Why has my Beam super batch been cancelled?

A Beam super batch will be cancelled if the payment you make cannot be matched to your batch. There are a few reasons why this might happen:

• Payment reference number you used is incorrect
• Payment amount you sent is incorrect
• Payment you made was not received by Beam by the due date (10 business days after your batch submitted date - not created date).

In other words, if you make a mistake when paying your batch (and the payment details you use do not match what was provided EXACTLY) or you're late making payment then your payment cannot be automatically matched to your batch - unmatched payments will be refunded.

This article contains details as a guide on the following topics:

• Proof of payment
• Checking your emails for Automated Status Notifications
• Refunds for unmatched payments
• Different payment options - pros and cons
• Direct Debit
• Bank Transfer (EFT)
• BPAY

Proof of Payment

If you notice your super batch status has not updated to "Sent to fund" within the timeframes provided the first thing to do is cross reference your proof of payment with the submitted batch payment details. Proof of payment, ie. bank remittance/payment receipt, should typically include the payment date, amount, reference number, BSB, account number and payee name.  If the payment details you provided to your bank are incorrect and/or do not match the batch payment details provided by Beam your payment will be refunded.

Checking your emails for Automated Status Notifications

You should check your emails for notifications about payment details for your submitted batch. There are a number of reasons why you will receive an email:

• Unmatched/No payment - If you have failed to send a payment that matches the exact payment details on your submitted batch within 3 business days from when your batch was submitted, you will receive a subsequent email about payment. You should check your bank payment receipt/remittance to ensure that you have used the correct payment details for the batch. The batch is automatically cancelled if a matching payment is not received by day 10 (from batch submitted date).
• Direct Debit - Dishonour - an email is sent to notify you if your bank dishonours your payment when Beam has attempted to debit the funds. You are given alternative payment methods (BPAY or EFT) and payment details advising payment needs to be received by day 5 (from batch submitted date) or your batch gets automatically cancelled. If your Direct Debit payment fails and no follow up payment is made successfully by you then your batch will be automatically cancelled.
• Bank Transfer (EFT) or BPAY - an email is sent to you when your batch is submitted to notify you of the correct payment details you need to use for each batch.
  If you fail to send your payment to Beam with correct payment details within 3 business days from the batch submitted date an email is sent to you.
  If you get an email and you've made a payment you need to check your bank payment receipt/remittance payment details to ensure the payment details match exactly with your batch.
  The batch is automatically cancelled if a payment is received with incorrect details by day 10 (from batch submitted date).
• Underpayment - EFT or BPAY - If the payment you made is less than the batch total amount an email notification is sent that gives 5 days to receive the make-up payment before the whole batch is automatically cancelled and the payment initially received is refunded back in full.
• Overpayment - EFT or BPAY - If the payment you made is greater than the batch total amount and the correct payment details have been used, the overpaid amount gets refunded automatically. EFT received as an NPP/Osko payment gets refunded back in full on the day received.

Refunds for unmatched payments

If a payment you made to Beam cannot be matched to a submitted batch your payment will be refunded to the bank account it was sent from (bank of origin). Please note this may not be the same as the designated refund account located on your Superannuation Settings Page.

If you have employing entities set up in your payroll file and registered with Beam you will find the employing entity Beam settings (including refund account details) on your Employing entities page > select the required entity to view details.

A refund is initiated 10 business days after Beam receives a payment that cannot be matched to a super batch - allow for bank clearance times of 1-2 business days and it can be up to 12 business days before you see the refund in your bank account.

Manual reconciliation is not available.

Different payment options - pros and cons 

We suggest you consider setting up and using the Direct Debit payment option for your super batches, it eliminates any potential human error when it comes to making payments for your super batches.

To set up/manage your Direct Debit account(s) go to your Superannuation-Settings-Page

Direct Debit

If your Direct Debit payment fails and no follow up payment is made successfully by you then your batch will be automatically cancelled. An email is sent to notify you if your bank dishonours your payment when Beam has attempted to debit the funds. You are given alternative payment methods (BPAY or EFT) and payment details advising payment needs to be received by day 5 (from batch submitted date) or your batch gets automatically cancelled.

Direct debits are debited from your account:

• If you submit your batch before 3.30pm AEST on a business day, Beam will debit the nominated account on that day.
• If you submit your batch on or after 3.30pm AEST on a business day, or on a non-business day, Beam will debit the nominated account on the next business day,

We recommended this payment method due to its automation. Unlike bank transfers with the direct debit payment option you have provided Beam with your direct debit bank account and permission to debit the payment for the submitted batch rather than you making the payment to them via EFT or BPAY. Common reasons for direct debit failure/dishonour include:

• The incorrect BSB and account number was registered with Beam.
• There were insufficient funds in the account for the batch when the funds were processed.
• The bank has a block on the direct debit account.

In the case of a bank block or processing issue on the direct debit payment you will need to contact your bank for details.

Bank Transfer (EFT)

EFT payments with incorrect payment details cannot be matched to your batch and your batch will be automatically cancelled. 

EFT payments can take between 1-3 working days to get to Beam from your bank account. This payment option requires that the correct payment reference number and total amount for each batch be used.

The most common reason that an EFT payment will not be matched to your submitted batch is because the payment reference number was incorrect, reasons include:

• It was missing/incorrect. You should only enter the 18 character payment reference number and do not add any other numbers, letters or words eg ‘Ref’, ‘Super Q4’, single number ‘1’. Your proof of payment should be cross referenced with the payment reference number provided within the submitted batch to verify. You can copy and paste the correct payment reference number directly from the batch into your banking details to prevent errors.
• The incorrect line was used, this can be a bank issue, when two lines are provided when making the payment ("reference" and "description" being the common ones). It is normally recommended to enter the submitted batch payment reference number in both lines to eliminate any chance of using the incorrect one if you are not sure.
• Each batch your submit has a unique payment reference number. The payment reference number should not be saved along with the account details in your internet banking as you may inadvertently use on a payment for your subsequent batches.

The date of the payment can be a factor:

• If you make a payment close to/on the due date then you may not have allowed for bank clearance days and this will result in the cancellation of your batch because the funds will not be received by Beam before the due date as cleared funds.
• If you make a payment on a created batch before you submit the batch you will not have any correct payment details for the batch (eg payment reference number). Payment details are provided to you only once your batch is submitted.

The exact amount (to the cent) was not paid. This can vary dependent on the method used by the bank (Osko or PayAnyone being the two most common forms).

• With an Osko payment, if it is an overpayment, it will be rejected and refunded in full.
• If an underpayment is made you will be contacted via email and advised of the underpayment amount and requested to make a payment of the balance owing (as well as payment details). If the balance owing payment is not received by Beam within 5 days your batch will be automatically cancelled and your underpayment refunded.

An EFT payment cannot be matched if the BSB and account number provided by Beam are entered incorrectly. As with the payment reference number these details can be cross referenced with your proof of payment.

We recommend to submit the batch when the funds are ready to be paid, not before or after. Submitting the batch will not assist you if the payment is not sent to the fund before the ATO's quarterly superannuation  deadline. Creating the batch when the funds are available might make your super payments late but it will be quicker than waiting for a refund to create a new batch when your first attempt at this batch has been automatically cancelled.

BPAY

BPAY payments with incorrect payment details cannot be matched to your batch and your batch will be automatically cancelled. 

BPAY payments time frame can be up to 3 working days to reach Beam from your account. Some of the same reference number issues can apply to BPAY. However, there are more restrictions at a banking level that prevent issues including missing a payment reference number and letters are not a valid format in the normally sole reference line.

Some reasons you might see a BPAY payment cannot be matched to a submitted super batch are as follows:

• The customer reference number is incorrect
• Incorrect BPAY merchant was selected
• You make a payment too close to/on the due date, this means you have not allowed for bank clearance days and this will result in the cancellation of your batch.

As BPaying your super batch is not fool proof the BPAY receipt should be cross referenced with the payment details supplied within your submitted batch if issues arise. As with bank transfers (EFT) it is best practice to only submit the batch when you are ready to make the payment and you should make the payment as soon as possible after the batch is submitted.

If an underpayment is made via BPAY this will result in a notification sent via email advising you about it and providing payment instructions. If the balance owing payment is not received by Beam within 5 days your batch will be automatically cancelled and your underpayment refunded.