INTRODUCTION
This document will show you step by step how to take the Calculated Tax Roll you have received from your county and import it into the Pontem Tax Receipting program. Once the tax roll has been imported, you will be able to begin receipting payments.
Before You Begin, Back Up Your Data
For instructions on creating a backup of your database please refer to the Pontem Backup and Restore Procedures Help Doc in the Pontem Online Training and Support Center (OTSC) located on the Pontem website — www.pontem.com. The OTSC is also easily accessible directly from within your Pontem software. Simply click on the ‘Online Training & Support’ link located the Tax Receipting Overview section of your software.
Importing Your Calculated Tax Roll into Pontem Tax Receipting
To begin the process of importing a tax roll select File | Import | Load County Tax Rolls. When the ‘Load Tax Roll Data’ window displays, fill in the required information.
The fields that need to be set are:
Tax Period Information Section
- Import Type: Select ‘Pontem Format’ or one of the other format options depending on the source of your tax roll data.
- Tax Period: Set this field to the desired upcoming tax period.
- Tax Unit for File Name: Select your township from this field.
- Tax Roll Date: Default is the current date, or set date to July 1st or December 1st If desired.
Cloning Options Section
- NOTE: Cloning Options are not required for Pontem-format imports. If your tax roll data is coming from another source select a ‘Tax Period to Clone’ and check the boxes for ‘Tax Unit General Info’ and ‘Tax Levy Definitions’.
Files Section
- File Location: The file location automatically defaults to: ‘C:\pontem\import\’ (This path can be changed in System Preferences, if desired.) Click on the Browse button to locate the directory your tax roll file is in if not in the default location.
- NOTE: This file can also be read directly off a CD or thumb drive.
- Move ASCII Files to...: This is a temporary location used by the import process. The default location should be left unchanged unless Pontem Support instructs you to do otherwise.
- Files to process: Select the tax roll file you wish to import.
Click Next.
After clicking the Next button, a window will appear like the one below showing the specific file you are importing. The file/s that will be used by the import process will be in bold. Review the dates listed for these files to verify that they are recent enough to be valid for the current tax
period being imported.
NOTE: Please notice all the checkboxes near the bottom of the screen as shown above should contain a check mark.
Once the import process is complete, the County Import - Preview Content window will appear (see below).
This window gives you a preview of all of the tax bills imported including the normal Ad Valorem taxes but it may also include DNR, IFT and any other Special Act tax roll amounts.
The ‘Total of Tax Bills’ amount should match the totals provided by the county (though you may have to add several reports together if you have taxes other than Ad Valorem taxes to collect in order to arrive at the matching grand total).
If there are any data issues uncovered during the first validation phase, Pontem’s software will automatically display an ‘Import File Warnings’ dialog box.
You can also click on the ‘Import File Warnings’ tab located in the top-left of this window to see if there were any problems uncovered during parsing of the data.
NOTE: Warnings and Critical Warnings reflect information to follow up on after the import is done.
Any errors that have been detected will stop the import from moving forward Therefore, these errors must be corrected before trying the import again.
NOTE: If you receive a warning like the one shown below (Contact names found in file with multiple address. See system eve… ) you may disregard it as this is just a notification some of the names included in your data are associated with multiple parcel records.
Once you have resolved all error messages, click on the Next button on the ‘County Import - Preview Content’ window.
A window showing the progress of the ‘Validation Tax Bill Data’ process will now display.
When the second validation procedure has completed you will be shown a list of any errors that were found.
NOTE: The software will not allow you to proceed or commit new data to your database until all errors identified have been reviewed and corrected. Fix all errors reported, then begin the import process over again until you have “a clean slate.”
After the import finishes, you will see the window like the one below which shows the process is complete with no Warnings, Critical Warnings, or Errors. If there are any Warnings or Errors, they will be listed. If you wish, you can print out a list of the issues which still must be resolved.
Click the Close button to finish the import process.
Changing Default Tax Unit and Tax Period Settings
If you wish to change the default Tax Period and/or Tax Unit values in your software, select Edit | Adjust User Preferences. Whatever new values you enter will be the default values from now on when searching and printing reports.
Import Process Final Step
The final step in the import process is to balance your totals with those given to you by the county for collection. To do so, print the ‘Tax Bill Statistics Report’ that can be found under Reports | Tax Bills | Tax Roll Totals | Tax Bill Statistics Report.
Below is an example of this report. The amounts in the “Current + Tax Levy” column at the top of the report should agree with the warrant you have received. If the two balance, you will want to print this report and keep in your files.
NOTE: When balancing your numbers be sure to check all appropriate tax rolls that apply to your collections. (Ad Valorem, IFT/CFT & DNR Tax Roll totals should all be checked).
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