Agencies

Navigate: Closed Tax > Distribution > Setup > Agencies

Description

Use this task to set up and maintain agencies that receive payments from distribution. You can use the same agency for disbursement of Taxes, TIF, Fees, and Special Assessments. You can print reports for these items, sorted by agency.

Agencies include the mailing information as well as the ACH information for electronic distribution.

Steps

On the Search Agency List screen, define search filters and click Apply Filter.

Click Clear Filter to clear the search filters.

In the Agencies panel, click Edit for an item in the grid.

OR

Click Add in the panel's title bar.
On the Edit Agency screen, enter a short description to help easily identify the agency and a description that details the agency name.
Enter a vendor number that can be exported with the payment record for use in your accounts payable system, if applicable.
Make a selection from the Disbursement method drop-down list.
Select the Require commissions setup checkbox if this agency uses commission fees.
The Use prioritized commissions checkbox is selected by default for jurisdictions that use prioritized (multiple) commissions. Accept the default for your jurisdiction.

It is important that you accept the default for your jurisdiction; otherwise, your commission distributions may not calculate correctly. If not selected, the Commission Fees grid no longer displays a Priority column. Also, if the Fee Rule line item is edited, the Edit Fee Criteria screen does not allow selection of a priority.

NOTE: Depending on your jurisdiction, a Subcode column (rather than a Target Agency column) is displayed in the Commission Fees panel. This is available for jurisdictions that have multiple subcodes available for commission calculation.

NOTE: Distribution allows commissions to be based on collections from one agency but reduce the gross distributions from a different agency. To accommodate this, the selection from the Target Agency drop-down list on the Edit Fee Criteria screen tells the commission setup to use the commission criteria list defined to reduce the gross distribution of a different agency (i.e., the Target Agency). The calculated commission is deducted from the gross distribution of the target agency. The Edit Agency screen shows the setting selected for the target agency in a Target Agency column in the Commission Fees panel. The commissions displayed in this panel are ordered in priority when the Use Prioritized Commissions checkbox is selected. For this functionality to work as expected, the Aumentum Distribution module must be used for distribution (not a 3rd party system). Also, agencies must be configured in the distribution via Tax > Distribution > Setup > Agencies, fee rules and rates must be configured via Tax > Distribution > Setup > Fee Rules and Rates, and commission criteria must be configured on the Edit Agencies screen. In addition, collections must exist that are being distributed against the agency being used as the basis.
Select the year from the Yearly Totals drop-down to display a summary of values for what is distributable, any commissions, the actual amount distributed, and the balance. Selecting the year also updates the information in the Distribution Mappings, Commission Fees, and Agency Group Criteria panel.
To edit the legal party, click Edit Party in the Revenue Account panel to navigate to the Maintain Legal Party screen on which you can edit the legal party and the legal party details, such as address, communication information, related legal party information, etc. When finished on that screen click Return to return to this screen.
Click Attach in the Revenue Account panel to navigate to the Records Search for Revenue Account screen for the purpose of attaching a revenue account to the agency.
- Search for the revenue object you want to attach.
- Click on the grid row of the revenue object you want to attach from the Records Search Results for Revenue Account screen.
- Click Finish on the Revenue Account Contact Information screen to attach the revenue object. You will return to the Maintain Agency screen.
  
  NOTE: If you choose to create a new legal party during this process you will not return to this screen. You will need to begin this task again from the beginning.

Click the Distribution Mappings tab (displayed by default).

Click Edit in the panel's title bar.
On the Edit Agency Mapping Distribution Criteria screen, click Edit for an item in the grid.
In the Available Items panel, select the checkbox for one or more items in the grid and click Add Selected Items.
Click Update in the Edit Agency Distribution Mapping Criteria panel title bar.
Click Finish in the Command Item bar.

Click the Commission Fees tab.

Click Add in the Commission Fees panel to add a new fee or click Edit on any existing fee. The Edit Fee Criteria screen is displayed. Set up the fee criteria and finish to return to this screen.

NOTE: Only one set of criteria can be set up against each distribution fee rule. If one already exists, the Add button is disabled and only the Delete/Undo Delete and Edit buttons for the existing fee are enabled.

Click the Show Criteria/Hide Criteria toggle bottle to toggle between viewing criteria details or hiding criteria details.
Click Delete to delete the existing fee rule. If the commission fee is new and not saved to the database already, it is simply removed.
Click Undo Delete if the commission fee is not new (stored in the database from a previous save). The button changes to Delete.

Click the Agency Group Criteria tab.

Click Edit in the Agency Group Criteria to navigate to the Edit Agency Group Criteria screen on which you can edit and maintain group criteria. When finished, you return to this screen and the agency group criteria information is displayed in the panel.
- Click the Show Criteria/Hide Criteria toggle bottle to toggle between viewing criteria details or hiding criteria details.

Click the ACH Information panel.

NOTE: This panel may not apply to your jurisdiction.

Check the Prenotification checkbox if an ACH prenotification was sent or is to be sent to the revenue objects.

NOTE: When new bank information is saved or existing information is edited on this screen or on the Maintain Banks screen, the Prenotification checkbox is selected automatically.
Enter the Bank Name.
Enter the Transit Banking Number.
Enter the bank Account Number.
Select the Account Type.
Click Save at the top of the screen to save the agency record. You are returned automatically to the Search Agency List screen.

Click List to return to the Search Agency List screen.
Click Close to cancel changes.

Prerequisites

Distribution

Maintain Rules and Rates - At least one commission fee table must be set up.

Configuration Menu

Systypes - The Roll Types systype is user-defined.

Records

Legal Party Information Legal parties must be set up. Agencies require an address to send distributions to. The distribution address is acquired from a legal party. Legal parties are associated with agencies via revenue accounts.
Maintain Revenue Accounts - At least one revenue account must be set up.

Dependencies

Agencies need to be set up before you set up agency mappings.
Agencies must be mapped before you can perform a predistribution.
Agencies and agency mappings must be set up before you can print agency reports.

Setup

If the Disable negative agency balance offsets for GL Entry agencies application setting is set to True and the Agency uses GL Entry, the negative agency balance offset amount is not included. Otherwise, the existing functionality is used.

If the application setting is turned on, all GL Entry Agencies will show a $0.00 total balance on the Agency Balances screen
Negative and positive transactions are shown in the details.