Monthly Closing Deadlines

The March 2026 period in the general ledger has closed.  The current and future month-end processing deadline schedules are located at Monthly Closing Deadlines.

Important PayPal Payment Update

Effective April 1st, 2026, please be advised that the use of the P-Card for PayPal payments is prohibited. Please discontinue any further PayPal purchases with the PCard going forward. The PCard manual has been updated to reflect this change.  We appreciate your cooperation in ensuring compliance with the updated policy. Cardholders who fail to adhere to the new policy may have their cards suspended. If you have any questions or need assistance with alternative payment methods, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

Visa Prepaid Card Program – US BANK

The University has executed a new agreement with US BANK to offer the FIU community an additional payment option. The Office of the Controller is leading this exciting initiative, which will introduce VISA prepaid cards as a new payment mechanism for cash advances and participant payments. We will coordinate with individuals from various departments as we develop the program to support FIU’s Experience Impact 2030 strategic plan’s three pillars. Stay tuned to the Panther Post for additional updates as we roll out this new solution very soon.

Exciting Update on Travel Authorization Attachments!

We are excited to announce an important update to our Travel Authorization process, informed by your valuable feedback. This change is designed to significantly enhance your user experience.

Previously, users could only add attachments to Travel Authorizations either when creating them or while they were in ‘Pending’ status. This limitation created challenges, especially for individuals who needed to submit additional documentation after a Travel Authorization had already been submitted for approval.

In response to your feedback, we have extended the functionality to allow attachments throughout the entire approval workflow. Now, approvers can attach documents to a Travel Authorization at any stage during the approval process. Whether you are submitting supporting travel documents or other relevant papers, approvers can now easily attach these documents while reviewing the Travel Authorization.

We believe this update will improve efficiency and transparency in our travel processes. As always, we encourage you to contact the Financial System and Support Services Help Desk or email controller@fiu.edu with any questions or feedback regarding this new functionality. Thank you for your continued support as we strive to improve our systems for the benefit of our university community!

Replacement Check Request

As a reminder, any supplier requesting a replacement check should be directed to the Supplier Portal Home page. Step-by-step instructions for requesting a replacement check are available in the Disbursements section of the FIU Office of the Controller website.

Additionally, please note that the physical replacement check request form is required for single-vendor payments and certain exception cases. However, to improve efficiency, our Disbursement’s Office will now accept a PDF of the Affidavit Replacement Check Form to expedite replacing the check to the supplier.

Returns/Non-Delivered Orders

Market Place vendors submit invoices to AP after receiving a purchase order provided by the Procurement department. When the invoice is processed, a voucher is created to account for the liability with this vendor. The department should confirm the item, or service has been received, and then create a receipt in the financial system. When the voucher and receipt are matched, the payment is released according to the payment terms set up on the vendor’s profile.

When is a credit memo or refund needed?

Undelivered products – (examples: products on back order, shipping company unable to deliver the package, or delivery completed to the incorrect location)

In the case of any situation listed below, DO NOT create a receipt in the financial system.

• Incomplete order
• Order damaged
• Vendor sent the incorrect item
• Vendor shipped more than the ordered amount

The shopper/department who submitted the requisition is responsible for contacting the vendor and requesting the credit to offset the invoice. If the credit is not processed through Marketplace, the credit memo in PDF format should be sent to invoices@fiu.edu to be processed in the financial system.

What happens when the credit memo is received in AP?

When the credit is received by AP, it is reviewed and processed accordingly:

• If the credit is issued for the total amount of the invoice and the voucher is in match exception (no receipt has been created in Financials) the voucher is deleted.
• If the invoice contains items that should be paid (not all items listed in the invoice are entitled to the credit), the voucher will be adjusted and the line(s) related to the credit memo will be removed from the voucher. The department is responsible for creating a receipt corresponding to the remaining items that were received. The payment process will be completed when the voucher and receipt are matched.
• If the credit is granted for the total or partial amount of a paid invoice, the credit memo will be processed as a credit adjustment. It will be applied to the next payment processed to the vendor. The funds will be posted as credit to the department’s account where the related voucher expense was charged.

Who should I contact to request a credit memo?

Contact the dedicated customer support service by phone or email. Below is the contact information for the vendors with the highest volume of credit memo requests:

AMAZON

• Phone number – (888) 282-7853 or (866) 486-2360
• Email address: b2benterpriseexperts@amazon.com
• Dedicated service contact: Jody Mclaughlin- Sr. Account Executive
• Email address: jodymcla@amazon.com

ODP Office Depot

• Phone number: (800) 279-1528 or (954) 461-6336
• Customer Service email: strategicsupport@officedepot.com

CDW

• Phone number – (866) 223-0748
• Email address: jamehil@cdwg.com
• Dedicated service contact: James Hillebrand – Executive Account Manager-Higher Education

Thermo Fisher Scientific

• Phone number: 1 (800) 766-7000
• Dedicated service contact:
  • Jillian Vicale Hodson – jillian.vicale@thermofisher.com
  • Edith Perez – edith.perez@thermofisher.com
  • James Dillahunt – jimmy.dillahunt@thermofisher.com

AP Recovery Audit

The Office of the Controller has engaged Broniec Associates to perform an audit and review of our disbursement process. The scope of work covers January 1st, 2021 through December 31st, 2024.

In connection with this review, Broniec Associates will be verifying that our accounts payable records agree with our vendor’s receivables records. Therefore, some vendors may be contacted by Broniec Associates to provide a current open item statement or accounts receivable aging of Florida International University or any of the following divisions: FIU Foundation, FIU Research Foundation, FIU Athletics Finance Corp, FIU Health Care Network, FD Enterprise Holdings or Wolfsonian, Inc.

Additional information will be provided in next month’s Panther Post.

Should you have any questions, please contact Liza Del Campo at 305-348-3889 or ldelcam@fiu.edu.

Cash Controls Policy Compliance

The Cash Controls Policy 1110.010 establishes requirements for departments handling cash outside designated University Cashiering locations.

Key Points

• Required Authorization: Departments collecting more than $1,000 per fiscal year must apply to become an authorized Cash Collection Point (CCP).
• Expanded Background Check: Mandatory for all employees in the process.
• Three-way Segregation of Duties: Required for all departments – no exceptions.

Action Required

Please review the following for guidance:

• Cash Controls Policy 1110.010
• CCP Standard Operating Procedures
• CCP Training in FIU Develop

The Quality Assurance Services (QAS) team will contact departments as needed to initiate the CCP application process.

Your efforts help safeguard University assets and ensure compliance. For questions, email QAS@fiu.edu.

Safeguarding Attractive Property

Departments are responsible for protecting Attractive Property—items under $5,000 that are portable, unsecured, and often contain new technology or can be adapted for personal use.

To prevent audit findings, the Office of the Controller requires departments to:

• Identify and assess risk for Attractive Property
• Record and track these items

We also recommend an annual inventory to maintain accountability.

Please review the resources below as you implement or update your tracking process:

• Property Control #1130.010
• Property Control Manual
• Attractive Property Tracking Template

Your efforts help safeguard University assets and ensure compliance. For questions, email property@fiu.edu.

Travel News and Reminders

Travel to Multiple Locations

Users may create Travel Authorizations (TAs) that include multiple domestic destinations when a trip involves multiple stops within the United States. Additionally, if a traveler includes both domestic and international destinations within the same TA, the system will automatically classify the entire trip as international travel. This enhancement supports travelers with multi-location itineraries while ensuring proper classification for any travel that includes international segments.

Important: All Travel Authorizations must accurately list every destination, including all cities and countries associated with the trip, to ensure compliance and proper routing.

Requirements for Student Travel

Effective March 2026, all Student Travel Authorizations and Expense Reports must begin with “STU_ [Name of Event]”. This prefix should be used only for student travel and should not be used for full-time employee submissions. Using the correct prefix mentioned above will help ensure proper routing, review prioritization, and compliance classification within the system. Failure to comply may result in delays or return for correction.

Requirements for Domestic and Foreign Travel

All Expense Reports must include a Meal Reimbursement Breakdown Template to support per diem or actual meal claims. Two templates are available: the Domestic Meal Reimbursement Template and the Foreign Meal Reimbursement Template. This requirement is mandatory to ensure FIU Travel Policy compliance and timely reimbursement.

Requirements for Foreign Receipts

Receipts in Foreign Language and Currency Receipts issued in a foreign currency should show a computation converting the amount into U.S. dollars. All claims on the Expense Report must be submitted in U. S. dollars. When converting foreign transactions into U.S. dollars, the conversion date should be the same as the transaction date. Foreign currency conversions should be obtained from the Oanda currency converter website and attached to the Expense Report. If a foreign transaction was made using a credit card, you may attach the credit card statement in lieu of an Oanda conversion.

Requirements for Non-Employee Travel

Effective November 2025, all Non-Employee travel must include the prefix “On Behalf of [Traveler Name]” at the beginning of the Travel Authorization (TA) and Expense Report (ER) descriptions.

Failure to comply may result in processing delays or a return for correction.

Third Party Travel Reimbursements

All travel on behalf of the University requires an approved TA.  This includes any travel reimbursements due to a company/vendor/individual.

Travel News – Important Reminders

•  Employee Signature Requirement

Expense reports must be signed by the employee listed at the top of the report. This can be done via DocuSign or using the Print and Sign option.

•  Receipt & Documentation Requirements

Ensure all receipts and supporting documentation are legible and uploaded prior to submission to avoid reimbursement delays. Departments are strongly encouraged to use the [Travel Reimbursement Checklist] to verify that all required documentation is included.

•  Combine Files into One PDF

All documentation should be scanned and uploaded as a single PDF file rather than as individual pages.

•  Ride Receipt Annotations

For Taxi, Uber, Lyft, or shuttle services, the pickup and drop-off locations must be clearly noted on the receipt (e.g., “home to airport”, “airport to hotel”).

•  P-Card or PO Usage Notations

If expenses were paid using a university credit card or purchase order, this must be clearly annotated on the corresponding receipts prior to submission.

•  Use of FIU Procurement Systems

To ensure compliance and efficiency, the University’s procurement system must be fully utilized for all operational needs, including travel, equipment, supplies, rentals, food, and furnishings. Departments should coordinate with Purchasing Services and Credit Card Solutions as needed.

Important International Travel Compliance Reminder

Effective March 1, 2025, if you depart on an international trip prior to full Travel Authorization (TA) approval, a confirmation of which is emailed to you, there will be no reimbursement of travel expenses paid by you from personal funds, and repayment from the traveler to the University for expenses paid with University funds will be required. Further, an employee may be subject to discipline and/or restrictions on international travel privileges. Regardless of whether a proxy assists in the TA process, the traveler is responsible for verifying that the TA is fully approved before departing on the trip and will be held accountable if it is not.

Please reference the full memorandum, which also includes details from previous notifications.

Travel Authorization

An approved TA is official permission to incur travel expenses on behalf of FIU. Without it, the use of procurement cards and personal reimbursement is prohibited. This applies to Employees, Students, and Non‑Employees. A compliant TA must include projected expenses, a detailed business purpose, accurate travel dates, correct destinations, and an estimated trip cost.

Invoice Delivery

When submitting invoices to invoices@fiu.edu, please keep the following in mind:

• Invoices@fiu.edu is a system monitored account and should only be used for submitting invoices.
• Limit supporting documentation to only what is necessary to approve the invoice for payment.  Any other documentation should be kept with the department.  Any supporting documentation required must be included in the PDF file.  The system cannot combine attachments.
• Only PDF documents are accepted.  All other documents will not be processed.
• Only one invoice per PDF file is accepted.  If more than one invoice is sent in one PDF file, only the first invoice is processed.
• Market Place Orders – Do not send invoice copies, receipt information, or any other documentation to invoices@fiu.edu.
• Market Place invoices (any voucher that begins with the letter I) are sent to Accounts Payable electronically by the vendor.
• When corresponding via email with an AP staff member, do not cc invoices@fiu.edu.