Accounts Payable Procedures

Payment Processing

Pay method is assigned to each voucher either by the default pay method on the payee’s record or by other pay method indicated on the payment request form.

Pay methods available and the process for each:

Standard checks

  • Referred to as Paymode Checks (the product utilized by SMU through Bank of America for this process).
  • Any payee may receive this pay method, except for an SMU employee who is required to be paid through AP with direct deposit.
  • Processed daily Monday through Friday except for bank and/or University holidays.
  • Daily process will pick up any voucher with the criteria for this pay method and considered due by the system.
  • Completed pay file is sent to the bank for processing every morning.
  • Bank processes file and mails checks two business days after receipt of file.
  • Payment date reflected in ERP system is the date which the payment is mailed.
  • Checks are mailed via USPS and standard mail times apply.

ACH for Vendors

  • Referred to as Paymode ACH.
  • Any outside company may register for this pay method using this link: https://www.paymode.com/southernmethodistuniversity
  • Registration may take up to 6-weeks but is a one-time setup. Once established, Paymode ACH will be the default pay method for the registered supplier.
  • Processed daily Monday through Friday except for bank and/or University holidays.
  • Daily process will pick up any voucher with the criteria for this pay method and considered due by the system.
  • Completed pay file is sent to the bank for processing every morning.
  • Bank processes file and deposits funds within two business days of receipt of file.
  • Payment date reflected in ERP system represents the day the funds are expected to be deposited in the recipient’s account.

ACH for Employees and Students

  • Referred to as direct deposit.
  • Pay method is reserved for SMU employees and students only. Payee must have a US bank account.
  • Students must fill out the direct deposit form and attach a copy of a voided check or bank form showing their account number and routing number. Requests for student direct deposit setup should only be submitted with an approved payment request. Setup takes one to two business days.
  • Employees must designate the account to use for AP payments through my.SMU > Employee Self Service. Employee setup is immediate upon system refresh.
  • Processed daily Monday through Friday except for bank and/or University holidays.
  • Daily process will pick up any voucher with the criteria for this pay method.
  • Completed pay file is sent to the bank for processing every morning.
  • Bank processes file and deposits funds within one business day of receipt of file.
  • Email notification is sent to recipient with payment details and deposit date.
  • Payment date reflected in ERP system represents the day the funds are expected to be deposited in the recipient’s account.

JP Morgan Virtual Credit Card

  • Any supplier who can accept payment via credit card is eligible to receive this pay method.
  • A unique credit card number, expiration date, and security code is assigned to each payment.
  • The payment information is sent via secure email to the payee who must run the payment as they would a credit card to receive the funds.
  • Processed daily Monday through Friday except for bank and/or University holidays.
  • Daily process will pick up any voucher with the criteria for this pay method and considered due by the system.
  • Completed pay file is sent to the bank for processing every morning.
  • Bank processes file and generates virtual credit card within two business days.
  • Payment date reflected in ERP system represents the day the secure email is sent to the recipient notifying them that their virtual credit card payment is ready to be processed.

In House Checks

  • Reserved only for approved emergency payments or those with an approved business reason for printing check in-house.
  • Emergencies and valid business reasons will be evaluated and approved by the Accounts Payable Manager.
  • This pay cycle is only processed as needed. Anything in the queue will be picked up on Friday or the preceding day if Friday is a University holiday.
  • Urgent checks may be printed at the time/interval appropriate to accommodate the payment emergency.

Corporate Quick Pay

  • This pay method is reserved for fully matriculated SMU students.
  • The student must have a US bank account.
  • Instructions for accepting Quick Pay should be provided to the student prior to offering this pay method.
  • This payment method should be clearly notated on the payment request form.
  • This pay cycle is only processed as needed.
  • An email to accept payment is sent to the payee within one hour of successfully submitting pay file to the bank.
  • Payment will expire within sixty days of issuance.

Wire Transfer

  • This pay method is costly and should only be used when necessary.
  • Recommended for international payees; is the required pay method to pay in any foreign currency.
  • This pay method should not be used for domestic vendors. Exceptions will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.
  • Wires are not processed through a pay cycle but sent individually to the Wire Requests team.
  • Wires received by the Wire Requests team prior to 3PM are processed the same day. Wires received by the Wire Requests team after 3PM are processed the next business day. New vendor and AP processing time must be considered.