Transactions FAQ

What is a transaction in Housing.Cloud?

A transaction is any financial record linked to a student’s profile. Transactions include charges (amounts students owe) and refunds (amounts returned to the student). All transactions are tied to a charge code and are recorded in the student’s transaction history.

What is a charge code and why is it required?

Charge codes define the type, amount, and description of a transaction. Every transaction must be associated with a charge code. These codes ensure consistent labeling, reporting, and system behavior across all housing and dining-related financial activity.

Can I create a transaction without a charge code?

No. All transactions must be linked to a charge code. If you need to add a new type of charge or refund, you must first have a charge code to associate it with.

Where do I find a student’s transactions?

Transactions appear under the Transactions tab on the student’s profile. This table lists the transaction date, amount, description (based on the charge code), and any associated residency or meal plan. A full audit of transactions can also be located under the Finance section of the admin portal.

How do I know if a transaction is a charge or a refund?

Charges appear as positive values in black text and refunds appear as negative values with a red minus sign.

Refunds

How are refunds created?

Refunds can be created in two ways:

• Automatically, when canceling a residency, meal plan, or flex plan
• Manually, by selecting a charge and choosing Refund
   

Are refunds always for the full amount?

Yes, automatic refunds always reflect the entire original transaction. This ensures clear 1:1 reconciliation between a charge and its reversal. If a reduced refund is needed, admins should:

• Refund the full charge, then Add a new prorated or adjusted charge for the correct amount
   

Can I issue a partial refund?

Yes. When issuing a manual refund, you can adjust the refund amount before confirming. This is helpful when refunding a portion of a fee, such as a partial meal plan refund or an early move-out scenario. You cannot issue a partial refund during the cancelation operations.

Can I refund a refund?

No. Refunds cannot be refunded. Once a refund is issued, you’ll need to create a new charge to correct the balance.

What happens to refunds during residency or meal plan cancellation?

The cancellation workflow automatically generates a refund for the full amount of each related charge. This is intentional to maintain a consistent audit trail. You can remove a refund during the workflow or add a new charge in the next step.

Prorations

What is a prorated transaction?

A prorated transaction is a charge or refund based on the actual usage or occupancy dates. The system calculates a per-day amount using the value of the charge code and applies it across the selected date range.

When would I use a prorated charge or refund?

Use prorations when a student:

• Moves in or out mid-term
• Cancels a residency or meal plan early
• Has a plan adjusted based on real dates of use
   

How is the prorated date range determined?

• For housing, it uses the start and end dates of the residency.
• For meal plans, it uses the start and end dates of the plan.

These dates are pulled from the housing cycle but can be edited during the cancellation or transaction workflow.

Can I override the prorated amount?

Yes. You can manually enter a custom transaction amount if the calculated daily rate doesn’t reflect your institution’s policy.

Manual Charges or Refunds

What is a manual charge or refund?

Manual adjustments are one-off transactions not generated by system workflows. These are often used for:

• Damage fees Courtesy credits
• Late move-in/out charges
• Policy-based fees (e.g., lost key)
   

How do I create a manual charge or refund?

From the student’s profile: 

• Go to the Transactions tab
• Click New Transaction
• Select a charge code, enter the amount and description
• Submit the transaction
   

Can I apply a negative amount as a refund?

No. Refunds must be issued using the Refund function, not by entering a negative charge. Always use the refund button to maintain accurate tracking.

Error Correction and Limitations

Can I delete a transaction?

No. Transactions are permanent records. If a charge or refund was applied incorrectly:

• Issue a refund to offset a charge
• Create a new charge to offset a refund
   

Can I edit a transaction after submitting?

No. Once submitted, transactions cannot be edited. To correct mistakes, refund the transaction using a and submit a new one with the corrected values.

What happens if I assign a student to a room with a charge code, then remove the assignment?

The system will not automatically reverse the charge during a normal room cancelation process. If you skip this part of the step, you must manually issue a refund from the transaction table or during the cancelation workflow.

Student View

Do students see all transactions in their portal?

No. The resident portal does not serve as a ledger for student's to review.

System Behavior

Which actions generate transactions automatically?

• Assigning a student to a space (housing charge)
• Selecting a meal or flex plan (meal charge)
• Canceling a residency, meal plan, or flex plan (refund)
• Completing workflows with assigned charges (e.g. application fees)

Can multiple transactions be tied to the same charge code?

Yes. The same charge code can be used across multiple student records and workflows. Each transaction is recorded separately in the student’s transaction history.

Can I assign multiple charges to multiple students at once?

Yes. Bulk transactions can be applied to student's residency records or profiles by selecting their records from the residents table.