Accounts Payable

Purpose: The Accounts Payable section is responsible for the timely payment of all the University's bills in accordance with State rules and regulations, University policies and procedures, and Board of Regents policies.

General Procedures: The following guidelines should be helpful in processing payments. This is not intended as an all-inclusive set of regulations or procedures. Please feel free to call any time you have questions about a specific situation or if you need clarifications.

• The invoice must have the department authorized signature approval when it arrives for processing. Please include DPR/PO number on the invoice. Payments cannot be made from a statement, order form, or packing slip. Most bills say "Invoice" or have an invoice number on them.
• If a pre-payment is required, backup showing the description of items being purchased, the prices, shipping/handling costs, etc. will be required. A good example of this is a copy of the pages from a catalog and the order form.
• Please send an official hospitality form with the approved invoice when required.
• The date of the invoice should be in the current fiscal year unless previously encumbered.
• The State does not like to issue checks for amounts under $5. This includes partial payments. Exceptions can be allowed but must be approved by the Business Office.
• If the Business Office is to make a partial payment on an invoice it is best if you indicate "Partial Payment" on the invoice and DPR. If this is not communicated properly we may think your order is complete and the PO closed out. If the Business Office is not notified that we are issuing a partial payment and to leave the PO open for a future payment we will not be responsible for lost encumbrances/funding. Contact the Business Office for special instructions.
• Tax cannot be paid on state or local accounts. If an invoice has tax, contact the vendor for a corrected invoice. Tax exempt certificates are available in the Purchasing Office if requested by the vendor.
• Tax should only be paid on 844 funds. (You don't have to pay tax on an 844 fund if the vendor is out-of-state.)
• If items have been returned, do not cross them off the invoice. Contact the vendor and get a new invoice or a credit memo. Submit the credit memo along with the original invoice and ask us to correct the purchase order.
• If your invoice is different than the purchase order (amounts, canceled items, etc), let us know and we will correct the purchase order and pay the amount indicated on the invoice. You might want to wait to enter your DPR until you have the invoice.
• Reimbursements to individuals require backup also. If a person pays by cash, a detailed receipt should be provided. This receipt should have a description of the items and prices. If paid by credit card, a receipt indicating the same information as above can be used along with a copy of the credit card statement. We don't need to know their personal account number, we just need to see that it was charged. If they paid by check, we need to have a receipt and a copy of their canceled check (front & back sides). This information is necessary in order to follow the rules and regulations of the state.
• In some instances university funds have been used to pay tuition for a university employee over and above funding that is available through the Staff Tuition Assistance Programs administered by Human Resource Services.  To comply with IRS regulations and the taxability of the payment, any employees utilizing university funds to pay for tuition from funding other than the Staff Tuition Assistance Programs must submit the Tuition Tax Status Form to HRS for review. All DPR's submitted to pay for employee tuition must include this form with HRS's approval for the payment to process.  (This policy may be found in the Unclassified Handbook and the Classified Employee Policy webpage.)

When invoices come to the Business Office they should be ready to be paid. Following these guidelines will help us comply with state regulations, University policies, and speed the payment process. Please don't hesitate to call with questions. Thank you!