603 - Policy on Centralized External Billing

  • Policy Number: 603
  • Policy Title: Olympic College Policy on Centralized External Billing
  • Policy Owner: Chief Financial Officer
  • Date Approved: Mar. 25, 2026
  • Date Revised: NA
  • Date Reviewed: NA 

Scope 

This policy applies to all departments and personnel involved in initiating, processing, and managing billing activities at the college.  

Purpose & Background 

The purpose of this policy is to ensure that all billing activities not processed through established channels—such as Student Financials or Grants —are properly documented, coordinated through the Accounts Receivable Department, and entered into the college’s system of record, ctcLink, prior to the receipt of funds. This approach supports compliance with Washington State SAAM standards and promotes accurate revenue recognition, financial integrity, and audit readiness. 

 

Definitions

  1. Billing: The process of generating and issuing charges to customers, students, or third parties for goods or services provided.
  2. Accounts Receivable (AR) Department: The unit responsible for managing receivables, ensuring proper recording in ctcLink, and overseeing collections.
  3. ctcLink: The college’s enterprise resource planning (ERP) system and official system of record for financial transactions.
  4. System of Record: The authoritative data source for a given business process.  

Policy  

  1. Initiation & Routing
    1. All billing must be routed through the Billing-Accounts Receivable (AR) Department, unless entered via another sub-module, i.e. Student Finances - and entered into the college’s system of record, ctcLink, prior to being issued to customers or external entities for payment.
    2. For recurring or scheduled services, departments should submit billing information in advance or on a regular schedule agreed upon with AR.
    3. Billing must be supported by sufficient evidence of goods delivered or services rendered.
    4. Supporting documentation may include, but is not limited to: contracts, purchase orders, service completion forms, rate sheets, or departmental authorization forms.
  2. Timing & Change Control
    1. Billing requests must be submitted to AR within 5 business days of the service being rendered or goods delivered.
    2. Any adjustments or cancellations must be documented and processed through ctcLink to maintain audit integrity.
  3. Documentation & Oversight
    1. The AR Department will review and validate billing entries for compliance with accounting standards and institutional policies.
    2. AR may return incomplete or noncompliant billing requests to the originating department for correction.
    3. Billing must be recorded in the appropriate accounting period and include correct chartstrings and revenue classifications.
    4. All billing documentation must be retained in accordance with Washington State SAAM and Washington State records retention policies.
    5. Billing activities are subject to internal and external audit; departments must ensure documentation is complete and accessible.
    6. Compliance with these requirements is mandatory unless an exception is formally approved and documented by the Chief Financial Officer (CFO).

Related Information

  1. State
    1. Washington State Administrative and Accounting Manual (SAAM)
      1. 85.54.10 – About Receivables
      2. 85.54.65 – Subsidiary Ledgers
    2. Washington State Records Retention Schedule
  2. College
    1. External Billing Procedure