Once defined, changes are usually rare to settings in the form. Because changing an option may affect processing or stored information, you should make changes carefully. If you want to change an option but are unsure of its effect on existing data in the system, contact Viewpoint Support.

The following sections describe each control option and how it functions.

Set Auto Invoice Numbering Option

Job Billing allows you to enter invoice numbers manually or have the system generate them automatically. If you elect to use auto-numbering (i.e. Auto Sequence Invoice # option is checked), use the Last Invoice Option to specify whether to use Job Billing numbers or share invoice numbers with Accounts Receivable.

• Job Billing – System assigns invoice numbers sequentially based on the JB Last Invoice# field. You have the option to specify a beginning invoice number or leave it blank to have the system begin with ‘1’.

• Accounts Receivable – System assigns invoice numbers sequentially based on the Last Invoice # field in AR Company Parameters. With this option, invoice numbers are shared across AR and JB.

If you plan to enter invoice numbers manually, leave the Auto Sequence Invoice # option unchecked.

Allow Changes to Previous and Contract Amounts

This option, when checked, allows manual changes to previous and contract amounts when entering progress invoices. Contract Units, Contract Amount, Previous Units, and Previous Amount fields are enabled for input, allowing changes to previous and contract amounts for existing and/or new invoices. Changes to ‘previous’ amounts only affect the figures that print on invoices; they do not update General Ledger, Accounts Receivable, or Job Cost.

Automatic Update of Prev Billed and ChgOrder Amounts on Future Bills

This option determines whether the system will automatically update previous amounts on future billings whenever changes are made to progress or T&M billings. If checked, and a change is made to a billing, the system automatically updates the 'change' amount to the previous billed amounts, and the current contract and contract units on all subsequent (future) billings for that contract/customer.

For progress billings, previous change order additions and deductions are updated when changes are made to approved change order items in JB Progress Change Order. Any manual changes to previous amounts will be recalculated based on the previous and current amounts of the previous billing.

If this option is not checked, you must manually update previous amounts, current contract/contract units, and change order adds/deducts using the update options found in the File menus of the JB Progress Billing and JB T&M Bill Edit forms. When manually updating previous amounts, the system adds the value of the change for the current billing to the current billing's previous amount and recalculates the previous amounts for all subsequent billings.

Regardless of the option used, the results will be the same unless manual changes were made to the previous amounts of a future bill. In this case, each method will produce a different amount.

Allow Changes to Progress Bill Data When Both Progress and T&M Exists

Checking this option allows you to make changes to progress billings when both progress and T&M billings are used. You can edit items on billings with a bill type of ‘Both’ in JB Progress Billing as long as the item's bill type (in JC Contract Items) is also ‘Both’. Because T&M billings are not updated with changes made to a progress billing, they will not provide accurate backup for the data. Therefore, you should only use this option if you are not concerned with progress and T&M billings being out of sync.

Flag JC transactions not defined on template as billed

This flag indicates what billing status will be assigned to job cost detail records that do not have a source/cost type defined in a template or are set up with the Bill Flag set to ‘Neither’ in JC Phase Cost Types.

Check this box to mark detail records as ‘unbillable’ (status 2). Records with this billing status will not be available for future billing even if you define a source/cost type on a template later or the bill flag in JC Phase Cost Types is changed. These records will appear on an error report for review on this billing but will not be included in the invoice.

Leave this box unchecked if you do not want detail records assigned a billing status. Records will appear on the error report but will not be included in the invoice. If you do not change the Bill Flag in JC Phase Cost Types or the template to include these records, they will continue to come up on future invoices as errors.

It is recommended that all sources and cost types be defined in the templates, even if they are defined as non-billable (typically Burden). If you commonly have phase/cost types that are non-billable but specific to a job, checking this flag will keep them from coming up on each billing.

Certify Progress Billing Claims

By checking this box, you enable the certification process for progress billings in JB Progress Billing. Certifying progress billings allow Australian users to comply with the requirements of the Building and Construction Industry Security of Payment Act (2002). For other customers, it provides a way to track an initial billing amount against the final amount. See Certifying Billings for more information.

Review and Approval Workflow

If your company requires the approval of job billing invoices before they are sent to Accounts Receivable for payment, you can use the Review and Approval Workflow feature in Job Billing to track the review and approval process for progress and T&M billings.

To enable this feature, you must select the Use Review and Approval Workflow check box and then set a minimum review level for interfacing billings to Accounts Receivable. For more information about this feature, see About the Review and Approval Workflow for Job Billings.