University of Illinois System
Policies & Procedures

5.2.2 Create a New Non-Student (General-GAR) Account

Policy Statement

A General Accounts Receivable (GAR) customer account must be established in Banner Accounts Receivable (Banner AR) before receivable transactions can be processed. The Banner AR customer account record is used to:

  • Track charge and payment history
  • Verify customer contact information
  • View assessed finance charges on late payments
  • Manage delinquent accounts

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Identity Theft Red Flags Rule requires that all personally-identifying information related to customer accounts must be safeguarded against the possibility of identity theft.

Reason for the Policy

Proper establishment of GAR customer accounts in Banner AR before a receivable transaction can be processed.

Applicability of the Policy

All receivable transactions.

Procedure

To create a new GAR account:

If Accounts Receivable Operations (ARO) discovers an existing GAR customer account while processing requests, ARO will email the existing account number to the unit. ARO will not create a second GAR for that customer.

  1. To ensure that the customer account does not already exist, use the query function to search Banner AR. Consult the Accounts Receivable Processing Welcome Kit for detailed instructions.
  2. If a customer account does not exist, complete and submit a GAR Account Creation Request form.
  3. ARO creates the account in Banner, assigning it a unique nine-digit customer account number beginning with "@" that identifies it as a GAR account. ARO will send the unit the new account number by email.

Policy Information

  • First Published

    March 2010

  • Last Updated

    January 2025

  • Last Reviewed

    January 2025

Forms Used in this Procedure