To see an outline of the process from invoice entry through check payment, see the accounts payable overview.

To enter A/P invoices, menu option is Daily > A/P Invoices. Any invoice batches not yet posted will be displayed on this screen. See Invoice Batches for more options. You may double-click on a batch to review or edit the entries or add more invoices into this batch. If you prefer to enter invoices into a new batch, click New Batch.

Vendor ID: Must be an active vendor. You can also click the vendor ID label to add a new vendor or access vendor maintenance. The curser defaults to the vendor name field where you can begin keying the vendor name for selection, or you may enter the vendor#, or click the search icon to select the vendor from your vendor list.

Address ID: This specifies the address the check will be mailed. To add a new mailing address on the fly, click the Vendor ID label to edit the vendor. Click Save and return to the invoice entry screen where you may now select the appropriate remittance address.

Group (if using approvals): Approval table selected (displayed as Approval Group ID – Approval Group Name – (Approval Table name)).

Invoice ID: This is a unique number for the invoice that gets assigned by the computer when an invoice is created. Therefore, it will appear as blank until the invoice is created. 

PO Number (if using approvals): You may enter the PO# or click the search icon to browse open POs for this vendor. Select the appropriate PO# for this invoice.

• PO Lines: Use All if the invoice is to include all lines on the PO; or click the search icon to select appropriate lines for this invoice.
• PO Close Method: Full Close will generate a closing entry on the PO for the remaining balance on the lines selected; Partial Close will generate a closing entry on the PO for the amount/s of the invoice, leaving the remaining balance for future invoices. As soon as the PO Close Method is selected, the system will default the distribution lines selected from the PO.
  • Full Close one line of the PO: Enter the PO# + selected line/s + Full Close, to close the line/s of the PO selected. Invoice amount should be the amount to pay the vendor (unless option is set in A/P options to force PO amount on a full close). Closing lines will be added in the amount needed to close that PO line.
  • Full Close all lines of the PO: Enter the PO# + All lines + Full Close. All open lines of the PO will be defaulted. Invoice amount should be the amount to pay the vendor (unless option is set in A/P options to force PO amount on a full close). Closing lines will be added in the amount needed to close each PO line. You may delete any distribution to choose to not close that line.
  • Partial Close: Enter the PO# + selected line/s + Partial Close. Vendor will be paid the invoice amount entered. Closing lines will be added to the PO in the amount of the invoice, leaving the PO open for the remaining balance. You may delete any distribution to choose to not close that line. If using a blanket PO, you will always want to use a partial close, so the PO balance is reduced after each invoice entered throughout the year.

Invoice#: This is the vendor’s invoice#, which allows for alpha or numeric characters. Setup > Options has a setting to require invoice# or not, as well as a warning if the invoice# already exists for the vendor. This is only a warning, as the system will allow entry of multiple invoices with the same invoice#, if appropriate.

Invoice Date: Records the date of the invoice. The invoice date and invoice# will be printed on the check stub. This can be the actual invoice date, as it will not control where the entry hits the general ledger.

Due Date: This is an optional date used to easily tag for payment a group of invoices up through a specified due date. Entry of due date is optional and may be edited at any time. To edit after posting, edit the date from the vendor history browse screen.

Distribution Method: Normally the invoice rows are entered to an account#. But there are alternate distribution methods if you use splits or object tracking.

• When set to Transaction Code it will prompt you for the transaction code, amount, and comments. Then when you click OK it will populate the distributions according to the split definition. The first step is to add a Transaction Code under Records > Transaction Codes. This defines the split percentage (or flat amount) to the appropriate G/L accounts. See Help for Transaction Codes. On the Invoice Entry screen, enter the invoice#, date, and change the distribution method to Transaction Code. Select the appropriate transaction code and enter the invoice total amount and invoice comments. Click OK. The system will calculate and display the distribution rows, which can then be modified if needed
• A quicker way to apply the transaction code is to key the Transaction Code in the Account# field in the bottom/detail section preceded by a T (ie. TMYSPLIT) and then click the Display Splits button. When keyed like this it will use the default object type as set in Options. If you wish to specify the object type key it like this: OMYTYPE-TMYSPLIT
• When set to Account it will default the Object assigned to the Account (if any).
• When set to Object it will default the Account assigned to the Object (if any).

Period: The accounting period, which reflects the month and year the invoice is posted to the general ledger. Setup > Options > AP Entry controls how many months forward/back invoices may be entered and may be changed at any time. Note that once overridden, the period will remain the same until you change it back or exit the screen. You can have invoices with different accounting periods within the same batch.

Batch#: Every invoice is entered into a batch. This is the batch# for this batch of invoices.

Batch Total: Displays a summary amount for all invoices in this batch.

1099 Code: This is defaulted from the vendor maintenance screen but may be overridden here. You may designate a code if this invoice amount will be reportable on a 1099 at year-end. Even if a code is left blank during invoice entry, you may later (at year end) include this payment for 1099 reporting. Designating payments for 1099 reporting during invoice entry is not required but makes year end 1099 work easier.

Hold: Stops this invoice from being tagged for payment until the hold is removed.

Separate payment: Normally if multiple invoices are tagged for payment to a vendor, they are combined into one payment. If checked this will create a separate payment or check when this invoice is paid. This box is defaulted from the vendor maintenance screen.

Payment Card/Vendor: If payment is to be made to a credit card vendor, instead of directly to the vendor, assign the appropriate payment card here. This allows invoices to be entered to the purchasing vendor (for invoice history purposes) but payment made to the credit card company. See payment cards for more info.

Description: Interoffice comments regarding this invoice (optional).

To prohibit a PO (or invoice) due to insufficient budget:

• SignOn > Permissions. Select application Accounts Payable. Click Options at the top of this window. The task “Force Budget Amount in Invoice Entry for General Ledger”. Select Yes if you want to not allow budget to be exceeded; select No to allow budget to be exceeded; or select Warn to warn that budget will be exceeded but allow entry to continue.
• To change option for all users: Select a user, application Accounts Payable. Click Options at the top of this window. Select the appropriate Access Level. At the top of this screen, select “Clone selected to” and select All Users. Click Apply button.
• To change option for selected users: Right-click on this task’s row and select Options for all Users. You may change the Access Level for selected users.

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Distributions

Amount: You may enter a positive or negative number for the invoice amount. There is an option to allow, warn, or force the invoice amount to be within the budget amount for both GL and Object Tracking in Signon > user options. The option to disallow the invoice to exceed the PO amount by $# of dollars or percent is in Options > Accounts Payable > Purchase Order. If a PO# is entered there is an option to force the PO amount on a full close in PO options.

If a PO# is entered without a line#, the full PO amount is forced.

Account#: The G/L Account# to charge. You may key the account number or click the search icon (or hotkey F4 for search). There is an option to force the account# to be same as the PO account# in A/P options.

Comments: All comments entered here will be printed on the check stub, as well as check registers, etc. There is an option to require comments in A/P options.

Object Type (if using Object Tracking): Object type of Object # selected.

Object#: If using object tracking, this is the object# to charge.

Budget Remaining: Upon entry of the amount, the annual budget/forecast remaining will be displayed for the G/L account. Setup > Options > Accounts Payable > Entry controls whether the remaining amount is calculated on budget or forecast.

PO Info: If a PO is designated on this invoice, the resulting PO balance (after this invoice) is displayed.

To add an additional line of distribution, tab down to the next line and enter the amount, account#, etc. When finished entering this invoice, hit Enter (or click Save). You may now begin entry for the next invoice by selecting the vendor.
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Buttons

Save: Adds the invoice and clears everything on the screen to allow entry of the next invoice. If editing an invoice, this will save any changes that have been made to the invoice and exit. The ENTER key is the same as clicking Save.

If Using Approvals:

• Prior to Submission:
  • Submit: Begins the approval process
  • Send to Reviewer (if activated in Approval Type set-up): Allows the invoice to be assigned to a system user for review prior to Submit. Reviewer may change any/all invoice information as needed.
  • Log: Displays all approval activity for the selected invoice.
  • Preview Approval Table: Allows the creating user to see the prospective approval table prior to submitting.
  • Add Approvers (if activated in Approval Type set-up): Allows the creating user to add approvers to the invoice’s approval table created by the system at Submit.
• After Submission:
  • Approve: Approves the invoice and moves it to the next step in the workflow.
  • Disapprove:
    • Disapprove: Disapproves the invoice and returns it to the submitting user with Disapprover’s commentary (entered via prompt).
    • Disapprove and resubmit: Disapproves the invoice and opens it in edit mode for the Disapprover to make changes. The Disapprover is now the Reviewer and is considered the Submitting user when the invoice is subsequently submitted for approval.
• Log: Displays all approval activity for the selected invoice.
• Approval Table: Displays the approval table for the selected invoice with the current “Waiting on” user indicated.

Delete: An invoice cannot be deleted once it has been submitted for approval or posted. If posted and you need to delete it, you must void the invoice instead.

Attachments: Documents associated with the PO (Microsoft accepted file format). Attachments can be added at the time of invoice entry, or later from the vendor transaction history screen. Select the invoice to add/edit attachments.

Links: User created linkages to other system entries, system screens, and/or custom URLs.

Clone: 

• Clone: This allows you to clone a prior invoice for this vendor, including all distribution lines.
  • This saves valuable keying time if this current invoice is similar to a prior invoice.
  • Invoices for this vendor will be displayed, based on the filter selection at the top of the screen Vendor Summary Transactions.
  • Double-click an invoice line.
  • The prior invoice information will be displayed on the invoice entry screen. Any changes may be made, as well as distribution lines added or deleted. Save when entry is complete.
  • If you have selected the wrong invoice to clone, simply exit off the screen without saving.

• Clone-Append Distributions: This allows you to clone solely the distributions from a prior invoice for this vendor. They may be appended, added to the current distributions displayed, or replaced, overlaid over the current distributions displayed.

Forms: Print, Preview, or export invoice to Word.

Manual Check: This will not issue a physical (printed) check, but will record a payment for this invoice for the vendor. This is used if a check was hand-written and now needs recorded in the system.

• Click the Manual check button and enter the payment information.
• Check# is a numeric entry.
• The accounting period is when the payment entry hits the cash account in General Ledger.
• Date is date of payment.
• The invoice and payment will be posted automatically upon clicking OK.

If an invoice has already been posted, you may record a manual check with menu option Daily > Manual payment. A manual payment option is also available on the vendor transaction browse screen.

EFT: This will not issue a payment, but will record an EFT payment (automatic withdrawal from a bank account) for this invoice for the vendor.

• Enter the invoice information and click EFT to enter the payment information.
• EFT field allows you to record any meaningful notation of payment and can be alpha/numeric characters.
• The accounting period is when the payment entry hits the cash account in General Ledger. * Date is date of payment.
• The invoice and payment will be posted automatically upon clicking OK.

If an invoice has already been posted, you may record the EFT payment with menu option Daily > Manual payment.

Manual payment option is also available on the vendor transaction browse screen.

Audit: Allows a user to search all audit records specific to an individual invoice entry.

Show Image: Toggle on-screen display of invoice attachment(s) on/off
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Shortcuts

Use tab key: Invoice entry screen is designed so you can tab through the entry fields without having to reach for the mouse.

Easy Vendor search: Key the first few characters of the vendor name and use the up/down arrows on the keyboard to locate the appropriate vendor.

Add a vendor on the fly: Click on the word “Vendor” to add/edit a vendor during invoice entry.

Using a PO#?: If assigning a PO# to an invoice, you don’t have to select the vendor. Simply enter the PO# and the system will locate the vendor.

PO Full/Partial: If entering a PO# for an invoice, tab across and key F (Full) or P (Partial), instead of having to reach for the mouse.

F4 Search for vendor, PO#, or account#: Hit F4 on your keyboard for search, instead of having to reach for the mouse.

Save: When invoice entry is complete, hit Enter key, instead of having to reach for the mouse and clicking Save. 

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Editing

While in batch, an invoice may be edited or deleted. On the Invoice Batch screen, simply double-click an invoice line to edit. Any field may be edited and distribution lines be added or deleted. Be sure to click Save to hold any changes. Once an invoice is posted, if user permission allows, anything except account and amount may be changed. For details on how to correct an invoice, see Post AP Batch

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Partial Payment of an invoice

If an invoice is to be paid in partial payments, the invoice must be added as separate invoice lines, as the payment will happen. When tagging invoices for payment, the payment amount will be the amount of the invoice line/s selected. You may split an invoice into multiple lines in order to make a partial payment. See Split Invoice under Vendor Detail Transactions.

Importing Invoices

The import format must be in place before you can actually import the invoices.

Menu option is Setup > Imports > Payables imports.

• Click Import.
• Select the Import name.
• Click on Connection string Edit button to select the path and filename to import.
• Select the accounting period for the invoices to be imported.

You may click Validate to see if any errors are found. If the import finds any errors, corrections must be made on the format setup and/or the spreadsheet before the spreadsheet will import.

• Click the Import button when ready to import.

The invoice batch can now be posted, more invoices added, edited, deleted, etc.