Using the Finance System to Bring in Income
There are several areas of the University that generate income or charge third parties. Find out more about bringing in income to the University, and how to use the Finance System to raise sales orders.
Useful policies, forms and guidance
- Policies
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Anti-Money Laundering Policy [PDF 183.59KB]. To access the Anti Money Laundering e-learning, please see our Financial Literacy page.
Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard Compliance Requirements [PDF 228.35KB]
- Forms
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New Customer Account Request Form [XLSX 44.77KB] and New Customer Account Process Note [PDF 132.14KB]
Record of Cash and Cheques Received [PDF 73.49KB] and How to Complete a Record of Cash and Cheques Received [PDF 119.90KB]
Request a New PDQ Terminal [DOCX 15.33KB]
Request to remove a PDQ Terminal [DOCX 13.12KB]
Finance system access and financial literacy training
FAQs
Things to consider prior to raising a sales order
- 1. How do I set up a new customer account for invoicing?
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To set up a new customer account, please complete the New Customer Account Request Form [XLSX 44.77KB] and return it to the Finance Service Desk (FinanceServiceDesk@sussex.ac.uk).
It is essential that all fields are filled out correctly as any missing or incorrect data may delay the account being set up. If you have problems with this please contact the Finance Service Desk.
- 2. Why do I need to raise a sales order?
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- It provides full details of the services provided and commitment of the University.
- It supports legal obligations and meets VAT requirements.
- It sets the payment terms the University expects.
- It ensures Value for Money by producing a record of valid income, ensuring that the debts are collectible through the University’s debt collection procedures.
- It records the income against a subproject code on the Finance System, which will then be included in budget forecasting and financial planning.
- 3. What do I need to do before raising a sales order?
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Before raising a sales order, you need to ensure:
- There is a contract or other agreement in place, such as a purchase order from your customer.
- The goods or services have been supplied or there is an agreement to invoice in advance or in staged payments.
- That the full economic cost is being charged to sponsors for research grants (where allowable), consultancy and other academic activity.
- That you know your subproject and income code.
- That you know your customer identification number.
How to raise a sales order on the Finance System
- 1. How do I find my customer?
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Using the type ahead functionality, begin typing the name of your customer. The results will narrow as you type more characters, until you find the customer you wish to use. Alternatively, if you know your customer number, type this directly in to the customer field.
- 2. What is the sales order email destination field?
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This is a method of selecting where a sales invoice is sent. C = email to customer, R = email to requestor.
- 3. Do I have to enter the subproject in the default finance codes section?
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Yes, the sales order cannot be completed without the relevant subproject code as this determines the budget to which the invoice will be credited.
- 4. How do I know what subproject to use when raising a sales order?
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You can type the subproject number into the subproject field and this will provide you with a list of project numbers to choose from. If you are unsure as to which one to use please contact your department administrator or line manager.
- 5. Which product should I use?
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Start typing a general description of what you are invoicing for and the type ahead function will show you a list of related products that you can select based on the characters you have typed. Select the most appropriate from the list and then overtype the description with the actual item description. This description will be included on your sales invoice so it is important to make it as accurate as possible.
- 6. Why do I need to overtype the generic product description(s) on my sales order?
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To make sure sales invoice descriptions are clear for the authoriser and for the customer.
- 7. How do I add extra information for the customer?
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If your invoice requires detailed descriptions you should include the essential product description in the 'description field', then click on the 'Additional product information' section and enter extra information in the product text field.
- 8. Do I need to include VAT in the price on the sales order?
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You should enter the price exclusive of VAT. The Finance System will then automatically calculate the appropriate VAT value to be added based on the VAT code selected. The product code you select may provide a default VAT code, however you should still ensure that this is correct. If you need further assistance please contact the Finance Service Desk on FinanceServiceDesk@sussex.ac.uk.
- 9. Which VAT code should I use?
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Depending on the product selected a default VAT code may be selected. However, you must still ensure that the code is accurate and change if necessary.
A full list of tax codes are below:
- S0 - Sales Zero rated for VAT
- SE - Exempt Sales
- SG - Gross Standard Rate Sales
- SO - Outside Scope of VAT
- SS - Standard Rate Sales
- SU - Lower Rate Sales
- 10. How do I split the sales order between two subprojects?
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Press the split row button in the Finance codes section. You must do this for each line of the sales order that you want to split. The total percentage must equal 100%.
- 11. How do I raise a credit note?
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The process for credit notes is almost identical to the raising of sales invoices and should only be raised where an invoice is no longer required for the following reasons:
- The goods or services were not supplied or were only partially supplied.
- The invoice issued contains incorrect information.
In order to raise a credit note for an invoice, you will need to raise a sales order. The sales order should be raised as a minus value and the Sales Credit posting cycle should be selected.
Things to consider after raising a sales order
- 1. What happens after I raise a sales order?
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Once raised, the sales order is reviewed by the appropriate Finance Team (Research or Non Research) who will check the following criteria:
- The activity undertaken is in line with our Charter, statutes and charitable status.
- The VAT status of the activity.
- The level of debt outstanding by the company and individual.
- A valid sales invoice will then be generated and added to your customer’s account.
- 2. How do I check the progress of a sales order I have raised?
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You can check the progress of your sales order via 'Workflow enquiry – Sales orders' on the 'Customer and sales' tab of the .
- 3. Why was my sales order rejected?
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A sales order may be rejected by the Finance team (Research or non-Research) for the following reasons:
- Insufficient information was input when raising the sales order on the Finance System.
- The activity is not in line with our Charter, statutes and charitable status.
- The level of debt outstanding by the company or individual is unacceptable.
If you need further assistance please contact the Finance Service Desk on FinanceServiceDesk@sussex.ac.uk.
- 4. How long does a customer have to pay the invoice?
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Standard payment terms for a customer invoice is 30 days from the point of invoicing. Finance are responsible for ensuring that invoices are paid in a timely manner. If you are concerned about the status of an invoice or whether payment has been received, you should direct your query to the Finance Service Desk at FinanceServiceDesk@sussex.ac.uk.
- 5. What are the budget implications if an invoice is not paid?
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When a sales order is raised, the income is recorded against the subproject code on the Finance System.
Should the income/debt be written off, the School or Division will be charged for the lost income, however this will only happen in exceptional circumstances, i.e. if all mechanisms for the recovery of the debt have been exhausted. All debt is collected by Finance, however if there is no response or resolution the debt may be referred to a solicitor for legal action.
- 6. What should I do if I receive cash or cheques?
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You should complete the Record of Cash and Cheques Received form. If you have received cheques these can be posted to the Income Team in Sussex House with the completed form, however cash must be brought in person. The Income Team are available Monday – Friday between 10am and 4pm. If you receive a large number of cheques or high volumes of cash, please contact the Income & Finance Initiatives Manager who may be able to help you to reduce the volumes of such payments.
- 7. How do I complete the Record of Cash and Cheques Received form?
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Guidance on how to complete the form can be found in the following document: How to Complete a Record of Cash and Cheques Received.
If the cash or cheque is to be credited to a code in the Finance System, the Record of Cash and Cheques Received form must contain both the four digit account code and the subproject.
We are not able to accept cash or cheques where an account code and a subproject have not been provided. If you are ensure of the correct account code and subproject to use, please contact the Finance Service Desk on FinanceServiceDesk@sussex.ac.uk.
- 8. How do I make sure income I have received is properly recorded?
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The University holds a number of bank accounts and all of the University’s bank transactions are allocated by the Income Team, and each account is reconciled each month.
There are a large number of transactions that pass through these accounts and we need your help to be able to identify them and allocate appropriately.
Guidelines for receiving payments:
- Ask the sender to quote a reference that can be identified on the University’s bank statement
- Inform the Income Team of funds you are expecting, the bank reference that will be quoted and the Finance System account code and subproject to be credited
- 9. I have received a remittance advice for income paid to the University - what should I do with it?
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Please scan and email a copy of the remittance to cashiers@sussex.ac.uk