External Invoicing Faqs

External Invoicing – FAQs

1. The external invoicing function is part of my job description, how do I get access to the FAST Accounts Receivable (FAST AR) system?

Access to the FAST AR system is controlled by Financial Services. Your supervisor will need to submit a request to Financial Services (Financial Systems Coordinator) authorizing access be given to you.See the link belowfor the access request form:

1. Who will train me on using the FAST AR system?

In order to obtainaccess to the system, users have to complete training. Aurora Finance Customer Service administers Financial Systems training. Depending on time of year, training may take place in a group setting or face to face. See the link below for courses schedule and registration (under Aurora/ External Invoicing):

If no courses are scheduled, contact Aurora Finance Customer Service line at 480-1001 to make arrangements.

1. Are there any important policies or procedures I need to be aware of?

Yes. All FAST AR users and supervisors of users need to comply with the University of Manitoba Invoicing and Collection Policy and Procedure. This information can be found under University Governance at:

1. When should the FAST AR system be used?

FAST AR should be used when you need to invoice (extend credit to) an external customer for a good / service provided by your Unit.

1. When should I be recording a sales transaction into FAST AR?

This should be done in a timely manner after a good and/or service has been rendered to the customer. Recording a sales transaction prior to providing a good and/or service is not correct from an accounting point of view and furthermore, willprematurely trigger the collection process by RCGA.

1. Who is responsible for printing / mailing the invoice to the customer?

The Unit that entered the sales transaction into FAST AR is responsible for printing the invoice and mailing it to their customer (or sending it via the automated e-mail function in FAST AR). RCGA is responsible for sending out monthly reminder notices / statements to your customer for outstanding balances.

1. Who is responsible to collect payment on outstanding invoices?

Units are responsible to collect invoices they issued.RCGA assistsUnits with collection of outstanding invoices.Every month RCGA issues Customer Statements (Customer Statement is a document thatlists all customer’s outstanding invoices no matter of their age). Next, RCGA issues 3 sets of Delinquency Notices:1st for invoices that are 90-120 days old; 2ndfor invoices that are121-150 days old and3rd and final Notice for invoices that are 151-180 days old. If payment still remains uncollected or a reasonable payment plan is not established with RCGA, RCGA will consult with the Unit and consider the use of a collection agency or refer the matter to Legal Services.

1. Who is responsible financially for an uncollected invoice?

The Unit that entered into the credit sale is ultimately responsible. Since it was the Unit’s revenue that was originally credited for the sale, it will be the same Unit’s bad debt expense that will be charged for any amounts not collected. This is outlined in section 2.3 of the Invoicing and Collection policy which states “The Faculty or Unit initiating a credit sale to an external party is responsible for determining the credit risk and is responsible for the subsequent costs of collection activities and any uncollected amounts”

1. What happens when the collectability of an invoice is in doubt?

The Comptroller’s Office will process a journal voucher to charge the amount of the invoice (excluding any applicable taxes) back to the billing Unit’s FOP as a bad debt expense. This will offset the original revenue that was credited to the FOP when the sale transaction was entered in FAST AR. This treatment is consistent with the University’s Invoicing and Collection Procedure and Generally Accepted Accounting Principles.

1. What happens when we have exhausted all our collection efforts and still have not collected on an invoice?

After internal and external collection efforts have been exhausted, the Comptroller’s Office will process a journal voucher to write-off the account receivable. The customer’s name will be recorded on the “Customers with Suspended Credit” report.

1. What happens if we collect on an invoice that was previously charged back as a Bad Debt Expense?

This money, net of any applicable taxes, will be credited as a recovery to the related Unit’s FOP.

1. Who is responsible to assess proper sales taxes (GST/HST and PST) on invoices?

The Unit that issued the invoice is responsible for properly assessing any applicable taxes.

1. What are the implications of not properly assessing taxes?

The University, as a GST/HST/PST registrant is responsible to charge, collect and remit any applicable sales taxes to the government. If taxes are not charged when they should be, the tax liability to the University may be significant. For this reason, the minimum expectation Financial Services has from those who issue invoices in FAST AR, is to seek assistance if they are uncertain regarding applicability of taxes.

1. What should I do if I am not certain regarding the applicability of taxes on an invoice?

In addition to reviewing the resources available in the “AR Links” section of the FAST AR homepage, you can contact your Faculty’s Business Manager or RCGA (AR Accountant or Assistant Manager) with any questions you may have. If we cannot provide an answer to you right away, we will research your question and get back to you.

1. Why do we need to consider assessing the Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) when Manitoba is not an HST province?

The tax rules state that if we do business in an HST participating province (Ontario, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island), we are required to charge, collect and remit HST to the Federal Government. For further info regarding applicability of HST, visit the “AR Links” section of the FAST AR homepage.

1. My Unit provided a good or service to another University of Manitoba Unit, should I use FAST AR to record this transaction?

No. Transactions between Units at the University are internal transfers and should be handled through Inter-Department (ID) Charges only. FAST AR should only be used for billing external organizations.

1. What should I do with a cheque that I received from one of my customers?

All customers are instructed to send their payment to 315 Administration Building. If you happen to receive a cheque in your Unit, please send the cheque to 315 Administration Building.

1. I accidentally received a customer’s cheque and deposited to our revenue FOAP at the Cashier’s Office, what should I do?

You should inform the AR Accountant in RCGA (474-8362 or by e-mail at: ) so that the proper adjustment can be made in the accounting records.

1. My customer wants to pay using Visa / MasterCard, can this be accommodated?

If your Unit is set up as a merchant through TD Merchant Services and currently accepts Visa and MasterCard, you can accept payment from your customers through this method. If your Unit does not have this ability but another Unit within your Faculty does, you can arrange for payment to be processed by the other Unit on your behalf. Under either of these scenarios, it is critical that you provide RCGA with supporting information (i.e. Date, Customer Name / ID, Invoice #, $ amount, etc.) so that the money can be properly allocated to the customer’s account. If you do not inform RCGA, money will likely be recorded to a revenue account leaving the customer’s balance outstanding.

1. If a customer does not pay on time, can I charge them late fees?

No. Financial Service’s policy is not to charge late fees to our customers. Invoices are due upon receipt. If payment is not received in a reasonable time frame, Financial Services will pursue other collection options.

1. If a customer’s cheque is returned NSF by the bank, what happens?

The amount of the NSF cheque will be charged back to the customer’s account and a $30 returned cheque fee will be assessed to the customer. RCGA will inform the related University Unit of the returned cheque to assist with customer follow-up.

1. If I can’t find a customer in the FAST AR listing, what should I do?

You should complete a “Request to Add/Change Customer” form and submit to RCGA. RCGA will ensure the customer does not already exist in the system and if not,will create the customer account for you. Once complete, you will be notified by e-mail.

1. What if my customer’s contact information changes?

If your customer’s contact info such as address, phone number, e-mail address, etc. change, you must notify RCGA by completing a “Request to Add/Change Customer” form. This will ensure we have the most current information on file and that our collection process will not be disrupted / delayed in any way.

1. My customer prefers to have their invoices sent electronically, what should I do?

Ask your customer to make this request (an e-mail request is sufficient) and to provide an e-mail address where invoices are to be e-mailed to. Then forward this information to the AR Accountant () to have the automated e-mailing functionality set up in FAST AR.

1. I have a customer ID from the old EITS system, how do I get that customer’s corresponding ID in FAST AR?

You have a couple options. You can search by customer name using the drop down lists in the FAST AR invoicing screen, or you can use the “Customer ID Crosswalk” pinned report.

1. If I enter an invoice in error, what should I do?

You should contact the AR Accountant in RCGA (either by phone at 474-8362 or by e-mail at: ) to request a cancelation of the invoice.

1. Is an invoice cancellation the same thing as a write-off?

No. These are 2 very different things. An invoice cancellation request should happen when an invoicing error has occurred.

A write-off request should happen when a good / service has been provided to a customer and all collection efforts have been exhausted. It is Financial Services policy to process write-off requests from Units provided they are under $50. For invoices > $50, these requests must be approved by the Assistant Manager RCGA and depending on $ threshold, the Comptroller’s Office.

1. What if I billed my customer and subsequently needed to process a credit note to their account (i.e. due to returned goods), what should I do?

You should contact the AR Accountant in RCGA (either by phone at 474-8362 or by e-mail at: ) to request a credit note adjustment to the customer’s account.

1. What if my customer has a credit balance in their account, what should I do?

You should follow-up with your customer to see if they would like to leave the credit on account to absorb future purchases or if they would like a refund. If they would like a refund, you would contact the AR Accountant (either by phone at 474-8362 or by e-mail at: ) to request a refund. The refund will be mailed to the customer’s address on file unless you inform RCGA otherwise.

1. I need to bill my customer in a foreign currency, how do I do this?

When creating an invoice in FAST AR, change the currency field to the desired currency. Please note that when the invoice is posted to the general ledger, FAST AR will not convert the foreign currency to a Canadian Dollar equivalent. So for example, if you bill a customer $100 US, your FOAP in FAST will show $100. When payment is received from the customer by the Cashier’s Office, the payment will get converted and your FOAP will be adjusted for the foreign exchange amount accordingly.

1. What should I do if I have knowledge that my customer may not be making payment (i.e. due to financial difficulty, etc.)?

You must inform RCGA of this information so that the appropriate accounting and collection steps can be taken.

1. My department needs invoicing done on rare occasions, should we set up a FAST AR user or is there an easier alternative to issue an invoice?

In situations where minimal invoicing takes place throughout the year (i.e. a Unit that invoices once or twice a year), it probably is most efficient / effective to have the invoice(s) processed by the AR Accountant in RCGA. All you have to do is contact the AR Accountant at 474-8362 or by e-mail at: and your request will be processed.

1. My Unit would like to use the invoice approval functionality in FAST AR, what should we do?

A supervisor or senior financial administrator in your Unit should contact Financial Services (Financial Systems Coordinator at 474.6863) to make this request. The Financial Systems Coordinator will want to know which users in your Unit should have the ability to create invoices and which users should have the ability to approve them. This information will be used to create the appropriate user profiles in FAST AR.

1. What happens when a FAST AR user stops working at the University or changes roles at the University no longer requiring FAST AR access?

The user’s supervisor should contact Financial Services (Financial Systems Coordinator at 474.6863) to request that access be taken away.

1. When I print an invoice for the first time, the invoice contact information i.e. my user name, e-mail address or phone number is not displayed correctly on the invoice, what should I do?

Contact Financial Services (Financial Systems Coordinator at 474.6863) to have this rectified.

1. When I try printing an invoice for the first time, I get an error message or the PDF copy of the invoice is not coming up, why is this happening and what should I do?

This is likely happening because your internet browser settings have not been properly configured to allow printing in FAST AR. Follow these steps to change your browser settings:

For Internet Explorer

1. Select Internet Options from the Tools menu
   
2. Select the Security tab at the top of the box

1. Click on the “Trusted Sites” icon.
   
2. Set the Security Level to low by dragging the slider bar to the bottom
   
3. Click on the Sites button
   
4. In the “Add this website to the zone” box, type in:
   Then click on the Add button
   
5. Click Close
   
6. Click Ok

For Mozilla Firefox

If you access FAST AR from Mozilla Firefox and have difficulty printing, it may be because you are getting the message near the top of the page:

Find the Options button on the right-hand side of this bar, and select Allow popups for fasprod.cc.umanitoba.ca

1. Who should I contact if I am having system performance issues i.e. system is slow?

For system performance issues, you should contact the Aurora Finance Customer Service help desk at 480-1001 or .

1. Who should I contact for any user security questions?

Any questions regarding user security access should be directed to the Financial Systems Coordinator at 474-6863.

1. Who should I contact for any technical questions on how to use the system or questions on policy and procedures?

Any questions on how to use the system or the billing process should be made to the AR Accountant at 474-8362 or by e-mail at: .

1. I would like to refresh my FAST AR skills / knowledge, is there any training material I can review?

Yes. You can review the Aurora Finance training material located on the Aurora Finance homepage:

(click “Training” on bottom left and then “Training Resources” on top right).

You can also review the FAST AR on-line documentation available via the “Help” menu on the FAST AR tool bar.

Another option is to schedule a training session (one-on-one or for your faculty). Please contact the AR Accountant at 474-8362 or e-mail at: and we would be happy to accommodate this.

Revenue, Capital & General Accounting
315 Administration Building
University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada, R3T 2N2

Tel 204.474.8362, Fax 204.474.7501

Email:

Webpage: