The AP Manager (Accounts Payable Manager) is your one stop shop to view your aged payable and manage supplier payments. This article and video provide a walkthrough of the screens and functions available in the AP Manager.

4 Initialize AP: First Step for New Implementations

If you are a new EMDECS user, or just started using the EMDECS Full Accounting system, you can use the Initialize AP screen to enter outstanding payable invoices from your previous accounting system.

1. From the AP Manager screen, look under the Things To Do list on the left-hand side and click on Initialize AP.
   
   
   
2. The Initialize AP screen can be filtered / refreshed by location, customer, transaction type, and currency.  Any invoices manually added will be listed in the bottom pane.  There are two methods to add outstanding vendor invoices:
   

   
   

   1. Add each invoice one at a time by clicking Add Initialize Vendor Invoice
      
   2. Click Import to import invoices in bulk by entering them into an Excel spreadsheet.
      
      

   

   Only enter outstanding vendor invoices that you have not paid in old accounting system that are dated prior to your EMDECS accounting go live date.  The initialize AP process will add the invoices to the outstanding invoices tab in EMDECS to be paid, but the invoices will not be journalized in EMDECS.
   

3. 4.1 Add Individual Invoices
   

   1. To add invoices one at a time, click Add Initialize Vendor Invoice.
      
      
   2. Click Select to chose the vendor.
      
      
   3. Search for and select the appropriate vendor.  Alternatively, click New Vendor to add a vendor on the fly.
      
      
   4. Fill in all required fields marked with an asterisk.  The Paid Amount is an optional field in case the customer has made a partial payment.
      
      Click Save / Exit to save the invoice and close the window, or click Save / Next to save the invoice and clear the screen to enter another invoice.
      
      

4. 4.2 Import Invoices
   

   1. To import records in bulk from a file, click the Import button.
      
      
      
   2. Click Download Template to download an Excel template file to enter your data.
      
      
      
   3. Open the file for editing.  All columns with bold headers are required fields. Save the file once you have entered all of your invoices.
      
      
      
   4. After entering your data, return to the import screen and click Choose File.
      
      
      
   5. Browse to the directory where your file is saved, select it, and click Open.
      
      
      
   6. Click Import .
      
      
      
5. Records that have been imported will be listed in the bottom pane.  If there are errors, open the Import Errors tab to review them.  If you are unsure how to correct data import errors, please contact us at help@brightorder.com or call us at 1-877-205-8817.
   
   

5 Outstanding Invoices Tab

The AP Manager screen opens to the Outstanding Invoices tab.  This screen lists all unpaid vendor invoices.  You can narrow down the search results by location, vendor, invoice type, or invoice number.  Click Search after entering search criteria to refresh the list.

Clicking on the magnifying glasses next to Location and Customer will pop-up an advanced search window.

5.1 Delete, Finalize, Pay Vendor, and Print Buttons

Clicking on any invoice numbers in the Invoice # column will drill-down and pop-up invoice details. Command buttons are displayed on the right-hand side for the currently highlighted invoice.  Depending on the type of invoice, different buttons may be displayed, including Delete, Finalize, Pay Vendor, and Print. The Finalize button is available for Misc. AP Invoices only.  The Delete button is available for sublet and Misc. AP Invoices.

5.2 Pay Outstanding Invoices

1. To pay a vendor invoice, highlight the invoice in the list and click the Pay Vendor button.  Only finalized invoices can be paid.
   
2. After clicking Pay Vendor, the invoice will be marked as paid and a payment window will pop-up to edit and confirm the payment details.  If you want to cancel the payment and return the invoice to the Outstanding Invoices tab, click the Reverse button at the bottom of the screen.
   
   The payment amount will automatically populate with the amount of the invoice being paid.  Ensure the correct account number and date are selected.  Reference, description, and notes are all optional fields.
   
   
   
3. If you are making a partial payment to the vendor, the payment amount can be edited in the Payment column, then changed in the Amount field.
   
   
   
4. If you are making a larger payment to cover multiple invoices, enter the amount of your payment then click on Add Outstanding Invoices .
   
   
   
5. Put a check next to the invoices to be paid with the remaining amount.  Alternatively, if you click Auto Apply, the system will automatically apply any remaining amount to your oldest outstanding invoices and close the pop-up window. Click Add Selected at the bottom of the screen.
   
   
   
   
   

6. 5.2.1 Print Checks / Cheques
   

   If you print physical checks, enter the check number and click Print next to the Cheque # field.
   
   

   Refer to section 11 Check / Cheque Formats if you need to set or change the format for printing physical checks.
   
   

7. 5.2.1 Add a Refund Adjustment (Vendor Write Off Example)
   

   Adjustments to the payment can be entered in the adjustment panel on the right-hand side. We'll step through how to add a partial vendor write off as an example:
   

   1. Click Add Adjustment.
      
      
      
   2. Select an account, division, enter a description for the adjustment, then enter the amount.  Click OK to save.  In the example below, I've entered a negative dollar amount to process a write off from the vendor.
      
      
      
   3. After adding the -20 adjustment for the write off, temporarily decrease a payment on the left-hand side by the same amount (95.10 was changed to 75.10 below):
      
      
      

   4. Change the Amount at the top of the screen to the amount being paid to the vendor, then edit the invoice amount back to the original amount. It will be balanced by the adjustment on the right and the remaining amount is $0.
      
      If any vendor payment credits have been applied to the invoice, they will be listed on the Credits sub-tab.
      
      Click Save / Exit to finalize and save the payment details.
      
      

Payments can also be made in bulk by doing a payment run.  Refer to section 7 Payment Run Tab for instructions.

5.4 Display Totals

To calculate and display totals on the Outstanding Invoices screen, click the Display Totals button at the bottom.  Totals will be calculated and displayed based on your search criteria at the top (i.e. you can search by a vendor at the top, then display totals owed to that vendor).

6 WIP Misc POs Tab

Miscellaneous purchase orders for vendor invoices not related to parts purchase orders or sublet repairs (i.e. toll road fees, office supplies, tools, etc.) can be created and managed from the WIP Misc POs tab.

The command buttons on the right-hand side vary depending on the PO status.  For Open POs that are still being edited and have not been submitted, Void and Submit / Print command buttons are available.

Submitted POs display command buttons to Reprint PO , Close PO (closes out the PO without invoicing it), Enter Invoice , and Copy PO (create a new PO as an exact copy of the selected PO).

6.1 Add a New Misc PO

1. Click Add New Misc PO to create a new miscellaneous purchase order.
   
   
   
2. Next to Vendor, click on the Select link to select a vendor.
   
   
   
3. Search for and select the appropriate vendor.  Alternatively, click New Vendor to add a vendor on the fly.
   
   
   
4. The PO Date will default to the current date, and can be changed by clicking on the calendar icon.  Select a type from the drop-down list, then click Add Line Item. The reference, description, and notes are all optional fields.
   
   
   
5. A Misc Line Item window will pop-up.  Select an account number, division, then enter the description, quantity, unit cost, and UOM (unit of measure). Notes are optional. Click Save / Exit to save the line item and return to the Vendor Misc Purchase Order screen.
   
   
   
6. When done adding line items, click Submit / Print PO at the bottom of the screen.
   
   
   
7. The PO will print in a PDF format in a new browser tab, similar to the example PO below:
   
   

6.1.1 Invoice the PO

1. When a submitted Misc PO is ready to be invoiced, highlight it and then click Enter Invoice on the right-hand side. 
   
   
   
2. A window will pop-up to enter the invoice details. The invoice number, invoice date, and due date are required fields. A discount and discount due date can be entered if the vendor has discounted the original PO amount. Click Save / Exit to invoice the PO.
   
   

7 Payment Run Tab

Bulk payments and bulk printing of checks can be managed from the Payment Run tab.

7.1 Add New Payment Run

1. To create a new payment run, click Add New Payment Run.
   
   
   
2. Select the appropriate payment account (i.e. the bank account your payment checks or direct deposits are drawn from) and enter the up to due date.  Select today's day if you only want to pay what is currently due.  You can set the date in the future if you want to pay invoices early, such as any invoices due up to the end of the month. Click Generate.
   
   
   
3. A Payment Run window will pop-up. Optionally, you can set a location on this screen, if you have multiple locations and only want to generate outstanding invoices for one location. Click Generate List of Outstanding Invoices.
   
   
   
4. Select an "Up to Due Date" to generate the list of invoices to be paid.  The maximum payment amount and vendor fields are optional.  Click Generate List.
   
   
   
5. A list of invoices that need to be paid will be listed.  You can adjust the payment amounts to make partial payments, you use the select check boxes to skip paying a specific invoice.  Click Finalize at the bottom of the screen after the applicable invoices are selected and amounts are entered.
   
   
   
6. Payments are finalized and checks / direct deposit files are generated by clicking on the Generate button.
   
   
   
7. Enter the start check number.  We recommend looking at the blank check paper in your printer to ensure that it matches the Start at Cheque# value, then enter the date for the checks being printed and click Generate Cheques and Direct Deposits.
   
   
   
8. The list of checks, and direct deposit files for any customers set to be paid by direct deposit, will be displayed in the bottom pane.  To start printing your checks, click the Print button.  If you have customers set to use direct deposit, you can click Export Direct Deposit File to download a file for upload to your bank (note, this function has been tested with BMO bank only).
   
   
   
9. Sample check printout file:
   
   
   

8 Payment Credits Tab

The Payment Credits tab lists any over-payments you have made to vendors.  To use a payment credit, click any of the Use buttons in the Use Credit column.

The payment screen will pop-up for you to add outstanding invoices to be paid using your credit.  Refer to the Pay Outstanding Invoices section for more details on using the payment screen.  Click Save / Exit to save your payment and close the screen.

9 AP History Tab

Your payment history can be researched from the AP History tab.

The Invoices tab is displayed first.  Invoices can be searched for based on location, vendor, invoice number, type, currency, and from and to date ranges.  Checking Outstanding Only will toggle whether to only display invoices that have not been fully paid.  Hit Refresh to refresh the list of invoices based on your search criteria.

Highlighting an invoice line will display any payments in the bottom pane.  Clicking on an invoice number will drill-down and pop-up the invoice details as read-only.

9.1 Payments Subtab

From the Payments subtab, payments can be searched for based on location, vendor, payment number, check number, currency, and from and to date ranges. Hit Refresh to refresh the list of payments based on your search criteria.

Clicking on a payment number will open the payment screen.

9.1.1 Reverse Payments

After clicking on a payment number, the Payment screen will pop-up. To reverse the payment, click on the Reverse button.

Enter the date and notes for the reverse payment, then click OK .  All invoices linked to this will reappear on the Outstanding Invoices tab so they can be repaid with a new payment transaction.

9.2 Misc POs Subtab

Miscellaneous purchase orders can be searched for from the Misc POs tab.  Users can search based on location, vendor, PO#, status, currency, within the from and to date range,  Hit Refresh to refresh the list of purchase orders based on your search criteria.

Clicking on any order number will drill-down and pop-up the individual PO details.

10 Create Payment

Payments to vendors can be added to EMDECS on the fly, without creating a vendor invoice ahead of time, using the following steps:

1. Click on Create Payment from the Things To Do list on the left-hand side.
   
   
   
2. A Payment window will pop-up.  A location and vendor need to be manually specified, by clicking on each of the Select links.  If you do not have multiple locations, the location will be filled in automatically.
   
   
   
3. Search for and select the appropriate vendor.  Alternatively, click New Vendor to add a new vendor on the fly.
   
   

4. Ensure the correct account is selected, then enter the amount of your payment and click Add Outstanding Invoices to select invoices to be paid.  Refer to section 5.2 Pay Outstanding Invoices if you need further help using the Payment screen.
   

   
   
   

5. Click Save / Exit to save the payment details.
   
   
   

Click on the hyperlinks to select or change your check format.

The Standard Cheque format is recommended.  You can click Download Sample to view and print a sample for the selected format. 

Print a check sample on plain paper, place the sample printout on top of one of your blank check sheets, then hold the sample in front of a light so you can see through the paper and verify everything lines up correctly with the fields on your blank checks.  If the fields do not align try using another format or contact us for further assistance (email help@brightorder.com or call us at 1-877-205-8817).

Click Select to switch to the format you have selected in the drop-down list.