A palladium-catalyzed N-acylation of tertiary amines by carboxylic acids was achieved through C-N cleavage. This reaction showed a wide substrate scope. Both aromatic and aliphatic acids served well as the acylating reagents and coupled with tertiary amines to produce the corresponding amides in good to excellent yields. With the strategy, bioactive carboxylic acids were also efficiently modified, highlighting the synthetic value of the process in organic synthesis.