Paying Vendors

From the Accounting menu, select Accounts Payable > Pay Vendors to open the Pay Vendors window.
Note: The Checks list is blank unless someone has already created a payment list and not yet printed the checks.

Click [Auto Create] to open the Auto Create Vendor Payment List window.

On the Auto Create Vendor Payment List window, complete the following fields as appropriate:

Next check run date: Date to use for the next check run and invoices due collection.
Note: E-automate displays the date you enter here in a Next check run date field on the Pay Vendors window.  If you select a check to edit from the Pay Vendors window, opening the Edit Accounts Payable Check - [Vendor Number - Vendor Name] window, e-automate displays in the Next check run due column of the table on the Invoices tab the amount due on each invoice as of the specified Next check run date to assist you with seeing the amounts due as of a certain date. For more information on how the system uses this date, see the explanations listed below for the additional options on the Auto Create Vendor Payment List window.

Pay before terms discount date: When checked, e-automate takes advantage of any discount offers available for early payment.
Note: e-automate determines invoice eligibility based on terms assigned to each invoice.
Note: e-automate uses the Next check run date and the Pay __ days before term discount date field (from Tools > Options > Accounts Payable) to determine the number of days prior to the term discount date that you want invoices with discount terms to be automatically included on the Pay Vendors list.
Example: You specify a Next check run date of March 4.  You have a Pay __ days before term discount date setting of 3 days. If you check this box, e-automate will include for payment any eligible invoice with a term discount date on or before March 7 (March 4 plus 3 days).

Pay before due date: When checked, e-automate pays bills before they come due.

Pay before scheduled due date: When checked, e-automate selects for payment each invoice—or the installment portion of each invoice—that is due for payment.
Note: e-automate uses the Next check run date and the Pay __ days before due date field (from Tools > Options > Accounts Payable) to determine the number of days prior to an unpaid invoice's due date—or the unpaid portion of each invoice installment with a payment schedule due date—to select the invoices to be automatically included on the Pay Vendors list.
Example: You specify a Next check run date of March 4.  You have a Pay __ days before due date setting of 3 days. If you check this box, e-automate will include for payment any eligible invoice with an unpaid installment with a payment schedule due date on or before March 7 (March 4 plus 3 days).
Note: For multiple-installment invoices, e-automate includes in the amount due any unpaid past-due amount and the amount due on the current installment, less any unused pre-payment amount made with previous installments.

Pay vendors that are on hold: When checked, e-automate includes for payment eligible invoices from vendors for whom an On hold code is specified on the Miscellaneous tab in the vendor record.

Note: e-automate does NOT include for payment any invoice for which an On hold code is specified on the Miscellaneous tab of the vendor invoice in Accounts Payable Invoices; those invoices are only eligible for payment when you remove the on hold code from the invoice.

Pay Invoices by branch: When checked, e-automate pays only those vendors associated with the identified branch.
Note: This field only displays if branching is enabled.

Click [OK]. e-automate searches the database, and creates a list of vendors and accompanying invoices to pay based on the invoice due dates and the options selected in the Auto Create Vendor Payment List window.

To print the pay vendors list, do the following:

Click [Print List] to open the Vendor Payment List window.

Click [Print Report] to open the Select Printer window.

Click [OK] to print the pay vendors list on the default printer.

Close the Vendor Payment List window to display the Pay Vendors window.

To indicate all invoices for one or more vendors should not be paid, do the following:

Select the vendor or vendors to be removed using any of the following methods:

To select all vendors, press CTRL+A.

To select a range of consecutive vendors, press and hold SHIFT, click a starting and an ending vendor, and then release the SHIFT key.

To select multiple non-consecutive vendors, press and hold CTRL, click each vendor you want to select, and then release the CTRL key.

To select a single vendor, click the vendor.

Click [Remove] to display a window asking if you are sure you want to remove the vendor (or selected items if you select multiple vendors).

Click [Yes].

To indicate individual invoices for a vendor should not be paid, do the following:

Select the vendor name.

Click [Edit] to open the Edit Accounts Payable Check window.

Select the invoice that should not be paid.

Click [Remove] to open a window asking if you are sure you want to remove the invoice.

Click [Yes].

Repeat steps c through e for each invoice that should not be paid.

Click [OK] to return to the Pay Vendors window.

To change the amount to pay to a vendor, do the following:

Select the vendor name.

Click [Edit] to open the Edit Accounts Payable Check window.

Do any of the following:

To add an additional payment to the vendor, do the following:

Enter in the Additional payment field the amount of the additional payment.

Click [Update] to update the Summary region.

To change the amount to pay on a specific invoice, do the following:

Select from the display the invoice for which to adjust the payment amount.

In the Discount field, enter the new amount of the discount or make no change to use the amount displayed.

In the Amount to pay field, enter the new amount to pay on this invoice or make no change to use the amount displayed.

Click [Update] to update the amounts in the invoice display.

To pay the remaining balance on a multiple-installment invoice (not just the amount currently due), do the following:

Select from the display the invoice for which to pay the full amount of the invoice.

Click [Pay in full] to update the invoice display with the payment amount necessary to pay the remaining balance on the invoice.

Click [OK] to return to the Pay Vendors window.

If you have EFT enabled, you can change how a vendor is paid, whether by check or EFT. To change how a vendor is paid, do the following:

Select the vendor for which you want to change the payment method.

Click [Edit] to open the Edit Accounts Payable Check [XX – XXX] window.

Select the appropriate method, either Pay by check or Pay by EFT.

Click [OK] to save your changes.
Note: If you do not have EFT enabled, these options are not available.

To manually add a check to the pay vendors list, do the following:
Note: Occasionally you may want to manually add a vendor with or without an invoice to the check run. You may do this to pay an invoice early or to prepay for an anticipated invoice or shipment. Adding a payment to the pay vendors list without an invoice creates an unapplied payment which you will have to apply to an invoice later.

Click [New] to open the New Accounts Payable Check window.

In the Vendor field, use the lookup to select the vendor to whom the check is being written.

In the Additional payment field, enter the amount to be paid to this vendor.
Note: This is the amount to pay the vendor that will become an unapplied AP payment. This functionality is commonly used for cash-with-order payments. Later, when the invoice acknowledgement arrives, you can apply the payment to a created purchase order invoice.

In the Invoice field, use the lookup to select an invoice to pay.

Click [QuickAdd] to add the invoice to the check.

Repeat steps d and e to add more invoices to pay.

To indicate how much should be paid for each invoice, do the following:

Select the invoice.

To pay the invoice in full, click [Pay in Full]. e-automate updates the Pay field to reflect the amount to pay the selected invoice in full.

To partially pay an invoice, enter the amount to be paid on the invoice in the Amount to pay field and click [Update]. e-automate updates the pay and balance fields for the selected invoice.

To record a discount for an invoice, enter the amount of the discount in the Discount field. In the Amount to pay field, enter the remaining amount due on the invoice so there is no balance remaining on the invoice.

If you have EFT configured, select the method of payment, either Pay by check or Pay by EFT.
Note: This option is only visible if this vendor is configured for EFT payments.

After the details of the check are complete, click [OK] to add the check to the pay vendors list.

You can view the balance in your default cash disbursement account in the Summary window on the top right hand side of the Pay Vendors window.
Note: Only employees with Cashbook Report View rights can see the cash account balances. If you do not want an employee to view these balances, request that your system administrator, remove Cashbook Report rights. See e-admin Help Security for additional information.

This section is only applicable if you are using electronic funds transfers (EFT) to pay vendors.

After verifying the appropriate EFT invoices, click [Create EFT] to open the Create EFT file window.

Complete the following fields as appropriate:

Transaction date: The date on which this EFT posts to your general ledger.

Effective date: ACH rules state that this date must be at least one banking day after the transaction date. e-automate determines if there is a weekend or a United States Federal Holiday and moves the effective date accordingly to the following banking day from your transaction date. You can roll it forward as necessary. You cannot move it within one banking day of the transaction date.

Cashbook account: Your EFT cash account. You can select a different EFT account as necessary.

File output location: The location in which e-automate stores the EFT file created. You can click [Browse] to designate a different location on your computer or network.

Click [OK] to create the EFT file to the specified location.

Click [Yes] on the Attention window asking if you want to post the payments and send email notifications. Email notification is sent to the email address identified on the vendor, and to the BCC field on the vendor.

Deliver the created EFT file to your financial institution.

After verifying the appropriate invoices are included, load the checks in the default printer and verify the starting check number.

To print the checks in a specific order, do one of the following:

To print the checks in order by the ID column, select ID (Original order).

To print the checks in order by vendor name, select Vendor name.

To print the checks in order by vendor number, select Vendor number.

Click [Print Checks] to open the Print Vendor Checks window.

Complete the following fields as appropriate.
Transaction date: Date on which the checks are to be posted.
Cashbook account: Account from which you want the checks to draw.
Starting check number: Starting check number for the batch.

To view a test print of the checks, click [Test Print]. e-automate prints a sample of the check so you can verify the fields align appropriately.

Click [OK] to print the checks. e-automate displays the Vendor Checks Printed window.

Do one of the following:

If the checks printed correctly, click [Done]. e-automate posts the checks to the general ledger and updates the accounts payable module.

If one or more checks did not print correctly, do the following:

Check the box next to the check(s) that did not print correctly.

Click [Done] to open the Next Check Number window.

To roll back to the last starting check number, click the Roll back to last starting check number radio button.

To utilize the next check number, click the Roll forward check number radio button.

To utilize a check number other than the last starting check number or the next check number, click the Enter next check number radio button and type the check number in the Next Check Number field.

Click [OK]. e-automate posts the checks that printed correctly to the General Ledger and updates the accounts payable module. Checks that did not print correctly are left on the pay vendors list and no General Ledger posting or accounts payable entries are made. You can then re-print the check(s).