account details for the sponsor of this third-party contract.

Recalculating Third-Party Contracts

Access the Recalc Third Party Contracts page.

Contract Number From and Contract Number To

You can recalculate one contract or several contracts in a range. To recalculate only one contract, enter the contract number in the Contract Number From field. The same number populates the Contract Number To field by default. To recalculate a range of contracts, enter the first contract number of the range in the Contract Number From field and the last in the range in the Contract Number To field.

You should periodically use the Third Party Recalculation (SFPTPPRC) process to recalculate third-party contracts until the end of the adjustment period for third-party contracts (last date, as established on the Third Party Contract setup page) to make sure all adjustments to charges are recognized.

Enrolling Multiple Students in a Payment Plan or Third-Party Contract

This section discusses how to:

Define enrollment for multiple students in a payment plan or third-party contract.
Review results by contract.
Process mass contract assignments.
Process mass cancellations.
Use inquire contract assignments.

Pages Used to Enroll Multiple Students in a Payment Plan or Third-Party Contract

Page Name	Object Name	Navigation	Usage
Mass Contract Select	SSF_RUNCTL_PS_TPC	Student Financials, Payment Plans, Mass Contract Select	Enroll multiple students into a payment plan or third-party contract˙.
Review Results by Contract	SSF_PS_PPL_REVIEW	Student Financials, Payment Plans, Review Results by Contract	View results by contract for payment plans and for third-party contracts.
Recalc Payment Plan	RUNCTL_PMTPLNRECAL	Student Financials, Payment Plans, Assign and Recalc	Link students to or cancel a student's link to a contract.
Inquire Contract Assignments	SSF_TP_PPL_INQUIRY	Student Financials, Payment Plans, Inquire Contract Assignments	View all students linked to a payment plan.

Defining Enrollment for Multiple Students in a Payment Plan or Third-Party Contract

To set up the enrollment of multiple students in a payment plan or third-party contract, use the Mass Contract Select component.

Access the Mass Contract Select page.

Use this page to run a predefined query, run an equation engine, or load a flat file to identify the population for a specific contract. Also define initial default values that will be associated with each employee ID.

Population selection is a method for selecting the IDs to process for a specific transaction. The Population Selection group box is a standard group box that appears on run control pages when the Population Selection process is available or required for the transaction. Selection tools are available based on the selection tools that your institution selected in the setup of the Population Selection process for the application process and on your user security. Fields in the group box appear based on the selection tool that you select. The fields behave the same from within the group box no matter what run control page you are on or what transaction you are processing.

If your institution uses a specific selection tool (PS Query, Equation Engine, or external file) to identify IDs for a specific transaction, you must use it.

Click the Run button to run the query and populate a staging table with the selected employee IDs and the default values. A log file will contain all records that did not populate the staging table because of a service impact or because the student is already associated with the contract number.

Population Selection

Selection Tool	Select PS Query, EEquation Engine, or an external file.
Query Name	Select the appropriate query.

Default Values

Business Unit	Identify the appropriate business unit.
Contract Number	Select the appropriate contract number.
Reference Nbr (reference number)	Provide a reference number. This field is optional.
Contract Status	Select a status of Active or Cancel.

Click the Review Results by Contract link to view the results of the query along with the default values.

Reviewing Results by Contract

The Review Results by Contract page will vary depending on the type of contract selected.

Review Results by Contract for a Payment Plan

Access the Review Results by Contract page.

You can use the Review Results by Contract page for data entry. When you initially access the page, one row is populated with default values, but the ID field is blank. Enter the ID.

You can also update the Plan Amount, Reference Number, and Status fields.

Click the Add (+) button to enter the number of rows desired for additional data entry.

After clicking Apply, delete individual rows or use the Select All button to select all rows and then click Delete. This action removes the rows from the staging table. The Clear All link removes all the Select flags, if needed.

After entering the necessary data in all rows, click Apply.

Review Results by Contract for a Third-Party Contract

Access the Review Results by Contract page.

The Third Party Contract data entry page is similar to that used for Payment Plan, except that a Student Max column replaces the Plan Amount column on the Payment Plan page. The Third Party Contract data entry page also includes an additional Course List column.

Processing Mass Contract Assignments

Use this batch process to link students to a contract.

You may link students to a contract or cancel students from a contract. A contract from and to range is used to identify contracts for processing. The process scheduler contains two processes, Assign Contract and Recalc, which allow you to either select the Assign Contract process for the new mass batch or select the current functionality to recalculate the contract. After the Assign Contract process completes successfully, the respective records in the staging table are deleted. Use the Assign Contract process to either activate or cancel your selected population from the contract.

Access the Recalc Payment Plan page.

Contract Numer From

Identify the first contract number to be included in the batch process.

Contract Numer To

Identify the final contract number to be included in the batch process.

Processing Mass Cancellations

Use this batch process to cancel students to the contract.

Access the Recalc Payment Plan page.

To set up enrollment of multiple students in a payment plan or third-party contract, use the Mass Contract Select component.

Access the Mass Contract Select page.

Use this page to remove all students from a contract. This function is especially useful to cancel all students from a third-party contract.

Use one of the Population Selection process methods to identify all students within a contract, and then select Cancelled in the Status field located within the Default Values group box.

Review the selected records using the Review Results by Contract page, and then use the Assign and Recalc process to proceed with the mass cancellation. The students are cancelled from the contract, installments are reversed, and the original charges are reinstated.

Population Selection

Selection Tool	Select PS Query, Equation Engine, or External File.
Query Name	Select the appropriate query, equation engine, or file path/name.

Default Values

Business Unit	Identify the appropriate business unit.
Contract Number	Select the appropriate contract number.
Reference Nbr (reference number)	Provide a reference number.
Contract Status	Select or cancel a status.

Click the Review Results by Contract link to view the results of the query along with the default values.

Using Inquire Contract Assignments

Use the Inquire Contract Assignments page to view all students linked to a payment plan.

Access the Inquire Contract Assignments page.

Calculate	Click to calculate charges to be deferred. After calculating the contract but before posting it, look at the Defer Student Charges page to confirm which charges the system selected for deferral.
Post	Click to defer charges.
Deferred Charges	After posting, click to confirm that the charges have been deferred to the correct dates.
Display Errors/Warnings	Click to see errors and warning messages.
Assessment Fee	The default amount in this field is the fee you specified during the setup of the deferral contract. Use this field to override the default amount.
Student Max (student maximum)	The default value for this field is the maximum amount you specified during the setup of the deferral contract. You can override this amount.
Waive Fee	Select to waive the student’s assessment fee.

First Bill Date, Payments, and Adjustment Option	The values that appear in each of these fields are set by default from the payment plan contract setup. You can override these values.
Status	The value that appears in this field is set by default from the payment plan contract setup. You can override this value to make the student Active, Inactive, or Cancelled. After you set the student status to Cancelled, you can later reactivate the payment plan contract for the student by changing the student status back to Active. For calculated payment plan contracts, the system distributes the charges equally across all unbilled installments, regardless of the selected adjustment option, when you reactivate a calculated payment plan contract for a student. Subsequent adjustments to a reactivated plan follow the rules of the plan's adjustment option. For both calculated and existing payment plan contracts, the system charges any designated assessment fee upon reactivation. For existing payment plan contracts, the system allows additional charges for students with a status of Active if the associated contract has a status of Inactive.
Plan Type, Billing Cycle, Pay Plan Type, Account Type, Due after Days, Item Type, and Pay Item Type	The values that appear in each of these fields are set by default from the payment plan contract setup. The values are for information only and cannot be changed.
Amount	For calculated and lump sum payment plans, the value that appears in this field is set by default from the Maximum Amount or Lump Sum Amount field on the Payment Plan 1 page, respectively. For the existing type payment plans, the value of the selected charges after calculation appears in this field.
Waive Fee	If an administrative fee was initially defined in the payment plan setup, then you can waive the fee. Select this check box if you want to waive the fee for individual students.

ID	Enter the ID of the student you are linking to the third-party contract.
Student Max (student maximum)	The amount that you specified during the third-party contract setup appears by default in this field. You can decrease the amount.
Priority	If a student is linked to more than one third-party contract, you may want the contracts to apply in a preferred order. Enter a priority value to determine the order in which the contracts apply. The default priority value is 999999. The lower the number, the higher the priority.
Course List	Confirm the default course list attached to the third-party contract or override the selection with a different list. If you override the default selection, the list applies only to the individual student being linked to the contract. If the contract was not set up with the Specific Course List option, it cannot be added on this page. Note. To use a course list with a third-party contract, you must consider the setup issues related to term fees.
Post	Click to link the student to the third-party contract.
Find	Click to access the Explorer User prompt. Use the Explorer User prompt to enter a student’s ID to quickly locate their record in the third-party contract.
Corp Accounts (corporation accounts)	Click to access the Corp Accounts page, where you can review account details for the sponsor of this third-party contract.

Contract Numer From	Identify the first contract number to be included in the batch process.
Contract Numer To	Identify the final contract number to be included in the batch process.