MANUAL CHECKS - Special Topic AP-10

Occasionally, your company may need to make a payment with no advance notice, or may need to pay a vendor immediately. If your company uses preprinted checks (check number, company name and bank information already printed), a manual check will fill the need for these rush payments. It is most important that you retain a copy of the manual check or at least the information about the check, such as check number, date, payee, and amount.

A manual check is a check that is not printed via the Costpoint system. It may have been handwritten or produced on a typewriter. Because manual checks are produced outside of Costpoint but still affect the financial statements, we suggest you enter manual checks into your system as soon as possible.

Entering Manual Checks

If the check was written to a new vendor, enter information about your payee in the Maintain Vendors screen.

If the check did not pay a pre-existing A/P voucher, you must enter a voucher in the Enter A/P Vouchers screen. By using the Check subtask of the Enter A/P Vouchers screen, you can enter all the data for this payment, including check information, on this one screen and subtask. You must still post the voucher and the check.

If you used the check to pay a pre-existing A/P voucher, enter the check information on the Record Manual Checks screen. You will need to post the check using the Post Cash Disbursements screen.

Special Conditions for Manual Checks

Costpoint assumes that the check has already been prepared and sent to your vendor. Because of that, validations for pay-when-paid items and validations for a subcontractor or lien will appear as a warning, but will not stop you from entering the manual check.

For Every Manual Check:

Get a copy of the check before it is distributed.

We recommend that you keep a copy of a manual check, especially if it will be entered into Costpoint at a later time.

To enter a Manual Check into Costpoint:

  1. Has the voucher been posted? If so, go to the Record Manual Checks screen (# 4). If not, you can enter the manual check through the Check subtask of the Enter A/P Vouchers screen (#2).

  2. In the Check subtask of the Enter A/P Vouchers screen, enter the cash account, check number, date, amount, and any discount taken. Enter or select the fiscal year, period, and subperiod to which the check should be posted. When you select OK to exit this subtask, the voucher will still be on hold and the check will not be listed in the check register. (However, the check number will be reserved for this transaction to keep any duplication from occurring.)

  3. Approve the A/P voucher, if necessary. Post the voucher via the Post Vouchers screen (go to #7).

  4. In the Record Manual Checks screen, use Query or Find to enter the Pay Vendor ID, name, and location. The Open Vouchers table will populate with all posted items not on hold that still have unpaid balances. Enter, or use Lookup to select, the Cash Acct Desc.

  5. In the Record Manual Checks screen, enter the Check Number, Date, and Amount and choose the Fiscal Year, Period, and Subperiod to which you want the check posted.

  6. In the Record Manual Checks screen, highlight the row(s) that were paid by the manual check and choose the select button to move those items into the Selected Vouchers table. When you are satisfied that your selection is correct, save the screen.

  7. Post the check via the Post Cash Disbursements screen. Your manual check is now posted.