Activating the payment service
Once the decision has been made to use the payment service there are a number of steps to be carried out before the account can be activated and batches processed.
Netcash
1. Account manager will send an email with a registration link.
2. Netcash will provisionally activate the account and login instructions will be emailed.
3. An email containing the electronic token necessary for completing the online agreement for the Payment service will simultaneously be sent with the login email.
Customer
1. Follow the registration link, log in to the registration site and complete the registration information requested.
2. Complete the login process using the credentials when provided.
3. Select the payment service and finalize the documentary process by completing the required agreement with the electronic token provided.
Definitions
Action Date
This is the date on which the transaction is to be processed. This does not mean that the beneficiary will receive funds in their account on that date. This is dependent on the type of service selected and the bank into which the funds are being paid.
Authorization
Before a payment batch can be processed a user with the required permission level must provide the necessary approval. By clicking on the authorization button the user not only gives approval for the transactions to be run but also that they are satisfied that the contents of the batch are correct. More than one level of authorization is permissible.
Cut-off time
This is the latest time prior to the action date by which the batch must be authorized.
Line Limit
The maximum value of any single transaction in a batch.
Daily / Batch Limit
The maximum value of any one batch constitutes the total of all transactions in the batch.
Validation
This is an algorithmic check against a bank account or ID number to confirm that that number can theoretically exist. It does not confirm that number actually exists and is in use.
Verification
Checks that the bank’s account is active and matches the ID number or company registration to the account.
Payments
Electronic funds transfers (EFTs) can be defined as any movement of funds between any two bank accounts achieved by using an electronic means (computer system) to affect the movement. EFTs can be both payments and collections and are also referred to as push or pull transactions,
A Netcash account offers two payment services:
- Creditor (supplier) payments
- Salary payments
Both services in turn have two payment types: Same day or Dated
3.1 Sameday Payments
Payment will be made on the same day that the payment is authorized. The payment batch is processed after 13h00.
3.1.1 Cut-off for Authorization
A Same day Payment can be made Monday to Friday and needs to be authorized by 13h00 on the date payment is to be made.
Funds will be available in the beneficiaries bank account the next day, value-dated for the (same day) payment date.
3.2 Dated Payments
A dated payment is typically selected where it is necessary for all payees, irrespective of who they bank with, to receive their money on the same day.
3.2.1 Cut-off for Authorization
Payments made through the dated service are possible Monday to Saturday and must be authorized by 13h00 one business day prior to the payment day. All recipients will see the money in their accounts on the payment day irrespective of the bank. Dated payments are best suited to salary or wage payments.
Example to illustrate the 2 services: Payment Day is the 26th
| Sameday batch | Dated payment batch |
|---|---|
|
Authorised by 13h00 on the 26th. Funds will be available in the beneficiaries bank account the next day, value-dated for the (same day) payment date. |
Authorised by 13h00 on the 25th all recipients see the funds in their account on the 26th. |
Note: Public Holidays are not counted as business days.
Funding
Note: Your Netcash online statement reflects the transactions from all the services being used. Should you be using debit orders, for example, the proceeds of debit order batches as well as unpaid transactions affect any available balance. It is therefore important to understand that the movement of funds can impact the available balance at the point in time the payment batch is scheduled for release. While there may be sufficient funds to meet the payment batch obligations, it is possible that unpaid debit orders returned subsequent to checking the statement can reduce the available balance resulting in the payment batch not being processed.
As well as the payment batch being authorized before cut-off, it is also necessary that there be sufficient funds available to fund the salary or creditor payments.
The available balance in the Netcash account can be checked by logging on and going to
- Services
- Account
- Reports
- Statement
The Statement shows two balances – the current balance and the available balance. It is the available balance which can be released to fund any authorized payment batches.
Should the available balance be insufficient, it will be necessary to fund the payment by making a transfer to one of the Netcash clearing accounts. Netcash must receive the cleared funds before 13h00.
Funds can be transferred to one of our 5 clearing accounts.
- FNB
- Nedbank
- ABSA
- Standard
- Capitec Business
- Investec
The benefit of having so many clearing accounts is that the funds can be transferred between corresponding banks thereby facilitating a real-time transfer to the Netcash account up until the cut-off time of 13h00. Should funds not be transferred between corresponding banks then it will be necessary to make the transfer a day before the payment date – Netcash only pays against the available balance.
Payment batches
When creating payment batches on the Netcash system there are a number of methods possible, these include:
- Manual capture
- File upload – manual
- File upload – automated
The Payment Quick Start Guide will fully explain how to set up a payment batch, but the various methods are explained below.
5.1 Manual capture
This requires logging into the Netcash account, setting up a beneficiary (creditor or salary) and physically typing in the required information, a batch is then manually created by selecting the beneficiaries from the list.
The beneficiary details are added to the beneficiary master file which is located by going to
1. Services
2. Payments
3. Creditors (or Salaries)
4. Manage Creditors (or Employees)
The beneficiary details can now be added using the relevant fields. Please note that the Account Reference field is provided to identify the beneficiary on the Netcash system – any reference can be used, but every reference must be unique i.e. there cannot be duplicate account references.
To edit beneficiary details there is a black pencil icon to the left of the account reference. Clicking on this access the following editable sections:
Note: The creditor or employee statement reference i.e. the reference which appears on the creditor or employee’s bank statement allows a maximum of 20 characters.
Account Details – The client details can be edited. A history of any changes can also be viewed including the name of the user who made the relevant change.
Bank Account Details – The client’s bank details can be edited. A history of any changes can also be viewed including the name of the user who made the relevant change.
Account Grouping – This enables beneficiaries to be filtered by the group in the master file
Notifications – This provides an option to send either an email or an SMS to the beneficiary advising them that a transaction has been processed for payment to their bank account. There will be a charge for each email or SMS notification sent.
Notification History – This shows a history of all notifications sent to the beneficiary,
Transaction History – This provides a complete history of all payments made to the beneficiary
Contact Details, Additional Details, Employee or Creditor Notes – These groups can be used to store additional useful information about the beneficiary. None of these fields is compulsory and is provided merely as a service.
Payment batches (continued)
Master File Reports – The contents of the beneficiary master file can be printed or downloaded in a number of formats via the buttons at the head of the master file screen
5.2 File upload – manual
While it is possible to manage a large volume of clients via the Masterfile, this can become time-consuming and frustrating. Netcash offers a number of alternatives which include delivering batch files via a web service or uploading from a spreadsheet.
Should you wish to integrate your system with Netcash you can speak with your account manager who will be able to assist you in obtaining the relevant technical documentation. The technical documentation is also available by going to our business partner/ Integration partner page on our website where you will be able to register your contact details and the documentation forwarded to you. The advantage of doing this is that you are then registered on our integrators database and will immediately be notified of any changes or updates related to integration.
Netcash also provides a simple method to upload transactions from a spreadsheet directly via your account. On your account go to
1. Account Profile
2. Integration Tools
3. Convert the file
The converter enables you to create a template and upload a debit order batch from a spreadsheet and Quick Start Guide is available. This can be obtained from your account manager. For further assistance with file uploads our technical department will be able to provide the relevant information.
5.3 File upload – automated
Instead of manually uploading batch details from files, Netcash provides a web service which allows integrated software to deliver batch files seamlessly for authorization. Our technical department will be able to provide information on this service.
Many payroll and accounting packages offer the ability to export payment information to the hard drive of a computer. Users then login to their online banking system and fetch the file from the location on the PC. Whilst this is very convenient, it is not the safest method as the file is exposed on the PC.
As opposed to manual file uploads, very few software packages offer the ability to seamlessly transfer payment files directly to the payment provider. This method is far superior and much safer than any other method of batch creation. A Netcash account offers clients using Sage software the ability to move their payment files directly to Netcash from their Sage software.
Payment files can be sent directly from:
- Sage Pastel Partner Accounting
- Sage Pastel Payroll
- Sage VIP Payroll and HR
- Sage 300 People
- Sage Business Cloud Accounting
- Sage Business Cloud Payroll
- Sage Evolution
- Xero
- Payspace
- Intercode
- Vanilla
Payment batches (continued)
Should you be using one of these Sage products and wish to make use of the integration functionality, please contact your account manager who will be able to forward you the relevant Quick Start Guide as well as being able to assist you over the phone with the integration process.
Creating a payment batch
6.1 Creating a payment batch manually
In order to make payments, whether salary or creditor payments, log on to the account and go to
1. Services
2. Payments
3. Creditors (or Salaries)
4. Manage Creditors (or Employees)
5. Manage Salary (or Creditor) batches
6. Add Salary Batch
Select the type of batch required, whether Sameday or Dated Payment (Please see section 3.1 or 3.2 for details of these services) as well as the required Payment date.
All the beneficiaries in the master file are now listed together with their payment default amounts. If beneficiaries have been allocated to groups they can be filtered by group accordingly.
The beneficiaries can now be selected, either individually or by page and added to the batch. The payment amount showing is the default amount in the master file and if required can be changed at this stage. The batch will be processed with the changed amount but the payment amount in the master file will remain unaltered.
Returning to the batch list, the batch will show the payment date, batch type, number of transactions and total value of the batch. In addition, there is a green “Authorize” button indicating that the batch still requires authorization. A payment batch will not be presented for processing if it has not been authorized.
6.2 Automated Batch Uploads
If any method of automated file delivery is used e.g. a file sent from Pastel Payroll or web service, all that is required is to log on to the account and go to
1. Services
2. Payments
3. Creditors (or Salaries)
4. Manage Salary Batches
If the file has been successfully uploaded it will reflect in the batch list and can be authorized by clicking on the green “Authorize” button. Should the batch not reflect in the batch list, it is possible that there is an error with the file or a problem with the details of one or more of the transactions in the batch. In order to determine what might be the problem, go to
1. Account Profile
2. Batch File Upload Report
Note: A payment batch will not be presented for processing if it has not been authorized.
Creating a payment batch (continued)
6.2.1 Features of the automated file upload
The file upload system has a number of settings which can be activated or deactivated depending on user requirements. These options can be accessed via
1. Account Profile
2. Sage Connect
3. Salary or Creditor Payments
They are explained below:
6.2.1.1 Ignore errors
When uploading payments batches this option determines whether the system accepts items that have passed validation and ignores the failed items, or whether the entire batch must be rejected if any of the items fail the validation check. For example, Ignore Errors is checked. A batch is sent to Netcash and 2 of the transactions have invalid bank account numbers. The two errors will be rejected but the balance of the batch will still be uploaded.
This will show in the batch upload report with the response – Successful with Errors.
These two beneficiaries can still be manually added to the batch at a later stage once the correct information has been obtained and before the batch is authorized. Conversely, if Ignore Errors is not checked, the entire batch will be rejected. This will show in the batch upload report with the response – Unsuccessful
6.2.1.2 Lock batch on upload
This feature allows clients to lock any batch that has been uploaded and loaded to the Netcash account. This means that the transactions cannot be edited once they are uploaded in order to prevent unauthorized changes from being made before a batch is processed.
Should it be necessary to change the contents of the batch, the only alternative is for the batch to be deleted and resent or uploaded once the corrections have been made by the authorized user.
6.2.1.3 Forward action date
Where clients have missed the cut-off submission time for a payment batch, and the Auto Forward Action Date option has been selected, the batch will be set up for the next available valid payment date. If the option is not selected, the batch will be rejected.
6.2.1.4 Service key
While our system is designed to facilitate integration with non-integrated products, that integration is significantly enhanced when using the following integrated products.
- Sage Pastel Partner
- Accounting
- Sage Evolution
- Sage Pastel Payroll
- Sage VIP Payroll and HR
- Sage 300 People
- Sage Business Cloud
- Accounting
- Sage Business Cloud Payroll
- Xero Accounting
- Payspace
- Intercode Payroll
- Vanilla Payroll
The number shown in the service key field is the token used with these Sage products which enables them to operate seamlessly with Netcash.
Authorising a payment batch
A payment batch cannot be processed if it has not been authorized. Only users with the necessary permissions will be able to authorize a batch. In the event that a batch reflects in the batch list, but no authorisation button is visible, it will be necessary to check the permissions for that user. (See section Permissions)
Having clicked the Authorize button, the next screen shows the following:
View Balance – This shows the available balance on the account to assist in determining what needs to be transferred to Netcash to fund the payment batch.
Notification – Checking the SMS or email box enables the relevant notification to be sent to the beneficiary that a payment has been processed to their bank account.
The cell phone number or email address must be set up in the beneficiary details in the master file.
Funding option – Select whether the payment batch will be funded from any available balance on the Netcash account or via a bank transfer to one of the Netcash clearing accounts.
Authorization – Accept the terms and conditions. A link to the terms and conditions is available.
Once the terms and conditions have been accepted an Authorize button will appear.
Note: Netcash offers 2 methods of authentication for the payment batch: either a one-time PIN or 2-factor authentication using Google Authenticator. To configure one of these options, go to Account Profile > My Space > Authentication and click the edit button. Should 2-factor authentication be selected steps are provided to obtain the Google Authenticator app.
A one-time PIN is now generated and sent via SMS to the user or the authentication code from the app needs to be inserted. Should the user not have their cell phone number in the user details, or should the number be incorrect, the user will not receive their OTP and cannot proceed with the authorization process.
Having received the OTP this can now be entered in the available field to finalize the authorization.
If you are paying using the transfer funds option, you will be prompted to insert the following information:
• The date when the transfer will be made
• The Netcash clearing account you will be transferred to
• The amount to be transferred
• The extra fields are optional for reconciliation purposes
On the next screen click on Print report in order to obtain details of the Netcash clearing that is to be funded.
Note: Please ensure your transfer has the correct reference. The Netcash account number can also be used as a reference. This is the large number in green at the top right of the screen in brackets after the name of the account.
Click Authorise to confirm the bank transfer. The salary batch has now been authorised and will be scheduled to run on the selected date.
7.1 Expired Batch
Should the cut-off for authorization be missed the status of the batch in the bath list will reflect as “Date Expired”. Rather than set the batch up again, all that is necessary is to click the black pencil icon to the left of the Action Date. The following screen allows the opportunity to change the batch payment date.
7.2 Unauthorize a Batch
In the event that the batch has been authorized but changes need to be made, provided the cut-off time has not passed, it is possible for a user with the correct permissions to unauthorize the batch. In the batch list, the “Authorize” button will have changed to “Unauthorize”. Clicking this unauthorizes the batch and enables changes to be made. Note: The batch must be authorized again before it can be processed.
Returns
Once a batch has been processed details of that batch can be found by going to:
1. Services
2. Payments
3. Salary or Creditor
4. Batch Reports
Clicking the printer icon to the left of the batch drills down opening up the batch report. This can be printed out as well as various format options available for download.
Should payment not be successful for any reason, the transaction will be highlighted in red with the relevant return code being shown after the account name.
In addition, there is a salary/creditor return report which reflects all unsuccessful transactions:
1. Services
2. Payments
3. Salaries or Creditors
4. Payment Returns
Permissions
The Netcash system controls access to each screen and function for every user through an extensive array of permissions. Each user must be set up with the necessary permissions by the super user. The permission system can appear quite daunting at first glance which is why a separate user guide can be provided on request. Netcash technical and account support are also able to assist with configuring user permissions.
In order to set permissions the super user needs to log in to the account and select the following:
1. Account Profile
2. Contacts
3. System Users
4. Manage System Users
Select the black pencil icon to the left of the user’s title and click the Manage Permission button on the next screen. Should there be more than one account for the user, make the appropriate selection and then, going to the Services and Account Profile tabs set the relevant permissions as required.
As mentioned already this may initially seem rather complicated so we do advise obtaining the quick start guide. Please contact your account manager for assistance.
Additional services
Besides debit orders a Netcash account provides access to these services:
1. Payments
a. Salaries
b. Creditors
2. Pay Now
a. Credit cards
b. EFT payments (normal and instant)
c. Cash Payments via certain retail outlets
d. Masterpass
e. Visa Checkout
3. Risk Reports
a. Consumer
i. Consumer Credit Checks
ii. ID Verification
iii. Bank Account Verification
b. Commercial
i. Commercial Credit Checks
ii. Registration number verification
iii. Bank Account verification
These services can be applied from your Netcash account by going to:
1. Account profile
2. My Space
3. Service Agreements
Click on the greyed-out icon of the new service required. An email will be sent with the agreement token which can be inserted in the relevant field. Contact your account manager for additional information on any of these services.
Netcash also offers rewards for referred businesses. We recommend that you speak directly with your account manager who will be able to advise you on the reward program and its associated benefits.
To assist with keeping track of these referrals, the Netcash system allows for leads to be recorded and their current status checked. Should the lead go active and the referred account transact for 3 consecutive months, the reward points can be converted and offset against the last 12 months’ Netcash invoices. To access log a lead select
1. Account Profile
2. Rewards
3. Log a Lead