Finance Department

Finance Department

Welcome to Finance. The Finance Department keeps Life University moving in a positive financial direction, serves as a risk identifier and manager, and facilitates resource allocation to make good things happen for students.

In order to fulfill this, the Finance Department manages a broad range of services including:

• Accounts Payable & Accounts Receivable
• Reimbursements
• ACH Signup (for existing vendors or employees)
• Cashier, Business Credit Cards, & Other Services
• Payroll Processing, Web Advisor
• Sales Tax Reporting/Tax Information
• Employee Retirement Plan
• FAQs
• Forms & Policies
• Contact
• Other Services
  • Annual Budget
  • Insurance
  • Audit Documentation

While our department is designated to facilitate these processes, all members of the LIFE community have the ability to affect LIFE’s financial path by taking responsibility for allocated resources, adhering to University policies and guidelines, and proactively working to properly complete all financial documents in a timely manner.

With everyone working together, we can ensure prompt payment and/or reimbursement of Life University vendors, students, partners and employees, accurate documentation and reporting, and a balanced University budget.

Purchasing Goods & Services & Vendors

Please refer to Purchasing’s web page here.

Accounts Payable & Accounts Receivable

Life University prepares checks every Wednesday and mails them by the end of the week (when the campus is open for operations). Deadline for submissions to meet the weekly check run is 5:00 PM (EST) on Friday (in order to be prepared for payment on Wednesday).

AP/Reimbursement check(s) may be picked up in the Purchasing Department. Checks can be picked up on Fridays or the following Mondays or Tuesday (after check is cut on Wednesday) between 9:00 AM and 3:00 PM. Please ensure the check address is correct because all checks not picked up by Wednesday morning will be mailed. Purchasing is located in the hallway between the University Bookstore and the Café. Hours are subject to change if there is a holiday or school closure.

University payment policy is Net 30.

If you have any questions regarding the status of a check, please contact Accounts Payable, Payable@life.edu, or Angie Tran at 770-426-2781 or nga.tran@life.edu.

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Reimbursements

In the course of your responsibilities as an employee of Life University, you may be required to pay for certain expenses prior to reimbursement. The following forms and policies will help to ensure accurate and timely reimbursement.

• Employee Expense Reimbursement Form – Use this form to be reimbursed for University approved expenses. Log into your DocuSign account, click NEW>Use A Template>Expense Reimbursement Form – Master, to access the form template.
  • Reimbursement will be returned if missing the following information:
    • Name
    • Supervisor’s Approval
    • Department Code
    • Receipts and/or proper documentation
    • Petty Cash
    • Cell Phone Reimbursement (for designated University personnel)

Requests for reimbursements must be received by 5:00 PM on Monday, the week before the check is expected. Otherwise, the reimbursement check will be available the following week. Purchasing will send a notification email to the recipient (or responsible employee) when the reimbursement check is available for pickup at the Purchasing Department. For faster processing, you can sign up for ACH deposits in lieu of printed checks. To enroll in the ACH program, submit your ACH Signup form here.
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Services

Business (Life University) Credit Cards – The Finance Department issues University credit cards to approved personnel, and approves the monthly statement reconciliation for each authorized user.

• All requests for Credit Cards must be made to the Executive Vice President of Finance
• The credit card holder must reconcile their statement – Wells Fargo Portal Sign On
• University Credit Card Reconciling Instructions

Cashier – The Cashier’s office collects and processes funds from various departments as well as for special services such as hanging parking tags, parking tickets, concessions, club deposits and departmental petty cash. The Cashier’s office hours are Monday thru Friday, 9:00 AM – 11:30 AM.

• Completion of a Cash Credit Voucher is necessary to make all deposits which will require complete account number; forms are located in the Finance Department.
• Completion of a Petty Cash Form is necessary to receive petty cash. It will require a complete account number, receipt(s) totaling no more than $25, and have a supervisor’s approval
• Hanging Parking Decals and Parking Tickets may be paid for with cash or check payable to Life University. A University ID is required to purchase a Hanging Parking Decal.

The Cashier can be contacted at Cashier@Life.edu

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Payroll & ADP

All employees are assigned an employee portal account through ADP.

All employees will be paid on a biweekly basis (every other Friday).

Hourly employees are required to enter their time worked electronically via My Timecard in ADP. Time may be entered daily or by the Friday before pay week, so that supervisors may approve time by 12:00 PM on the Monday of each pay week. Time should be entered according to their department’s policy. Failure to record your time electronically may result in a delay of payment by 2 weeks.

In the event an employee does not record his/her time by the deadline, the employee’s immediate supervisor will need to:

• Have employee complete a paper timesheet (see “Attendance Verification Timesheet” under Forms & Policies)
• The employee and supervisor both sign the timesheet
• The supervisor must email the timesheet to moody@life.edu. The employee cannot directly submit the form to Finance

In addition to recording time worked, employees logged into Web Advisor have access to additional information:

• Time entry
• Update demographic information
• View past pay advices and tax year statements
• Update beneficiary
• Update direct deposit and tax information
• Change employee password

Direct Deposit: The University strongly recommends that each employee have their paycheck direct-deposited into an account at their financial institution.

• Direct Deposit information can be managed in the ADP System
• If you choose NOT to establish direct deposit, your paycheck will be automatically mailed on the pay date after 3:00 PM. There is no option for check pick-up.
• If your check is lost in the mail, a stop payment will be placed on the lost check and a new check will be issued if the following requirements are met:
  • A waiting period of 5 business days after the check was issued.
  • The employee pays the $15 stop payment fee.
  • And, the employee has updated his/her address in ADP.

Payroll payments will only be made outside of the pay cycle if:

• If the employee’s new hire record is not entered into the system
• A request is made by the Executive Office
• Or an employee’s direct deposit is returned.

For more information, please see the Payroll Policy.

For other questions or concerns, Payroll can be contacted at Payroll@Life.edu or jerry.moody@life.edu.

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Tax Information

• State and Federal Tax Reporting
• W-2 statements are only available electronically via ADP.
• The Federal and State Withholding form can be updated on ADP.

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Retirement Plan

Life University offers a 401(k) retirement plan through Lincoln Financial Group. All full-time and part-time employees, except student employees, are eligible and encouraged to participate upon hire. However, only those with 1,000 hours a year may receive an employer match when applicable.

All new hires are automatically enrolled at 4%, with the option to change that at any time. Those eligible for 401(k):

• Full time staff
• Part time staff
• Full time faculty
• Part time faculty
• Adjunct faculty

Employee 401(k) Summary Plan Description

Automatic Enrollment Notice Guidelines

For more information, or to talk to our representative, please contact John White, Certified Financial Planner at (770) 205-0282 or by email John.White@lfg.com.

Learn More:

What is a 401(k) plan?

It’s an employer-sponsored retirement savings plan comprised of a variety of funds. Funds are made up of many individual stocks. The combination of stocks is designed to stabilize the performance of the fund.

The maximum annual employee contribution is determined by the federal government. The current maximum is $18,000 for people under the age of 50, and up to $6,000 additional “catch-up” contributions for those over the age of 50.

An employer-sponsored 401(k) plan will usually have between 8-20 investment choices. LIFE’s Retirement Planning Committee reviews and chooses the fund options for the plan. There are 27 choices available in LIFE’s plan, including “target-date” funds. Target-date funds are designed with a specific stock mix that is based on your estimated retirement date.

Check this out: http://money.howstuffworks.com/personal-finance/retirement-planning/401k.htm

Why Participate in LIFE’s 401(k) Plan?

• It is a “free”’ benefit – LIFE pays all management fees
• It is an investment in YOUR future – prepare for your life after LIFE
  • Create the financial ability to do all the things you want to do that you are putting off until after you are done working
  • Pensions have ceased to exist and are no longer guaranteed, Social Security covers approximately 42% of your current income – there will likely be a gap.
• Decrease the amount of current taxes you pay
  • Employee elective contributions are pre-tax dollars, therefore lower your gross pay and could affect your tax bracket
  • You will pay taxes on the money when you withdraw it from the account, however, income tends to be lower during retirement, and therefore less tax are expected to be paid.
• Your elective contributions are 100% vested at all times
• Opportunity for “free” money (employer match or discretionary contribution) that you will not receive if you do not participate
  • Vesting in employer contributions (match or discretionary) increases from 0% to 100% over 5 years

How do I participate?

Go here and follow the instructions listed.

What fund options are available and how to I know which ones to pick?

Personal consultations with a Lincoln Financial Group Representative will help you review your goals, examine your current status and progress toward your goals, review your fund performance, and recommend fund type based on your estimated retirement date.

How will contributing to my 401(k) plan affect my take-home pay?

Contributions are pre-tax dollars and therefore lower your overall taxable income. Your take-home pay will not decrease by the same amount as your contribution.

The effect on your take-home pay will be determined by your tax bracket.

To review how pre-tax elective contributions will affect your take-home pay, please contact Mario Bailey, Payroll Specialist, to schedule an appointment.

How does the Employer Match Contribution Work?

LIFE’s employer match will be activated for each quarter that the University meets or exceeds its enrollment goals. Enrollment numbers are determined on Tuesday of Week 2, and will be announced by Friday of Week 2 of each quarter.

If the enrollment goal is met for the quarter, LIFE will contribute $0.50 for every $1 of your elective contribution, up to 4% of your salary for that quarter.

How do I monitor my account?

Log into your account for up-to-date account balance and fund performance information and receive LFG quarterly statements

What happens if I leave Life University?

The vested balance of your 401(k) account may be rolled into your new employer’s qualified plan or a qualified personal IRA account.

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Forms & Policies

• Petty Cash Request– submit a reimbursement request through DocuSign using the Voucher Template and attach the receipt in place of the invoice.
• Attendance Verification Timesheet– Use this form if you have forgotten to submit hours electronically via Web Advisor. This form will need to be signed by the employee and direct supervisor and scanned by the supervisor to the Finance Department.
• W-9– Request for Taxpayer Identification Number and Certification. This form is required to be filled out by US vendors or individuals if the University will be paying them for goods or services rendered.
• W-8BEN– US Tax Withholding for Foreign Individuals. This form is required to be filled out by Foreign Individuals if they are to be paid by the University for goods or services rendered.
• W-8BENE– US Tax Withholding for Foreign Entities. This form is to be filled out by foreign entities or companies (not individuals) if they are to be paid by the University for goods or services rendered.
• Payroll Policy
• Travel/Expense Policy
• Cash Receipts Policy
• Petty Cash Policy
• Cash Credit Voucher

Business Licenses

• License for 1269 Barclay Circle
• License for 1241 Barclay Circle

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Contact Us

View Contacts Information and Organization Chart

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