Import receipts in Alto

The Import Receipts functionality enables you to bring bank credit transactions into Alto and match those receipts to outstanding tenancy and contact charges, such as rent due.

You can bring transactions into Alto in one of two ways:

• by uploading a bank transaction file exported from your online banking
• by using Open Banking to fetch transactions directly into Alto

Alto uses payment references to automatically match receipts where possible, with any remaining items available for manual review and confirmation.

How Import Receipts works

The process consists of four stages:

1. Set up Import Receipts and payment references
2. Bring transactions into Alto using either Open Banking or a bank file
3. Review matched and unmatched receipts
4. Confirm the import to post receipts in Alto

Preparation

Link a bank file format or Open Banking to a client bank account

Before you can use Import Receipts, you must link either:

• The import receipt file format, or
• Open Banking

to each of the relevant client bank accounts.

1. Click Tools on the main navigation bar
2. In the dropdown menu, click Templates and admin
3. On the side menu, under System Tools, click System Administration
4. Click Client Bank Accounts 
5. Click Edit in the middle column of each relevant client account
6. Either:
   1. Select an Import Receipts File Format from the dropdown menu, or
   2. Click Link Open Banking
      
7. If you choose Link Open Banking, a popup window appears allowing you to Select your bank and the type of account, followed by a QR code which you can use to confirm the details with your banking app/banking website
   
8. Once linked, it can take a few minutes before you're able to sync your transactions for the first time
9. Click Save

 Note

If you're using Open Banking, you'll need to re-link your bank account after a certain period of time. This can vary between banks but may be required every 90 days

Open Banking Overview

Open Banking in Alto lets you connect your client bank accounts securely so you can bring bank transactions into Alto without downloading statements or switching between online banking and Alto.

Once a bank account is linked, you can fetch transactions for a chosen date range and use them in Import Receipts to match and allocate receipts more quickly.

Transactions brought in via Open Banking include information provided by the bank, such as:

• date
• amount
• description/reference text
• transaction type, where supplied by the bank

If you unlink a bank account, you will no longer be able to use Get Transactions for that account in Import Receipts until it is linked again. Existing imported and receipted data in Alto is not deleted.

Specify clearance days

With linking complete, next, specify the number of clearance days to be applied to imported receipts. (The default is 0 days) 

1. Click Tools on the main navigation bar
2. In the dropdown menu, click Templates and admin
3. On the side menu, under System Tools, click System Administration
4. Click Group Settings
5. Scroll down and click Payment and Receipt Settings
6. Alongside Imported Receipt, edit the number of Clearance Days
   
7. Click Save

Specify role access 

Finally, specify which group roles should have access to Receipt Import.

1. Click Tools on the main navigation bar
2. In the dropdown menu, click Templates and admin
3. On the side menu, under System Tools, click System Administration
4. Click Group Roles
5. Click Edit alongside the relevant roles
6. Click the toggle for Read/Write (Or Full) access alongside ReceiptImport in the list
   
7. Scroll down and click Save

Set up payment references

Imported receipts are matched to records and/or charges using the imported receipt reference and the payment reference set up in Alto.  

A payment reference must be a unique reference and is given to the tenant for use when they make a payment. It must be a minimum of six characters and is set up on either a charge, a tenancy or a contact record.

There are three methods of matching:

Charge Payment Reference

• Charge Payment Reference only matches a receipt with that reference to the specific charge, i.e. rent. If there are no outstanding charges at the point of receipt import, then no match will be available.
  1. Click Tenancies on the main navigation bar
  2. Select the relevant tenancy from Recent & Favourite Tenancies
     1. Alternatively, find the tenancy using the Search Tenancies bar in the top right
  3. Click Actions 
  4. In the dropdown menu, click Charge
  5. Click Edit on the charge to which the payment reference needs to be added
  6. Click the Options tab 
  7. Add a unique Payment Reference
  8. Click back to the Charge tab
  9. Click OK
  10. Click Close

Contact Payment Reference

• Contact Payment Reference will match any receipt with that reference to any outstanding contact charge and/or will receive funds into held monies for that tenancy.
  1. Click Contacts on the main navigation bar
  2. Select the relevant contact from Recent & Favourite Contacts
     1. Alternatively, find the contact using the Search Contacts bar in the top right
  3. Click Contact on the side menu
  4. Click the Contact top tab
  5. Add a unique Payment Reference
  6. Click Save

Tenancy Payment Reference

• Tenancy Payment Reference will match any receipt with that reference to any outstanding tenancy charge, and/or will receive funds into held monies for that tenancy.
  1. Click Tenancies on the main navigation bar
  2. Select the relevant tenancy from Recent & Favourite Tenancies
     1. Alternatively, find the tenancy using the Search Tenancies bar in the top right
  3. Click Tenancy on the side menu
  4. Click the Details top tab
  5. Add a unique Payment Reference
  6. Click Save

Set charges to raise in advance of their due date

If your tenants commonly pay a day or more ahead of the rent due date, it's important to set each rent charge to raise earlier than the date which it is due. This will ensure the charge is available in Import Receipts when the payment is received, and it won't cause it to be in arrears.

1. Click Tenancies on the main navigation bar
2. Select the relevant tenancy from Recent & Favourite Tenancies
   1. Alternatively, find the tenancy using the Search Tenancies bar in the top right
3. Click Actions
4. In the dropdown menu, click Charge
5. Click Edit on the relevant charge 
6. Click the Options tab 
7. Add the number of days to Raise Days in Advance. We suggest at least 7
8. Click back to the Charge tab
9. Click OK
10. Click Close

Bring transactions into Import Receipts

Once all Preparation steps above are complete, you can bring transactions into Alto in one of two ways:

• use Open Banking to fetch transactions directly
• upload a bank transaction file exported from your online banking

Once the transactions have been brought into Alto, the matching and confirmation process is the same.

Option 1: Use Open Banking

Use this option if you've linked Open Banking to the client bank account in System Administration.

1. Click Accounts on the main navigation bar
2. Click Import Receipts on the side menu
3. Click the Client Accounts top tab
4. Click View on the relevant bank account
   

You'll only be able to access the accounts you've configured for Import Receipts, either by selecting an import receipt file format or linking Open Banking.

5. Select a date range for the transactions you want to bring in, for example Previous 7 Days
   
6. Click Get Transactions
7. Alto retrieves the transactions for the selected date range and displays them in Import Receipts
   
8. Refresh your Alto browser tab

This allows you to bring transactions into Alto without downloading a file from your online banking.

Option 2: Upload a bank transaction file

Use this option if you're not using Open Banking.

Before uploading the file, log in to your online banking and export the bank transactions in the format specified in Alto, as set up in the Preparation steps above.

Alto will only import bank credit transactions. Debit transactions in the file will be ignored.

1. Click Accounts on the main navigation bar
2. Click Import Receipts on the side menu
3. Click the Client Accounts top tab
4. Click View on the relevant bank account
5. Click Upload File
   
6. Click Choose a file to browse for your exported bank file
   
7. Once you've selected the file, Alto will do a duplicate check and alert you if it finds any
8. Click Upload File, and the number of receipts imported displays
9. Refresh your Alto browser tab

Before matching: existing unmatched receipts

You'll now see any previous imported unmatched receipts, and you have the following options:

• Clear Un-Matched will delete all unmatched receipts
• If there are any unmatched receipts, you'll have the option to delete single ones by using the bin icon 

Matching receipts

Once the transactions have been imported, Alto will attempt to automatically match the receipts to the outstanding charges using payment references. 

Any payment transactions (debits) will be ignored.  

Transactions that cannot be matched automatically appear in the Un-Matched Payments section.

The first time you import receipts, no receipts will be auto-matched. The process of matching and pinning each receipt to a charge is carried out first.

Alto auto-matches receipts to charges when:

• The receipt Payment Reference matches the Payment Reference on a charge, tenancy or contact record
• The Payment Reference has previously been matched and 'pinned' to a charge, tenancy or contact record 

Reviewing imported receipts and resolving Un-Matched and Matched payments

Once receipts are imported and matched, the total number and value of the items is displayed in the Un-Matched and Matched Payments section.

Click anywhere on the green or orange banner to expand and display the individual receipts.  

Un-Matched Payments

All receipts not auto matched will appear in the orange Un-Matched Payments section. This is where you would process manual matches.

At this point, you can either delete the match or confirm it with a blue tick. Confirming the match moves it into the Matched Payments section.

• Delete
  • Click on the bin icon to delete an item from the list. This may be used if you receipt manually and not through Import Receipts. You might also want to use this option if the receipt has previously been entered into Alto

• Confirm
  • Click the blue tickbox to confirm a match. This moves the receipt into the Matched Payments section. If you want receipts with this payment reference to be auto-matched in the future, it must be pinned 

• ? Fuzzy Matches
  • Any receipts not matched using the rules above appear with a ?. Click on the ? to display potential matches

• Potential matches and their probability percentage
  • Part of the import reference matches part of the tenancy name and address, or contact name and address on a record
  • Import amount matches the charge amount
  • Import dates matches the charge date
  • The probability percentage decreases depending upon the number of rules the receipt matches

In the example below, the receipt for £120 has a reference of 'Mr Bobby Bingle'.  This matches 50% to a contact with that name and an outstanding charge for the same amount. The 10% matches shown only match the receipt based on the charge date or the charge amount.  

• Duplicate references
  • If an import reference matches the reference on more than one record, it cannot be allocated until the reference has been removed from one of the records
  • Click Display duplicated references to see the records assigned to the same payment reference

Matched Payments

Once you've matched the receipt to the charge, you can pin a reference to a contact or tenancy record or charge, meaning Alto will remember the match for the next time you import a file.

1. Click the green banner on Matched Payments to display a full list 
2. Click the Pin icon on the right of a matched item
3. Click and drag your mouse to highlight the reference
4. Click on either Charge or Tenancy, depending which of these your future receipt is to be matched to
5. Click Pin Reference

To review a pinned item:

1. Click the green banner on Matched Payments to display a full list 
2. Click Review 
3. Click Review. You can view and edit the pinned reference 

To forget a pinned item:

1. Click the green banner on Matched Payments to display a full list 
2. Click Review
3. Click Forget. The green pin will replace the red Review button

To remove a pinned item:

1. Click the green banner on Matched Payments to display a full list 
2. Click the X if you want the Matched Payment to return to Un-Matched Payment

Confirming the import of receipts

Once you're happy with the matches, you can complete the import.

1. Click Import Receipts 

When you do this:

• All receipts in the Matched Payments are posted in Alto
• The receipt date and bank reference are read from the import file
• You have the option of clearing the receipts on the Un-Matched Payment section. If you click No, you can clear them later by clicking Clear Un-Matched at the top of the list
• If you've used the Send Receipts dropdown at the top of the Import Receipts page and opted to send receipts documents (to All, or, All Excluding Rent), they will be sent via the contact's preferred Account Delivery Method
• A Timeline entry is added to the Import Receipts Timeline tab with a report detailing the receipts imported and the receipts remaining in the Un-Matched Payment section. A receipt Timeline entry will also be added to the tenancy or contact record