The Accounts Payable department serves the Northwestern community by performing disbursement functions.
This includes paying all approved expenses for goods and services as well as all expense reimbursements made to University employees and University guests. We strive to provide professional and courteous service to our internal and external customers while remaining in compliance with University policies and federal and state regulatory requirements.
The Financial Operation policies and procedures site hosts detailed guidance on policies and processes related to Accounts Payable services. For assistance in determining payment methods see the Purchasing and Payment Quick Reference Guide. Employees are also encouraged to view the Purchasing and Payments Online Module.
Accounts Payable provides disbursement functions for Northwestern, in compliance with University policies, as well as federal and state regulatory requirements.
Job aids: Accounts Payable in MyHR Learn and Knowledge Base
Account Payable Services
Invoice Processing – Payments for Goods and Services
- Responsible for receiving and processing invoices received from vendors and employees in return for goods and services
- Responsible for the verification and inputting of invoice data, payment scheduling, and management of daily check processing
Visit the
Paying an Invoice page for more details about invoice processing.
Employee Reimbursements
Checks - Stop Payments, Reissues, Holds, Enclosures
Responsible for stop-payments and/or reissues of lost or expired checks.
Provides support for items requiring special or priority handling, such as checks to be held for pick-up, or requests for enclosures.
Payment Requests
Responsible for final approval and processing of Payment Requests. There are three types of Payment Requests:
- Direct Payment Requests (DPR) – requests for payments not requiring a PO – Examples: subscription renewals, membership dues, conference fees
- Contracted Services Forms (CSF) – payment to individuals for services
- Visitors Expense Reports (VER) – reimbursements of approved expenses incurred by University guests
View myHR: Visitor Travel & Entertainment
View myHR: Purchasing using a Payment Request: Direct Payment Request
Vendor Credits
Responsible for processing credit transactions. The credited funds are returned to departmental chartstrings. These are not eligible to be entered at the department level.
Wire Transfers
Responsible for electronic payments:
- Domestic wire transfers
- International wire transfers
- In US dollars
- In local currencies
Document Imaging and Indexing
Responsible for creating and indexing electronic images of invoices and other documentation, making them easy to access and retrieve.
Users can view images of invoices processed by Accounts Payable from the Voucher Document Status pages in NUFinancials. Images for Expense Reports and Payment Requests remain available on their respective pages.
Navigation to view invoices in NUFinancials: Accounts Payable > Review Accounts Payable Information > Vouchers > Document Status > Voucher Document Status Inquiry (enter Voucher number here) > View Invoice