Before Rhythm creates payments from a lockbox file, you can preview what it will do with each cheque. The preview shows the invoice Rhythm matched and the action it proposes: pay the invoice, pay it and credit the difference, credit the full amount, or take no action. Review the preview before you commit the file so you can catch problems early.
Use this when you want to review a lockbox file before you run the import, especially after you use a new column mapping or receive a different file format from your bank. This does not create payments. When you are ready to commit the rows, see Import Lockbox Payments.
Prerequisites
- The lockbox file must already have its bank account, batch, payment type, and column mapping set. See Set Up or Change a Lockbox File.
- You need to be signed in to Console for your Rhythm account. You do not need any specific permission beyond being signed in to preview a file.
Preview a Lockbox File
- Go to Integrations › Rhythm Lockbox, then continue an upload in progress or select Edit on an existing file.
- Step through to the Lockbox File Fields step and select Save Changes to continue, or pick up from where you left off.
- Review the Lockbox File Preview step. Each row shows the matched Invoice Id, Invoice #, Invoice Status, Invoice Total, Balance Due, Payment Amount, Action, Message, Check/Reference #, and Payment Date.
- Select an invoice link in the preview to open that invoice in Finance & Billing in a new tab, if you want to check it directly.
- If something looks wrong, select Back to fix the column mapping, or Cancel to leave without importing.
You can reopen a file that is already In Progress the same way. Select Edit, then choose Save Changes through the following pages until you reach the Lockbox File Preview step and can review the invoices again. This is safe as long as you stop there, so do not select Process Payments while you are only reviewing the file.
Result
You see what Rhythm proposes to do with each row, and why, before it creates any payment or credit.
What Each Action Means
| Action | When Rhythm proposes it |
|---|---|
| Pay Invoice | The row matched an open invoice, and the cheque amount exactly equals the balance due. Rhythm proposes to apply the payment and close the invoice. |
| Pay Invoice/Credit | The row matched an open invoice, and the cheque amount is greater than the balance due. Rhythm proposes to pay the invoice and create a credit on the account for the remaining amount, however large. |
| Credit | The row matched an invoice that is already paid. Rhythm proposes to create a credit on the account for the full cheque amount, even if the cheque was written for a different invoice belonging to the same member. |
| No Action | Rhythm cannot safely apply the payment because no invoice was found for the row, or the payment amount is less than the balance due. Rows marked No Action are not processed when you import. |
For Pay Invoice, the cheque amount must match the balance due exactly, to the cent. Rhythm does not use a rounding tolerance to decide whether to pay and close the invoice.
Tip
If a row you expected to match shows No Action, first check that your column mapping maps one column to Invoice Number and one to Payment Amount. Rhythm does not require either field during mapping, so a mapping mistake can leave every row unmatched without showing an error.
Limitations to Know Before You Import
- The preview is a snapshot. If an invoice is paid another way after you preview the file and before you import it, the preview does not re-check that invoice. Preview the file again shortly before importing if time has passed.
- The order and payer shown are for your reference only. When you import, Rhythm takes the payer from the invoice again, not from the payer shown in the preview.
- A cheque amount Rhythm can't read as a number won't match anything. If a row’s amount was entered oddly in the bank file, check the source spreadsheet directly. The preview does not explain why a specific amount could not be understood.
If Rows Don't Look Right
- Every row shows No Action. Check your column mapping first. An unmapped Invoice Number or Payment Amount column is the most common cause.
- A row matched the wrong invoice, or an invoice you expected wasn't found. See the troubleshooting article on unmatched lockbox rows, listed under Related, for how Rhythm reads what a member wrote on a cheque and what it uses when a member writes an order number instead.
- The preview seems to have stopped partway through a large file. Try previewing again. If it is still incomplete, contact Support.
Related
See Import Lockbox Payments for committing the rows you previewed, and Set Up or Change a Lockbox File for changing the column mapping this preview depends on.