Direct Invoice Batch in BPR Format
Once a Direct Invoice Batch has been generated, the data may be downloaded in a CSV file that has the same format as the Bulk Payment Request (BPR) specifications.
This article outlines the purpose of this export, how to configure your organisation's ABN so it populates in the export, along with how to download and preview the 'Direct Invoice Batch in BPR Format' file.
Privileges:
- To generate the export - 'View Financial Information' in combination with either:
- 'Team Leader for ALL Services'
- 'Edit Client Records Across ALL Services'
- To configure the ABN - 'Edit System Preferences'
Audience: Authorised Representatives, Finance Team
Summary
The following list summarises the content of this article. Click on the links below to take you to the relevant sections:
- Purpose of this export
- How to configure your organisation's ABN
- How to manage Direct Invoice Batches to utilise this export
- How to download the 'Invoice Batch in BPR Format' file
- What data is included in the 'Invoice Batch in BPR Format' export?
- How to preview the file to maintain data integrity
Purpose of this export
The 'Invoice Batch in BPR Format' export has been designed for Direct Service Providers to provide to Plan Managers, in addition to Accounts Receivable Tax Invoices.
As the data in this export is presented in the same format as Direct Bulk Payment Requests (BPRs) it may be of assistance to Plan Managers with the claiming process.
If your organisation wishes to utilise this export to provide to some or all Plan Managers, it is recommended that separate Invoice Batches are created per Plan Manager. This is to ensure the Invoice Items included in the export are limited to a single individual Plan Manager only, as no identifiable information regarding the Plan Manager is included in this export.
How to configure your organisation's ABN
The 'ABN of Support Provider' column in the 'Invoice Batch in BPR Format' export file automatically populates with your organisation's ABN once this has been configured in System Preferences.
We recommend that when utilising this export, providers configure their ABN as this information, or the relevant ABN exemption reason, must be included by the Plan Manager when they submit Payment Requests to the portal.
To enter your organisation's ABN navigate to the 'Installation Options' section on the Settings tab in System Preferences.
Your organisation's ABN can be entered in the 'Company ABN' field:
Remember to select 'Save Preference Set' to save this information:
Please review the What data is included in the 'Invoice Batch in BPR Format' export? section of this article below for an example of where your organisation's ABN will populate in the export.
How to manage Direct Invoice Batches to utilise this export
It is important to clarify that the 'Invoice Batch in BPR Format' export is only available to download when an Invoice Batch includes Invoice Items that are associated with NDIS Support Budgets, and the Funding is Plan Managed i.e. an FPM Shared Contact has been configured as the Financial Plan Manager for these Supports in the Client's NDIS Direct Funding record.
It is also important to note that no identifiable Plan Manager details are included in the 'Invoice Batch in BPR Format' export.
Therefore, it is recommended that separate Direct Invoice Batches are created per Plan Manager when using this export to ensure the Invoice data is limited and relevant to, the individual Plan Manager only.
Generating a Direct Invoice Batch for a single Plan Manager
To generate a Direct Invoice Batch for a specific single Plan Manager, select the relevant entity from the Debtors field e.g. All Star Provider, in the search criteria:
Any additional search criteria may then be selected as required.
Detailed information about how to generate Invoices Batches is outlined in the Generating a Direct Invoice Batch article linked below for reference.
How to download the 'Invoice Batch in BPR Format' file
Once a Direct Invoice Batch has been generated for the required Plan Manager e.g. All Star Provider and the Invoice Batch has been downloaded and imported to your finance system, the data can be downloaded in a 'BPR Format' file by selecting 'Download Invoice Batch in BPR Format' from the Actions menu:
N.B. The export is only visible and available to download from the Actions menu if the Invoice Batch includes Items associated with NDIS Funding where the Debtor is a Plan Manager Shared Contact. If the Invoice Batch included any 'Billable (No Funding)' Activity Costs, these would not be included in this export by design
For example, when an Invoice Batch does not include any Invoice Items that are associated with NDIS Support Budgets and the Funding is Plan Managed i.e. all Items are 'Billable (No Funding)', the 'Download Invoice Batch in BPR Format' option is not available in the Actions menu:
When relevant and available for selection, selecting 'Download Invoice Batch in BPR Format' will export the CSV file to your computer's local hard drive, or wherever you have set downloads to save.
The naming convention of the 'Invoice Batch in BPR Format' CSV file is as follows e.g. invoiceBatchBPRFormat76.csv and includes the number of the Direct Invoice Batch the data was downloaded from.
However, you may wish to edit the name of the export to include the name of the Plan Manager, particularly if you will be utilising this export for multiple Plan Managers.
What data is included in the 'Invoice Batch in BPR Format' export?
The 'Invoice Batch in BPR Format' export file includes each of the Invoice Items in the Direct Invoice Batch it was downloaded from, presented in the same format as a BPR.
The columns of information are as follows:
- Registration Number - the Provider Registration Number field is empty by design as this may be utilised by the Plan Manager when claiming these Supports in a Payment Request
- NDIS Number - the Client's NDIS Number
- Supports Delivered From Date - the Activity From Date
- Supports Delivered To Date - the Activity To Date
- Support Number - the Support Item Reference number
- Claim Reference - a unique identifier for each Invoice Item comprised of the related Invoice number plus a unique consecutive Item number e.g. INV000529-1
- Quantity - the Quantity Allocated
- Hours - this is always empty as only the Quantity and Unit Price are utilised
- Unit Price - the Price of the Support Allocation
- GST Code
- Authorised By - empty
- Participant Approved - empty
- In Kind Funding Program - empty
- Claim Type - the relevant Claim Type when anything other than Standard Service is selected e.g. Provider Travel, Short Notice Cancellation etc.
- Cancellation Reason - the relevant Cancellation Reason when claiming for Short Notice Cancellations
- ABN of Support Provider - your organisation's ABN will populate here once it has been configured in System Preferences. Refer to the related section above for instructions on how to complete this configuration.
How to preview the file to maintain data integrity
It is important to note that when opening export files in excel, such as the 'Invoice Batch in BPR Format', the date format may automatically change.
Therefore, should your organisation wish to review the data for any reason prior to forwarding the file to the relevant Plan Manager, we recommend utilising the following the instructions outlined in the following article to open this export How to open CSV files safely with Microsoft Excel. This will ensure the date format is not updated inadvertently and remains in the original format suitable for upload to the NDIA portal.
If Plan Managers intend to use this file to submit to the portal for claiming, they will also need to open this file to enter their Registration Number. We, therefore, recommend sharing with them this information about opening CSV files safely.