Frequently Asked Questions
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Change Funds
How can a department request a change fund?
Refer to AP 8.750, Establishment and Maintenance of Change Funds for procedures to request establishment of a change fund.
Can a change fund be used for small purchases?
No, the change fund shall not be used for purchases of any kind, cashing checks, or making temporary loans. A change fund may only be established to make change where there is a specific fund authorization to charge and collect money.
What should I do if the change fund has a cash shortage or overage?
In accordance with AP 8.750, Establishment and Maintenance of Change Funds, any cash shortage and/or overage shall be reported on Form CF-3, Change Fund Cash Overage/Shortage Report.
- Form CF-3 must be completed immediately for any cash overage or shortage of $25.00 or more from a single incident.
- For all other incidents less than $25.00, the cumulative net cash shortage or overage shall be reported on Form CF-3 (at a minimum) on a monthly basis.
All KFS edoc related to a cash fund shortage or overage shall be adhoc routed to the Treasury Officer (KFS username jyama) for approval.
See AP 8.750, Appendix A – Change Fund Procedures – Tasks and Responsibilities for procedures related to maintaining change funds, including reporting a cash fund shortage or overage.
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Credit Card
How can my department accept credit cards as a form of payment?
Refer to AP 8.710, Credit Card Administration and complete AP 8.710, Appendix B, Credit Card Administration – Participation and Request Form and submit completed form to the Treasury Office for review and approval by the Treasury Office and ITS InfoSec, if applicable.
What is the University’s process for PCI Compliance?
Login to the PCI Compliance/eCommerce FAQs section on the Cash Handling and Deposits page.
What credit card brands does the University accept?
The University accepts VISA, MasterCard, and Discover cards. Discover includes Discover (including DinaCard and BC Card), Diners Club, JCB and ChinaUnionPay.
What is reconciliation process for credit card transactions?
Credit card merchants must reconcile their daily batch settlement reports to the monthly merchant statement to ensure that they have been properly credited for all sales transactions. Reconciliation should also be performed to ensure that merchant fees were properly assessed.
If there is an error, merchants must call Richard Pernice, BOH Relationship Officer – Merchant Services, at (808) 694-7317 or the BOH Merchant Services general phone line at (808) 694-7300 within 45 days from the date the statement was received. After 45 days, the processor will not be responsible for any errors and is not obligated to make any financial adjustments.
What refund disclosure is required for in-person credit card transactions?
In accordance with Visa Rules for refunds for card present transactions, proper disclosure must occur before a transaction is completed and can be accomplished by:
- Disclosure statement is legibly printed on the face of the transaction receipt near the cardholder signature area, or
- Disclosed in an area easily seen by the cardholder at the time of the transaction.
Can minimum amounts be set for debit or credit card transactions?
Minimum amounts cannot be set for signature-based and PIN-based debit card transactions. Even if the cardholder pushes the credit button after swiping a debit card, the card type is still debit and therefore it cannot be subject to minimum purchase amount.
A minimum purchase amount of $10 or less may be set for credit card transactions only.
What is a chargeback and what needs to be done?
A chargeback is when the cardholder is disputing the credit card transaction. A response, including supporting documentation, must be submitted for all dispute notifications to the processor as directed on the chargeback notice and by the due date established.
The merchant department will receive an invoice from Bank of Hawai‘i for the chargeback amount, regardless of the outcome of the dispute decision. The merchant department shall promptly process payment. Should the dispute be decided in favor of the University, the chargeback will be reversed. The Treasury Office will notify the FA and the reversal will need to be recorded into KFS.
What causes a debit suspense?
A debit suspense may occur when an EMV card is removed before a debit card transaction is completed and another attempt is made. The original transaction may post to debit suspense. A debit suspense may also occur if the batch is not settled at the end of the day. The settlement of a debit suspense may be delayed, therefore, may be included in another batch on a later date.
What happens if the chip on an EMV card can’t be read?
Even though the chip is unreadable, you must insert it three (3) times into the reader. After the third attempt, you can swipe it in the mag stripe reader.
Are contactless payments allowed?
Yes, if the credit card terminal accepts contactless payments (i.e. contactless cards and mobile payments, such as Apple Pay, Android Pay and Samsung Pay). Equipment provided by Bank of Hawai‘i allows for contactless payments. Contactless payments are considered EMV transactions.
What are the signature requirements?
Updated credit card terminals provided by Bank of Hawai‘i will be programmed with the 2018 Visa guidelines to streamline EMV acceptance. The signature guidelines have been adopted by First Data, Bank of Hawai‘i’s processor, and apply to all Visa, MasterCard and Discover network card transactions.
Under the Visa guidelines, signatures requirements are as follows:
Signature NOT required:
- EMV card transactions, and
- PIN debit transactions.
Signatures required:
- EMV cards processed as swipe transaction
- Cards’ issuing bank requires a signature, or
- Unreadable credit card (key enter transaction). You may ask for another form of payment.
If a refund/return policy is printed on the draft, the cardholder’s signature is required to be obtained.
To note: For any refunds processed, the merchant is required to sign the signature line on the receipt in order to acknowledge issuing the credit.
How do I respond when the terminal is asking for a tax amount?
Updated credit card terminals provided by Bank of Hawai‘i should be programmed to exclude this request as the University is a tax-exempt entity. However, if prompted when a business or corporate credit card is used, you can skip the tax related terminal prompts by following these steps:
Prompt: Enter Tax Amount
Response: < press green button to by-pass>
Prompt: Is this tax exempt? No or Yes
Response: Yes <press green button>
Prompt: Enter Customer Code
Response: Enter the last four (4) digits of the card number <press green button>
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Deposits
Is there any user guide for entering KFS deposit eDocs?
See Deposits – Advance Deposit and Credit Card Receipt User Guide
What is the timeframe for recording deposit eDocuments in KFS?
In accordance with AP 8.701, Receipting and Depositing Funds Received by the University, the due dates established for recording deposit transactions in KFS are as follows:
| Deposit Type | KFS eDocument | Initiate and Submit KFS eDocument within three (3) working days from: |
|---|---|---|
| Cash and check | Cash Control/Payment Application or Advance Deposit | Date of Deposit |
| Electronic funds transfer (wire or ACH) | Cash Control/Payment Application or Advance Deposit | Notification received from Treasury Office |
| Credit Card | Cash Control/Payment Application or Credit Card Receipt | Batch settlement Date |
The FA (or delegate) shall approve and finalize the eDocument as soon as possible, however, no later than three (3) working days from the eDocument submission date. Efforts should be made to record and finalize all eDocuments for the month by the last business day of the month.
What medium or type codes and reference numbers should be used on KFS deposit eDocuments?
Medium or Type Code
| Deposit Type | Cash Control | Advance Deposit | Credit Card Receipt | Reference Number |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cash and checks | Check/Cash | Cash/Check | N/A | Bank deposit slip number |
| Electronic funds transfer | Wire | Wire/EFT | N/A | Six-digit number provided by the Treasury Office on the EFT remittance notification |
| Credit card | Credit Card | N/A | VM | Four-digit KFS Merchant Location Code; this code is assigned by the Merchant Number (last eight digits of the Merchant ID) – see Credit Card Vendor lookup screen on the Maintenance/Financial Processing tab |
How are processing adjustments recorded (i.e. duplicate entries, incorrect amounts, etc.) for KFS deposit eDocuments?
Refer to AP 8.701, Appendix A, Recording Debit Entries and Processing Adjustments.
How is an error in the reference number corrected?
Notify the Treasury Office via email to uh-treasury@lists.hawaii.edu
How is a refund from a vendor or reimbursement of expenditure posted in KFS?
Enter a negative amount for the expense object code on the AD.
What are procedures to accept electronic payments?
Refer to AP 8.702, Establishment of Electronic Funds Transfer and Receipt of Funds. Provide the Treasury Office with information on expected electronic payment (remitter and amount).
FAs should review the email notifications sent out by the Treasury Office for unidentified electronic payments and claim in time frame noted or the payment may be returned to the remitter.
What information is available regarding counterfeit currency?
To minimize potential losses, all University personnel authorized to handle cash are responsible for screening cash transactions for counterfeit currency. To identify counterfeit currency, consider the following:
- Touch the bill/feel the texture. Real currency is made from cotton and linen fibers. The bills are thinner and should feel crisp. The ink is slightly raised.
- Look at the bill. The printing on the currency should be sharp and well-defined. Tiny red and blue fibers are embedded in the paper. The two serial numbers printed on either side of the portrait should match.
- Look for the security features. Hold the bill up to the light to look for the embedded security thread running from top to bottom. The thread will have “USA” printed along with the bill denomination. Check for a watermark bearing the image of the person in the portrait. The watermark should be visible from both sides of the bill.
- It is recommended that at least all $50’s and $100’s and other denominations at random, be verified with a security pen by the cashier at the time it is received.
Refer to AP 8.701, Receipting and Deposit of Funds by the University, Section III.C.2.a.v. for information on steps to follow if a questionable bill is received.
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Dishonored Checks
How are dishonored checks related to student payments handled?
Any dishonored check posted to a student account in Banner shall be handled centrally by the University Cashier’s Office for processing, regardless of which campus originally accepted the payment.
How are non-student dishonored checks handled?
Instructions are available.
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Supplies
How do I order bank deposit slips and money bags?
To order bank deposit slips and money bags, complete Form Treas, order form, Bank Deposit & Money Bag Order Form and submit to Treasury Office.
Where can I get receipt books?
Departments are advised to purchase receipt books through the State’s price list. Departments can also purchase pre-numbered duplicate copy receipt books from any office supplies store.