Recurring Payments in Member Portal
Overview
This documentation describes an enhancement to recurring payment management that expands what congregants can edit themselves. The change is narrow in scope but impacts a complex payment allocation workflow.
Current recurring payment behavior
Recurring payments support two allocation models:
Waterfall allocation
- A single payment amount is applied to the top outstanding item first.
- Once that item is fully satisfied, any remaining amount flows to the next item in order.
- The order of items can be changed by dragging the hamburger handle on the left.
Allocation-based distribution
- The recurring payment amount is spread across multiple owed items.
- Each month’s payment is divided among the selected items instead of being applied to one item at a time.
- The system maintains the allocated distribution across the items.
Existing congregant edit limitations
Before this change, a congregant editing a recurring payment could only modify:
- The payment amount
- The next payment date
- The number of remaining payments
Congregants could not view or directly edit the waterfall order or the allocation details.
Behavior when the payment amount changes
When a congregant changes the recurring payment amount, the system recalculates allocated line items proportionally to match the new total amount.
Result of recalculation
- The individual allocation amounts are reduced or increased in proportion to the updated payment amount.
- The administrative view reflects the revised allocation values after the update.
- The total amount is computed by the system and does not need to be entered manually.
New capability: full recurring edit
A new administrator setting enables congregants to manage recurring payments with the same flexibility available to administrators.
Configuration location
- Navigate to the synagogue options area in the administrator interface.
- Locate the option labeled Allow Full Recurring Edit.
Default setting
- The option is initially disabled.
- The default value is effectively Do not allow.
Enabling the feature
- Select the radio button to allow full recurring payment editing.
- Save the configuration.
Congregrants’ experience with the new setting enabled
When full recurring edit is enabled, congregants can:
- Edit the recurring payment amount
- Adjust allocation amounts
- Change item order using drag-and-drop
- Modify recurring payment details with the same capabilities available to administrators
If allocation values are cleared, the payment reverts to waterfall behavior.
Practical impact
This feature is especially useful in environments where congregants are expected to manage their own recurring payments. It reduces administrative overhead by allowing users to maintain payment details directly while preserving the system’s allocation logic.
Summary
The enhancement introduces a configurable option that broadens congregant control over recurring payments. Existing behavior remains unchanged unless the administrator explicitly enables full recurring edit from the synagogue options screen.