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Accounts Payable FAQs

The reference number on your financial report will determine the appropriate department to call. If the reference number starts with: 1) “DC” - contact the Bursars Office at 919-684-3531, 2) “IC” - contact Employee Travel & Reimbursement at 919-668-3877) “JV” – refer to the Assigned JV List.
If you are looking for information on any JV dated prior to October 2002 and the reference number is higher than 1400, contact Accounting Systems Administration at 919-684-2752.  
If you are missing a copy of a vendor invoice, contact Accounts Payable at 919-684-3112.

Call 919-684-3112 for Accounts Payable Customer Service, and have the following information prior to calling:
  • Vendor Name
  • Purchase Order number (If applicable)
  • Invoice number
  • Invoice amount
  • Invoice date

Processing time is generally one to two weeks.  Vendor terms will determine when the request will process for payment.  All payments are made with net 30 day terms unless the payment qualifies for different terms per GAP 200.136, Accounts Payable Check Request and a request for a change in payment terms is noted in the Comment Section on the electronic check request.  Net 30 means the check will be printed and mailed 30 days from the invoice date.  Checks are printed on Mondays and Wednesdays.  When a holiday falls on a Monday, a check run will be generated the Friday prior and Tuesday and Thursday the week of.  When the type of payment qualifies for special pick up, you will be contacted when the check is available.*

No. All payments to students and employees are handled by Employee Travel & Reimbursement, or Payroll. Please visit their websites for more information.

The quickest way to get your check request processed is to submit it electronically, with Priority Level 1.; Monitor the status of the check request and ask your approvers to approve the request as soon as it reaches them. Once the check request has been approved, call Corporate Accounts Payable (919-684-3112) and ask to speak to a Check Request Auditor. You would then be able to explain the circumstances and ask for a quick turn around. Please provide the Check Request Auditor with the check request number to be approved, and her or she can expedite processing for you.

An Accounts Payable Check Request for an emergency must be submitted electronically and receive immediate departmental and funding source approval. The request must route  to Corporate Accounts Payable by 10:00 AM on Mondays and Wednesdays for that day's payment run. Call Corporate Accounts Payable (919-684-3112) and ask to speak to a member of the management team to relay the urgency of the situation. Please provide the management team with the check request number to be approved.

For personal services, an ICC form is required for every check request submission. See the Forms page. The only exception would be for honorariums and guest speakers. For additional information, refer to GAPs 200.128 and 200.129.

No, Social Security numbers are not required, with the exception of Per Diem requests. However, please note that Accounts Payable Check Requests cannot be used for employees or students. These must be requested on a Miscellaneous Reimbursement Form and sent to Employee Travel and Reimbursement.

Documentation attached should be the backup or invoice; no additional copies are required.

No, to reduce the risk of checks being misdirected and for proper internal controls, the address on the check must be the vendor address.

For a Standing Order or a Purchase Order, an Accounts Payable Check Request is not needed. The invoice is submitted directly to Accounts Payable with the Purchase Order number referenced on the invoice.

No.  With the Implementation of imaging, AP will no longer send copies of any invoices. Please visit the SAP website for instructions on viewing images.  Departments are able to view electronic check requests via the Check Request Utility Tool.  Please view the online tutorial on how to use this tool for more information.

Initially you should verify that the check has issued and has not been cashed. Step by Step instructions are located at on the SAP website. You will also see notes in SAP stating that the check may have been returned. If the check is still open and no return notification is present, a cancellation and reissue of the check can be requested. Please contact Accounts Payable Customer Service at 919-684-3112 for this request. Please also note that if the check was mailed to the correct address, we generally require a 30 day waiting period from the issue date before the check will be reissued.

Please send the check to Box 104131, with an explanation for cancellation.

No, we may be in receipt of the invoice, however, it could be held up for processing issues, missing information, etc. To prevent duplication, please contact Accounts Payable customer service at 919-684-3112 first to verify invoice status.

A goods receipt is a SAP transaction that is sometimes required on a Purchase Order to allow the department to properly track when items are received and when the expense posts. This must be completed by the "goods recipient" or other end user to release the invoice payment. Please visit the SAP website for step-by-step instructions.

Please review the step-by-step instructions on Reconciliation and Documents. There you will see a section about how to see if a check has been issued.

The formula to use depends on the percentage of taxes to be withheld.  Please see below for the formulas to gross up for the most commonly seen tax withholding percentages.
  • Payment subject to 4% NC withholding from Nonresidents for Personal Services: divide payment amount by 0.96 (example: payment to be received is $2,000.00, the amount to enter on the check request is $2,083.33)
  • Payment subject to 34% Foreign National tax withholding on compensation for services rendered in North Carolina (30% Federal, 4% NC State): divide payment by 0.66 (example: payment to be received is $1,000.00, the amount to enter on the check request is $1,515.15)
  • Payment subject to 30% Foreign National tax withholding on compensation for services rendered outside of North Carolina (but still in the U.S.): divide payment by 0.7 (example: payment to be received is $1,000.00, the amount to enter on the check request is $1,428.57)
  • Any other possible percentage -- call Accounts Payable (919-684-3112) for assistance.
 

Please watch this online video tutorial on how to foward SAP workflows.

To create a substitute, please watch this online video tutorial on how to share your SAP Workflow Inbox.
If you are the substitute and need to access the workflows that are sent to the person primarily responsible for the workflows, please watch this online video tutorial on how to invoke substitution.

Valuated Goods Receipt

When purchase orders require valuated goods receipt, the following conditions apply:

  • Goods receipt must be completed to authorize payment to the vendor for all lines of the PO.
  • The accounting event occurs when the goods receipt is performed. 
  • If the goods receipt occurs before the invoice is entered, the goods receipt assumes the value of the purchase order. Once invoice is entered, the posted expense adjusts to reflect the value reflected on the invoice
  • If the goods receipt occurs after the invoice is entered the goods receipt assumes the value of the invoice.
  • If items are returned to the vendor, a goods return must be entered against the PO line in order for a credit to be posted against the cost object. 
  • The GRIR clearing account (190600) is used as the offset account for the expense posting (goods receipt), credit posting (goods return) or the vendor liability posting (invoice entry). The GRIR account is balanced and cleared when the goods receipt quantity and the invoice entry quantity are the same. The balancing ensures the funding source is appropriately adjusted.
  • In the event of a price block, the posted expense will align with the amount of the invoice.  If the price is to be adjusted to a lower amount (such as the PO value), funding source will only be adjusted once a credit is receive from the vendor. 
  • Process is the same for single or multi-line purchase orders.

Non-valuated Goods Receipt

When purchase orders require non-valuated goods receipt, the following conditions apply:

  • Goods receipt must be completed to authorize payment to the vendor for all lines of the PO.
  • Posting the invoice is what creates the expense to the funding source.
  • Credits from a vendor post to the funding source once the credit from the vendor is posted. 
  • In the event of a price block, the posted expense will align with the amount of the invoice.  If the price is to be adjusted to a lower amount (such as the PO value), funding source will only be adjusted once a credit is receive from the vendor. 
  • Process is the same for single or multi-line purchase orders.