Maintain Fee Types - FINF2100

Purpose

To create and maintain fee types, link them to relevant calendar instances and date aliases, and access all other forms required to set up fee type data at this level

Subsystem

Student Finance

Structure

Two blocks

Fee Type
Fee Type Calendar Instance (2^nd screen)

Navigation buttons invoke:

Fee Type Calendar Instance block (2^nd screen)

Maintain Fee Type Calendar Instance Accounts (FINF2110)
Define Payment Schedule form (FINF2860)
Define Retention Schedule form (FINF28A0)
Define Fee Encumbrances form (FINF2890)
Maintain Charge Method Apportion form (FINF1720)
Define Fee Assessment Rates form (FINF2853)
Define Element Ranges form (FINF2852)

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This is one of the central forms of this subsystem. It is here that fees are defined and linked to the fee periods in which they operate. The form is also an access point for other related forms.

Calendars. Appropriate active or planned fee calendar instances must be recorded for each fee type, together with their relevant date alias instances. These are selected from instances already created in the Calendar subsystem. In selecting a calendar instance, keep in mind that when fees are added to a fee category in form FINF2800, only fees with a calendar instance that matches a category calendar instance can be included in the category.

Fee calendars are discussed in the section on fee periods. Notes about setting up appropriate calendars are found in the calendars and date aliases section of the Specialist Overview.

Levels. The use of levels is also introduced in the Specialist Overview and explained more fully in the section on levels in Special Topics. In brief, 'attaching' certain fee data at a particular level can vary its effective range. By virtue of recording such data in this form, as opposed to the Maintain Fee Categories form, it has a range we have called Fee Type (FTCI) level in the documentation.

In addition, if the schedule and calculation forms are accessed from this form, data in the accessed forms applies at FTCI level. The complete list of accessible forms for use at this level is given in the previous table, while further information on calculations and scheduling is supplied as a part of the Specialist Overview.

FTCI level data applies to students in all the categories to which the fee belongs.

To summarise, three kinds of data are recorded in this form:

1. data which defines a fee type - this data applies to the fee type in all circumstances
2. data which applies to a fee type only for a particular fee calendar instance
3. data which has the range described above if entered at this level.

The description of data fields in the next section is organised to reflect these three kinds of use.

Use this form to create and maintain the fees used in the Student Finance subsystem. Enter a fee type and description.

Each fee must be assigned a system fee type, used to distinguish fees to be reported to government (HECS and reportable tuition fees) from non-reportable fees (all others).

It must also have a system fee trigger category. This restricts the type of fee triggers that can be used to match a student course, unit or unit set attempt to a fee for which students in a particular category are liable. (See the discussion on triggers in the Specialist Overview.)

A Loans Scheme must be nominated if the fee type is related to a loan scheme, for example, the Postgraduate Education Loans Scheme (PELS).

The optional payment indicator, if selected, specifies that a fee is not mandatory. An example of such a fee might be a non-compulsory student association fee administered by the institution. Although the fee is still assessed and remains as a debt if not paid, no debt management applies.

Optionally, comments can be recorded. (To delete comments, select the text and use the Delete key.)

Optionally, record an explanation for the fee type. Explanations are used to provide information about the fee type to users in Callista Connect fee inquiry applications. Explanations should be unique. HTML font tags can be used within the explanation field.

For a selected fee type, use the 'Fee Type Calendars' button to access the second screen.

Second screen

Link the fee type to the fee periods in which it is to operate by selecting one or more instances of a fee calendar type from those in the list of values, which shows planned and active calendars.

Rules and Notes:

• System fee types HECS and TUITION are used by the system to distinguish the fees that must be reported to the Australian Government in DEST returns. Note that non-reportable tuition fees should be recorded with a system fee type of OTHER.
• Valid values for the system fee trigger category are COURSE,INSTITUTN, UNIT, COMPOSITE and UNITSET.
• When a fee has a HECS system fee type, the system fee trigger category can only be COURSE or UNITSET. For a TUITION system fee type, the system fee trigger category can be anything other than INSTITUTN. For an OTHER system fee type, any system fee trigger category can be used.
• Once assigned a calendar instance, a fee type cannot be deleted, but can be closed. Closing a fee type does not affect existing fee liabilities (fee types assigned to fee categories) but does prevent its being assigned as a new fee liability.

A status must be recorded for each calendar instance selected. This status field refers to the status of the fee type/calendar instance combination, as distinct from the status of the calendar instance itself, which is set in the Calendar subsystem.

Dates in the T-list

Start Date Alias and End Date Alias instances must be selected for each fee type/calendar instance combination. A Retro Date Alias instance may optionally be selected.

Revenue Account Button

A revenue account code reference to an external financial system must be selected before a fee type/calendar instance can be made active.

Called form:

Maintain Fee Type Calendar Instance Accounts (FINF2110).

• A fee type/calendar instance status cannot be changed from ACTIVE to INACTIVE while any fee liability is ACTIVE in a category. After a message advising this, the user is asked to confirm that liability statuses should also be changed.
• The fee assessment routine (FINJ3500, FINJ3001) disregards fee types with a status other than active.
• A fee type/calendar instance status cannot be changed to FINALISED unless all related fee liabilities (at FCFL level) are finalised. This can only be done when no students liable for the fee in the fee period have outstanding debt.

If attempted, the user is asked to confirm that liability statuses should be changed automatically, subject to the second condition being met. (Refer to Finalising fee types for context information.)

• For the Callista Open Finance Interface (COFI), once final information has been sent to an external financial system for a fee type/calendar instance, a FINALISED status cannot be reversed.
• Start date, end date and retro date alias instances in the list of values are those assigned to the fee calendar instance selected.
• Start date and end date (and optionally retro date) aliases are also selected for a category in the Maintain Fee Categories form, and a start date can also be entered at fee liability level. When considering a fee liability, the latest start date, the earliest end date and the earliest retro date apply.
• When changing a planned fee type/calendar instance to active, first ensure that the fee period instance and finance calendar instance are active (in CALF0220).
• Instances for start date, end date and retro date are all inclusive. 

A payment rank must be recorded here or at the FCFL level, but not at both levels for the same fee type (but see note opposite about HECS and INSTITUTN fees). A particular rank value must be unique with regard to any other liability in the same fee category, wherever recorded. It follows therefore that when a rank is recorded for a fee type at this (FTCI) level, it must be unique with regard to any other fee type for the same calendar instance.

Charge in the T-list

The charge method and rule (see Calculations) may be selected here, or at the Fee Liability (FCFL) level using the Maintain Fee Categories form, but cannot be selected at both levels for the same fee type. Note the exceptions given opposite.

Tax in the T-list

Fees are taxable unless the tax exempt indicator is set (checked).

For HECS and INSTITUTN fees, the tax exempt indicator applies at this level, and cannot be overridden. For HECS fees, which are tax exempt, the indicator is set automatically. INSTITUTN fees can be taxable (unchecked) or tax exempt (checked).

For all other fees, the indicator applies at FCFL level. But the indicator value in this form, FINF2100 – whether checked or not checked – acts as a default value for corresponding fee liabilities (at FCFL level) unless the liabilities are in a tax exempt category (in which case all liabilities must also be tax exempt).

For taxable INSTITUTN fees, select the tax rule number here. For other taxable fees the tax rule must be selected here or at FCFL level, but cannot be selected at both levels for the same fee type.

Changing the indicator. Before changing an existing fee type from taxable to tax exempt, the corresponding tax rule must be removed.

Buttons

Further calculation data (assessment rates, charge method apportionment, advanced standing source and element ranges) and schedules for payment, retention and encumbrances, can be specified at this level by accessing the relevant forms from the navigation buttons here.

Called forms:

Calculation data set up at this level precludes its inclusion at the FCFL level.

Schedules can be set up both at this level and at the Fee Category level (through the Maintain Fee Categories form) to operate complementarily.

See the relevant forms for further details:

Calculations:
Define Fee Assessment Rates (FINF2853)
Maintain Charge Method Apportion (FINF1720)
Define Element Ranges (FINF2852)

Schedules:
Define Payment Schedule form (FINF2860)
Define Retention Schedule form (FINF28A0)
Define Fee Encumbrances form (FINF2890)

• Payment rank is used when interfacing with an external financial system to determine the order in which payment amounts received through that system should be applied to a student's fee liabilities. It distinguishes between liabilities due on the same date.
• Charge methods are system defined. They are CRPOINT, EFTSU, PERUNIT and FLATRATE.
• When a fee has a HECS system fee type
• the charge method must be EFTSU
• the fee must be tax exempt.
• Charge method and rule should be at the same level.
• Callista development staff currently provide the fee calculation and tax rules.
• For fees with a HECS system fee type, select the 'HECS formula' rule.
• For tax fees, the rule includes the tax percentage.
• For fees with a HECS system fee type or fees with an INSTITUTN trigger category
• the payment rank, charge method, rule, tax exempt indicator (and tax rule if applicable) must be specified at this level (FTCI)
• calculation and schedule forms must be accessed from this form (data is thereby entered at FTCI level).
• Element ranges (FINF2852) are not applicable to a HECS fee, or when the charge method is FLATRATE.
• Retention and Encumbrance schedules are not applicable when payment is optional.