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Check Processing Approval

  • 15 December 2022
  • 5 replies
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I would like to setup a process for AP Payments where the AP clerk can setup the payment group but the Controller must approve the printing and posting. Has anyone done anything like this?

 

Kathie

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Best answer by pjackson 15 December 2022, 22:04

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Userlevel 3

I have not done that exactly, but in 2014, I did publish the below opinion about where is best to insert the control.

 

AP Invoice/Payment Review

Recommend placing the “invoice review” at invoice posting, and minimize (eliminate) higher level review at time of check printing.  This change is common as businesses grow.  It is also best practice to have the control/review function prevent invoices being posted rather than at the check print/release time.  Recommended process follows:

  1. Segregate invoice Entry from invoice Posting.   Invoice Entry would be done with the two/three way match.  AP would provide the edit list along with the backup to the Approver.
  2. The Approver would review the edit list and backup, then post the batch.  Security would be set so that AP could not post batch, and so that Approver could not enter AP invoices.
  3. The above controls would ensure that no AP invoices could be posted without appropriate review.  This, along with Positive Pay, eliminates the need for additional detailed review at check print time.
  4. Check run would be prepared and an edit list reviewed.  Various levels of segregation and control could be done here.  However, the above controls limit the need for detailed review at this point.

I had set up something that sounds similar. Here’s a quick overview. I put UD fields on the APChkGrp and CheckHed tables. Both fields I named ‘Authorized_c’. Then I set up method directives and data directives to allow only specific users to update the Authorized field. (Our CFO authorizes checks, our CEO is the backup if the CFO is unavailable). The BPMs ensure each user can only enter their credentials and only those two users can enter anything, the clerk can clear the field to unauthorize a group, but he can’t change it to anything else. And the clerk can’t add checks to a group that is already authorized.

 

When the ud field on the APChkGrp is successfully filled in, the BPMs update the UD field on the CheckHed table with the same info. the field on the CheckHed table cannot be directly edited. If the APChkGrp UD field is cleared, I clear the CheckHed UD field.

 

When the clerk selects Process Payments to print checks one of the BPMs verifies that they CheckHed UD field is populated correctly, if not, it throws an error saying the checks are not authorized and  check printing is not allowed.

 

James

James,

Thanks for info. Sounds like a good workflow. I will try it out. I’m a bit unsure why Epicor doesn’t have some built in approval method for check payments, but if this method works then great!

Thanks,

Kathie

Userlevel 1

So I set it up using Service Security.

I have 2 security groups: Payment Entry - Post and Payment Entry - No Post.

I set the security on the methods for Allow Process Payments and PrePostGrp to only allow access to users in the Payment Entry - Post group.

 

Userlevel 4

You can also check security groups in BPMs.  So you could design a BPM that tests key components of the record being proposed for approval, and only allow those specific changes for members of key security groups.

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