Creating Your Charge Codes CSV

The Charge Codes CSV defines your billing rates for housing, meal plans, fees, and other charges. This file establishes the standardized billing items that will be used to calculate costs for student housing assignments and transactions.

This guide walks you through building your Charge Codes CSV step by step, including how to structure your charge codes, which fields are required, and how to represent different types of charges like room rates and meal plans.

Before you begin: You will need your billing rate structure including room rates by type (Single, Double, etc.), meal plan prices, and any fees or deposits. If your institution uses an external billing system like Ellucian Banner or Colleague, gather the accounting codes from that system to ensure consistency.

What Are Charge Codes?

Charge codes are standardized billing items that define how much students are charged for housing and related services. Each charge code represents one billing rate with a unique identifier, a descriptive name, and a dollar amount.

Examples of charge codes include:

• Room rate for a double room ($3,500 per semester)

• Room rate for a single room ($4,200 per semester)

• Unlimited meal plan ($2,100 per semester)

• Security deposit ($250)

• Late payment fee ($50)

When you assign a student to a room or meal plan, Housing.Cloud uses these charge codes to calculate the total cost and create billing transactions.

Understanding Charge Code Structure

Each charge code has three main components:

• Accounting Code — A short unique identifier like "DBL" or "MP1" that matches your external billing system

• Accounting Code Name — The official system name like "Double Room Rate Fall 2024" or "Meal Plan Tier 1"

• Custom Name — The internal display name you use in Housing.Cloud, which can be more user-friendly than the system name

This structure allows Housing.Cloud to sync with your external billing system (using the accounting code) while giving you flexibility to use clearer names internally (using the custom name).

Required vs Optional Fields

Every row in your Charge Codes CSV must include:

• accountingCode — Unique identifier matching your billing system (like "DBL", "SNG", "MP1")

• accountingCodeName — Official system name for this charge

• customName — Internal display name (must be unique)

• defaultAmount — Dollar amount for this charge (like 3500.00)

Optional fields include:

• description — Additional details about the charge (like "Standard double occupancy rate including utilities")

Creating Accounting Codes

The accountingCode field is a short unique identifier that matches the code used in your external billing system (like Banner or Colleague).

If your institution already uses accounting codes in your SIS or billing system, use those exact codes here. This ensures that when Housing.Cloud exports billing transactions, the codes will match your financial records.

Examples of accounting codes:

• DBL (for Double Room)

• SNG (for Single Room)

• TRP (for Triple Room)

• MP1 (for Meal Plan Tier 1)

• MP2 (for Meal Plan Tier 2)

• DEPOSIT (for Security Deposit)

• LATEFEE (for Late Payment Fee)

Accounting codes should be short, alphanumeric, and easy to recognize. Avoid spaces or special characters.

Each accountingCode must be unique. You cannot have two rows with the same accounting code. If you need different rates for the same room type (like Fall vs Spring), you must create separate accounting codes like "DBL_FALL" and "DBL_SPRING".

Writing Accounting Code Names

The accountingCodeName field is the official system name for the charge. This is typically more formal and descriptive than the accounting code itself.

Examples:

• Double Room Rate Fall 2024

• Single Room Rate Spring 2025

• Unlimited Meal Plan Semester

• Security Deposit Refundable

• Late Payment Fee

This name should match what appears in your billing system or student account statements if possible, to maintain consistency across systems.

Creating Custom Names

The customName field is the internal display name that appears in Housing.Cloud's admin interface. This gives you flexibility to use clearer or shorter names for your staff.

For example, if your accountingCodeName is "Double Room Rate Fall 2024 Standard Occupancy With Utilities Included", your customName could be simply "Double Room - Fall 24".

Custom names must also be unique (no duplicates), but they can be more user-friendly than the formal accounting code name.

Examples:

• Double Room - Fall 24

• Single Premium - Spring 25

• Meal Plan Unlimited

• Security Deposit

Think of accountingCode as the ID your billing system uses, accountingCodeName as the official legal name, and customName as the friendly nickname your staff will see every day in Housing.Cloud.

Setting Dollar Amounts

The defaultAmount field specifies how much this charge costs in dollars. Enter the amount as a decimal number without a dollar sign.

Examples:

• 3500.00 (for $3,500)

• 4200.50 (for $4,200.50)

• 250.00 (for $250)

• 50.00 (for $50)

The defaultAmount is used as the base rate for this charge code. You can override this amount for specific housing cycles, bed types, or buildings later in Housing.Cloud's admin interface, but the CSV value serves as the starting point.

If you charge different rates for the same room type in different terms (like $3,500 for Fall and $3,600 for Spring), create two separate charge codes with different accounting codes and default amounts. You will link the appropriate code to each housing cycle later.

Adding Descriptions (Optional)

The description field lets you add additional context about the charge. This is optional but helpful for documenting details like what the charge includes or when it applies.

Examples:

• "Standard double occupancy room rate including utilities and internet"

• "Premium single room with private bathroom"

• "Unlimited meal plan with flex dollars"

• "Refundable security deposit returned at end of residency"

Descriptions appear in the admin interface and can help your staff understand the purpose of each charge code.

How to Organize Your Charge Codes

Most institutions organize charge codes into categories based on the type of charge:

Housing Rates

Create one charge code for each room type you offer. If you have different buildings with different pricing, create separate codes for each combination.

Examples:

• Double Room Standard (DBL_STD, $3,500)

• Double Room Premium (DBL_PREM, $3,800)

• Single Room Standard (SNG_STD, $4,200)

• Triple Room (TRP, $3,000)

• Apartment 2-Bedroom (APT_2BR, $4,500)

Meal Plans

Create one charge code for each meal plan tier or option you offer.

Examples:

• Meal Plan Unlimited (MP_UNLIM, $2,100)

• Meal Plan 14 Meals/Week (MP_14, $1,800)

• Meal Plan 10 Meals/Week (MP_10, $1,500)

• Declining Balance $500 (FLEX_500, $500)

Fees and Deposits

Create charge codes for any one-time or recurring fees associated with housing.

Examples:

• Security Deposit (DEPOSIT, $250)

• Housing Application Fee (APP_FEE, $50)

• Late Payment Fee (LATE_FEE, $50)

• Key Replacement Fee (KEY_REPLACE, $75)

• Damage Fee (DAMAGE, varies — use $0 as default and override per incident)

Handling Different Rates for Different Terms

If you charge different amounts for the same room type in different terms (like Fall vs Spring or Fall vs Summer), you have two options:

Option 1: Separate Charge Codes per Term

Create unique charge codes for each term with different accounting codes and amounts:

accountingCode,accountingCodeName,customName,defaultAmount
DBL_FALL24,Double Room Fall 2024,Double Room - Fall 24,3500.00
DBL_SPRING25,Double Room Spring 2025,Double Room - Spring 25,3600.00

This approach keeps your billing system aligned with Housing.Cloud and makes reporting clearer.

Option 2: One Charge Code with Cycle Overrides

Create one charge code with a default amount, then override the amount for specific housing cycles in the admin interface:

accountingCode,accountingCodeName,customName,defaultAmount
DBL,Double Room Rate,Double Room,3500.00

Later, in Housing.Cloud's admin interface, you can set Fall 2024 to use $3,500 and Spring 2025 to use $3,600 for the same "DBL" code.

This approach reduces the number of charge codes but requires more manual configuration after import.

Option 1 (separate codes per term) is recommended for sandbox testing because it makes it easier to verify that the correct rates are applied to each housing cycle without additional configuration.

Building Your CSV in Excel

1. Start with a list of all your billing rates (room types, meal plans, fees)

2. Create column headers: accountingCode, accountingCodeName, customName, defaultAmount, description

3. For each charge, create one row with a unique accounting code

4. Fill in the system name (accountingCodeName) and internal name (customName)

5. Enter the dollar amount as a decimal number (like 3500.00)

6. Add descriptions if helpful for documentation

7. Verify that all accounting codes are unique (no duplicates)

8. Verify that all custom names are unique

9. Check that default amounts are formatted correctly (numbers only, no $ signs)

10. Save as CSV format

Sample CSV Structure

Here's an example of what your Charge Codes CSV might look like:

accountingCode,accountingCodeName,customName,defaultAmount,description
DBL,Double Room Rate Fall 2024,Double Room - Fall 24,3500.00,Standard double occupancy with utilities
SNG,Single Room Rate Fall 2024,Single Room - Fall 24,4200.00,Single occupancy with private workspace
TRP,Triple Room Rate Fall 2024,Triple Room - Fall 24,3000.00,Triple occupancy shared space
MP_UNLIM,Unlimited Meal Plan Semester,Meal Plan Unlimited,2100.00,Unlimited meals plus $100 flex dollars
MP_14,14 Meals Per Week Semester,Meal Plan 14/Week,1800.00,14 meals per week plus $50 flex dollars
DEPOSIT,Security Deposit Refundable,Security Deposit,250.00,Refundable at end of residency
LATE_FEE,Late Payment Fee,Late Fee,50.00,Applied to overdue balances

Common Errors and How to Avoid Them

Duplicate Accounting Codes

Error result: Import skips rows with duplicate codes, or only the last row is saved

Every accountingCode must be unique. Check for duplicates before importing using Excel's "Remove Duplicates" feature or by sorting the accountingCode column.

Duplicate Custom Names

Error result: Import fails or overwrites previous codes with the same custom name

Custom names must also be unique. If you have similar charges (like "Double Room Fall" and "Double Room Spring"), use distinct names like "Double Room - Fall 24" and "Double Room - Spring 25".

Missing Required Fields

Error result: Import skips rows missing required fields

Every row must include accountingCode, accountingCodeName, customName, and defaultAmount. Check for blank cells before saving as CSV.

Incorrect Dollar Format

Error result: Import fails or interprets amounts incorrectly

Enter dollar amounts as numbers only (like 3500.00), not formatted currency (like $3,500.00 or 3,500). Remove dollar signs, commas, and other symbols. Use periods for decimals, not commas.

Wrong Accounting Code for External System

Error result: Billing exports don't match your SIS, causing reconciliation issues

Verify that your accountingCode values exactly match the codes used in your external billing system (Banner, Colleague, etc.). Check for capitalization, spacing, and punctuation differences.

Connecting Charge Codes to Inventory and Cycles

After importing your Charge Codes CSV, you will link these codes to your housing inventory and cycles in the Housing.Cloud admin interface.

For example, you might link the "Double Room - Fall 24" charge code to:

• All double rooms in North Hall for the Fall 2024 housing cycle

• All beds marked with bedType "Double" across multiple buildings

This configuration happens after CSV import, but it's helpful to plan ahead by naming your charge codes in a way that makes these connections obvious (like including room type or term in the custom name).

Handling Refunds and Credits

You do not need to create separate charge codes for refunds or credits. Housing.Cloud handles refunds by applying a negative transaction using the same charge code.

For example, if a student paid $3,500 for a double room (using charge code "DBL") but needs a $1,000 refund, you would create a reversal transaction for $1,000 using the same "DBL" code. The system automatically tracks this as a credit.

What Happens After Import

Once your Charge Codes CSV is imported into Housing.Cloud, the system will:

1. Create charge code records for each row in your CSV

2. Validate that all required fields are present and unique

3. Make these codes available for assignment to housing cycles, bed types, and meal plans

4. Allow you to override default amounts for specific cycles or buildings as needed

You will be able to view and edit your charge codes in the Housing.Cloud admin portal under Setup → Billing. From there, you can link codes to inventory, create cycle-specific overrides, and manage active/inactive status.

Column Header Reference

Your CSV must use these exact column headers (case-sensitive):

Required:

• accountingCode

• accountingCodeName

• customName

• defaultAmount

Optional:

• description

Next Steps

• Working with CSV Files: A Beginner's Guide — Learn how to create and edit CSV files in Excel or Google Sheets

• Common CSV Errors and How to Fix Them — Troubleshooting guide for import errors

For detailed field specifications and integration with external billing systems, reference the CSV Integration Schema - Charge Codes article.