Hostel store purchases on the hostel bill
With SmartMy POS, a resident buys at the hostel store or tuck shop and pays later on the hostel bill. Each sale becomes a Store Purchases charge on the stay. It is invoiced with the other hostel charges, and income and tax are not counted twice.
PLANSFrom GrowthWith SmartMy POS
The problem it solves
- Residents run up credit at the tuck shop in a notebook that nobody totals.
- The store asks the hostel office to add sales to bills by hand at month end.
- A resident moves out and the store finds out a week later that money is owed.
- Accounts count the store's income once in the shop and again on the hostel bill.
How it works
- In SmartMy POS, add a payment method of the kind Hostel Bill to the register.
- On the register, choose the Hostel Bill Clearing account, a current asset account. It holds store sales until the hostel invoices them.
- At the counter, the cashier chooses the resident as the customer. The screen shows whether the customer can buy on the hostel bill, and which hostel.
- The cashier takes the payment with Hostel Bill. The sale becomes a Store Purchases charge on the resident's stay.
- The hostel invoices it with the other charges: by the daily billing, at the final settlement, or at once with Invoice Now.
- A refund of such a sale goes back to the hostel bill, up to what was charged.
Everything it does
When a sale can go on the hostel bill
- The customer is the resident of a stay that is checked in or on notice
- The hostel belongs to the Entity of the register
- The hostel bills by hostel invoices; a hostel billed through Campus fees uses the student fee account in the POS
- The Hostel Bill Clearing account is set; without it the method is not offered at the counter
The charge
- Charge head Store Purchases, without taxes; named after the register and the order
- Always the resident's own, never split with other payers of the stay
- Point of Sale > Hostel Bill Charges lists them, To Invoice first; filters Invoiced, Waived and Date; group by Resident, Month or Status
- Invoice Now: POS managers invoice the chosen charges, or all not invoiced yet
- The POS order shows its charges on a Hostel Bill tab
Accounting
- The POS session entry debits the Hostel Bill Clearing account, with the income and tax of the sale
- The store lines of the hostel invoice credit that account, without tax, so nothing is counted twice
- The clearing account is an Entity setting, changed on any register
Refunds
- Only a sale paid with Hostel Bill can be refunded to it, up to what it charged less earlier refunds
- A full refund of a charge not invoiced yet waives it
- Otherwise a negative charge goes on the next invoice
Staff who pay by salary
- Store purchases of a Pay by Salary stay are deducted on the payslip's Hostel line with the rest
- The salary entry sends the store part to the Hostel Bill Clearing account
- At exit, store purchases not yet deducted are their own due in the final settlement
Who uses it
POS cashierChooses the resident and takes the payment with Hostel Bill.
POS managerUses Invoice Now and handles refunds to the hostel bill.
AccountsSets the clearing account and checks that it clears.
ResidentBuys without cash and pays the store purchases on the hostel invoice.
Where you use it
- Web: the POS counter with the Hostel Bill method. Point of Sale > Hostel Bill Charges (POS supervisors and managers). The Hostel Bill tab of a POS order, and Hostel Bill Clearing on the register
- Not a spending limit per resident on the hostel bill
- Not for guardians: the customer must be the resident; a parent cannot buy on the child's hostel bill
What you control
Settings
- Payment method of the kind Hostel Bill: per register
- Hostel Bill Clearing: per Entity, a current asset account, set on the register
Notifications
- No message at the counter; store purchases reach the resident on the next Hostel Invoice, in the app and by email. WhatsApp and SMS come from your message credits, and app push once the apps are in the stores
Works with
SmartMy POSNeeded for this page: the store counter, payment methods, sessions and refunds.
SmartMy HRMSFor staff residents who pay by salary, store purchases are taken from the salary with the other hostel charges.
Questions
Can a resident buy at the tuck shop without cash?
Yes. The cashier chooses the resident and takes the payment with Hostel Bill. It goes on the next hostel invoice.Is the store purchase split with the parent or company who pays the rent?
No. Store purchases are always the resident's own, whoever else pays parts of the stay.What if the resident has moved out?
The sale is refused. Only a resident of a stay that is checked in or on notice can buy on the hostel bill.How are refunds handled?
A refund goes back to the hostel bill up to what the sale charged. If the charge is not invoiced yet it is waived, otherwise a negative charge goes on the next invoice.Our hostel bills through school fees. Can students still buy on credit?
Yes, through the student fee account method of the POS instead of the hostel bill. Purchases become a monthly due on the fee ledger.Related features
BILLINGRent bills raised each periodEvery night the system adds the rent that has fallen due, puts the open charges on invoices and sends them to whoever pays. When a resident gives notice, moves room or leaves early, rent already billed is corrected with an adjustment or a credit note.BILLINGRent collection online and at the deskEvery invoice goes out with a link to pay, and residents and guardians also find Pay on the portal and in the app. Money paid at the desk, in cash, UPI or by card, gets a numbered receipt and goes against the oldest dues first.CHECK-OUT AND SETTLEMENTFinal settlement of the depositWhen a resident leaves, one screen sets the deposit held against the last rent, unpaid bills and any deductions such as damage. A hostel manager approves it, and settling it leaves the exact refund, or what is still due, on record.WITH OTHER SMARTMY PRODUCTSStaff residents with rent deducted from salaryA staff member who lives in the hostel can pay through the salary. Tick Pay by Salary on the stay, and the resident's hostel charges are not invoiced. The next payslip deducts them in one Hostel line, as far as the net pay goes, and the exit settlement recovers the rest.BILLINGSeveral payers and employer billingSay who pays what on each stay. A parent pays the rent and the resident the rest, or a company pays 70 % and the employee 30 %. Each payer gets their own invoices, and an employer that leases many beds gets one invoice for all its residents.
See it with your own blocks and classes.
Tell us how many hostels and students you have. We will show you an allotment, a leave request approved by a parent and a night roll call, set up the way your hostel works.