Accounts Payable (AP)

On this page:

• Summary of tasks
• Key dates
• Accounting for AP invoices
• SoftCo
• Enter and approve purchase (AP) invoices
• Review of outstanding invoices
• Review Internal AP invoices
• Concur: Barclaycard and out of pocket expense claims
• Visitors and students expense claims
• Confirmation of petty cash, till floats and advance balances

 Accounting for AP invoices

Ensure that all supplier invoices received after 31 July are accounted for in the correct period.

Cut off example:

Invoices processed via SoftCo

For the 2024/25 year end, the invoice automation software, SoftCo, cannot be used to control the GL date in which an invoice will be posted once that invoice has interfaced in to CUFS.

For invoices processed through SoftCo, the GL period is driven by the invoice date. This means that all July dated invoices will automatically post into the July period (if the period is open), and all August dated invoices will automatically post into the August period.

This is comparable with Concur, where the claim date is the key date for determining the GL period.

Therefore when both July and August period are open:

•  an invoice with an invoice date of 31 July 2025 or earlier will go into July GL period
•  an invoice with an invoice date of 1 August 2025 or later will go into August GL period

Currently there is no functionality in SoftCo to pick a specific GL period for an invoice.

Previously, July and August invoices were reviewed to ensure they were in the correct period and adjusted where needed. That task will be more important for 2024/25 year-end.

To ensure invoices are posted to the correct period

The AP team will be issuing daily reports to AP institution finance contacts from 6 August listing:

• August invoices posted in July
• July or earlier invoices posted in August (if applicable)
• August invoices posted in August (to 15 August)

Notify AP is the daily reports are not being received.

It is the institution's responsibility to review these reports and if an invoice was processed in the incorrect period, institutions must notify AP.

In all cases, ensure that invoices are only processed in July if the goods were received in July. 

The Accounts Payable module will close at 5pm on 15 August. Invoices relating to 2024/25 processed after this date should be accrued if material in value. Institutions are not expected to accrue for invoices charged to grants. (Refer to General Ledger, Accruals).

Enter into CUFS and approve non-SoftCo purchase (AP) invoices for 2024/25

For those invoices not processed through SoftCo and manually entered into CUFS.

Invoices processed after 31 July should be classified between:

•  July 2025 or earlier purchases

ONLY goods or services received on or before 31 July should be recorded in July accounts. The purchase order date is irrelevant.

• August 2025 purchases (for the new accounting year)

Invoices dated July that relate to August purchases (for example equipment rental payable in advance), the GL date should be changed from July to August.

    NB: Goods or services ordered in July or earlier but delivered or received in August are August purchases and must be recorded in August.

For invoices dated August that relate to July purchases (where the goods or services were delivered or received prior to the end of July):

• in CUFS ensure that the GL date on the invoice header screen and the invoice line screen is amended to 31 July 2025 prior to approval of the invoice.
• if the invoice has already been validated and posted to the incorrect period, the item lines need to be removed by entering a negative line with the same GL date as the original lines. Then new item lines need to be re-entered with the correct GL date. The whole invoice needs to be revalidated and secondary approved.
• Do NOT change the GL date shown against the VAT line as this will automatically update when the invoice is validated.

For invoices dated August that relate to August purchases:

• Retain the August GL default date.

NB: The AP module will continue to accept July and prior purchase invoices until 15 August. Thereafter, all invoices will have to be processed in the new accounting year 2025/26.

Invoices relating to the 2024/25 year received after 15 August should be accrued as creditors. Refer to the guidance issued within the General Ledger Accruals section.

Review of outstanding invoices in CUFS

All outstanding invoices must be reviewed and all holds or queries dealt with appropriately.

a)  Check the volumes of invoices in various states using the Cognos AP Dashboard. For guidance refer to the AP training webpage. There is a video and documentation. The dashboard numbers include:

• Incomplete Invoices, which are invoices that have never been validated, or need revalidation
• Invoices on all other types of Hold (excluding SIA and Payment holds)
• Unprocessed Internal Invoices are those Internal Invoices with remaining balances on the AZZY source of funds that need to be recoded.  There is also a separate report with balances netted off where applicable
• Invoices Due for Payment are approved invoices with payment due dates within the next 7 days
• Invoices Paid Last Week might be useful to if looking to see if a particular invoice has been paid recently
• Invoices on Secondary Approval Hold
• Invoices on Payment Hold
• e-Invoices on Hold

NB: The CUFS reports, Invoice Register (CUFS) and Invoices on Hold Report (CUFS), are still available and may be useful if an immediate view is required as the Cognos AP dashboard numbers are only updated overnight

b) In CUFS, Validate and Secondary Invoice Approve (SIA) OR cancel as appropriate.

c) Remove the holds or receipt any delivered goods or services as appropriate.

NB: Invoices on hold (other than those only awaiting SIA) at period end will NOT be accrued or charged in GL.

The AP team will regularly distribute the AP Holds and Unaccounted Transaction Report (CUFS) to institutions.

Review Internal AP invoices for 2024/25

To be processed by 15 August with a GL date of July 2025 or before.

Internal invoices in dispute

a) As all outstanding internal invoices will be automatically validated, institutions must place an internal dispute hold on relevant invoices.

b) All invoices in dispute which cannot be resolved should be referred to the AP Helpdesk as soon as possible for advice.

c) Disputes resolved by the Finance Division will be notified to institutions by 15 August. Any necessary accounting entries for disputed invoices will be agreed with both institutions and posted by the Finance Division.

Internal order disputes can still be resolved and corrections posted by Central Finance up until 1 September when the General Ledger closes.

Concur: Barclaycard and out of pocket expense claims

We recommend running these reports on Concur before the year end.

Details of how to run these reports can be found on the Expenses Hub

• Accessing reports
• Guides for running specific reports

a) Ensure all Concur claims (Barclaycard and out of pocket) relating to 2024/25 have a Claim Date of 31 July 2025 or earlier.

b) From 1 August, any claims going into CUFS with a claim date later than 31 July 2025 will go into the August GL period. Finance approvers can check and change the claim date by going to Details/Claim Header when reviewing a claim. This is likely to be important for any claims submitted in the first two weeks of August with 2024/25 spend on.

c) All claims relating to 2024/25 must be fully authorised at least two days before the AP closure date (preferably sooner) and ensure that any advances are fully recovered. If possible do not mix 2024/25 out-of-pocket expenses with items relating to 2025/26 (August) on the same claim.

d) Expense claims that are dated before the 31 July 2025 that have not been transferred to CUFS will be accrued by the Finance Division on AZZY.FJAQ. The Finance Division will do this by 30 August 2025.
 

Visitors and students expense claims

Expenses need to be processed in the appropriate financial year. As expenses are paid in arrears, ensure that July (or earlier) expenses have a July 2025 GL date and an appropriate Expenditure Item Date if charged against a grant. For visitor claims in Concur, ensure the claim date for 2024/25 spend is July 2025 or earlier (see Concur: Barclaycard and out of pocket claims).

Confirmation of petty cash, till floats and advance balances

All institutions need to confirm their petty cash, float balances and any advance balances as at 30 June 2025 by completing the Cash holding confirmation form. Completed forms (including NIL returns) should be emailed to the Cashiers by 18 July.