Generate Property Tax Bills

Goal

Create customer-ready property tax bills for distribution, ensuring accurate billing based on current assessments and proper formatting for delivery to property owners.

When to Use

• Monthly billing cycle: Regular monthly property tax statements

• Quarterly statements: Comprehensive quarterly billing summaries

• Annual notices: Annual property tax bills and assessment notices

• Special assessments: Additional charges for improvements or special districts

• Corrected bills: Revised bills due to assessment or calculation changes

Prerequisites

• Posted assessments: Current property assessments must be posted and verified

• Customer setup: Property owners' contact information updated and validated

• Document templates: Bill formats configured and tested for accuracy

• Payment terms: Due dates and payment methods properly configured

• Distribution methods: Print services and email delivery systems operational

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Prepare Billing Run

• Navigate to Billing > Generate Tax Bills

• Select billing period (monthly, quarterly, or annual)

• Choose municipalities or districts for billing

• Verify cutoff dates for assessments and payments

[Screenshot: Billing menu showing Generate Tax Bills option and navigation path]

[Screenshot: Billing run preparation screen with period selection dropdown, municipality filters, and cutoff date settings]

2. Review Pre-Bill Validation

• Run Pre-Billing Report to identify issues:

  • Properties with missing assessments

  • Customers with incomplete contact information

  • Properties with payment plan adjustments

  • Special assessment additions or exemptions

[Screenshot: Pre-Billing Report interface with validation options and Run Report button]

[Screenshot: Pre-billing validation results showing property count, missing assessments, and customer data issues]

3. Configure Bill Parameters

• Select appropriate bill template for period type

• Set due dates based on municipal requirements

• Configure payment options (online, mail, in-person)

• Apply any discount periods for early payment

[Screenshot: Bill parameter configuration screen showing template selection dropdown, due date calendar, and payment method checkboxes]

[Screenshot: Payment options configuration showing online payment setup, discount period settings, and early payment terms]

4. Generate Bill Files

• Click Generate Bills to create billing batch

• Monitor generation progress by municipality

• Review bill summary statistics:

  • Total number of bills created

  • Total amount billed by tax type

  • Average bill amount per property

[Screenshot: Bill generation interface with Generate Bills button and progress monitoring section]

[Screenshot: Real-time bill generation progress showing municipality processing status, bills created count, and estimated completion time]

[Screenshot: Bill summary statistics displaying total bills, revenue amounts by tax type, and average bill calculations]

5. Quality Control Review

• Sample review of generated bills for accuracy

• Verify calculations against assessment records

• Check formatting and customer information

• Confirm payment instructions and due dates

[Screenshot: Quality control interface showing sample bill selection options and review checklist]

[Screenshot: Sample bill preview showing property details, tax calculations, payment instructions, and due date formatting]

6. Prepare for Distribution

• Print bills: Send batch to print service provider

• Email setup: Prepare electronic delivery for opted-in customers

• Mailing labels: Generate addresses for postal delivery

• Online posting: Make bills available in customer portal

[Screenshot: Distribution preparation screen with print service options, email delivery settings, and mailing label generation]

[Screenshot: Print service provider interface showing batch upload options, delivery preferences, and service provider selection]

7. Execute Distribution

• Release bills to print vendor

• Send email notifications to electronic billing customers

• Update customer accounts with bill generation date

• Create receivables entries for accounting

[Screenshot: Distribution execution dashboard showing print release confirmation, email delivery status, and account update progress]

[Screenshot: Customer account update confirmation showing bill generation dates and receivables entry creation status]

Example

Scenario: December monthly billing for 2,500 properties in Reykjavik

1. Preparation: Selected December billing period, validated 2,497 properties ready

2. Configuration: Applied December template with January 31st due date

3. Generation: Created 2,497 bills totaling ISK 45.8 million in 8 minutes

4. Quality Check: Reviewed sample of 25 bills, all calculations verified

5. Distribution: 1,850 bills to print, 647 via email, posted to online portal

6. Completion: All bills distributed within 2 business days

[Screenshot: Example billing summary for December 2024 showing 2,497 properties, ISK 45.8M total, and distribution breakdown]

[Screenshot: Sample December bill showing Reykjavik property tax calculation, January 31st due date, and payment options]

Common Errors & Fixes

What Happens After

• Bills sent to customers: Property owners receive tax bills via chosen method

• Receivables created: Accounting system updated with outstanding balances

• Payment tracking begins: System monitors payments against due dates

• Customer service ready: Support staff prepared for billing inquiries

• Collections process: Automated reminders scheduled for overdue accounts

• Reporting available: Bill generation reports created for management review

Screenshot Placeholders

This section contains a comprehensive list of all screenshot placeholders that should be captured for this workflow:

• [Screenshot: Billing menu showing Generate Tax Bills option and navigation path]

• [Screenshot: Billing run preparation screen with period selection dropdown, municipality filters, and cutoff date settings]

• [Screenshot: Pre-Billing Report interface with validation options and Run Report button]

• [Screenshot: Pre-billing validation results showing property count, missing assessments, and customer data issues]

• [Screenshot: Bill parameter configuration screen showing template selection dropdown, due date calendar, and payment method checkboxes]

• [Screenshot: Payment options configuration showing online payment setup, discount period settings, and early payment terms]

• [Screenshot: Bill generation interface with Generate Bills button and progress monitoring section]

• [Screenshot: Real-time bill generation progress showing municipality processing status, bills created count, and estimated completion time]

• [Screenshot: Bill summary statistics displaying total bills, revenue amounts by tax type, and average bill calculations]

• [Screenshot: Quality control interface showing sample bill selection options and review checklist]

• [Screenshot: Sample bill preview showing property details, tax calculations, payment instructions, and due date formatting]

• [Screenshot: Distribution preparation screen with print service options, email delivery settings, and mailing label generation]

• [Screenshot: Print service provider interface showing batch upload options, delivery preferences, and service provider selection]

• [Screenshot: Distribution execution dashboard showing print release confirmation, email delivery status, and account update progress]

• [Screenshot: Customer account update confirmation showing bill generation dates and receivables entry creation status]

• [Screenshot: Example billing summary for December 2024 showing 2,497 properties, ISK 45.8M total, and distribution breakdown]

• [Screenshot: Sample December bill showing Reykjavik property tax calculation, January 31st due date, and payment options]

Related Reference Pages

• Property Assessment Posting

• Customer Account Management

• Bill Template Configuration

• Payment Processing

• Collections Procedures