Submitting a Payment Request in NUFinancials (Training Guide)

Submitting a Payment Request in NUFinancials (Training Guide)

This guide details what a payment request is and how to submit one.

Payment Request Overview

In NUFinancials, a Payment Request can be submitted for non-PO invoices, reimbursements to non-university entities, and miscellaneous Accounts Payable expenses.

The Payment Request page replaced the custom Online Voucher page used in NUFinancials 8.9 and 9.1. This enables users outside Accounts Payable to submit their own requests for payment to a supplier, independent contractor, visitor, etc. 

Is a Payment Request the same as a Voucher?

A payment Request is NOT a Voucher. A payment Request initiates an approval workflow in NUFinancials that if successful, will cause a voucher to be created automatically. The associated voucher is then subject to a Budget Check. 

What happens if a Voucher Fails the Budget Check?

If the voucher fails the Budget Check, the submitter is notified via an automated email. The submitter must re-enter a new Payment Request with the correct chart string, etc. as needed to pass the budget check. 

What is the role of the AP Department?

The Accounts Payable (AP) department’s role will be limited to reviewing, approving, and correcting the request/transaction as required. The AP department will look at a special request ONLY after a voucher has successfully passed the budget check.

If the submitter indicated a special request such as a payment message to the supplier or a payment "handling code", Accounts Payable can manually update the voucher per those instructions before the voucher is paid.

Payment Request Process Flow

In NUFinancials, the processing of a Payment Request follows the business process outlined in the diagram below.

Navigate to Payment Request Centers

Navigation: NUFinancials > Employee Self Service > Payment Request Center.

The Payment Request Center displays. On this page, you can view the previous requests with Invoice Numbers, Request ID, Entered Date, Description, Supplier ID, Total Amount, Request Status, Voucher ID, etc. Click on the line item to view Payment Request details. 

Create a New Payment Request

Step 1: Summary Screen

1. Click the plus sign on the upper left hand portion of the screen. A four step workflow appears starting at Payment Request - Summary screen.

2. Complete the required fields (marked with *) Invoice Number, Invoice Date, Cost Sub-Total, and Currency. (The information for these fields can be found in the invoice or other documentation that will be attached to the payment request)

 

Note: The Business Unit and Currency fields are populated by default. Do not change these. The payment request form does not support foreign currency.

 

If you don’t know your Invoice number:

When submitting a Visitor’s Expense Report or Contracted Services Form for US Residents, you will see a unique bar code and number at the top of the form when a blank form is opened using Adobe Acrobat; use that number as the Invoice Number on the Payment Request.

3. DO NOT USE the Other Cost Entering the Misc Charge Amount or Freight Amount will cause problems after approval. Put the total cost of the invoice in the Cost Sub-Total box; and enter any miscellaneous charge such as shipping on an invoice line.

4. Optional: Enter a Description. (It helps identify the purpose of the Payment Request and in locating a Payment Request at a later date. Be very specific and accurate when entering the description. For example: Subscription Renewal)
5. Optional: The Notes/Comments field can be used to enter any notes or comments that you have. Here are some guidelines for this field:
   • For the Handling Code Hold for Pickup, include the name and phone number of the person that AP should notify to pick up the check.
   • For the Handling Code Enclosures, specify which document(s) should be enclosed with the check.
   • If any paper attachments are being sent via campus mail, enter a note detailing the documents that you want attached.
6. Optional: Enter the Payment Message to Supplier
   • A message entered here will be printed on the check stub – in addition to the Invoice date and Invoice number, which are always included on the check stub.
   • A message to supplier can include a customer account, payment description, contact information etc.
7. Optional: Enter a Handling Code.
   • The Handling Code is set by default to RE (Regular Mail) and can be changed if necessary.

 

Note: The Payment Message to Supplier and Handling Codes are special requests and should be completed ONLY if necessary. These fields require a second review by AP, who manually copy these entries to the resulting voucher.

 

8. Click Attachments (0) to attach your invoice. (It is mandatory to add an attachment in order to When an attachment is not added, you will receive an error message)
   • The Add Attachment dialog opens.
   • Click Add Attachment. Add required attachments such as .pdf or image Examples of required documents are:
     • Scanned document files supporting the payment or expense (invoices, visitor’s receipts, ). Refer to the Documentation and Scanning Tips job aid for allowable file types that can be attached.
     • For a Contracted Services Form (CSF), attach a signed and approved CSF to the Payment Request.
     • For payment requests over $25,000.00, the Bid Documentation Form (BD-1) or the Sole Source Justification Form (SSJ-1) MUST be completed and attached to the Payment Request.

9. On the dialog box, click My Device.
10. Find and select the attachment.
11. After adding the attachment, click Upload to load the file.
12. Once the file is uploaded, you can see the status Upload Complete.

13. Click Done.
14. The attachment details dialog box will display. You can add a Description (optional) for the attachment that you have attached for the approvers to view.

15. Click Done.
16. Click Next at the top of the Summary page to proceed to the Supplier page.

Step 2: Supplier Screen

Searching with Supplier Name:

1. Enter all or part of the supplier name in the Supplier Name
2. Click Search.

 

Note: When searching for a Supplier with a foreign address, clear USA from the Country field.

 

3. Click anywhere on the line to select the Supplier listed.
   • Click on the Details icon to see the Additional details for the Supplier.

 

Note: For a Supplier with multiple locations, click on the line item and choose the desired location from the list. The Remit to Address for sending a payment will display on the supplier page.

 

4. Verify the information for the supplier.
   1. To change the suppler payment address, click  and select a different address.
   2. Click Next at the top of the page to proceed to the next step.

Searching by Supplier ID:

1. Enter the Supplier ID in the Supplier ID box.

2. Click Search.
3. If the Supplier ID is correct, it will take you directly to the Supplier Address details.

4. Verify the information for the
   1. To change the suppler payment address, click and select a different address.
   2. Click Next at the top of the page to proceed to the next step.

Step 3: Invoice Details

1. Click on Add Lines to add invoice A blank Invoice Line will display.

 

Note: Before adding line information, the system will automatically scan to determine if the invoice number you entered is a duplicate for this supplier. If so, you will receive the following message:

 

Options to move forward if the Duplicate Invoice warning appears:

1. Change the text entered in the invoice ID field (if it is not actually a duplicate entry) then submit.
2. Exit the payment request without saving or submitting (if you know it’s a duplicate).
3. Save for later and then look up the voucher indicated in the message to determine if it is truly for the same invoice.

2. Enter the Invoice line details. The total of all Line Amounts must equal the Cost Sub-total when you have finished.

• Click + to add another line.
• Click Edit to edit or delete an existing entry.
• In the Description field, enter a brief and clear description of the item or service.
• Optional: Enter the Quantity.
• Optional: For Unit, click on the magnifying glass and a list of Unit of Measure codes will display in a dialog box.
  • Once you find the Unit that matches your item, select that code and it will populate in the Unit field.

• Optional: Enter the Unit Price.
• Enter line amount in the Line Amount field.

3. Click Accounting Details to add the chartstring distribution information. ENSURE that the details are the same as the invoice.

• Enter Quantity. (Quantity should match the quantity in Invoice Details)
• Enter the Amount. (Amount should match Line Amount in Invoice Details)
• Enter the Fund Code or click on the magnifying glass to search the code.
• Enter the Department ID number or click on the magnifying glass to search the department ID number.

 

Note: Entering a Department ID could be optional depending on the Account Type you are putting entering.

 

• Enter the Account number or click on the magnifying glass to search. (Scroll to the right to see more fields)
• Optional: ChartField1 can be used to further categorize the expenditure.
• Optional: Specify PC Business Unit, Project ID and Activity ID if this expense is for a distinct restricted or unrestricted Project.

 

Note: The GL Business Unit is auto-populated with the Business Unit NWUNV

 

4. Click Done.

The Invoice Details page displays.

5. Click Next to proceed to the Review and Submit screen.

Step 4: Review and Submit

The Review and Submit page displays the payment request information you have entered. After submitting a Payment Request you will be able to view the status of the request and track its Approval History from the Payment Request Center.

On the Review and Submit step, review the information you entered for the Payment Request. You have the option of saving an incomplete transaction for later or discarding the transaction and returning to the Payment Request Center.

1. To save for later, click on the list icon found in the upper-right hand
   • Click on Save For Later in order to save and come back to make edits to the request.
   • Click Home to discard the transaction and return to the Payment Request Center.

2. Click Submit to close the page and submit the payment request into approval workflow.
3. A Confirmation dialog box will appear.
   • Click OK to proceed.

4. The submitted request will appear in the Payment Request Center page with the Request ID.

 

Note: A Payment Request ID always starts with the prefix PRQ. For Example: PRQ5674893

**Important Information: There are 6 statuses for Payment Requests:

New - Payment Request is created but not submitted. You can modify or cancel the payment request.

Pending – Indicates that the Payment Request is submitted for approval and is in the workflow approval process. You cannot modify or cancel the Payment Request when it has a Pending status.

Approved – Indicates that the Payment Request is approved and no further action is required. It is awaiting a daily automated process that converts it into a voucher.

Denied – Indicates that Payment Request has been Denied. You can cancel the request, modify and resubmit it, or view past approval/denial actions and comments. You will receive an email if your payment request is denied.

Vouchered – Indicates that the Payment Request is approved and has been converted into a voucher. The Voucher ID will be displayed on the right (all the way at the end) of the line. If the Payment Request had a special request for Message to Supplier or a Handling Code other than regular mail, the resulting voucher must be reviewed and updated by the AP department. Otherwise, it is ready for nightly payment processing (excluding any errors such as failing budget check).

Cancelled – Indicates that the Payment Request was cancelled by the person who entered the request. Once cancelled, the payment request cannot be modified. The cancelled request ID will still display in the Payment Request Center.

 

Search for a Payment Request

Step 1: Search/View All Payment Requests

1. Navigate to: Accounts Payable > Payments > Payment Request > View Payment Request
2. Enter the information you have regarding the Payment Request. The following criteria can be entered when searching for an existing Payment Request: Request ID, Invoice Number, Supplier Name, Supplier Number, Request Status, etc.
3. Click Search.

 

Note: You do not have enter information in all of the search criteria fields in order to search for a Payment Request. If you are looking for a specific request and you know the Request ID, that’s all you need enter.

 

4. After clicking Search, a list of Payment Requests will display, starting with the most recent.
5. Click on the line showing the Payment Request that you want to view.
6. Upon selecting the payment request to view, you will see a Review Page that looks like the one You can click the Approval History and Attachments links as needed for additional information.

Step 2: Review the Payment Request Center

A list of all payment requests that you have created can be found in the Payment Request Center. This list can be filtered and an approval status of the request can be ascertained via the Approval History window.

1. Click the Filter Icon [image] to filter the listing of your own payment requests. The Filters dialog box will appear with filtering options.

• A status showing the number of All, New, or Pending requests is on the Filters page.
• Alternative filters include Invoice Number, Request ID, and Supplier Name.
• Click Done to filter.

Step 3: Review, Update, Resubmit, or Cancel your Request

Approval history contains the responses of the complete approval chain for a given payment request. After you submit the Request, from the Payment Request Center open the submitted Payment Request. Scroll down the page and:

1. Click Approval History button at the bottom of the full payment request record.

2. The Approval Flow screen appears with full chartstring and central review histories.

If a Payment Request has a status of Denied or New, you can also cancel or modify it. Note: It is not possible to delete a Payment Request. 

3. To modify and/or resubmit one of your Payment Requests, open it from the Payment Request Center and then click the Update button at the bottom of the page.

4. To cancel one of your Payment Requests, open it from the Payment Request Center and then click the Cancel button at the bottom of the page. The system will prompt you to confirm the cancellation. Once a Payment Request is canceled, it cannot be resubmitted.

Payment Request Error Messages

1. The following error message appears when the following values are not entered: Invoice Number, Cost Sub -- Total or the required Attachment.

Invoice Details Errors

1. You must add an Invoice Line in Invoice Details. The line(s) amount must add up to the Cost Sub-total that you entered. The error message below appears if these values are not entered.

2. Enter Accounting Details in an Invoice Line. In NUFinancials, asterisks mark required fields. The error message below appears if these values are not entered.

3. Make sure that you enter all required and valid chartstring information for Fund Code, DEPTID and Account. The error message below appears if these values are not entered.

 

For additional assistance please contact the IT Support Center at 847-491-4357 (1-HELP) or email servicedesk@northwestern.edu.