Microsoft KB Archive/153854

Potential Problems Using Multiple Accounts for Same Payee

PSS ID Number: Q153854 Article last modified on 09-13-1997

4.0 4.0a 5.0

WINDOWS

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The information in this article applies to:

 == Microsoft Money versions 4.0a, 5.0 for Windows 95 == 

= SUMMARY =

This article details some of the potential problems when using multiple payee names for the same actual payee when using Online Bill Payment.

= MORE INFORMATION =

You may wish to have multiple payee references to the same actual payee. For example, if you have multiple accounts with the same payee, you may want to distinguish them as different payees in Money to allow a different account number in the Payee Details for each payee.

This can be accomplished by creating visible or hidden differences in the payee names.

Visibly different payees would be:

John’s Credit Card Jane’s Credit Card

Hidden differences in payees are accomplished by putting information inside of curly brackets {}. Information within curly brackets is not printed on checks within Money but is still sent to Online Services and may be printed on their checks. The following is an example of hidden differences:

Credit Card {John} Credit Card {Jane}

OR

Credit Card {123456789} Credit Card {987654321}

VISA InterActive
VISA InterActive (VISA) assigns a separate Merchant ID to each payee, even if the payee name or address is the same, so these issues should not apply to accounts using VISA as the Online Bill Payment service provider.

Intuit Service Center
The above methods may be used with any Online Bill Payment service provider. However, there are some known issues with multiple payees when using Online Bill Payment through Intuit Service Center(ISC).

When you create and send an electronic payment (Epay or Apay) in Money, ISC returns information concerning the number of days required to make the payments, new address information, etc. Money uses this information to update the Payee details for that payee. At this time, ISC assigns a Merchant ID number based upon the mailing address of the payee.

Multiple payees sent to the same address are assigned the same Merchant ID by ISC.

When ISC determines, based upon the Merchant ID number, that a payee can be paid electronically rather than by paper check, ISC sends instructions to modify the Payee Details for all payees with the same Merchant ID on the next connection. The payee becomes an Electronic Merchant that requires fewer days to pay as these payees are paid electronically.

The Payee Details for this type of payee changes to:

Centralized Billing Pay Online IL 605323128

When ISC updates a payee to Electronic Merchant status, the phone number does not change. However, the account number may change if ISC has determined that the payee wants the customer’s account number changed to a specific format.

NOTE: In Money 5.0, you can edit the account number of an Electronic Merchant payee without affecting the days required to pay that payee. In Money 4, changing the account number increases the days required to pay this payee to 4 days.

Subsequent Updates
Issues arise with ISC when Electronic Merchant payees are subsequently updated by ISC. Refer to your version of Money referenced below.

Money 5.0
If ISC subsequently sends updated information to change the number of days required to pay a particular Merchant ID, Money only updates the Payee Details for the first instance of the payee.

This can result in the first instance of a payee requiring a certain number of days to send a payment, and all other instances of the same payee remaining as originally updated.

In the rare case where all payee instances are originally set to 1 day payees, and the relationship between ISC and the payee changes such that ISC has to change the payee to a 4 day payee, only the first instance of that payee changes in Money. This could result in an incorrect due date calculation for the other instances of the payee.

Money 4.0a
If ISC sends a information to change the days to pay an Electronic Merchant, the first instance of a payee may be updated in such a way that the account number is changed to the account number of a different instance of that payee.

This was corrected in Money 5.0 for Windows 95.

E

Additional reference words: w_money V.I. VI Pay On-line online pay scuz wrong account

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========================================================= Keywords : kbonline Version : 4.0 4.0a 5.0 Platform : WINDOWS ============================================================================= Copyright Microsoft Corporation 1997.