Item types are the basic work unit of the Student Financials application. Each item type defines and describes a unique action. During the setup of your item types, you differentiate between charges and credits and define how and where each can be applied. You also group them by classification and determine how your system uses them to transfer student account information to your general ledger.

Many functions in the Student Financials application also use item type trees. You need to understand how item type trees are organized and used.

Navigation: Set Up SACR> Product Related> Student Financials> Item Types> Item Types

1. The Item Types search page displays.
2. Enter Search Criteria. An example includes entering your SetID.
3. Select the Search button.
4. The Initial Setup tab is displayed below.
5. Effective Date: the date which the item type will first be used.
6. Description: displayed in student self service and on the customer account page(s). This is limited to 32 characters. 
7. Short Description: Allows you to enter a short description. This is limited to 10 characters. 
8. Optional: Keywords can be used when searching for item types.
9. Classification: Applicable values include Application Fee, Charge, Deposit, Financial Aid, Payment, Refund, Waiver and Write-off.  This determines how transactions are posted to the students account as well as entered in the accounting lines.
10. If the transactions with the item type should be sent to the Finance General Ledger, GL Interface Required checkbox will be selected. An example of an Item Type that won't have the checkbox selected are Financial Aid placeholder item types.
11. Accounting Date Control: Value of Run Date;  this value determines how the accounting date in the accounting lines will be set.  Run Date is the current date on which the generate accounting entries process are run.  Other values are available as necessary.

12. Select the Amount Edits tab.
13. The Amount Edits tab is displayed below.
14. Minimum Transaction Amount: Limits the minimum amount for the item type.
15. Maximum Transaction Amount: Limits the maximum amount for the item type.
16. Default Amount: The default amount for the item type.
17. Currency: Default is set to USD.
18. 1098-T Eligible checkbox: The checkbox is selected if the item type should be reported as an eligible cost of attendence expense for students.

19. Select the Miscellaneous tab.
20. The Miscellaneous tab is displayed below.
    • Note: the first section and image is for charge item types. The second section and image refers to payment item types.  The fields that appear on this page are dependent on which item type Classification that was selected on the Initial Setup tab.  
21. Adjustment Calendar: Field blank for charge item types.
22. Tax Code: This is typically left blank. However, this is for charge item types that are taxable. This field requires additional considerations.
23. Payment Terms: Left blank.

• Note: The Miscellaneous tab information below is for payment item types.

24. Charge Priority List: Contains charges that are eligible to be paid by the item type.  This field is used with Deposit, Financial Aid, Payment and Waiver item types. Charge Priority List's can be found by navigating to: Set Up SACR > Product Related > Student Financials > Charges and Payments > Charge Priority List.
25. Payment Overall Priority: This value controls the order in which payments are applied to eligible charges.  STD is utilized for Deposits, Payments and Wavier item types. FINAID is utilized for Financial Aid.
26. Days to Encumber: This allows payment item types to be held for a period of time before making it available for a refund, the number of days would be listed in the field.
27. Refundable Indicator checkbox: This checkbox makes payments eligible for refunding.  This field is used with Deposit, Financial Aid and Payment item types.
28. Tender Specific checkbox: Select this check box and then select the corresponding Category for payment and deposit item types that require tender details.  
29. Payment Priority Flag checkbox: Select this check box and assign a Priority ranking to the payment.  This will enable payment swapping where a payment with a higher priority can displace a lower priority payment and apply to eligible charges.  This field is used with Deposit, Financial Aid, Payment and Waiver item types.
    • High Priority numbers are lower in value.
    • Low Priority numbers are higher in value.
    • A real world example is you are at the DMV and you take a ticket. Someone comes in and takes a ticket after you. You have higher priority because you have a lower numbered ticket. 
30. Pick up Receivable from Charge check box: This box is selected if you want to select the receivable chart field from the charge in which the payment is being applied.  If unchecked, the payment credit chart field will be used for GL processing.  This field is used with Deposit, Financial Aid, Payment and Waiver item types. Think of this option as though it trades the receivable (or debit side) of this item types chart of accounts with the item type charge (for example, tuition) so that our tuition reduction amounts are reflected properly for reporting.  

• Note: The External Awards tab is not utilized. The Posting Restrictions tab is utilized, but is pre-configured. The Effective Date and Due Date Edits fields limit when an item type may be effective dated or the due date, respectively. The Term Enroll Req for Posting checkbox ensures that the student is enrolled in the appropriate term before posting the item type.

31. Select the Account Types tab.
32. The Account Types tab is displayed below.
33. Account Type:  Instead of giving you the full list of item types to select from for a given PeopleSoft process, this page allows a specific selection of grouped item types. Some item types may be grouped into more than one Account Type. Select the Add a New Row [+] icon to add additional Account Types and select the Remove a Row [-] icon to remove the line.
    • Account Types may include:
      • APP = Application Fee
      • CNV = Conversion
      • FEE = Mandatory Fees
      • MIS = Miscellaneous Fees
      • PPL = Payment Plan
      • TPC = Third Party Contract
      • TUT = Tuition

34. Select the General Ledger Interface tab.
35. The General Ledger Interface tab is displayed below.
36. Term: Typically is established as either "0000" or a specific term the item type to be effective by choosing a specific term; it will go into effect that term forward unless a new row with a new term is added to the set up.
37. Effective Date: This field tells you when the Journal data for the item type was updated last. It should be updated if the date should be a value other than the defaulted current date.
38. Status: This field should be set to Active so that the item type in question will send the proper chartstring data to finance.
39. AP Chartfields link: This field is used with the AP (Accounts Payable) check printing process for refund item types that can be sent via AP.  With those item types, this field must be populated with a chartstring (something like WA140*LOCAL*7140*2000010*841**285*98009****N****.)  The accounting data included assists the Finance Pillar with refund balancing. This defines the liability account, typically a holding account. 
40. Write-Off Charfields link: Delivered and unused field/link.
41. Jrnl Set: The journal set that is used and sent to the General Ledger. This should almost always be 1.
42. Timing: The timing value should be set to "Assessment" for both the debit and credit rows.
43. Debit/Credit: Select either Debit or Credit from the drop down list. You must set up at least one debit and one credit for each item type.
44. GL Pct: Enter the percentage you want posted to the GL account.
45. Priority, Priority Amounts, Account Limit, Defer Revenue Until, Dynamic Organization, and Deferred Dynamic Org are optional fields.

46. Jrnl Set ChartFields link: This is where the chart field strings are entered. The applicable GL Business Unit and Ledger (LOCAL) is populated. The applicable chart field values for Operating Unit, Account, Department, Fund Code, Class Field, Department, Program Code, and Chartfield 2 (N) are entered.

To submit a request for a new (or edit/update) to item types, please follow the below updated steps:

1. Initial ticket request
   1. College staff members submit a ticket in Solar Winds requesting either edits to or the creation of a new item type(s.) In the subject field, enter either “New Item Type(s)” or “Edit to existing Item Type” and if necessary, the count of item types. Use the Solar Winds Request type of ctcLink Support > Student Financials > SF: Item Types.
2. Auto reply with spreadsheet to submitter
   1. Solar Winds will immediately auto reply with instructions & attached spreadsheet to complete (no longer PDF.) The attached spreadsheet should be completed, saved, and attached to a new tech note.
   2. The auto reply has been updated to include a link to the Understanding Item Types QRG In the second drop down you will find a recorded video with detailed explanation of the spreadsheet.
3. Item type approver
   1. If the ticket submitter is not the approver/signer, the approver/signer MUST post a tech note in ticket indicating approval or being okay, “good to go” with item type request and info contained within.
   2. If the ticket is for a new or edit to a financial aid item type, the financial aid authorizer/signer will also need to review the ticket information and add a tech note to the ticket as approved.
4. Item type to be processed.
   1. SF & FA Staff validate approver note and proceed with "regular" item type build process.