Member onboarding overview
Learn the two ways to bring your members into SocietyBee, what each member record holds, and what happens to bill amounts when a member is created.
Before you start
What this page does
A member is one flat, shop or other premise in your society and the person billed for it. Every bill, receipt and ledger entry is tied to a member. This guide shows the two ways to add them and where everything is.
Where to find it
Go to Society Management > Members. The page title shows how many members you have, for example Members (11). A new society shows Members (0).
Two ways to add members
| Add one member | Upload many from Excel | |
|---|---|---|
| Button | Add New Member | Upload Members |
| Best for | Societies with a few members, or one new member later | A society moving in all its flats at once |
| Bill amounts | Copied from the society's headings, then edit per member | Filled in the Excel sheet, one column per heading |
| Guide | Add a member | Upload members in bulk |
What each member record holds
Adding a member in the form has three tabs, in this order:
- Basic Info: name, contact details, flat details and any old balance. See Add a member.
- Bill Headings: what this member pays for every charge. See Set bill heading amounts for a member.
- Supplementary Bill Headings: extra bills, such as a one-time repair levy. See Set supplementary heading amounts.
When you create a member, SocietyBee copies every bill heading of your society into that member's record with the amount you set on the heading. A member whose amounts are different (for example a shop, or a flat with two parking slots) is changed afterwards.
Before you start
Have these ready for every member:
- a unique member code (many societies use the flat number, such as
A101) - salutation, full name, and mobile number
- flat or unit number and wing or building
- any amount the member still owes from before SocietyBee, as on your starting day (see Member opening balance and arrears)
You must have finished Bill Headings first. Members get their charges from those headings.
Common mistakes and questions
Is a member the owner or the flat? Both. A member is the billing record for one premise. If a flat changes hands, update the name on the same member rather than adding a new one.
Can two members have the same flat number? Yes, if they are in different wings. For example flat 101 can exist in Wing A, Wing B and Wing C.
Can I add members later, after I start billing? Yes. A new member is billed from the next bill run you generate.
What happens next
Add your first member with Add a member, or go straight to Upload members in bulk.