Submitting Vouchers for Imaging

Departments may submit vouchers and supporting documents to be imaged:

  • for payment processing
  • that have reached final approval in the department
  • for those documents that are not required to be imaged but whose departments wish to retain in the Image Retrieval System (IRS)

NOTE: IDS requires electronic submission of all vouchers, unless a business exception is approved. Please contact IDS to discuss your business justification before submitting paper documents.

First Step: Preparing PDFs

Document preparation: The process of preparing documents for imaging that applies for both electronic and paper submission.

Paper documents which are not properly prepared can damage expensive imaging equipment. Both electronic and paper records that are not properly prepared can negatively affect the overall quality of images. The document creator will be contacted to resolve any issues with submitted documents that are not prepared in accordance with these instructions.

Second Step: Uploading PDFs

Submitting PDFs

Electronic documents may be submitted by upload only after contacting IDS to gain access to the appropriate location. Once granted access to the appropriate location, documents may be uploaded with no further approval required.

There are three primary UT Box folders that IDS manages for uploading documents:

  • UPLOAD - Payment Processing
    • Used for documents submitted to be final approved and to be processed for payment
  • UPLOAD - Final Approved
    • Used for documents that have already been final approved at the department level and do not require payment processing
    • For more information about VP7 Vouchers and where to upload them, please access the following link: VP7 Vouchers
  • Special Projects
    • Used for large imaging projects, past years' vouchers, or vouchers that are not required to be imaged, e.g., VP9s

CAUTION: Please upload all document(s) to the correct UPLOAD folder. Uploading to the incorrect folder interrupts Imaging and Payment Services workflows and will cause delays in document processing.

NOTE: IDS does not check rush or special folders unless expecting a document for imaging. An upload link must be requested each time.

Submitting Paper Documents

NOTE: IDS requires electronic submission of all vouchers, unless a business exception is approved. Please contact IDS to discuss your business justification before submitting paper documents.

When authorized, submit paper documents to:

Imaging Documentation Services

MAI 132; Campus Mail Code K5400

For larger quantities of paper documents, please email oa.rec@austin.utexas.edu for further instruction.

Third Step: Verifying Images and Retaining Documents

Departments are required to retain a departmental copy of the uploaded vouchers in case they need to be resubmitted for any reason. Departments must keep that copy until they have verified that the vouchers have been final approved or released to the Image Retrieval System (IRS).

Verify Images Submitted for Payment Processing

  • Departments must retain copies of all documentation submitted for payment processing until the voucher status is marked APPROVED in *DEFINE.
  • Once the voucher status becomes APPROVED it becomes the master record. You may then destroy or retain the department copy as a convenience copy.

Verify Images Submitted after Final Approval or as a Special Project

  • Departments must retain the original hardcopy or digital files as submitted until they have viewed and verified the image in the Image Retrieval System (IRS).
    • The image will generally be available within 7 working days of submission.
    • The department must verify that the image contains all of the information submitted from the original hardcopy or digital file.
    • Contact IDS if the file is incomplete, incorrect, illegible, or the file never appears in the IRS.
  • Once you have verified that the image of your documentation is complete and accurate in the IRS, the IRS copy becomes the master record. You may then destroy or retain the department copy as a convenience copy.

Departments are required to retain a departmental copy of the uploaded vouchers in case they need to be resubmitted for any reason. Departments must keep that copy until they have verified that the vouchers have been final approved or released to the Image Retrieval System (IRS).