Payment Procedures

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General Guidelines:

• The Procurement Office-Accounts Payable (AP) is the designated payment office for Stony Brook University. All invoices must be submitted to the AP Office, referencing a valid purchase order (PO) number.
• All vendors must have a valid “remit to” address in the RF Oracle supplier file or be enrolled to receive ACH/electronic payments from the RF, for the invoice to be processed for payment.
• Departments must respond within 3 business days to Accounts Payable requests for invoice payment approval.
• Departments must advise the Procurement Office - via email or a WolfMart comment of any issues/discrepancies that may impact a vendor’s invoice payment.
• Vendor invoices that include a freight charge of $500.00 or more require the submission of the 3rd party supporting freight bill before the invoice can be processed for payment. Orders shipped by UPS, FedEx, DHL, Postal Service, or the vendor’s own truck are exempt from this requirement.
• Research Foundation checks are printed Tuesdays and Thursdays and are mailed out the next business day by KeyBank in Indiana.
• Special handling checks that need to be routed back to Campus are printed on Wednesdays at RF SUNY Central Office in Albany NY.

Invoice Submissions for RF Purchase Orders

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Vendors should email invoices to accountspayable@stonybrook.edu

• Invoices should be submitted for payment upon delivery of the goods or completion of the services.
• Invoices must include the company/organization's name and remittance address information.
• All invoices must be billed to Stony Brook University
• A valid purchase order PO must be referenced on all invoices.
•  A description, quantity, and price of goods delivered, or services rendered must be included on all invoices.
• Invoice must include the total amount due.
• Service invoices must be billed per the services and rates applicable to the PO.
• PO’s that allow for freight, vendor must provide a freight bill for all invoices with a freight/shipping charge over $500.00 A freight bill is not required if shipped via FedEx, UPS, US Postal Service, or the company's truck.
• Departments should advise vendors not to submit invoices directly to their offices. If a department receives an invoice from a vendor, they must review the invoice and:
  • • • If accurate, approve the invoice for payment by including the following on the invoice:
        • • • Valid PO (if not already referenced on the invoice)
            • The date item was received, or the service was completed.
            • Write "OK to Pay" on the invoice with the approver's signature.
            • Scan and email it to AP at: accountspayable@stonybrook.edu

• • • • Please note that the Accounts Payable email box, accountspayable@stonybrook.edu is intended only for invoice submissions and is not monitored for inquiries or comments. 

Department and/or Vendor Inquiries or Comments

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• A department or vendor can submit their inquiries via email to procurement_rap@stonybrook.edu.
• If a department has received the merchandise, or services have been rendered for their purchase order, they can approve the order by adding a comment in WolfMart. All comments must be directed to an AP staff member. Please refer to the Accounts Payable contact section on the Procurement website to determine the appropriate AP staff member.

RF Payment Requests Using the Non-Encumbered Payment Form

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1. The WolfMart Non-Encumbered Payment Form can be used to submit the following “payment-only” requests:

• • • • • Emergency direct payment of vendor invoices up to $10,000.00
        • Federal Express (letter and small parcel services)
        • US Department of Homeland Security visa fees
        • Journal/article publishing fees
        • Organization memberships
        • Organization subscriptions
        • Accreditation Fees
        • Conference/Registration fee*
        • Direct Car Service payments*
        • Direct (local) Hotel Payments* - For hosting non-employees and authorized business meetings. (Conference events and banquet services require departments to submit a Service Request Form in WolfMart at least two weeks in advance of the event for a PO to be issued to the Hilton Garden Inn prior to services being rendered) *RF BOA Travel Card is the preferred payment method to use

Cash Advances

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RF Cash Advances For Field Expenses

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Cash Advances for field expenses may be obtained if approved by the Office of Grants Management (OGM) and Sponsor guidelines. The cash advance will be issued in the name of the Principal Investigator (PI) Account Director. Advances should not be requested until at least 2 months before travel date.

• Cash Advances will only be issued to PI’s.
• A RF requisition must be submitted detailing the purpose and amounts requested to Office of Grants Management (OGM) for approval. Upon approval, OGM will forward the requisition to Procurement. A Purchase Order will be created, and a check or electronic ACH (Automated Clearing House) payment will be issued to the PI for the field expenses.
•  Reconciliation for these Advances should take place within 30 days of the completion of the trip. A copy of the PO along with a spreadsheet listing the expenses and supporting receipts/documentation must be submitted. In cases where receipts cannot be obtained due to extenuating circumstances such as travel to “remote” locations, a journal listing of expenses is acceptable. The journal should clearly detail the date of expense, the amount paid, the payee and a brief description of the expense. In the case of normal travel if a receipt is lost, traveler must fill out a Missing Receipt Affidavit form. The Missing Receipt Affidavit form can be found here.
• If the total expenses are less than the previously provided advance, a check payable to the Research Foundation must be submitted for any unexpended funds. If total expenses exceed the previously provided advance, a reimbursement will be issued to the PI. Expenses that cannot be substantiated with qualifying receipts must be resolved with a refund payment.

RF Cash Advances For Human Subjects

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A PI may request a cash advance to pay human subjects. It is the responsibility of the PI to maintain proper controls over the advance and to oversee timely reconciliations of funds. All requests on sponsored funds must be reviewed and approved by the Office of Grants Management. Upon approval Accounts Payable will process payment to the PI from the project director's sponsored program award.

As the cash is expended and upon request by the project director, additional funds from the sponsored program award can be made available for human subject payments if the prior cash advanced is reconciled. If the total expenses are less than the provided advance, a check payable to the Research Foundation must be submitted for any unexpended funds.

Documentation that indicates the number of subjects who received payment and the amount of each payment must be submitted to Procurement. The project director must sign this documentation to certify that the documentation is correct.

If a human research subject is paid $600 or more in one calendar year, a 1099-MISC must be issued.