As accounts payable accountants, we’re all familiar with creating payments, but what happens when a payment document that we submit for approval is rejected? An accounts payable manager or a bank might reject payment documents for different reasons. Do we then have to process the payment documents manually? Or is there an easier way, an automatic way?

The Automatic Way

There is now thanks to the My Inbox – Process Rejected Payments app and the Manage Workflows – Process Rejected Payments app, which are available as of SAP S/4HANA Cloud 2005. I can now easily identify why a payment document was rejected. I can then reverse this or multiple rejected payment documents in one go. My accounts payable manager can personalize the process according to the business’s needs and boost their team’s productivity by reducing redundancies.

Introductory Video

To get a quick overview of the new process, check out the video below:

https://video.sap.com/media/t/1_e2m2zxlz

Example Business Process

If you use SAP Bank Communication Management (scope item J78 Advanced Cash Operations) and SAP Multi-Bank Connectivity (scope item 16R Bank Integration with SAP Multi-Bank Connectivity), the entire business process can be configured as follows:

If you reverse a rejected payment document, it will be reversed using the automatically specified reason for the reversal. The cleared items in the payment document will be reopened. If the automatically specified payment block option confirms a block, the reopened items will be blocked and cannot be paid in other payment runs.

If you keep a payment document rejected, it will not be paid. You can manually reverse it using the Reset Cleared Items app. If you want to then set payment blocks on the reopened items, use the Manage Payment Blocks app or the Manage Supplier Line Items app.

App Documentation

Want to know more about the two new apps? Read the app documentation on the SAP Help Portal:

• My Inbox – Process Rejected Payments
• Manage Workflows – Process Rejected Payments