Summary of Financial Approver Table (See SPG 500.01, Fiscal Responsibilities)

Approver Table Overview

The Financial Approver Table is used by Department Managers to delegate approval authority to others and to electronically workflow transactions to the appropriate individuals.

Department Managers are responsible for maintaining the Approver Table for their Departments.

Department Managers can designate approval authority for each transaction type. There are currently two transaction types on the Approver Table: Voucher and Journal Entry (JEs).

If Approvers would like an additional individual to review and approve a transaction after they have approved it, they can add an Ad Hoc Approver. Ad Hoc Approvers must also have an ITS security Approver role, but do not need to be on the Approver Table.

Approver Table Security

All Department Managers are automatically given ITS access roles to approve Vouchers and JEs.

If Department Managers select the Project/Grant Routing option to route all Vouchers to the Project Director or Single Administrative Point of Contact (SAPOC), then all Project Directors and all SAPOCs in that department will automatically be given ITS access roles for Voucher approval.


However, if the Department Manager wants to add an individual to the Approver Table, the Approver Table will not accept that individual without the required ITS access role:

·  Voucher Approval: PR AUTH APPROVER VOUCHER USER

·  Journal Approval: GL JOURNAL ENTRY APPROVER

Voucher Approval Types

The following Voucher Departmental approval types can be selected on the Approver Table:

ChartField – Confirms the correct ChartFields were used / OR / Combined – Confirms the correct ChartFields were used and the purchase was appropriate
Fiscal – Confirms the purchase was appropriate

If you have a ChartField approver, you must also have a Fiscal approver. If you would like two levels of approval, choose the ChartField and Fiscal approval types. If you would like one level of approval, choose the Combined approval type.

There is also a Project/Grant Routing option where Department Managers can choose to route Vouchers to either the Project Director or SAPOC, if there is a Project/Grant on the Voucher. Department Managers would choose this option for all Vouchers in their Department.

·  The Department Manager has the option to check a box where after the Project Director or SAPOC approves a Voucher, it will be routed to the Departmental Approver(s) for a concurring approval.

If Department Managers do not set up the Approver Table, they are the default approver.

Voucher Workflow

Vouchers that have been entered into MPathways require approval before they are processed if they meet the following specified dollar thresholds:

·  Purchase Order Vouchers for $10,000 or greater are routed for approval.

·  Payment Request Vouchers are all routed for approval.

·  Discrepancy Vouchers are routed for approval if the dollar amount is $300 or greater and/or if the percentage difference between the Voucher and the order is equal to or greater than 30 percent.

·  All Positive Adjustment Vouchers are routed for approval if the dollar amount is $500 or greater.

Vouchers that are below the dollar threshold for routing to approvers can be viewed on the Unpaid Voucher Report prior to payment date. The Accounts Payable area at the Shared Service Center (SSC) can be notified to stop payment where appropriate

Payment Request Vouchers $10,000 or greater are routed to the Department Manager as the final approver even if others are delegated through the Approver Table.

To ensure separation of duties, the Creator of the Voucher cannot also be the Approver of the Voucher. While the Creator can be one of the approvers in certain situations, they cannot be the final approver. If the Voucher is routed to an Approver who created it, an error step will occur and the SSC will need to add an appropriate Approver to the Voucher.

Journal Approval Type

The only journal approval type that can be selected on the Approver Table is the Journal Approver, which approves to ensure the JE is appropriate, has the correct ChartFields, has valid supporting documentation, and is in compliance with university and sponsor guidelines.

Journal Workflow

JEs are routed for approval if any individual line on the JE is equal to or greater than $10,000. JEs are routed to the approvers on the Approver Table for the Requester’s Appointing Department ID.

To ensure separation of duties, the Requester of the JE cannot also be the approver. If the Journal is routed to an Approver who was also the Requester, an error step will occur and the SSC will need to add an appropriate Approver to the Voucher.

If the Department Manager does not set up the Approver Table, they are the default approver for both Vouchers and JE’s.