Cash Instructions

The General Accounting Department is responsible for the review for accuracy and completeness of all online Direct Deposit and Credit Card Cash Reports.

The Guidelines for Completing Direct Deposit and Credit Card Cash Reports and Guidelines for Transacting Credit Card Payments standardize the way Cash Reports are prepared for Direct Deposit and Credit Card receipts. These guidelines are specific to Direct Deposit and Credit Card Cash Reports and may vary from those established by the Student Payment Center for cash and checks that you deposit through them at Thackeray Hall. You may contact the Student Payment Center staff at payments@pitt.edu to obtain instructions for cash and checks that you deposit through them at Thackeray Hall.

Direct Depositor

A Direct Depositor is one or more of the following:

  • A department who deposits cash and checks directly at the bank, rather than through the Student Payment Center at Thackeray Hall;
  • An approved American Express, Visa, MasterCard, or Discover Card merchant;
  • A department who accepts payments from customers or students through a lockbox; or
  • A department who accepts e-check payments.

The Office of the Treasurer Staff (412-624-6520) approve and set-up departments with direct deposit capability at a University authorized banking institution as well as issue appropriate direct deposit restrictive endorsement stamps and deposit tickets to the departments.

Generally, the bank accounts affected by Direct Deposit and Credit Card activity are as follows:

Deposit or Credit Card Type Bank ID Bank
Cash and checks CID Citizens
Cash, checks, e-checks, and Lockbox GPN PNC
Lockbox GME BNY Mellon
American Express AMX PNC
Discover Card PCC PNC
VISA/MasterCard PCC PNC

Cash Report Errors

While some preparers complete the Cash Reports as required, many of the Cash Reports contain one or more errors.

The most common error is use of the incorrect Bank ID. In other words, the PRISM account number (Bank ID) does not agree to the bank account where the transaction occurred.

The following are other frequently observed problems or errors:

  • Cash Report recorded several days after the deposit or Credit Card transaction date
  • Effective date does not match the transaction date in the "Description" field
  • Deposits for two or more days on one Cash Report
  • Department name omitted from "Journal" field
  • Preparer’s and/or Authorizer’s name and/or phone number omitted
  • Incorrect format used in the description
  • Incorrect date or date omitted from the "Description" field
  • Bank account abbreviation in the "Description" field does not agree to PRISM cash account number
  • Corrections are a time-consuming problem that can be prevented if the preparer follows the Instructions for Completing Direct Deposit and Credit Card Cash Reports and Instructions for Transacting Credit Card Payments