How to Set Up Positive Pay for Sage 100
Why Do Businesses Use Positive Pay?
According to a 2023 survey by the Association for Financial Professionals (AFP), 63% of respondents reported being affected by check fraud. This is because check fraud is remarkably easy for scammers to perpetrate. If a criminal intercepts a single check from your company, they will have your checking and routing number, which is all they need to create a counterfeit check. Once their counterfeit check is cashed, there is no guarantee that your business will be able to recover lost funds.
This is why Positive Pay for Sage 100 exists.
Check positive pay is a service that banks offer to help businesses like yours monitor and reduce fraudulent check activity. It enables you to require check validation before payments are processed, and Sage 100 can simplify the validation process, ensuring you have both security and convenience.
Important! Before You Begin, Talk to Your Bank
Before setting up positive pay, you will need to speak with your bank. Ask them if they will process positive pay for your accounts, and ensure that you discuss which format you should use for your positive pay export file. Sage 100 Positive Pay Export can use the following file formats.
Standard fixed format
Fixed format continuous string
Comma delimited
Comma delimited with quotes
After speaking with your bank, you will be ready to set up positive pay.
How to Set Up Positive Pay for Sage 100
1. In Positive Pay Export, click New Export Setting to open the Positive Pay Export Wizard.
2. Click Export Details to print the document for details on export settings and field formatting. You will need this for Step 6.
3. Specify an export setting name.
Enter the export setting name.
Enter a description (optional).
Click Next.
4. Create an export setting format from a sample or create a new export setting format.
Note: When creating a new export setting format, you will be asked to select the file format. Please select Comma Delimited for this step.
5. Define your record type requirements.
You have 2 options for record types:
Single Record Type: Select this option for a file that will contain only check information (detail record) and no header or footer lines.
Multiple Record Types: Select this option for a file that will contain lines other than the check information (detail record).
If Multiple Record Types is selected, 7 record types will be available to you:
File Header Record = Sign On Record or CBB/FTS Upload Record
Header Record = Batch Header Record
Second Header Record
Detail Record = Check information
Trailer Record = Control Record or Total Record
Second Trailer Record
File Trailer Record
Here is an example of the detailed record:
6. Define formatting information for the detail record (single record type) or the 7 multiple record types.
Based on the file format requirements you received from your bank, and using the export details from Step 3 above, define what type of formatting your positive pay for Sage 100 file should have.
Note: Implied Decimal is available for the Field Description = Amount. If the file you receive from the bank does not have a decimal point to separate the cents in the amount, check the Implied Decimal box.
Note: Ensure that no field has its information overwritten by another field. For example, for Standard Fixed Format, if Payee Name has a start of 35 and length of 54, do not have any other field set to start or have its length cover spaces 35 to 54.
7. Specify check types to export.
Based on your bank’s requirements, select the type of checks to export:
Issues only: this exports only issued checks.
Issues and reversals: this exports both issued checks and checks that have been reversed.
Note: Financial institutions may consider a reversed check as a void.
Issues, reversals, and voids: this exports issued, reversed, and voided checks.
Note: Voided checks have no dollar amount.
8. Determine how your check data should be exported.
Based on your bank’s requirements, determine how your data should be exported. Your options include:
Removing commas from payee names
Setting the maximum number of records to be exported
Sorting checks by check date
Combining the data from each bank code into a single file
9. Select a file name format for your export file.
You have several options to match your organizational records and preferences. These include:
Run date and bank code combination
Run date, bank code, and a sequence number combination
ARPxxxx to create the file name using an ARP sequence number. If selected, you will want to enter the ARP sequence number.
10. Specify the export path.
Enter the path where you want the positive pay file exported, or click the Browse button to select a path. This can be changed before processing.
Note: The path you enter in this field must be valid.
11. Select your positive pay export defaults.
Select the bank and check information that you would like to use as defaults when you export your positive pay file. These defaults can be changed before processing.
12. Click Finish to save your new positive pay export setting.
Protect Your Business from Check Fraud with Positive Pay
It is very easy for criminals to commit check fraud. Not only can they create a counterfeit check using the routing and account numbers that are freely available on any of your business checks, but they can also adjust the payment amount and the check recipient’s name on the actual check that you wrote.
By using check positive pay services at your bank, you can make sure that only legitimate checks, amounts, and payees are approved for payment — and by using Positive Pay for Sage 100, you can streamline the check-validation process and maintain a seamless Accounts Payable workflow.
Next Steps
If you have questions about setting up Positive Pay for Sage 100, Ardent Consulting is at your service. Our team of experts is ready and eager to help you navigate your system challenges and optimize your business’s potential. We prioritize your business’s health and are committed to supporting your journey every step of the way.