Cash Handling Administrative Guidelines

Guideline Statement

Cash handling includes all monies received by any College employee on behalf of the College.  This guideline is provided to prevent mishandling of College funds and to safeguard and protect employees from inappropriate charges of mishandling funds.

All College employees having cash handling responsibility should periodically review their cash handling procedures to assure compliance with the College guideline. Please review the following procedures with all employees who handle cash in your organization.

All known (approved or unapproved) cash funds are subject to audit by the Business Office or the College’s independent auditors. In addition, periodic unannounced audits of the fund will be conducted to ensure proper controls are maintained.

Purpose and Use

 The purpose of this guideline is to provide standard procedures for handling of cash collections. All College employees have a fiduciary responsibility to the College to handle cash transactions in accordance with this guideline. Thus, this guideline applies to all College funds and all approved and unapproved cash handling departments and grant recipients.

 Definitions

• Cash – For the purpose of this guideline, cash is defined as currency, personal or institutional bank drafts (checks), money orders, cashiers’ checks, travelers’ checks, or credit card payments.
  
  
• Cash Receipts – Any cash received by a College department in checks and/or currency, for any purposes.
  
  
• Student Accounts – The college department responsible for receiving and depositing cash for the college.
  
  
• Currency – For the purposes of this guideline, currency is defined as US money (dollars and coins). It does not include bank checks or other negotiable items.
  
  
• Fund Custodian – The departmental employee specifically authorized to manage monies in a cash fund. The fund custodian is responsible for the fund’s safekeeping and for ensuring that monies are deposited and accounted for in accordance with this guideline. The fund custodian for each department will be named by the department administrator and explicitly appointed by the Controller or designee.
  
  
• Cash Handler – The departmental employee(s) assigned the responsibility for the receipt or deposit of cash and/or credit card sales. Cash handlers must adhere to the same standards of accountability as fund custodians. The same person may be both a fund custodian and a cash handler.
  
  
• Petty Cash Fund – A fund established at the departmental level for the purpose of expediting small dollar purchases where unforeseen circumstances preclude following regular payment or reimbursement processes. (See Petty Cash Guideline for additional information).

Guidelines

1.  Cash is not to be accepted or issued by any College employee for any purpose unless that employee has been named the fund custodian or designated cash handler.
   
   
2. Acceptance of personal checks as payment for goods and/or services is restricted to checks approved by the fund custodian. Checks will only be accepted for the amount of purchase or service.
   
   
3. Cash handling departments shall follow the College’s standard cash procedures outlined below and shall be subject to periodic review for standards of accountability and compliance with College policies.
   
   
4. The Student Accounts Office will count all cash that is deposited and immediately provide a receipt to the department for the amount of the deposit. The receipt will verify the amount of the deposit and the date it was received by the Cashier.
   
   
5. All departments should reconcile the Department Verification report against the departmental records and cash receipts log on a monthly basis. The same employee should not have both cash handling and monthly verification responsibilities. If the separation of duties cannot be performed within a department due to insufficient levels of staffing, additional supervisory review should be performed to validate and approve the cash receipt and monthly verification process.
   
   
6. Fund custodians will be responsible for overseeing the cash handling operations and accounting in their area and for ensuring copies of the cash receipt logs and departmental cash reports are maintained with departmental records and readily available for audit.
   
   
7. A copy of the completed Appointment Form (Exhibit A) will be forwarded to the Business Office. The Business Office will require all newly appointed custodians to attend cash handling training. Additionally, the Business Office will require annual training for all appointed custodians and cash handlers and will monitor the completion of the requirement. Each department will maintain a file of appointments for each custodian and all cash handlers.
   
   
8. Each department is responsible for ensuring that personnel who handle cash complete the cash handling training on an annual basis to review the cash handling administrative guidelines and procedures and acknowledge their responsibility for cash and adherence to the cash handling administrative guidelines and procedures.
   
   
9. Departments that cannot operationally adhere to these procedures may submit revised procedure, in writing, to the Vice President for Finance and Business Affairs for approval. Once approved, the revised procedures are effective for the department until further notice.
   
   
10. PERSONAL CHECKS WILL NOT BE CASHED USING COLLEGE FUNDS.

Procedures

1. The fund custodian will ensure the following guidelines are followed when a personal check is submitted by the payer in person.
   
   
   1. Checks must be made payable to North Idaho College.
      
      
   2. The payer’s name and address must be pre-printed on the check.
      
      
   3. The payer’s phone number must be present on the check. It can be printed or written on the check.
      
      
   4. Check is for amount of purchase or transaction only. No cash back will be given.
      
      
2. The fund custodian must initial the check to indicate approval. Checks accepted for payment without the required information and returned to the College for non-sufficient funds (NSF) will be charged immediately against the department accepting the check.
   
   
3. When personal checks are received through the mail, the fund custodian will ensure the required information in on the check; otherwise, the department must contact the payer by phone to obtain the missing information before depositing the check. (Departments must make a concentrated effort to publicize these requirements so that payments received by mail will contain all the required information.)
   
   
4. Cash received by fund custodians and designated cash handlers shall be handled promptly in accordance with this guideline and the procedures outlined herein.
   
   
   1. Gifts: Gifts (cash, negotiable stock or bonds, or deeds) received by a college department must be routed to the North Idaho College Foundation for appropriate processing.
      
      
   2. Monies Found: Monies found shall be surrendered immediately to Campus Security.
      
      
   3. Payment for goods and/or services: Cash handling departments (Exhibit C) are responsible for the collection of revenue in support of their own or other college operations.
      
      
   4. Immediately upon receipt, all checks will be endorsed with the “For Deposit Only” stamp provided by the Department and approved by the Business Office and the department name and account number will be recorded on the reverse.
      
      
   5. The fund custodian will ensure checks were made payable to North Idaho College, signed, and written for the correct amount.
5. Department will secure a receipt book, cash register or other process for providing pre-numbered receipts for cash transactions. These receipts must be approved by the Business Office.
   
   
6. A pre-numbered receipt for all cash transactions will be provided to the payer by the receiving department. The department will retain a copy of all receipts and provide access to those copies upon request by the Business Office.  The log of these receipts will be used to reconcile the daily cash report.
   
   
7. Fund custodians must reconcile all cash received, prepare a Departmental Daily Cash Report (Exhibit D) and approve all deposits by the end of the day. (Cash and currency will be safeguarded in a safe, locked drawer, or locked file cabinet until the deposit is made at the close of the business day). All deposits must be made within 24 hours of receipt unless otherwise indicated by the Cash Handling Deposit Schedule.
   
   
   1. Cash Handling Deposit Schedule: As the Business Office works with each area on campus, they will assign departments/functions to either the “A” or “B” schedule.
      
      
      1. “A” Deposit Schedule: These departments are required to deposit daily, regardless of deposit total.
         
         
      2. “B” Deposit Schedule: These departments/functions are required to submit a deposit at a minimum of once per week or when the total deposit reaches $50, whichever comes first.
         
         
8. Any cash handling department receiving a check that it was not expecting, or cannot determine into which account it should be deposited, should forward the check to the Business Office for research. Checks will not be held in the department while research is being done to determine where to deposit them because they can become stale dated or lost.
   
   
9. The daily deposit, containing a copy of the cash receipts log, departmental daily cash report, and funds collected, will be taken to Student Accounts. Immediately upon receipt of deposit the Student Accounts Office will provide a receipt to the department listing the date of receipt and amount of cash and check transactions in the deposit. The Business Office will provide written procedures for making deposits and directions for obtaining all required forms and deposit bags, as well as departmental training if needed.

NORTH IDAHO COLLEGE

CASH HANDLING ADMINISTRATIVE GUIDELINE

APPOINTMENT FORM

The following named individual has been appointed as fund custodian for the petty cash/change fund for the listed department:

            Name:                                                                                                                        

            Department:                                                                                                               

            Petty Cash or Change Fund Established Amount:                                                   

            Department Head or Administrator:                                                                          

            Date:                                                                                                                          

PLEASE FORWARD this completed form and the Acknowledgement Form to the Business Office.

All fund custodians are required to read North Idaho College guidelines and procedures concerning cash handling and sign a statement acknowledging the duties and responsibilities of a fund custodian. The Business Office will require the above named individual to complete training to fulfill this requirement. The training must be completed within 14 days of enrollment notice.

Approved:                                                                                Date:                                     

                        Vice President, Finance and Business Affairs

NORTH IDAHO COLLEGE

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF CASH GUIDELINES AND PROCEDURES

I do hereby certify that I,                                                                                              have

                                                (Please print or type name)

been authorized to serve as fund custodian for                                                          department.

Check one:

            □          Petty Cash Fund

            □          Change Fund

            □          Cash Receipts

            □          Other (specify)

I acknowledge receipt of the guidelines and procedures prescribing management of cash. These guidelines and procedures have been explained to me in detail. I agree to accept responsibility for the accounting and control of the cash in accordance with such guidelines and procedures including the Cash Handling Administrative Guideline and the Petty Cash Guideline, or other comparable component policies and procedures. I further understand that failure to comply with these guidelines and procedures or comparable component policies and procedures could result in disciplinary action up to and including termination and possible criminal sanctions.

Department:                                                                                                                           

Department Head:                                                                              Date:                          

                                    Signature

Fund Custodian:                                                                                 Date:                          

                                    Signature

NORTH IDAHO COLLEGE

CASH HANDLING DEPARTMENT LIST

The departments listed below have the responsibility for the collection of revenue in support of their own or other College operations. These units will have personnel with primary responsibility for the oversight of cash handling operations and accounting. A fund custodian must be appointed for the petty cash and change funds. Cash handlers must be designated for all cash handling departments.

ABE/GED

Admissions

Adult & Aging Services

Athletics Gate Box receipts

Auditorium Concessions

Auditorium Rentals

Authorized NIC Clubs

Auto/Collision/OPRV

Bonners Ferry Center

Career services

Challenge Course

Children’s Center

Computer Lab

Concessions

Emery’s

Facilities/Maintenance

Headstart

Health Services

Housing

Library

Mailroom

Math Contest

Outdoor Pursuits

Parking Services

Pottery sales

PTK

Registrar’s Office

Robotics camp

Salmon Center

Sandpoint Center

Security

Silver Valley Center

Skills Center

Student Accounts

Student Activities

Student Events

Testing Center

Workforce Training

NORTH IDAHO COLLEGE

DEPARTMENTAL DAILY CASH REPORT

Department                                        Account No.                                      Date:                          

FUNDS COLLECTED:                                  RECEIPTS:

CASH: $                                                          FROM:                                     TO:                            

+

CHECKS: $                                                     Total per Cash Receipts Log: $                                             

=

TOTAL FUNDS: $                              

Total Funds – Total Per Cash Receipts Log =                                                                              

            Amount Over: $                                              Amount Short: $                                             

            Total Amount Deposited: $                            

APPROVALS:

Fund Custodian                                                                                               Date

Department Manager                                                                         Date