FAQ: How to categorize each payout?

FAQ: How to categorize each payout?

Overview

If you are selling multiple products (Memberships, Guest Passes, Party Tickets, etc.) across multiple AGS platforms (Application Portal, Marketplace, Booking Portal, etc.), you may need to know what the payout is for.  

In this article you will find...
  1. How payouts work
  2. Types of transactions
  3. An Example (#1)
    1. How transactions are recorded in the account portal.
    2. How is the balance is calculated and payout issued?
    3. How to categorize the sales.
  4. How refunds effect your payouts (examples #2 & #3)
  5. How to categorize AGS charges
  6. Example of "Matching AGS Fees" (example #4)
  7. FAQs
    1. What specific transactions make up a specific payout? 
    2. Are there AGS fees on refunds?
    3. How to do I tally a specific product or services I'm selling?
    4. What if I am selling the same product on more than one AGS platform? 
    5. What is the difference between a Payout and Sale?
    6. When exactly do payouts occur? 
    7. How is a payout calculated?  
  8. Tips
Important: When viewing transactions in the account portal, transactions with negative values is money AGS owes you.  Transactions with a positive values is money you owe AGS. 

How payouts work
Your balance is the sum of all transactions at a specific moment in time.  If your balance is negative when AGS calculates your payout, a payout is issued.  This is done monthly or daily.  Depending on your payout preference.  



Types of transactions
  1. Patron Sale: A member of your community purchases a product or service on an AGS platform. 
    1. Example: A member buys a $5 guest pass. 
  2. AGS Credit: AGS issues the community a credit.  
    1. Example: AGS issues a $300 multi-service discount to the community.
  3. Payment: Your community makes a payment to AGS. 
    1. Example: The property manager pays an invoice by mailing a check to AGS.  
  4. Patron Refund: Your community issues a refund back to your patron's credit card via the AGS platform.
    1. Example: Your board member issues a $50 refund to a patron for a declined membership.    
  5. AGS Charge: AGS charges the community.
    1. Example: Your property manager approves an application requesting a set of classic passes printed.  
  6. Payout: AGS transfers money to the community.
    1. Example: AGS mails the community a $100 payout check.  
  7. Patron Dispute: Disputes are triggered if the credit card company forces a refund (dispute is opened) or credit (dispute is won).
    1. Example: The credit card company automatically transfers $25 from the community's account back to the patron's credit card.  
Note: AGS Charges are not limited to payment processing fees.  They may also include pass mailing, subscriptions, hardware purchases, etc.  

Example #1
Lets look at an example of 3 patron sales that occur over 3 AGS platforms that are 3 different products. We'll use the standard 4.9%+$1 per transaction AGS fee for all examples.

March 6th
  1. $5 Guest Pass purchased in the AGS Marketplace. 
  2. $100 membership and a $5 Guest Pass totaling $105 via an Online Application. 
  3. $20 Party Ticket is purchased via the AGS Booking Portal.  
How is this recorded in the Account Portal?
On March 6th, there are 6 line items.  3 for the patron sales and 3 for the corresponding AGS fees.  
  1. -$5.00: Paton Sale: MARKETPLACE
  2. $1.25: Payment Processing: MARKETPLACE
  3. -$105.00: Paton Sale: ONLINE APPLICATION
  4. $6.15: Payment Processing: ONLINE APPLICATION
  5. -$20.00: Paton Sale: EVENT SIGNUP
  6. $1.98: Payment Processing: EVENT SIGNUP
Notice: There is only one line item for the ONLINE APPLICATION sale.  There is not two line items.  The membership & guest pass are a single transaction.  

How is the payout issued for this example? 
In this case, the balance is negative $120.62 (sum all 6 lines).  A payout of $120.62 is issued.  

How to categorize this payout of $120.62
In this example, the total patron sales were $130.00.  The AGS fees were $9.38.  You can categorize $130.00 in sales.  Here is how...
Notice this payout is 3 different products over 3 different platforms.  In this example...
  1. Marketplace
    1. View the Analysis Tab
    2. Export the data in the Transactions Tab
  2. Booking Portal
    1. Export the data in the bookings tab
    2. Export the data in the events tab (summary of all events)
    3. Export the data for a specific event (individual event signups)
  3. Application Portal
    1. Export the application submissions: Full Report
In this example, after tallying each of the 3 product's sales, they will tally to $130.  $10 for two guest passes plus $100 for memberships plus $20 for a party ticket.    

Example #2: How do refunds effect payouts?
Lets look at the same example.  This time, lets add a refund to the Party Ticket.   

March 6th
  1. $5 Guest Pass purchased in the AGS Marketplace. 
  2. $100 membership and a $5 Guest Pass totaling $105 via an Online Application. 
  3. $20 Party Ticket is purchased via the AGS Booking Portal.  
March 9th
  1. The $20 Party Ticket is refunded via the AGS Booking Portal.  
How is this recorded in the Account Portal?
On March 6th, there are 6 line items.  3 for the patron sales and 3 for the corresponding AGS fees.  
  1. -$5.00: Paton Sale: MARKETPLACE
  2. $1.25: Payment Processing: MARKETPLACE
  3. -$105.00: Paton Sale: ONLINE APPLICATION
  4. $6.15: Payment Processing: ONLINE APPLICATION
  5. -$20.00: Paton Sale: EVENT SIGNUP
  6. $1.98: Payment Processing: EVENT SIGNUP
On March 9th, there is 1 line item.  
  1. $20.00 Paton Refund: EVENT SIGNUP
How is the payout issued? 
In this case, the balance is negative $100.62 (sum all 7 lines).  A payout of $100.62 is issued.

How to categorize this payout of $100.62
In this example, the total patron sales were $110.00.  ($130 minus $20).  The AGS fees were $9.38.  You can categorize $110.00 in sales.  Here is how...
Same as the previous example but this time, notice...
  1. Marketplace
    1. View the Analysis Tab
    2. Export the data in the Transactions Tab
  2. Booking Portal
    1. Export the data in the bookings tab
    2. Export the data in the events tab (summary of all events) - In this example, you will see the $20 refund issued on the March 6th line item.  
    3. Export the data for a specific event (individual event signups)
  3. Application Portal
    1. Export the application submissions
In this example, after tallying each of the 3 product's sales, they will tally to $110.  $10 for two guest passes plus $100 for memberships plus $20 for a party ticket minus the $20 party ticket refund.    

Example #3: How do refunds effect payouts if the refund is issued AFTER the original payout?
Lets look at the same example.  This time, lets issue a payout.  After the payout is issued, lets refund the Party Ticket.  We'll add a 1 more patron sale to make the example clearer.  

March 6th
  1. $5 Guest Pass purchased in the AGS Marketplace. 
  2. $100 membership and a $5 Guest Pass totaling $105 via an Online Application. 
  3. $20 Party Ticket is purchased via the AGS Booking Portal.  
March 9th
  1. A $120.63 payout is issued.  
March 15th
  1. $100 membership via an Online Application. 
March 18th
  1. The $20 Party Ticket is refunded via the AGS Booking Portal for the March 6th transaction.  
How is this recorded in the Account Portal?
On March 6th, there are 6 line items.  3 for the patron sales and 3 for the corresponding AGS fees.  
  1. -$5.00: Paton Sale: MARKETPLACE
  2. $1.25: Payment Processing: MARKETPLACE
  3. -$105.00: Paton Sale: ONLINE APPLICATION
  4. $6.15: Payment Processing: ONLINE APPLICATION
  5. -$20.00: Paton Sale: EVENT SIGNUP
  6. $1.98: Payment Processing: EVENT SIGNUP
On March 9th, there is 1 line item.  
  1. $120.63 Payout Distributed.  Note: This zeros out this example account. 
On March 15th, there are 2 line items.  1 for the patron sales and 1 for the corresponding AGS fees.  
  1. -$100.00: Paton Sale: Online Application
  2. $5.90: AGS Charge: Processing Fee
On March 18th, there is 1 line item.  
  1. $20.00 Paton Refund: Event Signup
How is the next payout issued? 
In this case, the balance is negative $74.10 (sum all 3 lines).  A payout of $74.10 is issued.

How to categorize this payout of $74.10
In this example, the total patron sales were $80.00.  ($100 minus $20).  The AGS fees were $5.90.  You can categorize $80.00 in sales.  Here is how...
Notice this payout has 1 sale and 1 refund.  The sale and refund are in two different platforms.   In this example...
  1. Booking Portal - Even though you do not have sales, you need to find the refund in order for your leger to balance out.  
    1. Export the individual event signup: Sort then tally the patron sales - In this case, you will see a $20 refund in a column.    
  2. Application Portal
    1. Export the application submissions
After tallying the 1 sale and 1 refund, they will tally to $80.00 and you can now allocate by product type.  In this case, $100.00 for the application and negative $20.00 for the booking.  
Notice in this case, the payout ($74.10) was triggered by the application sale but was significantly reduced by the booking refund. If your cheapest membership is $100, at first glance, the $74.10 looks wrong.  You'll need to reconcile both the patron sales and refunds.    

How to categorize AGS fees?
In the original example #1, you may also need to categorize the $9.38 in AGS charges.   AGS fees are always recoded an logged in the Account Portal, never the AGS platform.  There are two ways to find and sort.
  1. Account Portal
    1. View the Reports Page (The display tallies per month to match your monthly statement)
    2. Export the data in the transactions tab
In this example, after tallying each of the 3 AGS charges, they will tally to $9.38.  $1.25: Payment Processing: MARKETPLACE plus $6.15: Payment Processing: ONLINE APPLICATION plus $1.98: Payment Processing: EVENT SIGNUP.    


Example #4: I'm electing to "Match AGS processing fees".  How does this effect the payout?

Matching AGS processing fees simply adds a line item prior to checkout.  All the math and calculations are still exactly the same.  Lets look at a simple $5 guest pass example.  The member pays $6.25 for a single guest pass. ($5.00 Guest Pass plus $1.25 AGS fee)          
March 6th
  1. $6.25 Guest Pass purchased in the AGS Marketplace
How is this recorded in the Account Portal?
On March 6th, there are 2 line items.   
  1. -$6.25: Paton Sale: MARKETPLACE 
  2. $1.25: Payment Processing: MARKETPLACE
How is the payout issued for this example? 
In this case, the balance is negative $5.00 (sum all 2 lines).  A payout of $5.00 is issued. - Notice, the payout (what lands in your bank account) is exactly $5.00.

How to categorize this payout of $5.00
In this simple example, the total patron sales were $6.25.  You can categorize $6.25 in: Paton Sale: MARKETPLACE sales. 

How to categorize the AGS fees of $1.25
In this simple example, after tallying each of the AGS charges, they will tally to $1.25.  You can categorize $1.25 in: Payment Processing: MARKETPLACE fees. 

Miscellaneous FAQs

What specific transactions make up a specific payout?  Can AGS provide a breakdown of charges [payments] and the amount paid [payout]?   
AGS utilizes Stripe to secure all payments and payouts.  We'll refer to Stripe for this response. (https://support.stripe.com/questions/find-what-transactions-were-included-in-or-impacted-a-payout-amount)

Due to the nature of manual payouts [Daily Payouts], it is not possible to see these breakdowns, as there is no explicit connection between charges [payments] or specific activity [transactions] and the amount decided upon to be paid [payout].

Are there AGS fees on refunds?
No, there are no additional AGS fees if refunds are issued.  In Example #2, notice there is only one line item when the refund was issued.  

How to do I tally a specific product or service I'm selling?
Go to the AGS platform you are selling your product.  In some cases, you can view a pre-built AGS report.  In all cases, you can export, sort, and tally the raw data. 

What if I am selling the same product on more than one AGS platform? 
This is common for guest passes.  To make it more convenient for patrons, many communities sell the same thing (guest passes) in more than one place.  Both the marketplace and application .   
In example #1, tally the guest passes sold in the marketplace and tally the guest passes sold on the application.  1 guest pass sold in the marketplace and 1 guest pass sold on the application.   

What is the difference between a Payout and Sale?  I'm trying to categorize $120.62 because that is what landed in my bank account not $130? 
Your "Payout" is different than your "Sales".  In example #1, your sales are $130.00 not $120.62.  The AGS fees associated with $130.00 in sales is $9.38.  In example #1, they were only processing fees.  But you may have other transactions not associated with the $130.00 that effect your balance.  Subscription fees, pass printing fees, hardware sales, AGS credits, daily payout, etc.  

When exactly do payouts occur?  
For a detailed explanation on the timing, CLICK HERE.  

How is a payout calculated?     
Monthly Payouts: The exact calculation is displayed on your monthly statement.  It is the sum of all transitions in one month UTC time.  
Daily Payouts: For a detailed explanation on the daily calculation, CLICK HERE.  


Tips
   
If you need to categorize all sales over multiple AGS platforms, issue payouts monthly.
Payouts issued daily have a 3 day delay prior to funds becoming available for payouts.  This makes reconciling on a daily basis harder, to read more and learn how: CLICK HERE. 
AGS issues monthly statements.  Similar to a monthly electric bill.  Reconciling a monthly statement 12 times is easer than reconciling daily rolling balances 365 times.  

AGS's account portal uses UTC time
Some interactive displays (the application portal) uses local time.  Local time is used on most displays became you can provide customer support easer.  i.e. I submitted my application at 8pm last night.  When reconciling accounts, be sure to use UTC time.  All account portal data and statements use UTC time rather than local time.  

Apply a filter prior to exporting.  
Filters and time ranges can be applied prior to exports.  If you are looking for AGS Charges from March 1st to March 31st, apply the date and "AGS Charge" filter.  

Apply a filter to the account portal's transaction's tab.  Especially when looking for refunds or results to patron disputes.    
If you want to know if you issued any refunds during a period, apply the "Patron Refund" and "Patron Dispute" filter.