Performances + Events
Purchasing, Payables, Reimbursements and AMEX
General Information
Invoice payments to vendors can be signed and processed on the original invoice received from the vendor. Check-request forms are used for the following:
- Guest artist, lecture, master class, and workshop: Used for both individuals or groups
- Space rental, postage associated with bulk mailings, and other expenses for which an invoice has not been received
For general Accounts Payable (AP) training, please see the “Accounts Payable Basics” presentation located in the Forms and Documents section. For more detailed AP training, please contact Lori Boarts.
Purchasing, Payables, Reimbursements and AMEX
Further information
NEC is a member of two purchasing consortia. Please check these resources to make sure you are receiving the best price possible.
For most inquiries:
Lori Boarts, Accounts Payable Manager
To place a catering order through Rebecca’s Cafe, please speak to Rebecca’s Cafe staff.
Payables are processed weekly. Payment requests must be submitted by the end of the day on Tuesday, with full documentation and support, in order for a check to be ready by Friday of the following week at 3 p.m. If full documentation and support is not included, payment may be delayed.
If a large batch of payments is being submitted (for example, more than 25 payments associated with an opera or other event), payment requests must be submitted by end of day on Monday, with full documentation and support, in order for a check to be ready by Friday of the following week at 3 p.m. Providing advance notice to Accounts Payable in these cases is appreciated.
Emergency payments can be processed more quickly on an exception basis but are not encouraged.
Schedules and any changes to the normal payment timetable will be communicated via email in advance.
NEC’s preferred method of payment to reimburse vendors (individuals and companies) is electronic payment. The Vendor ACH Payment Enrollment Form should be filled out and returned to the Business Office. A voided check or letter from the bank confirming the account should accompany the form. NEC is vigilant regarding the protection of your privacy. Please contact the Business Office if you have concerns about the security of your banking information.
As discussed in each subsection, you must determine whether a payee is a U.S. citizen before they provide any goods or services to NEC or incur expenses that will be reimbursed by NEC. Before payment, all requests for international individuals must be reviewed by Richard Bowman, controller.
The IRS requires that an individual/company that is paid for goods or services or reimbursed for expenses must be the individual or company who actually provided the goods or services or incurred the expenses. Paying others (friends, an affiliated nonprofit organization, etc.) who do not qualify as a payee under these IRS guidelines is not permitted. In cases where multiple individuals comprise a group that is performing services for or providing goods to NEC, the group must be a legal entity in order for NEC to pay the group rather than each of the individuals within the group.
The following steps must be performed by the hosting individual or department before a new payee provides services or goods to NEC:
- Obtain a signed form W-9 from the payee.
- Determine whether the payee is a U.S. citizen.
- Obtain necessary paperwork from foreign nationals.
- Provide the payee with the sales tax-exempt certificate to ensure that they do not charge us for sales tax.
- Obtain and complete a credit application, if necessary.
- For foreign nationals, ask whether their citizenship status has changed. If so, they must complete the necessary paperwork.
- For invoices, note the 16-digit budget account and obtain an authorized signature for the expense. If the bill is being split between departments, authorized signatures from both departments are required.
- Only invoices—not quotes, shipping documents, or statements—can be paid. If the payee cannot provide an invoice, complete a check request form, including all required information:
- All checkboxes in the top section and relevant information
- Full current mailing address
- Detailed purpose for the payment
- 16-digit budget account
- Authorized signature(s) for all departments
- Invoices and check requests must be accompanied by complete documentation, which may include:
- Purchase order
- Estimates
- Shipping evidence
- Contract (creating a contract with the applicable dates, amounts, etc. is considered a best practice).
- For performances, lectures, etc., a flyer or other event information
- Email documentation, if relevant
- If a credit is due to NEC, notes should be included on the invoice as to whether the credit should be applied to another submitted invoice or has already been applied.
- If a past-due balance is indicated on an invoice, notes should be included on the invoice indicating whether the balance was already paid and what amount is being approved for payment.
- If the invoice or check request form requests a pick-up delivery option, checks are available at the Business Office by 3 p.m. on Friday. Schedules and any changes to the normal payment timetable will be communicated in advance.
A Travel and Entertainment form should be completed for travel-related reimbursement requests.
- Mileage should be noted on the bottom portion of the form, including dates traveled. The current IRS mileage rate is 65.5 cents per mile.
- Receipts should be numbered and submitted for all expenses. Receipts that are not full sheets should be taped to a paper and organized by number.
- Budget accounts should be entered in the middle section of the T&E form. Reimbursement totals should be summarized by budget account in this section.
- When there is not enough room to fit all expenses on the form, a separate Excel sheet can be used and attached to the T&E form.
- All receipts must be approved by an authorized signer, as per the Signature Authorization policy.
- Receipts should show the exact amount being requested for reimbursement. Invoices with a balance due will not be accepted.
- Itemized receipts must be submitted for hotels and restaurants.
- Receipts must show the amount paid. Itineraries that do not show the amount paid will not be accepted.
- If a check was used to pay for an expense, a copy of the cleared check should be submitted as a receipt.
- E-ZPass statements should be submitted for toll reimbursement, if applicable.
- If a receipt has been lost, a replacement can generally be obtained by contacting the vendor.
- A tax-exempt certificate should be used for most expenses. NEC generally cannot reimburse sales tax, except for meals tax and certain travel-related taxes.
- Advances for travel-related expenses will not be granted.
- A check request form can be used for reimbursements over $50.
- Check the appropriate boxes on the form.
- Complete legal name. The address also must be filled in.
- Reason for the expense(s).
- Enter the budget account to be charged.
- Obtain an authorized signer’s signature.
- When you have more than four expenses, an Excel spreadsheet should be created with the number of items, date, amount, department/account, and reason for each expense. On the purpose line of the check request, indicate “see attached sheet.”
- Receipts smaller than letter-size paper should be taped and numbered along with all other receipts.
- All receipts should be scanned and included as attachments to the Web Expenses request.
The Faculty Travel Expense Voucher should be completed with receipts and submitted to Ali Eaton.
- Receipts should be organized and taped to paper before submission
- Number of miles driven and amount should be noted for each day.
- Select a box concerning the delivery of payment. If no box is checked, payment will be mailed to the address provided on the form or record.
- Boarding passes for air and train must be submitted for reimbursement.
- Hotel receipts should show payment received. If documentation does not show a zero balance, a zero-balance final receipt can be obtained from the hotel’s account receivable department.
- After Ali Eaton has reviewed and approved travel expenses, the forms are submitted to the Business Office for processing via WebInvoicing.
For payments to students for services, please refer to the payroll section.
- Vendors should not be paid via an American Express card. Payments to vendors might be taxable income to the vendor; therefore, requests for payments/deposits must be submitted to Accounts Payable on an invoice.
- AmEx statements are accessible online by the fourth of every month.
- An AmEx Expense Report Cover Sheet should be completed for each AmEx statement. Original receipts should be numbered and attached to the cover sheet, along with the AmEx statement. These should be organized in one PDF file.
- Account totals should be summarized at the bottom of the cover sheet.
- Each AmEx statement must be signed by an authorized signer. If a corporate AmEx is used by another department, the corresponding authorized signer must sign the report authorizing the expense.
- Expenses will need to be submitted around the fourth of every month to ap@necmusic.edu.
- Invoices, check requests for master classes, guest artists, etc: Accounts Payable
- Travel- and non-travel-related reimbursements: Accounts Payable
- International reimbursements: Lori Boarts
- International payments for services: Lori Boarts
- Travel Competition Reimbursements: Lori Boarts
- Presidential Scholarships, U.S. and international: Accounts Payable
- Faculty Development: Lori Boarts
- Payments to Students: Lori Boarts
- Reimbursements to students: Accounts Payable
- Corporate AmEx: Accounts Payable
