Billing: Customised Wording

The top of the invoice will usually include the default heading or will be suppress to allow for pre-printed stationary. You can use the definition file bill.top, if this exists then it will be used. Use the reserved words from Table 1.

The section at the bottom of the invoice which begins at the line giving 'Balance brought forward' and going down as far as 'Total invoice amount' can be customised. The bottom of the invoice normally carries the text:

Balance Brought forward ....

Work done this month ...
VAT at 17.50% ...
Total for this month ....

Total payments this month ....

Total amount now due ....

This text can be changed as required by creating a letter called 'bill.bot' with any text editor. If this letter exists it will be used to replace this section of a bill. When you are creating this letter make sure you set the correct number of lines if using the BDS editor. If not, you will find large blank sections on the bill.

You insert reserved words to include the text. The reserved words may look a little strange because they are the exact length of the figures/text they are to be replaced with. This is so that lining up columns will work as you would expect.

The available reserved words are in Table 6

The month/year details are taken from the billing start date. There is no way to differentiate credit notes from invoices, so you should make sure the wording used is suitable for both. Make up your letter with the wording and reserved words you require. If a line is longer than 79 characters it will be truncated. Discount, surcharge and special drug discount messages will still be worded and included as before and they cannot be altered.

Customised bottom of bill

• Aged figures and remittance slips are not printed at the foot of the invoice. Instead they are only be included on the summary/statement page.

• Switch 6 on the third invoice selection screen controls whether the summary page is printed if there is only one animal getting a composite statement. If you do not show the balance forward on the invoice then the summary must be produced for single animals. This switch controls whether this summary page is printed in these circumstances or not.

  In addition, if you suppress the balance forward and payment lines and there is also no current work, then only the composite summary will be produced.

  However, if surcharges are being used you may find some blank invoices. These are due to the fact that the invoicing program has to follow a different route internally if there is a possibility of a surcharge. Unfortunately, by the time it has discovered that there is no surcharge an invoice has already started to be printed. This invoice is now cancelled if produced and only the summary is printed. This situation will only arise if:

  1. Surcharges are implemented but don't apply to this client.
  2. Balance forward is suppressed.
  3. There is no current work for ANY of the related animals.
  4. Payments/discounts are suppressed.

• If using 'bill.bot' you cannot separate out the discount VAT into a separate category.