Welcome to the March 2022 University Bursar bulletin. This month will focus on Non-Student General Accounts Receivables (GAR).
Spotlight on Non-Student General Accounts Receivables (GAR)
All units that generate non-student or general accounts receivable (GAR) must thoroughly familiarize themselves and comply with the University of Illinois System Receivables Policy before extending credit to their customers. All GAR must be recorded in the Banner Accounts Receivable (Banner AR) module or receive an approved Banner AR Exemption.
Units that generate GAR are responsible for invoicing their customers and/or assessing charges in Banner AR no later than 30 days after providing the goods or services. Units use their own invoicing system and number scheme to send customers a sales invoice that fully documents and itemizes the nature and cost of the goods or services, then use Banner form TFADETL or TFAMASS when assessing charges in Banner AR.
Upon clicking “Save,” the charges immediately appear on the customer account in Banner AR. Units also have the option of submitting charges to Banner AR through the Finance Feeder Front-End process. Additional information as well as benefits can be found at Finance Feeder Front-End.
When processing invoice credits, units enter a negative charge in Banner AR, and send a separate invoice or enter the credit as a discount on the original invoice. Accurate and timely invoicing and assessment helps units receive prompt payment and minimize the risk of uncollectible receivables.
University Bursar Accounts Receivable Operations (ARO) is responsible for billing GAR with balances greater than $1.00. ARO sends GAR billing statements on the second business day of each month to all accounts with activity the previous month. GAR billing statements list all new charge and payment transactions during the prior month, and include a balance forward for any delinquent charges. GAR billing statements display the invoice number, date and amount of each charge, and the date and amount of each payment.
University of Illinois General Accounts Receivable (GAR) now offers electronic monthly billing statements. For legality reasons, the customer must submit the consent; GAR departments cannot submit on their behalf. Information including consent, how to withdraw the consent, and how to update their records can be found at https://go.uillinois.edu/GARConsent Note: It can take up to 2 billing cycles to receive the electronic monthly GAR billing statement.
University Bursar is responsible for ensuring that Banner AR assesses the following charges on delinquent GAR:
- Late Payment Charge: A charge of 1.5% or $1.00, whichever is greater, per month on the past due balance.
- Past Due Charge: $2.00 per month assessed on transactions more than 60 days delinquent.
To provide separation of duties, audit trail, and prompt application of payment, units that generate GAR do not have access to process payments in Banner AR. All GAR payments received by the unit are securely delivered to University Bursar Cashier Operations, and provide customer names, account numbers, and invoice numbers for processing.
Banner AR automatically applies GAR payments on a first-in, first-out (FIFO) basis unless the customer includes specific payment instructions, in which case University Bursar manually applies the payment to the designated invoice(s). If additional funds are paid, University Bursar applies them to the oldest outstanding invoice(s), then to late payment charges.
University Bursar supports the following GAR payment options:
- GAR Online for e-check and credit card (if authorized by the assessing department) payments
- GAR Lockbox for check payments via US Mail:
University of Illinois Payment Center
General A/R
28394 Network Place
Chicago, IL 60673-1283
- Cashier Operations for in-person or department-forwarded check payments. Refer to updated information for our drop off and in-person options:
- GAR Flywire for international wire transfer payments
Contact
For more information, or if you have questions regarding the GAR processes, please email aroperations@uillinois.edu, or see our resources on the Accounts Receivables Training Materials web page.
