ALIS Pay: Payment Gateway Reference Guide

ALIS Pay is the fully integrated payment gateway that streamlines your financial operations. The payment gateway automates everything from transaction processing and invoice reconciliation to reporting, all from within ALIS.

Benefits to using ALIS Pay

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  • Easy to use and aims to save time and effort, never taking you outside of ALIS to complete payments. 
  • In addition to transaction processing, provides automatic invoice reconciliation, automatic deposit record keeping, and split pay payments across 2 or more accounts.
  • Accelerates your cash flow with a maximum 2-day funding window.
  • The experience provides in-app reporting.
  • Through ALIS Connect, resident payers and families have a convenient and secure portal for ACH and credit card payments. 
  • Support from the ALIS team ensures reliability and responsiveness to your questions.

About ALIS Pay

ALIS Pay is a payment gateway feature within ALIS that allows us to integrate with a third party software for processing your ACH pulls, check deposits, and credit card payments.

We integrate with 2 third party payment processors: iStream and Fiserv. ACH and check scanning is done via iStream, whereas credit card payments are done via a separate integration with Fiserv. 

This payment gateway service does not facilitate automatic payments. All payments are completed in ALIS by an administrator, or by the payers themselves within ALIS Connect. 

The setup of ALIS Pay requires that each community in ALIS submits its own application and Merchant Account. Typical time needed for full setup is 10-14 business days. Review the below Apply for ALIS Pay section for more details on how to get started. 

Apply for ALIS Pay

The first step to setting up ALIS Pay is submitting an application or applications should you want all payment processing options (ACH, check scanning, credit card). The application is necessary for the above-mentioned third party software(s) to process your payments. 

1. Contact your Account Manager or our ALIS Customer Success Team to communicate your interest in setting up ALIS Pay. Our team will send you the application with a cover letter that helps guide you through filling it out. If you would like to set up ALIS Pay for multiple communities, note that you will need to submit an individual application for each community.
2. Ideally, fill out the application online in a PDF software (such as Adobe Reader). When your team is ready to sign the application, print the completed document and sign on paper.
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     • Required addendums to your application include bank statements, and optional addendums are driver's license and business license. It is possible to submit without the optional addendums, but your payment processor provider may reach out to request these items if they are not initially included.
     • For credit cards, specific fees should be discussed at the time of application. The usage fees must be paid by the community, and there is no way to transmit this fee to the payer. It is possible to invoice a "convenience fee" for credit card transactions, but by federal law this must be the same amount regardless of the transaction amount.
     • It is recommended that you complete and send all applications at one time, but if you choose to do applications at different times, all accounts can be linked for you to access with a single login to the payment processor provider portal. 
3. Once you are sure all fields are filled out and all signatures are present, send the application(s) to alispay@go-alis.com.
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      • It typically takes around 4-7 business days for an application to be approved and for credentials to be provided for us to set up the gateway in ALIS, however this time may vary based on the third party's verification needs.
      • While your application is processing, you can begin to set up resident payers and payer details in ALIS to prepare for your 'go-live' with the payment gateway feature. See the below next section for more information and steps on what actions to take.
4. Once the application is processed through the third party, we will apply their credentials to finalize your integration(s). Our team will confirm with that this has been completed.

Set resident payers in ALIS

While your application is processing, you can begin to set up resident payers in ALIS. This includes verifying default payers and updating some important payment details. 

Keep in mind that it is not possible to add the payers' bank account or credit card information until your application has been processed. However, it is worthwhile to gather those details in the meantime for easy entry once the payment gateway in ALIS is established.

1. Determine a day or days of the month when your team plans to do ACH pulls from payer accounts.
2. Audit your default payers.
   • The most efficient way to do this is by using the Payers report which can be accessed in the Billing section of your ALIS Reports page. This report provides a list of residents and their current default payers. If no payer setup has occurred yet, all residents will be defaulted to being their own default payers. 
3. Navigate to respective resident profiles to update payers (if applicable). For instructions on how to set up default payers and edit, read this guide: How to Set a Resident Payer. 
   • Non-resident payers will first need to be added as a contact.
   • Once a contact payer has been added, edit their contact details and update the Payer section of Edit Contact page. Note that should be set to the 'Yes - Default' option.
4. For all ACH payers, update the payer profile to include ACH preferences, as well as determine the date the monthly transaction will run.

   • Use the Options menu to the far right of your payer, and select either Edit Contact (for payers other than the resident) or Edit Payer Details (for residents who are their own payer).

     

   • This directs you to the Edit Contact or Resident Payer Details page depending on your payer. In the Payer Details section, set the Payment Preference to ACH, and select the Payment Date Preference (preferred day of the month when your team plans to do ACH pulls). If you have not done so already, it is also particularly recommended to update the Invoice Preference too. Click Save & Go Back. 

Set ACH/CC payment methods in ALIS

Once your application has processed and our team has finalized your payment gateway integration(s), you can begin to set up payment methods for payers. Note that the below steps outline how to set up ACH payment information required for recurring ACH pulls, but you can utilize these same steps for adding credit card information. 

1. Navigate to the Payers blue bar of the resident billing profile. Use the Options menu to the far right of a payer, and select either Edit Contact (for payers other than the resident) or Edit Payer Details (for residents who are their own payer).
2. In the Edit Contact or Resident Payer Details page, scroll down to the Payment Methods section. This is where you will now be able to add the payer's bank account information. Click +Add Payment Method, and choose Bank Account. In the pane that opens to the right, enter the required details.
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     • Add the Account Nickname and Account Holder Name. Typically the Account Nickname is the Resident's name regardless of whether or not they are set as the default payer for easier transactions management.
     • Enter the correct Routing and Account #s.
     • Select the Account Type and indicate if it is a personal or business account. 
     • Keep the default 'Use for Recurring Payments' checkbox selected. This will be necessary for you to be able to run recurring ACH payments.
     • You have the option to set a max amount per transaction for this payment method. Refer to this Set Max Limit for ACH and Credit Card Transactions guide for more information.
     • Scroll down to create a new Billing Address associated with the payment method.
     • Click Add Payment Method to save. This adds the payment method to this section and tags it as a 'Recurring' payment. You can add more payment methods and Manage Recurring Payment(s) further, which includes setting up Split Pay payments. 

Process Payments in ALIS

After invoicing, you will process payments in the Payment Center using your ALIS Pay Gateway. The below steps outline how to do ACH pulls and credit card payments. For information on how to process check deposits in ALIS, refer to this ALIS Pay: Check Scanning Reference Guide. 

If you are using ALIS Connect, resident or contact payers have the ability to set up their own payment method information. This can be particularly useful for them to do if you have agreed that they will submit their own recurring payments.  See the below ALIS Connect section for more details.

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   1. In the Payment Center, click the +Collect ACH/CC button. This opens pane to the right for you to verify payment processing details before reviewing specific payments information.
      • Select the correct Payment Method.
      • The Payment Date Preference can be left as 'All' or the date that pre-populates unless you only want to run payments on different, specified dates. In order to have multiple options in this menu, you must set the Payment Date Preference for individual payers.
      • Review the Balance Due as of date for accuracy so that any payers with outstanding invoices as of that date will appear in the next page. 
      • The Default Application Type and Amount selections will default to what you have chosen in your Billing Settings.
      • Click Next: Review.
   2. This takes you to the Payment Gateway Bulk Payment page where you will review payment details before submitting the payment(s).
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        • The Amount and Apply to fields will populate based on your settings. Amount will either show the outstanding balance or the max transaction limit if it has been set, but you can always edit this field. The number you add to the Amount field will be the amount withdrawn or charged. 
        • You have the option to Finish Later and save an in-progress payment submission. If you click this button at the top of the page, ALIS will save your work even if you navigate away from this page. When you return to the Payment Center, and attempt to collect ACH or credit card payments again, you will have the option to continue your in-progress submission or start a new one.
2. Once you have reviewed payments details in full and made any necessary adjustments, click Submit Payments. When you submit payments in ALIS, these are immediately sent to your bank. The bank either declines or accepts the payment and communicates the status back to the payment processor. Your payment processor adds a fee (if applicable) based on that transaction.

ACH Return timelines

These timelines indicate the delay between a successful submission and a potential failure notification. You should account for these processing times before assuming a payment has permanently cleared.

• Funding: ACH payments typically take 2–3 business days after the original payment date to fully fund. 
• Return:  A return notification—such as for Non-Sufficient Funds (NSF) is generally processed 5–7 business days after the original payment date. 

Void ACH Payments

You are only able to void gateway payments until 8pm CT / 9pm EST on the same day they were processed. We recommend voiding the payment as soon as possible in case additional assistance from our team is needed at the point of voiding the payment. Note that voiding a payment cannot be undone, and this action will unapply the payment from any associated invoices. Refer to this ALIS Pay: Refunds and Voids guide for more information.

To process a void directly in ALIS you must also currently be integrated with iStream, our newest payment processing provider. For legacy customers still integrated with Fiserv for ACH, you will need to process the void in the CardConnect portal first and then mark the corresponding payment as voided in ALIS.  For questions about your payment gateway integration, contact your company administrator, Account Manager, or our ALIS Customer Success Team.

Transfer ALIS Pay payments 

ALIS Pay payments can be transferred between resident, applicants, and moved out residents. These gateway payments may be transferred multiple times if needed, just like recorded payments in ALIS.

1. Navigate to the Payments blue bar of the resident profile. On the payment you need to transfer, click Options > Transfer.
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     • Note that you can only transfer unapplied gateway payments. Therefore, if you do not see the Transfer option in your Options dropdown menu you most likely need to edit the invoice and unapply the payment.
2. In the pop-up that appears, select the name of the profile (Resident, Applicant, Moved Out) where you will transfer the payment. Then choose the correct Payer.
3. Click Transfer.  
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      • Once transferred, you will immediately see that payment with detailed notes on both profiles indicating that the payment was transferred. Transferred ALIS Pay payments will always include the Txn # from the payment provider, which will help you identify the original payment data in the ALIS Pay Report.
      • It is important to note that transferring an ALIS Pay payment from the initial resident it was processed for to another profile severs the link to the Gateway. Therefore, actions like gateway refunds and voids will no longer properly work for the transferred amount. Instead, you will need to use our existing manual workflows for recording a refund and voiding payments.

Audit ALIS Pay transactions 

Audit ALIS Pay transactions either in the Payment Center or ALIS Reports. Note that you can also view transaction history in the Payments blue bar of the resident profile. 

Payment Center

In the Payment Gateway Txns tab of the Payment Center, you can review the Job Details column to see the status and click the View button for more details.

ALIS Reports

In the ALIS Pay Report found in the Billing Reports section of your ALIS Reports tab, click the linked Txn # on the left to view transaction details. Refer to the Gateway Status column to see the status of your transaction.

For more information on how to interpret payment gateway response codes, refer to this What are the gateway payment response codes? guide. 

Pay bills in ALIS Connect 

The ALIS Connect portal allows resident or contact payers to add their payment details so that your billing administrator can do the ACH withdrawals, and for them to review invoices and complete payments on their own. It is necessary to communicate clearly with the resident or contact payer to decide whether your billing team will run the payments or if they will process payments themselves.

1. First, be sure to give payers the correct access in ALIS Connect. Resident or contact payers need a level of access that allows them to view billing details. 
   • Manage ALIS Connect users in the Access tab of your ALIS Connect Center. This involves sending the payers email invitations to access the portal. Read this How to pay bills in ALIS Connect guide for more details.
2. Once the resident or contact payer is logged into ALIS Connect, they can access the Billing section and click +Add Payment Method.
   • This is where they will add their bank account or credit card information along with the relevant billing address.
   • Once this step has been completed, you will be able to process payments in the Payment Center.

If you do not have ALIS Connect and are interested in enabling it for your community, reach out to your Account Manager or our ALIS Customer Success Team for assistance.

Related Articles: 

• ALIS Pay: Check Scanning Reference Guide
• Collect ALIS Pay Payments through ALIS Connect
• ALIS Pay: Monthly ACH Pulls
• ALIS Pay: Refunds and Voids
• ALIS Connect Reference Guide
• How to pay bills in ALIS Connect

For more assistance with ALIS Pay,

Contact our ALIS Customer Success Team:

888.404.ALIS (2547) or support@go-alis.com