ACCOUNTS PAYABLE Policies & Procedures FOR Version Edited By Edited Dates Comments 1.0 Irene Bushnell November 2015 Baseline Intacct AP Policies & Procedures October 2015 2015 Synergy Business Solutions. All rights reserved
Last Revision: October 2015 The forms and policies presented in this manual may not be the most current available. Please consult Synergy Business Solutions at intacct@synergybusiness.com for the most up-to-date information. This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that Synergy Business Solutions is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting or other professional services. If legal advice, accounting advice, or other professional or expert assistance is required, you should seek the services of an independent professional person. The material contained in this publication is for educational purposes only and it is not intended to be a substitute for the legal research or other work product a professional would normally perform for a client. While all materials are carefully researched, no warranty, express or implied, is offered as to accuracy. Questions regarding the acceptability or likely effects of implementation of certain procedures in particular practice contexts should be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. Technical guidance provided herein should be read in addition to the related technical literature cited, not instead of it. This document may contain technical inaccuracies or typographical errors. Any documentation with respect to Intacct Software products is provided for informational purposes only and does not extend or modify the limited warranty extended to the licensee of Intacct software products. Disclaimer of All Other Warranties Except as expressly provided herein, Intacct disclaims all warranties with respect to the Intacct services, system, and documentation, whether express or implied, including without limitation any implied warranty of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and noninfringement. Partner acknowledges and agrees that neither Intacct nor any system, services, documentation, data, or materials provided by Intacct will be construed as providing accounting, taxation, financial, investment, legal, or other advice to partner, customers, end users, or any third party. Each party will be solely and individually responsible to comply with all laws and regulations relating to its respective business operations. Trademark Acknowledgments Intacct and Intacct Software are registered trademarks of Intacct Corporation. Windows, Word, Excel and Visual Basic are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. All other products mentioned are trademarks of their respective manufacturers. The contents of this publication have not been prepared, reviewed, or approved by the owners of the trademarks referenced above. Printed in the United States of America. Copyright Synergy Business Solutions 2015. All rights reserved. Intacct AP Policies & Procedures October 2015 2015 Synergy Business Solutions. All rights reserved
TABLE OF CONTENTS HOW TO USE THIS MANUAL... 1 First Time Customizations... 1 Modifying Manual Content... 2 ACCOUNTS PAYABLE CONFIGURATION POLICIES... 3 Accounting settings... 3 Dimension setup... 4 Document sequencing... 4 Defaults... 4 Payment approval settings... 4 Aging... 4 POLICIES FOR MANAGING ACCOUNTS PAYABLE... 5 Vendor Types... 5 Vendor Groups... 5 AP Terms... 5 Vendor Management Policies... 6 Bill and Adjustment Entry Policies... 6 Payment Policies... 7 Manual Check Policies... 7 Voiding Check Policies... 7 CLOSING AP SUBLEDGER POLICIES... 8 Open and Closed Subledger Policies... 8 Procedures for Closing the AP Subledger... 8 Procedures for Reopening the AP Subledger... 9 ACCOUNTS PAYABLE AUDIT TRAIL... 10 AP Binder Reports... 10 Distributed Reports... 10 AP Documents Naming Convention... 10 MANAGING VENDORS... 11 Procedures for Adding New Vendors... 11 Vendor Information Screen... 12 Vendor Tab... 12 Additional Information Tab... 13 Contact List Tab... 14 Payment Information Tab... 15 Restrictions Tab... 16 Form 1099 Information With Default Box Tab... 17 Intacct AP Policies & Procedures October 2015 2015 Synergy Business Solutions. All rights reserved
Procedures for Editing Vendors... 18 Procedures for Making Vendors Inactive... 19 ENTERING BILLS AND AP ADJUSTMENTS... 20 Procedures for Adding Bills and AP Adjustments... 20 Bill Screen... 21 Header Information... 21 Entries... 23 Customize Allocation... 24 Procedures for Reversing Bills... 25 AP Adjustment Screen... 26 Quick Bill Entry... 27 Procedures for Quick Bill Entry... 27 Quick Bill Entry Preferences Screen... 28 Quick Bill Entry Screen... 28 ENTERING AND MANAGING RECURRING BILLS... 29 Overview... 29 Procedures for Entering Recurring Bills... 29 Recurring Bill Screen... 30 Bill Tab... 30 Additional Info Tab... 31 Schedule Tab... 32 PROCESSING VENDOR PAYMENTS... 33 Procedures for Processing Vendor Payments... 33 1. Determine Cash Requirements... 33 2. Process EFT Payments... 34 3. Process ACH Payments... 35 4. Process Printed Checks... 36 5. Verify Cash Requirements and File Reports... 37 Select Bills to Pay Screen... 38 Pay Bills Screen... 39 Viewing Payment Requests... 40 Procedures for Approving Payments... 41 RECORDING MANUAL CHECKS... 42 Procedures for Recording Manual Checks... 42 VOIDING ACCOUNTS PAYABLE PAYMENTS... 43 Procedures for Voiding Checks... 43 Procedures for Voiding ACH and EFT Payments... 45 Procedures for Voiding Manual Checks... 46 MONTH END PROCESSING... 47 AP Month End Procedures... 47 Intacct AP Policies & Procedures October 2015 2015 Synergy Business Solutions. All rights reserved.
MONTHLY AP PROCEDURES CHECKLIST... 49 PROCESSING ANNUAL 1099S... 51 Procedures for Processing 1099s... 51 Adjusting 1099 Amounts... 53 Intacct AP Policies & Procedures October 2015 2015 Synergy Business Solutions. All rights reserved
Vendor Management Policies BSC has put in place processes and policies to help ensure that all vendors in Intacct are valid company vendors. New Vendors New vendors are approved by department managers as part of the purchase order process. Following are BSC policies for setting up new Vendors in Intacct. All new Vendors will have an attachment in their Vendor Information screen verifying they are a legitimate vendor. Valid attachments include the PO Setup document used by purchasing, a printout of the vendor s website home page, or a printout from the vendor s home State government business entity search showing the business is registered in that State. Prior to setting up a new contractor vendor, all contractor relevant paperwork must be received including a W-9, proof of liability insurance, and proof of a state license. All three of these documents will be attached in Intacct in the Vendor Information screen. Contractor vendors will have the 1099 eligible box checked and 1099 information completed in the Vendor Information screen. BSC uses ACH for paying most vendors. All vendors receiving ACH payments must complete the ACH Authorization Form (included in the Appendix of the Cash Management Policies and Procedures manual). When the vendor is entered in Intacct, the authorized form will be attached to their vendor record and the option ACH will be selected as the preferred payment method in the Payment Information tab of the Vendor Information screen. Editing Existing Vendors A process has been put in place to help ensure editing vendor information is kept minimal and that vendor edits are valid. Refer to Procedures for Editing Vendors on page 18 identified in this manual. Making Vendors Inactive BSC has identified a review and authorization process that must be followed before a vendor is made inactive in Intacct. Refer to process helps BSC decrease ensure Bill and Adjustment Entry Policies Bills are authorized by Department Managers and include dimension coding prior to being entered in Intacct. Coding will consist of the appropriate location and department dimensions, and projects when applicable. The AP Clerk will review the coding prior to entering the bill to help ensure it is coded correctly. Bills are entered regularly in Intacct as they are approved. Goods and Services Invoices related to purchase orders must have an authorized signature on the purchase order acknowledging receipt of the goods or services. Intacct AP Policies & Procedures October 2015 2015 Synergy Business Solutions. All rights reserved. Page 6
Accounts Payable Audit Trail BSC has taken several steps to ensure procedures and process are in place for maintaining a proper audit trail. One of the processes that is critical to the completeness of an audit trail is maintaining an Accounts Payable binder, whether it is printed or paperless. BSC uses a paperless workflow therefore a folder has been created called AP Binder in the attachment folders of the Company module. Outlined below is BSC s internal process as to the proper filing of accounts payable reports to help ensure a successful audit trail in the AP process. AP Binder Reports At a minimum, the following reports will be printed and included in the AP Binder as part of BSC s internal controls and month end closing checklist for AP. These reports are identified throughout this manual as to when they are filed in the binder. AP Binder Distributed Reports Check Register AP Aging Report AP Ledger General Ledger AP account Reclassification Report The following outlines the title and distribution frequency of reports that will be generated and distributed from Intacct as part of our internal control and audit trail process. A printed copy of each report will be filed in the AP Binder. Note: These reports are memorized and scheduled to email automatically. Report Name Frequency Recipients Monthly Check Register Monthly CFO AP Ledger Monthly Owners CFO Controller Vendor Aging Report Monthly Controller AP Manager Vendors Created-Modified (Custom Report) Quarterly Controller AP Manager AP Documents Naming Convention BSC has created a folder in the Attachments Folders screen called AP Binder. All reports noted above will be saved electronically in this folder. Documents will use the following naming convention: YYYYMMDDReportName (e.g. 20151231CheckRegister) Intacct AP Policies & Procedures October 2015 2015 Synergy Business Solutions. All rights reserved. Page 10
ENTERING BILLS AND AP ADJUSTMENTS Procedures for Reversing Bills Per BSC policies, once an entry has been saved it cannot be deleted. If for some reason a bill was inadvertently entered in Intacct, the bill will need to be reversed. Reversing a bill will have an impact on financial information and the date of the reversal will drive what month the transaction will occur. Note: Only the Controller and the AP Manager will have access rights to reverse an AP bill. Gather the documentation that justifies reversing a bill in Intacct. This may be a copy of a duplicate bill, a copy of email correspondence with a vendor regarding a duplicate bill, etc. Send an email to the AP Manager or Controller with the explanation for needing the bill to be reversed. The AP Manager or Controller will access the bill from the Bills list view and click the Reverse link on the right side of the bill. In the Transaction Reversal Date screen, enter the date of the reversal. If the date is in a closed period, determine whether or not the period should be reopened based on BSC policies. If it is determined that a closed period needs reopened, follow Procedures for Reopening the AP Subledger on page 9. Enter a description that explains the purpose for reversing the bill. Click the Submit button. Access the reversal transaction created from the Bills list view. Click on Edit and attach the documentation used to authorize the reversal to the transaction. Intacct AP Policies & Procedures October 2015 2015 Synergy Business Solutions. All rights reserved. Page 25
PROCESSING VENDOR PAYMENTS Processing Vendor Payments Bills are paid every Friday, and include all invoices that are due within 10 days after the current pay date. For example, if the pay date is 08/21/15, all bills due on or before 08/31/15 will be paid in the current check run. Procedures for Processing Vendor Payments BSC follows a five step process for generating vendor payments. A summary of those steps is listed below with details for each step following. 1. Determine cash requirements to ensure sufficient cash is available for the check run. 2. Process EFT payments. These are vendor payments where we process a check via online bill pay and need to record the payment in Intacct. 3. Process ACH payments. These are vendor payments processed via an ACH file created by Intacct and uploaded to our financial institution for processing. 4. Process Printed Checks. BSC has a few vendors that still receive printed checks. 5. After processing, cash requirements are verified and all reports are filed in the AP Binder attachment folder. 1. Determine Cash Requirements Ensure all bills have been entered in Intacct. Generate the AP Aging report to determine the total cash requirement for the current check run. Use the due date filter to get the correct listing of bills to be paid in this check run. Verify the report is accurate. If any changes need made, correct the documents and reprint the AP Aging report until it is accurate. Save the report in the AP Binder attachment folder following the naming convention YYYYMMDDAPAging. TIP! Intacct uses Record Transfer for EFT payments. Payments made via the Record Transfer process will have EFT listed as the check type. Email the Controller with the total cash requirement needed and attach the AP Aging report (or a link to the report in the attachment in Intacct). Continue to process payments once an authorization email has been received by the Controller. Intacct AP Policies & Procedures October 2015 2015 Synergy Business Solutions. All rights reserved. Page 33
MONTH END PROCESSING Month End Processing The following procedures outline the steps for closing the Accounts Payable module for the period. The month end procedures are generally done by the 10 th of the month. Note: These steps are also outlined in summary in the Monthly AP Procedures Checklist on the following page. The checklist is printed each year and kept in the AP Binder attachment folder so that each month it can be signed and dated as each of the steps are completed. AP Month End Procedures Completed by the Accounts Payable Assistant. Verify all accounts payable transactions for the month have been completed and posted. Run the custom view Bills on Draft Status to see if any bills are in a draft state that should be posted prior to closing. Complete and post any transactions that arise from the above review. Verify all Recurring Bills have been generated and posted for the month. Print the AP Aging and AP Ledger reports using the GL Posting Date option. Confirm the two reports are in balance. If not, identify and correct any discrepancies. Print the General Ledger report, detail format for the month for the AP ledger account. Compare the aging and ledger report balances to the general ledger report to ensure the balances are the same. If not, identify and correct any discrepancies. The Aging report is your support for the AP balance in the general ledger. Use the general ledger report to see if any transactions were made to the accounts payable account from the general ledger rather than through the accounts payable module. Compare beginning balances for the period to last period s ending balances to ensure no entries were made to prior periods. Enter and post any transactions that arise from the above review. Reprint the reports once they are accurate and in balance. TIP! You may want to use the summaries found under Accounts Payable > Manage Subledger to help locate discrepancies. File the final AP Ledger, AP Aging and General Ledger reports in the AP Binder attachment folder. Follow BSC s naming convention YYYYMMDDReportName (e.g. 20150831APLedger). Intacct AP Policies & Procedures October 2015 2015 Synergy Business Solutions. All rights reserved. Page 47
ACCOUNTS PAYABLE MONTHLY AP PROCEDURES CHECKLIST Monthly AP Procedures Checklist Completed by Accounts Payable Assistant Verify all transactions in AP have been completed and posted. Review the following custom view: Bills on Draft Status Complete and post any transactions that arise from the above review. Verify all Recurring Bills have been generated and posted for the month. Print the AP Aging and AP Ledger reports using the GL Posting Date option. Confirm the two reports are in balance. If balances do not match, identify and resolve any discrepancies. Print the General Ledger report, detail format for the month for the AP ledger account. Compare AP Aging and GL report to ensure they balance. Enter and post any transactions that arise from the above review. Print and review the AP Aging, AR Ledger, and GL reports until they are accurate. File the reports in the AP Binder attachment folder. Period 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 PREPARED BY: PAGE 49
Processing Annual 1099s BSC issues 1099s for eligible vendors. Below are the procedures used to ensure accurate 1099 reporting. Note: Prior to beginning the 1099 process, the AP Manager should review the latest IRS 1099 publication for any changes in 1099 filing information that are applicable to BSC. Procedures for Processing 1099s Ensure all vendor payments for the 1099 year being processed have been completed in Intacct. View the Payment Requests list to ensure no payments are in process for the applicable 1099 year. Ensure there are not payments in the Approve Payments list for the applicable 1099 year. Ensure all vendors that should be marked as 1099 eligible in Intacct have been. Create a custom view of the Vendor list that displays the 1099 fields to look for vendors with missing information. Run a General Ledger Detail report filtered on the following accounts to look for payments to vendors that might be subject to 1099s: 1320-Prepaid Rent, 56200-Rent, and 6135-Contract Labor. Review Non-1099 payment amounts for the year to look for vendors that are not checked as 1099 eligible but should be. Accounts Payable > Reports > 1099/1096 > 1099 Reports. Select the applicable 1099 year in the Time Period section. Select Non-1099 in the Transaction Information field. Select Summary for Summary/Detail. If any vendors are found in the previous step that should be marked as a 1099 vendor, make the correction in the Vendor Information screen. Check the 1099 eligible checkbox and complete the 1099 information. Note: You will need to enter the 1099 amount for any vendors found in the above step. Steps for identifying amounts and adjusting vendor 1099 balances are outlined below. Review the 1099 Reports report to ensure 1099 payment amounts are correct. Accounts Payable > Reports > 1099/1096 > 1099 Reports. Select the applicable 1099 year in the Time Period section. Select Show All in the Transaction Information field. Select Detail for Summary/Detail. Review the report to ensure all subject 1099 payment amounts have a 1099 category next to the amount. Intacct AP Policies & Procedures October 2015 2015 Synergy Business Solutions. All rights reserved. Page 51
Adjusting 1099 Amounts If it is determined that payments were missed in the 1099 year and are not included in the 1099 amounts, you can adjust the amounts prior to printing the 1099 forms. Follow the steps below to ensure amounts are updated correctly. Generate the 1099 Report with current 1099 totals. This is used as the starting point. Accounts Payable > Reports > 1099/1096 > 1099 Reports. Select the applicable 1099 year in the Time Period section. Select 1099 in the Transaction Information field. Select Detail for Summary/Detail. Identify the missing amounts that should be included in 1099s. Access the Vendor Information screen and update the appropriate 1099 year amounts. Accounts Payable > Vendors Click the Form 1099 hyperlink on the Additional Information tab. Select the applicable 1099 year in the Time Period section. Select the appropriate Form Name, Default 1099 Box and Entity if applicable. Enter the amount in the appropriate box. To increase the 1099 total, enter a positive amount. To decrease the 1099 total, enter a negative amount. Save the changes. Intacct AP Policies & Procedures October 2015 2015 Synergy Business Solutions. All rights reserved. Page 53