ACH CoBank Setup Instructions and Daily Process

CoBank ACH Setup Instructions:

1. Add a new bank code to capture the ACH transactions

   1. Bank > Bank Maintenance > Key in bank code you want to use and description

   2. This code will be used to issue checks to your customers- it is not your standard bank code for writing checks

   3. Open

      

2. Do you want a new ledger account for tracking the balance in your ACH account or do you want to use your existing account code?

   1. If new: LDG > Maintenance Options > Chart of Accounts > create a new ledger account

      1. Setup SJI transaction code to post these to the ledger

         1. SJI > System Accounts > Bank Account > put in new bank code and point to new ledger account

         2. Open

            

3. You will need your customers’ routing and account numbers. These are stored in name address

   1. Setup the contact remarks in NAM. Use these instructions if you are using a user defined BNK Advanced Report. If you are using the standard ACH Output File for CoBank, use the second set of instructions.

      1. NAM > Setup Info > Contact/ remark types: ACH is the new remark type

         1. Description: TTTTTAAAA##############

            1. TTTTTAAAA 9 digits is the Routing Code

            2. ############## 14 digits is the bank account

         2. Contact type: R (make sure this is an R!)

         3. Hierarchy sequence: 50

      2. NOTE: If you are using the standard ACH Output File in BNK > Report Manager > Advanced Reports > 1. Print Advanced Reports > 1. ACH Output File created in AGS-8771 and released in version 19.2, you must use two separate remark lines for your account and routing number as follows:

         1. In NAM > Setup Information > Contact/ Remark Types, add two new remarks:

            1. The first remark you can call RTN, this is your Routing Number

               1. Description: TTTTTAAAA Federal Routing Number

               2. Contact Category: R

               3. Hierarchy Sequence: 50

            2. The second remark you can call RAC, this is the account number

               1. Description: ############## Bank Account Number

               2. Contact Category: R

               3. Hierarchy Sequence: 50

      3. You can set your security in Customize > System Security > Edit Security Levels for NAM > View Edit Name ID > Remarks to No Access for individuals you do not want to have access to customers' routing and account numbers in the Remarks

4. Add bank code to your name IDs

   1. NAM > Name/Address Maintenance > Edit name > select name > Accounting Information

      1. Fill in the bank code to use for this Name ID’s payments (AP checks and commodity checks)

      2. Filling this in means clerks do not have to remember that this name ID gets a unique bank code, AGRIS will default to this when writing checks

5. On the same name ID, add the remark that will be their routing and bank account on the Remarks tab

   1. Click into the ACH line to add the routing number and account number, or if you have the two separate lines for routing and account number, click into each accordingly and add.

   2. This will be used to create the YYMMDD.txt file that you upload to the bank site

   3. This will move funds from your bank account directly into their bank account

Daily Process:

• Create your checks in the system as normal. The only difference is that these names will use the bank code that we set on their name ID accounting info

  • When you are cutting AP checks, you leave the bank code blank to use name ID and location defaults

  • When producing settlements, the bank code defaults from the name ID

• At the end of the day:

  • Process the “ACH Output File” report in BNK > Report Manager > Advanced Reports

    • Fill in your required fields

    • This process will read all un-reconciled deposits and withdrawals in the specified bank code

    • A new file is created for upload

  • Transfer funds from the live bank to the ACH bank to zero out the balance

  • Reconcile the bank transactions in the ACH bank code that were successfully transferred so they are not pulled more than once as well as the bank transfer in the ACH bank code

Adapted from materials written by A. Mueller