Accounts Payable Best Practices

Introduction. Chapter 1: Invoices. Invoice Handling: Approvals. Forwarding Invoices. Verifying Invoice Data. Invoice--Coding Standards. Short--Paying Invoices. Paying Small--Dollar Invoices. Handling Unidentified Invoices. Handling Invoices without Invoice Numbers. Case Study: How One Pro Took Accounts Payable Out of the Picture when Resolving Customer Discrepancies. Chapter 2: Checks. Check Printing. Check Signing. Check Stock Storage. Distribution of Checks. Check Fraud. Rush or Emergency Checks. Case Study: Information Sheet: Segregation of Duties. Chapter 3: Operational. Duplicate Payment Avoidance. Paying When the Original Invoice Is Missing. Limiting Calls to Accounts Payable. Petty Cash. Supplier Statements. Case Study: Expert Demonstrates How to Put the Web to Work for Accounts Payable. Chapter 4: Master Vendor File. Master Vendor File Setup. Using Naming Conventions. Making Changes to the Master Vendor File. Master Vendor File Cleanup. Case Study: Experienced Accounts Payable Pro Shares Master Vendor File Control Secrets. Chapter 5: P--Cards. Design of the P--Card Program. Establishing Procedures. Setting Controls. Increasing Usage. 1099s and P--Cards. Terms. Rebates. Case Study: P--Cards Improve Accounts Payable Process at PETsMART, Rock--Tenn, and Rouse. Chapter 6: Travel and Entertainment. Formal Policy. Cash Advances. T&E Report Form. Verifying Data. Handling Receipts. Reservations. Reimbursing Employees. Unused Tickets. Case Study: Making the Most of Direct Deposit. Case Study: TransUnion's Successful Low--Tech, Low--Budget T&E Solution. Case Study: Follow IBM's Lead: 21 Steps to an Award--Winning T&E Process. Case Study: How Zurich America Developed Its Own Electronic T&E Report. Chapter 7: Regulatory Issues. 1099s. Sales and Use Tax. Unclaimed Property. Case Study: How to Avoid Sales and Use Tax Audit Disasters. Case Study: A Typical Company's Unclaimed Property Experience. Chapter 8: Cash Management. Taking Early Payment Discounts. Payment Status Information for Vendors. Bank Accounts and Fraud. Other Cash Management--Related Initiatives. Case Study: General Electric's Approach to Electronic Invoicing and Payment Processing. Chapter 9: Technology. Imaging and Workflow. The Internet. E--Invoicing. Case Study: PPL Electric Offers Lessons on Setting Up an Accounts Payable Imaging Solution. Case Study: An Accounts Payable Web Site. Case Study: How the Accounts Payable Manager at Merck Overhauled Department Procedures and Technology. Chapter 10: Communications/Customer Relations. Payment Status Information for Vendors. Communicating Relevant Information to Vendors. Communicating with Internal Customers. Improving the Procure--to--Pay Cycle. Case Study: Interactive Voice Response Frees Accounts Payable from Annoying Where's My Money Calls. Case Study: How Automated Accounts Payable and Purchasing Systems Mesh at BNSF. Index.