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> MSU Policy and Procedures > Business Procedures Manual
300.00 Cashier Activity
SECTION CONTENTS
310.00 Introduction
310.10 Location and Hours of Business
310.20 Duties
320.00 University Petty Cash Fund
320.10 Purpose
320.20 Exclusions
320.30 Procedures
330.00 Departmental Petty Cash and Change Funds
330.10 Introduction
330.20 Request to Establish a Petty Cash or Change Fund
330.30 Custodian
330.40 Disbursement of the Fund
330.50 Reimbursement of the Fund
330.60 Audit
340.00 Payment of Student Fees
350.00 Deposit of Monies
350.10 Check Endorsements
350.20 Timely Deposits
350.30 Security
350.40 Income
350.50 Expenditure Abatement
350.60 G & C Deposits
350.70 Regents Employee Reporting System (RERS)
360.00 Processing Gifts and Transfers to MSU
370.00 Established Procedures For Approved Credit Card Merchants
370.10 University Application for Authorization to Process Bankcard Transactions
370.20 University Application For Authorization to Process Bankcard Transactions Over the Internet
The Montana State University Controller's Office maintains a cashier function for
the purpose of receiving monies due Montana State University.
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Location - The cashiers are located in the MSU
Controller's Office on the first
floor, Montana Hall. Other locations may be designated as required.
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Hours of Business - The cashiers conduct normal business activities from
8:30 - 4:30, Monday through Friday. Other hours may be designated for special
purposes.
The basic duties of the cashiers are as follows:
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Make disbursements from the University Petty Cash Fund.
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Receive student registration fees.
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Receive accounts receivable payments.
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Receive fees, refunds, and various incomes for University departments and
projects.
The Controller's Office is responsible for the maintenance of a petty cash fund
for immediate cash needs of the University.
To provide petty cash to MSU personnel and departments for reimbursement of
cash disbursements for supplies and services, such as:
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C.O.D. shipments received by the University.
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Small purchases (less than $25.00) of supplies from vendors where charge
accounts are not feasible or permitted. State and University purchasing
regulations must be followed.
The University petty cash fund may NOT be used for:
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Travel reimbursements to State employees for more than $25.00.
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Salary advances or salary payments to State employees.
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Purchase of stamps.
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Submit Banner Payment Authorization and original receipts on 8-1/2 x 11
sheet of paper to the Controller's Office claims section.
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After the BPA is processed and approved, the
Controller's Office will notify
the payee to come to the Controller's Office to pick up the reimbursement. Only
payee listed on the BPA may pick up the reimbursement.
Petty cash and change funds
will be established only in those exceptional cases where a department need is
demonstrated. Use of these funds must be in accordance with the specifics
contained on the request for establishment and University purchasing
regulations. Petty cash and change funds are not to be used for cashing
personal checks or for personal loans. Reimbursements to the funds will be made
only by Accounting in University Business Services (UBS).
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Permanent funds will be requested from the
State Treasury while small temporary funds are provided by Accounting UBS. -
Funds will be
established only upon approval by the Director of Accounting. Request forms
are available in the Accounting UBS office. -
The approved request
form is retained by Accounting UBS until the fund is returned
- Custody of a petty
cash or change fund is not transferable and is to be established with one
person, preferably not the same person handling cash transactions. If a
fund is no longer required, the fund must be returned to Accounting UBS
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If
a change in custodian is necessary the Internal Auditor must be notified and
a Change in Custodian Form must be completed and the original sent to
Accounting UBS.
- The custodian of a petty cash or change
fund is responsible for insuring that it is used in a legal, authorized
manner. The custodian is also responsible for insuring that funds are
adequately safeguarded. Any discrepancies are to be reported to Accounting
UBS. If shortages are recurring, if a fund is not maintained in accordance
with established procedures, it will be withdrawn by Accounting UBS. If
the need for the fund ceases to exist, the custodian should return the funds
to Accounting UBS.
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Individual expenditures are restricted to a maximum of $25.00.
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Under no circumstances are expenditures to be made out
of petty cash funds for capital items, personal services, or travel.
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Expenditure of these funds requires an invoice containing the
following:
- Date
- Vendor
- Amount
- Description of good or services
If handwritten invoices are used, they should be marked PAID and signed by
the vendor.
NOTE: Change funds are to be used exclusively for making change and not for
expenditures. If a petty cash fund is required, as well as a change fund,
separate requests must be made.
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Department submits properly completed BPA
with supporting invoices to Accounts Payable UBS.
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Accounts Payable UBS issues a check to
reimburse the petty cash fund.
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The
check will be payable to the fund, then endorsed and cashed for the
authorized custodian for the UBS cashier
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Reimbursement can be requested as often as needed, refer
to MCA 17-2-201.
Internal Audit, or
Accounting UBS, will conduct unannounced audit reviews of petty cash and change
funds as often as considered necessary. Copies of these audits will be
distributed as appropriate.
Preferred payment of fees is by check in the exact amount of the total due.
However, students may pay with cash, credit cards, or a combination. The
University will NOT accept promissory notes, letters of credit, or make
arrangements for the charging of fees. See Section 500 for more information on
student fees.
Checks must be endorsed at the time of initial receipt. The format of the
endorsement is:
FOR DEPOSIT ONLY DEMAND ACCOUNT-ST OF MONTANA MONTANA STATE UNIVERSITY
(MSU DEPARTMENT)
Contact the Controller's Office for assistance if your department is interested
in obtaining a rubber stamp for endorsing checks.
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Departments are required to make deposits each day when either of
the following situations exist:
- accumulated $200 in cash or
- accumulated $750 in cash and checks
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Departments are required to deposit all cash and checks at least weekly,
regardless of the amount collected.
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Collections should be secure at all times.
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Cash deposits of $500 or more must be transported to the
Controller's Office in
locked cash bags. All deposits should be carried in an inconspicuous manner,
such as inside a sack or backpack, varying the times, and, if possible, the
personnel.
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Any departments with deposits containing $1000 or more in cash must request
an escort from the University Police if located more than one block from
Montana Hall.
Income is generated from sales of goods or services, investment earnings,
rents, gifts, donations, etc. Only accounts permitted income are eligible to
receipt incoming funds. The receipt explanation must describe the transaction as
income with the proper income object code (OXXX).
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An expenditure abatement is the receipt of amounts erroneously expended
from the account being credited, i.e., an expenditure correction. By
definition, abatements cannot exceed the original expense. The receipt
explanation must refer to the original expense and the object code must be the
same as the original expense.
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Any deposit using an object code 2000 or greater (expenditure abatement)
must reference the document that created the expense being abated (i.e., Claim
9200001). If the expense has not appeared on the accounting system yet, write
RNI (reimbursement not invoiced) on cash receipt.
NOTE: If a department is charging a fee for course materials, rentals, etc.,
THESE ARE NOT EXPENDITURE ABATEMENTS but are fees requiring Board of Regents
approval. Contact the Controller if you have any questions.
All deposits into G & C accounts must be reviewed and initialed by G
& C before presenting deposits to the Controller's Office cashiers.
Beginning July 1, 1991, the RERS began gathering data on personal services
expenditures using 1XXX object codes. All receipts reimbursing a personal
service expenditure (object code 1XXX) will require Position Number, Social
Security Number, and the Employee's Name. The Controller's Office has a cash receipt
form with the required fields. Please change the explanation if the
reimbursement is not a jury duty payment.
All the financial gifts and checks payable to Montana State University will
be provided to the MSU President's Office. The President's Office will be
responsible for:
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Preparing the deposit of funds into existing MSU accounts and coordinating
the establishment of new MSU accounts when required.
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Depositing the funds into holding account #866049 if the recipient is not
MSU or if the intended recipient is unclear.
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Contacting the donor to determine the intended recipient of the money.
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Preparing the BPA to transmit the funds to the intended payee and
delivering the supporting documentation and BPA to the Controller's Office.
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Maintaining a file of all activity recorded in account #866049 and
reconciling the account monthly.
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Provide proper documentation to donor according to IRS
regulations.
MSU CREDIT CARD
PROCEDURES
370.00
Established Procedures for approved credit card Merchants
Startup
Procedures
For a
department to be eligible to become a "Merchant" and accept credit cards in
payment of goods and/or services provided through Montana State
University-Bozeman, the following procedures must be adhered to:
·
Complete the
Application for Authorization to Process Bankcard Transactions form. This form
can be obtained from the MSU Controller's Office. A sample copy is attached in
the Appendix for reference.
·
Upon approval
of the request, all equipment and supplies needed for credit card sales must be
ordered through the Controller's Office. Only with Controller's Office approval
can the bank credit card equipment and supplies be purchased. The merchant
department is responsible for all costs affiliated with the credit card sales
set-up and maintenance, including the telephone connection, work order, and
cost.
Equipment
Required:
1.
Separate analog line (not digital) telephone hookup.
2.
The ZON reader. This is the equipment plugged into the telephone outlet
and is used to verify credit card sales.
3.
The Bartizon. This is the manual impression machine that may be used for
transactions if a ZON is not available.
4.
The supplies. These three-part forms the merchant departments order
themselves
Daily Procedures
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Only trained,
authorized personnel will be allowed to transact credit card sales and
payments. The Controller's Office will maintain a list of those individuals
trained and authorized to make credit card sales.
·
No
Cash Advances On Credit Cards
·
A minimum
transaction for using the credit card is $5.00.
·
100 %
verification is required
-This means that all credit card sales must be authorized through the
bankcard service company by using the Zon machine, prior to being entered into
Banner. NO EXCEPTIONS will be allowed, and lack of an authorization may be
cause for terminating credit card sales by that department. The Authorization
number must be written on the receipt. Under no circumstances will we accept
unverified purchases.
·
The three-part
receipt is to be routed in the following manner:
1.The original is to
accompany the cash receipt with the deposit to the Cashier's in the Controller's
Office. (See instructions below)
2.The Customer Copy is given
to the customer or is mailed to them.
3.The hard copy is to be
maintained in a secure location in the administering office for reference.
These records must be destroyed by shredding or burning in a timely manner.
·
A daily
processing cut-off time has been established to be 12:00 PM (noon). This means
that all transactions posted on the Zon machine as of noon that day must
be included in that daily batch transmittal to the Controller's Office.
· The
Controller's Office copies are to be batched (double adding machine tapes) using
the total net sales per receipt. For submittal to the Controller's
Office, these copies are to be accompanied by a University cash receipt showing
the proper Index and Account Code. The cash receipt provided must show the
words "Credit Sales" in the Description area. The cash receipt and
accompanying batched sales tickets must be provided to the Cashier's at the
Controller's Office by 11 AM of the following workday. See Example 2 of the
Appendix for a properly completed sales slip and an accompanying explanation,
which corresponds with the cash receipt completed by the department.
·
It is critical
that the cash deposit slip prepared by the merchant department is accurate and
legible. The electronic cash deposit by the bank handling the transactions will
be made to a local account daily, and the department will receive credit for
deposits on a daily basis.
·
After month
end the Controllers Office will prepare a BPA charging departments the merchant
fees for the month. The fee will be processed by the Controllers Office and
will appear as expenditure in the Index that appears on the Application Form.
Refunds
·
In the event a
refund needs to be issued, the refunding department may:
o
issue a BPA
to request the customer to be paid from the appropriate account. A State
Warrant will be issued from Helena.
o
refund through
the credit card process. Only when there are sufficient sales for the day in
the batch to cover the refund, may the refund be credited on the person's credit
card. The net amount is then entered on the day's deposit to the
cashiers. Call the Controller's Office if you have any questions @5727.
Security
·
If the
customer does not want to retain the carbon paper after the transaction is
signed, the used carbon paper MUST be shredded and destroyed as soon as the
transaction is completed. This step is very important to the customer and
should not be taken lightly.
·
The department
shall maintain their copy of the credit card sales slip, in a secure location,
until the entries have appeared on their Banner reports.
·
When records
are destroyed, they need to be shredded or burned.
How
to Keep Credit Card Processing Costs Low
·
Make sure that
sales personnel get a signed CREDIT CARD SALES TICKET for each sale. Write the
authorization # on sales ticket. Remember to run the ticket (and card) through the imprinter. This will help protect you in certain cases of disputed sales.
·
Treat CREDIT
CARD SALES TICKETS like cash. Keep them in a safe place, and shred all
carbons. This will protect your customers and you against loss or fraud.
·
Treat your Zon
READER like a cash register. Make sure only authorized persons have access to
it.
·
Make deposits
every University business day.
If you have any
questions please call the Controller's Office @994-5727.
370.10
University Application for Authorization to Process Bankcard Transactions
Montana State University allows individuals the opportunity
to use VISA and Mastercard bankcards to purchase certain services and goods from
the University. As a State agency, it is imperative that such bankcard sales be
carefully controlled to ensure strict compliance with a myriad of statutes,
policies, and procedures which govern financial transactions. The following
information must be provided to the Controllers Office for review before
approval for bankcard sales can be extended or rejected.
Department requesting bankcard sales authorization:
Activity for which bankcard sales are proposed:
Index to be credited for sales:
Fund:
Point of sales: Building:
Room:
Person responsible for the sale:
Name Title
I HAVE READ THE ATTACHED POLICIES GOVERNING THE USE OF
BANKCARD SALES OF GOODS AND SERVICES AT MSU AND AGREE TO ABIDE BY THEM. I
UNDERSTAND THE MINIMUM PER TRANSACTION IS $5.00.
Requestor:
Name Title Date
Department Head:
Date:
Dean:
Date:
|
CONTROLLERS
OFFICE USE ONLY |
Approved Date
Signed:
Rejected Basis:
Training Completion Date:
Trainer:
Zon, Equipment & Supplies Order Date:
370.20 University Application For
Authorization to Process Bankcard Transactions Over the Internet
Once departments have applied and been approved to become
credit card Merchants they may also want to apply for approval to have payments
accepted over the Internet. Please see MSU Credit Card Procedures for
more information. The following information and signatures must be provided to
the Controllers Office for review before approval for Internet payments can be
extended.
Department requesting credit card sales over the
internet:_________________________
Activity for which Internet credit card sales are
proposed:_________________________
______________________________________________________________________
Person responsible for processing Internet credit card
payments:
_______________________________________________________________________
Name Title
I HAVE READ THE POLICIES GOVERNING THE USE OF CREDIT CARDS
OVER THE INTERNET AND THE POLICY ON SAFEGUARDING CUSTOMER INFORMATION. I AGREE
TO ABIDE BY THEM. I HAVE ATTACHED A COPY OF THE FINAL WEB PAGE ALONG WITH OUR
OFFICE PROCEDURES ON PROCESSING AND SECURING THE CREDIT CARD INFORMATION.
Requestor:_____________________________________________________________
Name
Title Date
Department Head:________________________________________
Date___________
Dean:__________________________________________________
Date___________
ITC Approval____________________________________________
Date___________
Internal Audit Approval____________________________________
Date___________
Controllers Office
Approval_________________________________ Date___________
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