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When is an invoice needed?

Finance

IWONA KAMINSKA Finance Secretary at U3A Brecon Posted 2 years ago

Hello Nice People,
My name is Iwona,  I'm new to this group and I thought maybe someone could give me some tips about my questions. I used to work as an accountant for trading companies in EU
 I never had anything in common with charities. I know the general rules and the charities don't pay any tax - in our particular case anyway;   about gift aid etc. 
But I have a couple of questions - are there any specific rules about invoices? 
Do we need to obtain an invoice as a must for a bigger amount? What would be a "bigger" amount of money? 
I know that quite often when we spend a few pounds on stamps, and stationery - the receipt from a till is enough and our claim form is need to be filled. 
My concerns have been raised recently when we had a Xmas lunch for our members. The person who organised that collected all money from the members and all of it went to our bank account. But the full amount of money she paid without an invoice to the pub - from her private bank account. She claimed the refund and received it already.
She looked at me very puzzled when I asked her about an invoice - it was almost eight hundred pounds.  
It would be very much appreciated if someone would help me with that.
Thank you in advance
Iwona
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David Head

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Charity Consultant at Change is the Only Constant (consultancy) 2 years ago

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Hi Iwona,
There are no specific rules on amounts as such, but trustees need to be able to demonstrate financial control and due diligence. I would agree that the person who paid the bill should have obtained a till receipt at least, and ideally a proper invoice, because several hundred pounds is too much to be paying out without evidence of the valid expenditure. 
To be honest, the charity would have been better off arranging to pay the venue directly, cutting out an expenses claim altogether.
Financial controls must be in place and using a personal account in this way is probably inappropriate.
Generally speaking, evidence of expenditure can be invoices, tickets, till reciepts and so on, just as for any business, but trustees may well want to impose some rules on what paperwork they expect to see on file.
Very small claims, for example a bus fare for a volunteer, or a small mileage claim, would normally be acceptable on the basis of a signed claim form / declaration, but again trustees should have rules in place.
I hope this helps
David
www.citoc.co.uk/david
 
 

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IWONA KAMINSKA

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Finance Secretary at U3A Brecon 2 years ago

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Hello David,
Thank you so much for the replay, it has clarified a few things for me and in general my way of thinking was correct. 
All the best,  Iwona
 
 
 
 

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Julie Thomas

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Voluntary Receptionist at Mind 2 years ago

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I have worked in many companies (in the accounts offices) and charities and I think invoices should be requested for larger amounts of money or at least a till receipt to validate the expenditure. Expense forms with receipts attached and signed are the best way to show any spend.

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Malcolm Bloor

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Trustee at 2 years ago

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Hello Iwona,
I  agree with answers previously given. However, as a result of a fraud many years ago relating to cash handling, we had to tighten our regulations so that all transactions could be traced. With regard to monies received these are recorded in the day book and initialled by the person receiving the money. Any expenses incurred by volunteers ars only paid out if the person completes a claim form and produces a recipt.
Kind regards,
Malcolm Bloor

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David Blanchflower

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Trustee at Russell Currie Memorial Fund 2 years ago

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I find it very worrying that the U3A has such lax financial regulations that anyone is able to payout £800 without any documentary proof for this expenditure. You should contact the Third Age Trust and determine if they have a set of model financial regulations. Any expenditure should only be made upon documentary proof being provided of the validity of such expenditure

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IWONA KAMINSKA

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Finance Secretary at U3A Brecon 2 years ago

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Hello David,
Thank you so much for that. I took over from the previous Treasurer this position at the beginning of November. As I've found out - generally, it was running OK  and every expense was paid out based on claims forms and receipts. Their auditor also hasn't questioned any previous expenditures.  Also, invoices were paid online. But in this particular case, I had my doubts and I will definitely raise this subject at our next committee meeting.
Thank you once more
Best wishes
Iwona
 

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