Wrong donor selected on a closed batch

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euthorus
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Wrong donor selected on a closed batch

#1

Post by euthorus »

An error was made and the donation was recorded under a wrong donor's name. I am unable to change this now since it happened at the beginning of the year. What should I do to record the tithing donation under the correct donor and fix the previously made error ?

Is there a way to edit a closed batch ?
enochh
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Re: Wrong donor selected on a closed batch

#2

Post by enochh »

I have a similar question so I thought I'd piggyback onto this post. We have a donor who submitted a donation for he and his spouse but the amount was recorded entirely under the husband but it was suppose to be split between the husband and wife. The batch is closed and was at the very beginning of the year. It won't let me change the amount for husband and add a new donation for the wife. I was thinking I could make a new donation for the wife for 1/2 the amount and another new donation for the husband at -1/2 the amount. For instance, assuming a $100 donation, I would create a new $50 donation for the spouse and a new donation for the husband in the negative (-$50). Would this work?
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aebrown
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Re: Wrong donor selected on a closed batch

#3

Post by aebrown »

enochh wrote:For instance, assuming a $100 donation, I would create a new $50 donation for the spouse and a new donation for the husband in the negative (-$50). Would this work?
No. You can't create a negative donation amount in any category for a donation slip within a donation batch, and certainly not overall -- MLS simply doesn't allow it.
jdlessley
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Re: Wrong donor selected on a closed batch

#4

Post by jdlessley »

euthorus wrote:Is there a way to edit a closed batch ?
Yes, there is. If the entire donation slip was entered using the wrong donor name then go to Finance > View/Update Donations and click on the date for the batch to open it. Find the donation in question and click the [incorrect] donor name. Either type in the correct donor name or click the magnifier glass icon to locate the correct donor name. Then click the "Save Donation" button. You will be prompted to enter a reason for the change. Something such as "correct donor name" would be appropriate for this situation. Print the updated donation batch report and replace the previous batch report in the donation batch records file. While not required by any procedure, I and the counselor who did the batch with me, or the bishop, initial the new batch report. Do a send/receive and print and file the transmission report. Shred the old, replaced donation batch report.

Since there is change made after tithing settlement to a donation prior to tithing settlement, it may be necessary to correct the tithing settlement report. I have never done this so I am not aware of the procedure for this.
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jdlessley
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Re: Wrong donor selected on a closed batch

#5

Post by jdlessley »

enochh wrote:Would this work?
As aebrown has noted, donation amount changes cannot be made to closed donation batches locally in MLS. But the change can be made by the administrative office. You can either send in an MLS message or contact LUS to have the change made. Changes such as this are possible. But changes to donation amounts that affect the total donation batch amount or the instruments used (check, currency, coin) amounts are not possible.
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gregwanderson
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Re: Wrong donor selected on a closed batch

#6

Post by gregwanderson »

enochh wrote:I have a similar question so I thought I'd piggyback onto this post. We have a donor who submitted a donation for he and his spouse but the amount was recorded entirely under the husband but it was suppose to be split between the husband and wife. The batch is closed and was at the very beginning of the year. It won't let me change the amount for husband and add a new donation for the wife.
That's odd. In my experience, you can add to a batch and/or change details within the batch as long as the grand total of the day's donations remains unchanged. So, following the instructions already given, you ought to be able to correct this situation. Change the husband's donation (but don't try to add a new donation in a negative amount) and then add the wife's donation to make up the difference in the batch total. If this isn't possible (and if my experience in the past is no longer relevant), I have another idea.

On any given Sunday when you're recording donations, let's say that you've received a donation from a family. Each of the 5 family members donated $10. The envelope contains 5 donation slips and a single check for $50. You can enter this donation using a feature called "add donation slip" (or something similar).

Now, as you're trying to correct this husband-and-wife donation, if you're unable to subtract from the husband's donation and add the wife's donation as a separate donation then perhaps you could use the "add donation slip" feature to add the wife's name to your corrected donation in your closed batch. Reduce the husband's part from 100% to 50% and then add the remainder to the wife's "donation slip."
Gary_Miller
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Re: Wrong donor selected on a closed batch

#7

Post by Gary_Miller »

enochh wrote:I have a similar question so I thought I'd piggyback onto this post. We have a donor who submitted a donation for he and his spouse but the amount was recorded entirely under the husband but it was suppose to be split between the husband and wife. The batch is closed and was at the very beginning of the year. It won't let me change the amount for husband and add a new donation for the wife. I was thinking I could make a new donation for the wife for 1/2 the amount and another new donation for the husband at -1/2 the amount. For instance, assuming a $100 donation, I would create a new $50 donation for the spouse and a new donation for the husband in the negative (-$50). Would this work?


You should only process one donation, using the name on the slip. If both the husbands and wife names are on the slip then I process the donation under the husbands name. If they wanted it split they should have given you separate donation slips in separate envelopes using separate funds.

All I would do at this time is make sure the both the husbands and wife's records are flagged to print the spouses name when you print the tax statement.

The biggest problem with trying to make this correction the way you want to is how the funds were received. For instance if the funds was in a check you can't split the check amount under two donors. If the funds was in cash and the split would cause it to have coins ($5.00 split in half would cause coins) then the balance of cash and coins in the batch would be off.
jdlessley
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Re: Wrong donor selected on a closed batch

#8

Post by jdlessley »

Gary_Miller wrote:For instance if the funds was in a check you can't split the check amount under two donors.
Actually this is perfectly acceptable. MLS is set up to handle this situation. Recording this in MLS is done by entering the single check for the first donor and then clicking the "New Slip" button to enter the second donor.
Gary_Miller wrote:If the funds was in cash and the split would cause it to have coins ($5.00 split in half would cause coins) then the balance of cash and coins in the batch would be off.
There can be multiple donors using any combination of instruments for the donation total for all the multiple donors.

Here is an example of multiple donors using a combination of donation instruments: A family of three hands the bishop an envelope containing three donation slips, one check for $375, another check for $375, a twenty dollar bill ($20), and sixty five cents ($0.65) in coins. Both the checks are from the same joint account with both spouse's names printed on the check and both signed by only one of the spouses. The donation slip for one spouse shows a total donation of $468.25 and has $750 listed for "Check(s)", $20 listed for "Currency", and $0.65 listed for "Coin". The donations for the other spouse totals $300.00 with nothing listed in "Check(s)", "Currency", or "Coin". The donations for the child total $2.40 with nothing listed in "Check(s)", "Currency", or "Coin".

The first donor slip information is entered in the left column of the donation screen. The donation instruments amounts are entered in the right column. The "New Slip" button is clicked. The second donor slip information is entered in the left column. The "New Slip" button is clicked and the third donor slip information is entered in the left column. The "Difference" in the right column should now be "$0.00". Save the donations by clicking the "Save Donation" button or Alt+S on the keyboard.

I have processed just such a case (the amounts are fictitious). I stapled the three donation slips together because of the manner in which the checks, currency and coin were recorded on just one slip.
JD Lessley
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lajackson
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Re: Wrong donor selected on a closed batch

#9

Post by lajackson »

jdlessley wrote:
Gary_Miller wrote:For instance if the funds was in a check you can't split the check amount under two donors.
Actually this is perfectly acceptable. MLS is set up to handle this situation. Recording this in MLS is done by entering the single check for the first donor and then clicking the "New Slip" button to enter the second donor.
After the batch is closed, you can edit the donor which will solve first case euthorus proposed.

After the batch is closed, can you split a donation from one slip to add a second slip? (I have never tried.) But if you can, the second case presented by enochh is easily fixed by editing the donation so that the original donor amount changes from $100 to $50 (using his example numbers) and a second slip is added in the name of the wife of the donor for $50, balancing the donation.

While this can be done while the batch is open, I suspect there may be a problem, since enochh said "It won't let me change the amount for husband and add a new donation for the wife." However, he also said he could not change the name of the donor in a closed batch, and I have done that on several occasions and know it is possible, so there may have been simply a procedural problem. He would not be adding a new donation for the wife, but rather, adjusting the original donation slip for the husband and adding a second donation slip for the wife. These two donation slips would account for the original husband's check.

This does not, of course, address the propriety of splitting the donation between two members when there is only one donation slip. If the members really intended to divide the donation half and half, they ought to have prepared two slips, albeit one check with two slips is acceptable.
jdlessley
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Re: Wrong donor selected on a closed batch

#10

Post by jdlessley »

lajackson wrote:After the batch is closed, can you split a donation from one slip to add a second slip?
No. I ran a test and tried to do this. The "New Slip" button is deactivated (grayed out). The only adjustments on the donation would be to change the donor name or adjust donation category amounts. The total donation amount could not be adjusted.
JD Lessley
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