Accounting Office / Accounts Payable

Vouchers and other accounting documents are entered into the accounting system on a daily basis. Checks are printed on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday evenings. Checks are mailed the following day from the Administrative Services Building. Accounting entries are posted on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday evenings, with entries appearing on the Financial Management system screens the following mornings.

 The Accounting Office processes vouchers on three different schedules:

1. Regular Schedule - The regular schedule is used for approximately 95% of the vouchers. Auditing of vouchers is done the same day if received by Accounting in the morning campus mail or in the Accounting IN basket by 8:30 a.m. They are key entered the following morning, with the checks written automatically by Administrative Technology Services on the evening of the next check writing day (see first paragraph above.) Unless there is a compelling reason not to use the regular schedule, vouchers will be processed in this manner

2. Priority Schedule - With the priority schedule, vouchers are audited and key entered the same day if received by Accounting in the morning campus mail or in Accounting’s IN basket before 8:30 a.m. Checks are written automatically by Administrative Technology Services the evening of the next check writing day (see first paragraph above.) Departments needing the priority schedule should attach a note to the voucher(s) requesting the priority schedule. Vouchers submitted to Accounting on Wednesdays and Fridays will gain no advantage under a priority schedule as checks are not written on Wednesday and Friday evenings.

3. Emergency Walk-Through - When a check is needed before the day after the next evening checks are scheduled to be printed, the departmental representative can request that the Manager of Accounting approve a voucher for the emergency walk-through schedule. The emergency walk-through schedule requires a representative of the department to "walk the voucher through" the Accounting Office and Treasurer's Office, with the check prepared manually by the Treasurer's Office while the departmental representative waits. If the emergency walk-through voucher has an existing purchase order, the voucher first must also be walked to Purchasing. Otherwise, the encumbrance will not be reduced, and the balance on the account will be misstated. 

Emergency walk-through vouchers should be held to a minimum, as they are expensive to process and disruptive to staff in the initiating department, Accounting Office, and Treasurer's Office. While the emergency walk-through schedule provides checks in the shortest time, it is the least efficient method and unnecessarily delays the vouchers processed on the regular schedule. Proper planning will avoid most requests for emergency walk-through vouchers.

AT THE DISCRETION OF THE TREASURER THE DEPARTMENT WILL BE CHARGED $20 FOR EMERGENCY WALK THROUGH CHECKS IF IT APPEARS THAT THE DEPARTMENT IS USING THIS SYSTEM FOR "NON-EMERGENCY" DISBURSEMENTS.