Making payments via BACS

Chris Horroll
Chris Horroll
  • Updated

If you have set your landlords and suppliers to pay via BACS, you will first need to select the correct BACS file format in System Administration

  1. Click Tools on the main toolbar
  2. In the dropdown menu, click Templates and admin
  3. Click System Administration on the side menu
  4. Click Client Bank Accounts
  5. Click the middle Edit against the relevant client bank account
  6. Select the correct Bacs File Format from the dropdown menu, that's suited to your current bank file (Lloyds Telepay includes a BDC number, which can be used when a BDC number needs to be included in the upload file)
  7. Click Save

 Note

The default payment method in Alto for paying contacts is via BACS. This allows you to upload a file to the bank who make the payments on you behalf and requires an arrangement for this service between you and your bank
For more information on Initial settings on a landlord, click here

Any payments that are to be made where the Payment Method has been set to BACS, appear in Accounts, within BACS Payment Update. From here, they can be saved and uploaded to your bank for payment.  

  1. Click Accounts on the main toolbar
  2. On the side menu, within the Bank Transactions section, click Bacs Payment Update
  3. Click View on the relevant client account
  4. A list of all payments to be made by BACS are displayed. Check your BACS File Format shows the correct bank name and format you're using

     Note

    If this hasn't yet been set up, you will need access to System Administration, to edit your default settings. Your appointed Group Administrator will have access to these permissions. Contact your Group Administrator to ask them to set the BACS payment file up for you

    1. Where payments have been set up to appear as individual payments with their own relevant reference, untick the Batch Payments tickbox before creating the payment file.
      (the Batch Payments tickbox is sticky (per user) across all bank accounts)
  5. If any payments are showing in Insufficient Bank Details, as indicated by a number, click the row to expand it, and view the records that have details missing. You can then locate the relevant records and enter the missing details

     Note

    It may be that the contacts bank account details haven't been added or that the landlord payment groups haven't been configured correctly
    For more information on Initial settings on a landlord, click here

  6. Once the details are entered and saved, the payment shows in Included Payments. If there is anything showing in Included Payments that you don't wish to pay, click the red thumb so the selected item isn't included in the payments
  7. If you do remove an item from the Included Payments list, it will show in Held Payments. Alto only includes the Included Payments in the payment file

     Warning

    Once you create the payment file, this process cannot be reversed

  8. Click Create Payment File to create the BACS payment file
  9. A Recent Downloads window appears giving you the option to save the BACS payment file. Click Save to save a copy to your downloads folder

 Best practice

You can leave the payment file in your download folder, but we recommend you then move or copy it to a location that will be easier to find when you come to upload it to your bank 

When the BACS payment file has been created, the payment appears in Accounts, within Bank Reconciliation as part of a batch and should only be reconciled once you see the payments leave your bank account.
For more information on Bank reconciliation, click here

In order to actually make the payments, you'll need to log on to your online banking and upload the BACS payment file from your saved location.

Related articles

Adding bank details for the agency bank account

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