Accounts Payable Software Year-End Overview

Last reviewed: 11/18/2008
Article ID: R10432

The information in this article applies to:

Note:  The Version 15 APS Year-End Overview article is found in KB article R11278.

SUMMARY

This article includes the following:

Year-End Procedures
Frequently Asked Questions
    Backup
    Checks
    Void Posted Checks
    Reports
    1099s
    Clear Vendor Analysis Totals
    Deleting Vendors

Year-End Procedures

The following procedures should be performed at the end of each year.

  1. Run the Data File Integrity Check. Proceed only if there are no errors.
  2. Back up your data files.
  3. Post Checks. The Posting Cut-Off date should be the last day of the current month/year.
  4. Print the Check Register Report.
  5. Print the Voided Check List.
  6. Print the Vendor Analysis Report.
  7. Print the Paid Invoices by Vendor Report.
  8. Print the 1099 Report/Forms.
  9. Run the Clear Vendor Analysis Totals program.
  10. Run the Data File Integrity Check.
  11. Back up your data files.

Frequently Asked Questions

Backup

Is your backup routine adequate?
Even if your firm is making regular backups, we recommend that you occasionally restore the data from one of your backups to a directory other than the program working directory to check the integrity of the data.  Also make sure that you rotate your backup media so that you always have more than one backup.  It is important that the Data File Integrity Check program be run before making backups and particularly important that it be run before making a year-end backup.  The purpose of running the Data File Integrity Check program is to verify that there are no errors in the data files before making a backup. Make sure that the year-end backup is performed before closing out the year.  Many firms save their year-end backup as a permanent historical record. See KB Article R10456, "Testing Your Backup System" for more information.

Checks

Can I enter invoices and manual checks or print checks dated for the new year if I have not closed out the current year?
Yes.

Can I post checks dated for the new year if I have not closed out the current year?
If you are integrating with GLS and the Posting Cut-Off Date used is later than the current reporting month and year in GLS, you will be prevented from running the Post Checks program. You must either select an earlier Posting Cut-Off Date or advance the year in GLS before you will be allowed to post checks.  If you are not integrating with GLS, you can post checks for the new year without closing for the current year, but it will affect the MTD, YTD and TD Vendor Totals for the Vendor Analysis Report.

Can I post unpaid invoices for the new year if I have not closed out the current year?
You will not be able to post unpaid invoices for the new year if the Unpaid Posting Date found in the Post Unpaid Invoices program or the Invoice Date you are trying to post has a date later than the current reporting month and year in GLS. APS determines the GLS journal entry date based on whether the Posting of Unpaid Invoices option in APS Customization is set to Detail or Summary and whether the Accounting Method is set to Cash or Accrual. Detail posting uses the Unpaid Posting Date if configured for a Cash Method of accounting but uses the Invoice Date if configured for an Accrual Method of accounting. Summary posting uses the Unpaid Posting Date.

Void Posted Checks

What happens when a posted check is voided?
The Void Posted Checks program will reverse a paid invoice from the vendor totals. If the Delete invoices paid by the check check box is cleared, the original invoices will be retained as unpaid invoices and a voided check record will be created. If the Delete invoices paid by the check check box is selected, the invoices paid by this check will be deleted and a voided check record will be created. If you are integrating with GLS, reversing journal entries are automatically created and posted to GLS. If you are integrating with Tabs3, any Tabs3 cost entries associated with that invoice will also be deleted provided the cost entries are still in work-in-process. However, if the cost entries were already billed in Tabs3, a message will be displayed indicating that the cost entries cannot be deleted when the invoice is deleted.

If I void a check posted last year, what Void Date should I specify?  I do not want to change the balances of last year's reports.  Will specifying a Void Date dated this year affect GLS check reconciliation?
The Void Date you specify depends on your company's and accountant's procedures.  If you specify a Void Date of a prior year, the journal entries posted will affect the prior year's balances.  If you specify a Void Date of the current year, the journal entries will affect only the current year's balances.  Specifying a Void Date of the current year will not throw off your current month's GLS check reconciliation because the original check entry is included in the Outstanding Checks amount.  When you void the check, the voided check entry will also be included in the Outstanding Checks amount, thereby netting an amount of zero.

Will voiding a check from a prior year have any effect on YTD totals for a vendor?
When a check is voided, you will be asked if you want to change Vendor Analysis Totals.  The three options are as follows:

Select the TD Only option if the check was dated in a prior year.

Reports

Which reports should I run at year-end?
Run the same reports that you would normally run at the end of each month. Some firms will run their regular month-end reports and then rerun certain reports for year-end. Consider including the following reports for your year-end close-out: Vendor Analysis Report, Voided Check List, Check Register, Paid Invoices by Vendor Report, 1099 Report (and/or Forms), Invoice by Vendor Report and Invoice by Voucher Report. Keep in mind that the MTD and YTD totals on the Vendor Analysis Report will not be available once the Clear Vendor Analysis Totals program has been run with the clear YTD option.

1099s

I am trying to print 1099 Forms, but nothing is printing?  Why?
You can use the following steps to troubleshoot why this is occurring:

  1. Most likely the vendors are not configured correctly in Vendor Information. 1099 Forms will not print for vendors whose 1099 option is set to None. Changing the 1099 option in the vendor file may be all that is required to solve this problem.
  2. Miscellaneous vendors do not accrue 1099 information. Make sure the vendors you expect to print are not configured as miscellaneous vendors.
  3. Verify the parameters selected when running the 1099 Forms.   Make sure the correct ranges have been selected for Vendor and Name Search on the Vendor tab and the appropriate Tax Year on the Options tab has been selected.
  4. Make sure that the vendors have been paid more than the amount specified in the Minimum YTD Amount to Print option. The method used to verify this depends on the Data Source specified on the Options tab.

Where can I order 1099 Forms?
Continuous 1099 Forms can be ordered directly from the IRS. We recommend ordering 1099 Forms for laser printers from Nelco (www.NelcoSolutions.com). These forms are guaranteed 100% compatible with the Accounts Payable Software. They can also be ordered from most business form printing companies or purchased at your local office supply store.

Where does the 1099 Form get the firm's name and Federal ID # from?
The firm's name and Federal ID # are retrieved from the Firm Information in System Configuration.

What do I do if I cleared Vendor Analysis Totals for the year and now I need to print 1099 Forms for the prior year?
This is not a problem. When printing the 1099 Forms, select a Data Source of Paid and Posted Invoices.  If you select the option for Paid and Posted Invoices, the source for 1099 amounts will be from the paid and posted invoices in the invoice file for the Tax Year entered. Clearing vendor analysis totals does not affect the information in the invoice file.  For example, if your Tax Year is 2008, then APS will use all paid and posted invoices that have a paid date of 2008 that have not been purged. However, in the event that Vendor Analysis Totals have been cleared and invoices purged for the specified Tax Year, you will need to restore from a backup prior to clearing totals and/or purging the invoices.

Will posting checks for a future year affect the 1099 Forms totals?
If you choose "Paid and Posted Invoices" as the Data Source when running the 1099 Forms, posting checks for a future year will not affect your 1099 Form totals.   If you choose "YTD Vendor Totals" as the Data Source, posting checks for a future year will affect the 1099 totals.

I have several of the same vendors in APS that I have as payees in our Trust Accounting Software (TAS). Is there a way to automatically combine those two totals so that I can print just one 1099 Form for each vendor?
Yes! In TAS, run the Create APS 1099 Merge File program. This program creates a file containing the 1099 information for trust accounts that are set up to use the firm as the payer. Once this program has been run, the APS 1099 Report, 1099 Forms and 1099 Disk File will include the information from TAS. The information for common entities (i.e., an APS vendor with the same Federal ID # as a TAS payee) will be combined.

I have Vendor Totals from last year's 1099 showing on this year's 1099 Forms. Why is this occurring? How do I fix this?
Use the following steps to troubleshoot this problem:

  1. If you are integrating with TAS, make sure that the T4AP1099.DAT file from last year is not residing in the APS program directory. If the file is there, either delete it or recreate it with current 1099 data (see procedure in previous question).
  2. Make sure you have selected the correct Tax Year when running the 1099 Forms.
  3. If you selected a Data Source of YTD Vendor Totals when running 1099 information, then most likely the Vendor Totals for last year were not cleared. This situation will cause last year's totals and this year's totals to be combined. Rerun the 1099 program but this time specify a Data Source of Paid and Posted Invoices.

After running the 1099 Report, I realized we had the same vendor entered under two different vendor numbers. What is the easiest way to correct this so I can print a single 1099 Form with combined amounts from both vendor numbers?
Transfer all of the invoices from one of the duplicate numbers to the other using the Transfer Invoices Between Vendors program (making sure to select the Transfer Posted Checks check box). The MTD, YTD and TD Vendor Analysis Totals for each vendor will automatically be updated for posted checks accordingly.  Delete the now-empty duplicate vendor number.

Filing 1099s Electronically with the IRS

We file our 1099-MISC forms electronically with the IRS. Does APS support electronic filing (i.e., e-filing)?
Yes. The Create 1099 Disk File program is used to create a file that can be submitted to the IRS.

When creating a 1099 Disk File for electronic filing with the IRS, what should I enter for the Payer Name Control and Transmitter Control Code?
Both the Payer Name Control and the Transmitter Control Code fields are assigned by the IRS. The Payer Name Control (a 4-digit code) can be obtained from the mailing label on the 1099 Package that is mailed to most payers on record each December. If you have not received a 1099 Package or you do not know your Payer Name Control, this field can be left blank. However, the Transmitter Control Code is required by the IRS and can be obtained by filing IRS Form 4419. This form is an application for permission to file IRS forms electronically.

Can I electronically submit 1099-MISC forms for TAS clients that we have merged into APS?
Yes. In TAS, run the Create APS 1099 Merge File program, and then in APS run the Create 1099 Disk File program. This will merge all of the payees in TAS and vendors in APS to a single list of entities, combining those with identical Federal Tax ID and 1099 Box numbers, and generating 1099 records for all that exceed the minimum amount listed in the Minimum YTD Amount to Print field. TAS users who are not using APS cannot create an electronic file with 1099-MISC information.

Clear Vendor Analysis Totals

What does the Clear Vendor Analysis Totals program do?  Do I even have to clear these totals?
The purpose of the Clear Vendor Analysis Totals program is to reset the Month-to-Date and/or Year-to-Date accumulated paid figures for each vendor to zero. These figures are used for the Vendor Analysis Report and optionally for 1099 information. If you do not clear each month, the paid figures will be the same in both the Month-to-Date column and the Year-to-Date column. If you do not use the Vendor Analysis Report, then there is no need to even run the Clear Vendor Analysis Totals program. This is because you can use a Data Source of Paid and Posted Invoices when running 1099 information instead of the YTD Vendor Totals.

What can we do if we forget to run the Clear Vendor Analysis Totals program at the end of the year?
You can still run the Clear Vendor Analysis Totals for last year without any problem if you haven’t posted checks yet for the current year. The Clear Date that is entered when running this program does not affect which information is cleared; it is merely used as a reference for the next time vendor totals are cleared. However, if you have already posted any checks for the current year, those amounts will be included in the Month-to-Date and Year-To-Date figures along with last month’s and year's information and will also be cleared when you run the Clear Vendor Analysis Totals program.

What happens if I accidentally run the Clear Vendor Analysis Totals program before I run my Year-End Reports and 1099 Forms?  Can these totals be recovered?
The only thing that happens is that the MTD and/or YTD Vendor totals are changed to 0.00. If you clear the totals for MTD, then only MTD totals are cleared. If you clear the totals for YTD, then both YTD and MTD totals are cleared. Once the vendor totals have been cleared, the only way to recover the totals would be to manually enter the totals for each vendor using the Vendor program or to restore from a backup that was made prior to clearing. Since 1099 information can still be retrieved using a Data Source of Paid and Posted Invoices, the only report affected is the Vendor Analysis Report.

Deleting Vendors

I would like to delete old vendors.  What are the consequences of doing so?
Besides deleting the vendor record, deleting a vendor also deletes all paid, unpaid and voided invoices, all recurring entries and all manual checks for the vendor. You may not be able to print complete and accurate reports (including 1099 Forms) if you delete a vendor. Vendors with posted unpaid invoices cannot be deleted until the unpaid invoices have been unposted.

REFERENCES


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