IN BRIEF
Charge Categories in iClassPro classify charges on family ledgers and financial reports. These categories appear in charge titles and are essential for tracking income, organizing reports, and preventing duplicate tuition charges.
- Overview
- Accessing the Feature
- Step-by-Step Instructions
- Accounting Considerations
- Troubleshooting & FAQs
- Related Articles
Overview
Charge Categories describe charges created and posted to customer ledgers. Because they appear in account statements, family ledgers, and the Customer Portal ledger, they must be set up before posting any charges.
Charge Categories can be general or detailed, depending on your organization’s accounting needs.
Examples include:
- General: June Tuition, Winter Tuition, Anniversary/Registration Fee, Pro Shop, Team Fee
- Detailed: 2025 June Rec Tuition, Winter 2025 Team Tuition, 2025 Anniversary Fee, Pro Shop Apparel, 2025 Team Meet Fee
Charge Categories also help detect duplicate charges during mass billing tasks like Class Tuition Charges, ensuring accurate billing and reporting.
Accessing the Feature
- From the main menu, navigate to SETTINGS>SETUP>GENERAL SETTINGS>CHARGE CATEGORIES.
- Review existing Charge Categories or add a new one as needed.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Creating a Charge Category
- Navigate to SETTINGS>SETUP>GENERAL SETTINGS>CHARGE CATEGORIES.
- Select Add New Charge Category.
- Enter a Title (for example, Registration Fee, Pro Shop, Uniforms).
- It is best practice to create a unique Charge Category for each billing period or non-tuition fee to improve reporting accuracy.
- (Optional) Enter an Expiration Date.
- This date prevents older categories from appearing in new charge lists while keeping historical records for reports.
- Select Create to save the new Charge Category.
Editing an Existing Charge Category
- In the Charge Categories list, select the pencil/edit icon next to the Charge Category you wish to update.
- Make the necessary changes.
- Select Save when finished.
Important Notes
- Only edit a Charge Category to correct a typographical error or add an Expiration Date.
- Do not delete a Charge Category if it has been used in financial reports.
- Editing a Charge Category name will update all past financial records with the new name.
- Deleting a Charge Category removes it as a filter in financial reports, though the underlying charges still appear if no category filter is applied.
Accounting Considerations
When running financial reports:
- Income is divided first by Program, then by Charge Category within that program.
- The Charge Category serves as the most descriptive reporting element.
Charge Categories also prevent duplicate class tuition charges. The Class Tuition Charges task reviews customer ledgers for charges related to active enrollments within a set timeframe.
- If a matching Charge Category is found for that period, the system skips those enrollments and displays the message "Duplicate Charge Detected" in the billing preview.
- To avoid issues, establish a clear naming structure for tuition-related categories and train staff to consistently use the correct one when posting manual ledger charges.
Troubleshooting & FAQs
-
Q: Why is my Charge Category missing from the list when creating a new charge?
A: Verify that the Charge Category has not reached its Expiration Date. If expired, it will no longer appear for new charges. -
Q: What happens if I delete a Charge Category used in past transactions?
A: It will be removed as a reporting filter, though charges linked to it will still appear in reports without category filtering. -
Q: Can I rename a Charge Category after it has been used?
A: Yes, but all past charges using that category will reflect the new name. Consider adding an Expiration Date instead to preserve report integrity.