Overview

The Accounts Receivable Setup & Maintenance menu contains the configuration screens that define how customers are billed, how receivables age, how statements print, and how revenue and adjustments behave throughout the AR module.

These options directly affect billing accuracy, customer balances, statements, and financial reporting. Access should be limited to authorized accounting or operational management users.

Control Note: Changes to AR setup can impact live billing, posted balances, and customer-facing documents. Always document changes and apply them between accounting cycles when possible.

Setup & Maintenance Menu

From the AR System Setup/Maintenance Menu, enter the option number 1–10 at the prompt Which would you like and press Enter.

Tip: Many AR setup options control automated defaults used during billing and invoicing. Review downstream impact before making changes.

Department Setup

Departments represent operational units within your organization (for example: Customs Brokerage, Trucking, Warehousing, etc.). Each department has its own billing, GL mapping, and invoicing defaults.

The Department Setup screen allows you to create new departments or modify existing ones. Key settings include billing terms, tax codes, GL accounts, and invoice numbering sequences.

Open module manual →

Bank & Adjustment Code Setup

The Bank & Adjustment Code Setup screen allows you to define bank codes for cash receipts and adjustment codes for billing adjustments. These codes help categorize transactions and ensure proper posting to GL accounts.

Bank codes represent the various banks or payment methods your organization uses to receive payments. Adjustment codes categorize billing adjustments such as write-offs, discounts, or credits. You can setup multiple codes as needed even for the same bank, for example if your company has multiple offices but use the same bank account.

Open module manual →

Define Statement Aging Columns

The Statement Aging Columns setup defines how open receivables are grouped into aging “buckets” (for example: Current, 1–30, 31–60, 61–90, Over 90). These buckets are used throughout Accounts Receivable on customer inquiries, aging reports, and customer statements.

Each line represents an aging column. You enter the ending number of days for the column and a title. The system calculates the beginning range automatically based on the prior line.

Important: Changing aging columns affects how balances appear on statements and aging reports. Make changes only with accounting approval, ideally between accounting periods.

Column Definitions

Ln#
The line number / sequence of the aging column. Columns are evaluated in order from the first line to the last.
Days
The ending day for the bucket. The system derives the starting day from the previous line.
Example: If Line 1 ends at 30, Line 2 begins at 31.
Title
The label displayed on inquiries, statements, and aging reports (examples: Current, 1–30, Over 90).

How Ranges Are Calculated

Aging ranges are built sequentially using each line’s Days value as the upper boundary. A common setup is:

Line 1: Days = 0 or 30 → Current (site preference)
Line 2: Days = 60 → 31–60
Line 3: Days = 90 → 61–90
Line 4: Days = 999 (or similar) → Over 90

Best Practice: Make the final bucket a large value (example: 999) so all older balances are captured.

Commands & Navigation

I = Insert — insert a new aging column line.
A = Add — add a new line at the end.
D = Delete — remove a line (use caution if in active use).
P = Page — navigate pages (if multiple pages exist).
RETURN — exit and save changes.

Validation tip: After updates, run an AR Aging Report and preview a statement to confirm balances appear in the expected buckets.

Customer Master Entry

The Customer Master Entry screen allows you to create and maintain customer records used throughout all the different modules. Customer records contain billing terms, Power of Attorney details, contacts, and default settings that control how customers are billed and invoiced.

Customer Master is a critical setup screen. Accurate customer records ensure proper billing, timely payments, and compliance with regulatory requirements. Access should be limited to authorized personnel only.

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Bill Codes Setup

The Bill Codes Setup screen allows you to define bill codes that categorize and control how specific charges are billed to customers. Bill codes determine billing behavior, GL mapping, Payables and Receivables, and invoice presentation for various service types.

Bill codes are used throughout the billing process to ensure charges are applied consistently and accurately. Proper setup of bill codes is essential for accurate invoicing, financial reporting, and tax compliance.

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Billing / Manual Invoice Interface Setup

The Billing / Manual Invoice Interface Setup screen allows you to configure how the Accounts Receivable module interacts with the billing process, including settings for manual invoice creation, billing cycles, and invoice generation methods.

Proper configuration of the billing interface ensures accurate and efficient invoice processing, helping to streamline operations and improve cash flow.

Open module manual →

Accounts Receivable Setup

The Accounts Receivable Setup screens define system-wide defaults that control how receivables are billed, aged, displayed, and presented to customers. These settings affect invoice creation, statements, forms output, and AR inquiry behavior.

AR Setup consists of three related screens: the Main Setup, (A) Additional Setup, and (F) Forms Default Setup. Together, they establish both operational behavior and customer-facing document defaults.

Control Note: Changes made here impact live billing and customer statements. Updates should be approved by accounting management and applied between billing cycles whenever possible.

AR Setup - Main Screen

The Main AR Setup screen controls core Accounts Receivable behavior, including billing logic, aging methods, default posting rules, and inquiry display options.

These values are referenced automatically during invoice creation, posting, customer inquiries, and statement generation.

Tip: Many fields act as defaults but can still be overridden at the customer or transaction level, depending on configuration.

(A) Additional Setup

The Additional Setup screen contains extended configuration options that further refine billing behavior, inquiry defaults, and operational controls not included on the main setup screen.

These options are typically more site-specific and are often set during initial system implementation or adjusted as billing processes evolve.

Best Practice: Document any changes made on this screen, as they may not be immediately visible during daily processing.

(F) Forms Default Setup

The Forms Default Setup screen defines which forms, layouts, and output defaults are used when printing or emailing AR documents such as invoices and statements.

These defaults apply system-wide unless overridden at the customer level or during document generation.

Customer-Facing Impact: Changes here directly affect the appearance and content of documents sent to customers. However each customer record can be setup individually. Making changes here will not affect customers with individual settings.

Commands & Navigation

A — Access the Additional Setup screen.
F — Access the Forms Default Setup screen.
RETURN — Save changes and exit AR Setup.

Validation Tip: After changes, test invoice creation, preview statements, and review customer inquiries to confirm expected behavior.

Reporting Group Codes Setup

The Reporting Group Codes setup allows you to define a group code that combines two or more departments into a single logical group. These groupings can then be selected on certain Accounts Receivable reports to consolidate activity across multiple departments.

Reporting Groups are used strictly for reporting and inquiry purposes; they do not change posting behavior, billing logic, or departmental ownership of transactions.

Use Case: Combine related operational departments (for example, Customs Brokerage and Import Break-Bulk) into a single reporting view without altering how transactions are posted.

Each Reporting Group consists of a Group Code, a Description, and a list of one or more Department Numbers that belong to the group.

When selected on supported AR reports, the system includes activity from all departments assigned to the group.

Note: Departments may belong to more than one reporting group, depending on your reporting needs.

Field Descriptions

Group Code
A short alphanumeric code that uniquely identifies the reporting group. This code is selected on reports that support department grouping.
Description
A descriptive name for the group (for example: Customs Brokerage, Import Operations, etc.).
Dept #
The department number to be included in the group. Multiple departments may be entered, one per line.
Department Description
Displays the department name associated with the entered department number for confirmation.

Commands & Navigation

Line# — Select a line to edit or delete.
DELETE — Remove a department from the group.
P — Post / save the reporting group definition.
TOP — Return to the top of the screen.
Q — Quit and exit the screen.

Best Practice: Keep reporting groups logically focused. Overly broad groupings can make reports harder to interpret and reduce their usefulness for management analysis.

Statement Setup

The Statement Setup screen controls how Accounts Receivable customer statements are produced and emailed. When configured, FasTrax can generate a clean HTML receivables statement (open invoices / amounts due) using your company’s logo and color scheme.

This setup is typically used with statement routines that email statements to customers, providing a consistent customer-facing presentation while maintaining standard AR aging and remit-to details.

Customer-Facing Impact: Settings on this screen directly affect the appearance and content of statements sent to customers (logo, colors, and standard message text).

Field / Prompt Descriptions

1. Blank Paper Statement Format
Selects the print/layout format used for statement output (example shown: 6CL).
Used for printed statements and can also influence the base layout used for emailed output.
2. Include Aging Footer?
Controls whether aging totals/buckets print at the bottom of the statement.
- Y = Include aging footer totals
- N = Do not print aging footer totals
3. Statement Routine
Identifies the statement program/routine used by your site (may be blank depending on configuration).
Contact ATS if you wish to have a customized statement routine created.

Tip: If you email statements, keep the printed format stable and make changes to HTML formatting using the fields under HTML Emailing Parameters.

HTML Emailing Parameters

These fields control whether the system creates an HTML version of the statement when emailing and define the colors used for the statement’s tables and headers.

4. Create HTML when emailing?
Determines whether emailed statements are generated as HTML.
- Y = Build and send the statement in HTML format
- N = Do not create HTML (use non-HTML / alternate output)
5. Table Background Color
Hex color value used for the main statement table background (example: FFFFFF).
Enter values as 6-character hex (no “#”).
6. Table Border Color
Hex color value used for borders/lines around statement tables.
7. Header Background Color
Hex color value used for the table header background (often your brand color).
8. Invoice Detail Color
Hex color value used for invoice detail rows (often a light gray for readability).
9. Invoice Detail Alt Color
Alternate hex color value for invoice rows (striping) to improve readability.
10. Logo Location
The URL/path to the logo image used on the emailed HTML statement.
Commonly an HTTPS URL accessible to recipients outside your network.

Best Practice: Use high-contrast header colors and subtle alternating invoice row colors. Always test with a few email clients (Outlook, Gmail, mobile) to confirm readability.

Standard Comments & Remit-To Block

11. Standard Comments
Free-form statement message lines that print/display on the statement (and typically appear in HTML). Use this for short payment reminders or customer instructions.
Keep text concise and professional—this is customer-facing.
12. Remit To
The remit-to name and address block printed/displayed on statements. This tells the customer where to send payment and can include phone/contact information.

Operational Tip: If you change the remit-to block (address/PO box), coordinate with accounting and notify customers where appropriate to avoid misdirected payments.

Commands & Navigation

Line# — Select a line to edit.
P — Post / save changes.
Q — Quit and exit the screen.

Validation Tip: After updates, email a test statement to an internal mailbox and confirm: logo loads, colors render correctly, and invoice detail rows are readable.

Update Customer / Manufacturer Standard Charges

The Update Customer/Manufacturer’s Standard Charges utility lets an authorized manager apply a bulk increase or decrease to a specific Bill Code across Customers, Manufacturers (MFG IDs), or both. This avoids editing standard charges one record at a time.

Example: if you need to increase everyone’s Entry Fee by $10.00, this program can apply that change in one step for the selected Bill Code, based on your scope selection.

Important: This is a mass-update function. Use with caution and only with management approval. Consider documenting the change and running a small test first (if your environment supports it).

Prompt Descriptions

1. (I)ncrease or (D)ecrease Charges?
Select whether the program adds to, or subtracts from, the existing standard charge amount.
- I = Increase the amount
- D = Decrease the amount
2. (C)ustomers, (M)ID’s or (B)oth?
Select which record type(s) will be updated:
- C = Update Customer standard charges only
- M = Update Manufacturer (MFG ID) standard charges only
- B = Update both Customers and Manufacturers
3. Enter Amount to Increase or Decrease By
Enter the dollar amount to add or subtract from the existing standard charge value for the selected Bill Code.
Example: enter 10.00 to add (or subtract) $10.00 depending on the choice in #1.
4. Enter Bill Code to Change
Enter the Bill Code whose standard charge should be adjusted.
Only the selected Bill Code is affected; other standard charges remain unchanged.

How This Utility Is Commonly Used

Global price adjustment: Increase/decrease a frequently used fee (example: Entry Fee, Document Fee, etc.).
Annual rate updates: Apply a standardized change after a new tariff/rate sheet is approved.
Policy changes: Align customer and manufacturer defaults to new pricing rules without manual edits.

Best Practice: Before running the update:

Confirm the correct Bill Code and scope (C / M / B)
Capture a list or report of current standard charges for audit reference
Communicate changes to billing users (and customers if applicable)

Operational Controls & Warnings

This program updates standard charge defaults. It does not retroactively change charges on invoices that have already been billed or posted.
Decreases can potentially create unintended values if a standard charge is already low; confirm results after running.
Restrict access to users with pricing authority (accounting/AR manager).

Validation Tip: After running the update, spot-check a few customer and/or manufacturer records for the Bill Code and confirm the new standard charge appears as expected.