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Budget and planning parameters
- Q: How does the fringe benefit rate work?
A: All salary dollars expensed will have the appropriate benefit rate applied. One of the
purposes of the fringe benefit rate is to smooth out the benefits costs over time.
The rate is adjusted annually and takes into account one-time fluctuations and anticipated
expense impacts.
- Q: Where can I find this year's fringe
benefit rate?
A: Benefit rates are posted on the
Accounting and Business Support (ABS) website and on
PBA's website under
Planning Parameters and
Management Information.
- Q: What is in the fringe benefit rate?
A: The employee fringe benefit rate is a flat rate that varies
depending on employee classification. These rates include health,
dental, basic life insurance (HLD), disability, social security and
Medicare, University Retirement plans or Public Employees Retirement
Association (PERA), workers' compensation insurance, unemployment
compensation claim, annuitant insurance (for retirees), and
termination vacation & sick leave. Please refer to
PBA's website for current and historical rates.
- Q: How do I determine what part of my
general fund budget is continuing vs. temporary?
A: Select reports in PSLite and the
Reporting System will show the breakdown between continuing and
temporary budget.
- Q: Where can I find the campus budget?
A: The campus budget is posted
on PBA's website.
- Q: What are this year's planning
assumptions?
A: The Budget Office will post planning assumptions and parameters
for the upcoming fiscal year on its
website.
- Q: What is the difference between
budget based funds and cash based funds?
A: Funds 10, 30 and 31 are based on budget funds. The other funds
are cash based. Please click
here for more details.
- Q: When and how do I budget benefits
in the general fund?
A: If there is movement of continuing budget into and/or out of
the salary budget pool resulting from an on-going, systemic operating
change, such as eliminating or adding a permanent position, then you
need to prepare the benefit continuing budget journals to fund the
proportional share of benefits at the current benefit rate. For more
details on the campus General Fund benefits policy, click
here. For a step by step guide on how to do a budget journal
entry, click here.
- Q: When and how do I budget for ID
revenue in the general fund?
A: Budgeting ID revenue in the General Fund is not required but
you may do so if it helps you manage your finances. For a step by step
guide on how to do a budget ID revenues, click
here.
- Q: Where can I find my unit's DAICR
allocation?
A: The DAICR allocation is reflected in account code 960001. For
more details, click
here.
- Q: How do I find the current F&A
rates?
A: The Facilities & Administrative (F&A) rate is charged on
research grants and varies depending on the type of research grant and
the unit it belongs to. The links below provide information on current
and historical F&A rates:
- Q: Where can I find this year's GAIR
rate?
A: GAIR rates are available on PBA's website under
Planning Parameters and
Management Information, and on
ABS' website.
Financial reports and systems
- Q: How do I run a balance sheet
report?
A: Balance sheet reports are available in the
Finance System (PeopleSoft),
Reporting System (Cognos), and PSLite.
- Q: Where can I get help on
reading/understanding a balance sheet?
A:
The Guide provides a detailed description of the balance sheet.
For a synopsis on the balance sheet and how the balance sheet can be
used for determining fund balance (for funds other than the general
fund), click
here.
- Q: How can I check the balance at the
org or Bnode level?
A: For fund 10 orgs, a revenue and
expense report at the org level or at the
Bnode level is the best way to determine fund balance. For other
funds, a balance sheet report is a more
useful tool in determining fund balance. Please also see the balance
sheet questions above for additional information regarding balance
sheet reports.
- Q: Where can I find information on my
fiscal role?
A: Fiscal roles can be looked up in
PSLite and the Finance System. For a description of employee
fiscal roles, please visit
ABS' (Accounting and Business Support) website.
- Q: How can I determine my department's
general fund roll forward budget?
A: If you have a roll forward budget, it will show up in a detail
report under account code 460000 (click
here for a sample report from the Reporting System).
- Q: How do I budget a cash transfer in?
A: Budgeting General Fund cash transfers is not required but you
may find it useful in managing your finances (click
here for a step by step guide
on how to budget a cash transfer).
- Q: How do I get access to the Central
Information Warehouse (CIW)?
A: To gain access to CIW, you will need to fill out this form:
CIW-Access-Request-Form.pdf
- Q: Where can I download Financial
Statements (SNA and SRECNA)?
A: The SNA and the SRECNA are available on
ABS' website.
- Q: How do I download a financial
statement into Excel?
A: Both the Reporting System and
PSLite offer the option to download financial statements in Excel.
- Q: How can I determine my department's
General Fund fee revenue?
A: A Revenue/Expense report for org
10562, 10563, or 10565
will show fee revenues.
- Q: How do I make a Budget Journal
Entry?
A: For a step by step guide on how to do make a budget journal
entry, click
here.
- Q: How do I do a cash transfer in the
finance system?
A: For a step by step guide on how to do make a cash transfer
journal entry, click
here.
- Q: How do I find how much was paid by
a department for a particular item?
A: A financial report at the detailed level usually has enough
information to answer this question. You may also find it useful to
look at information at the journal entry level. Such detailed reports
are available from the Finance System,
Reporting System, and PSLite.
- Q: How do I look up a posted journal
entry?
A: Posted journal entries can be looked up in
the Finance System or PSLite.
- Q: How do I research the source of a
transaction in my speedtype?
A: Source codes for journal entries can be looked up with a
detailed report
or by looking up specific journal
entries. For a listing of journal source code contacts, click
here
- Q: How do I reverse a cash transfer?
A: To reverse a cash transfer, follow the same steps needed to
make a cash transfer, but
reverse the signs for the amounts (i.e., enter a negative number in
account 997100 and a positive number in 995100, assuming a positive
and a negative number was entered into those accounts in the entry you
want to reverse)).
Org tree and chart of accounts
- Q: How do I look up attributes for
speedtypes, programs, projects, and orgs (including fiscal roles)?
A: Attributes can be looked up in
PSLite or the Finance System.
- Q: How do I look up my fiscal role?
A: Fiscal roles can be looked up in
the Finance System and PSLite.
- Q: How do I look up where my unit is
located on the campus org tree?
A: The
org tree lists all university orgs. You can also look up your org
with the
online tree browser.
- Q: How do I Search account codes by
description for use in journal entries?
A: The
chart of account
lists all university account codes.
Policies and procedures
- Q: Where can I find a campus or
university policy or procedure?
A: The University has many policies. The links below provide
information on different types of policies:
Research grants
- Q: Where can I find information about
a particular research grant start/end dates, ICR rates, PI, etc)?
A: Information about research grants can be obtained by contacting
the
Office of Sponsored Projects Accounting. For instructions on
how to look up research grant information on PSLite, click
here.
Tuitions and fees
Gift funds
- Q: How can I find out how much gift
funds my unit has in the Foundation?
A: The Finance System and PSLite
provide reports that can be used to look up gift fund amounts.
Enrollment, degrees, courses, faculty, employee
count and other institutional information
- Q: Where can I find information on
student enrollment, courses, employee counts, academic department
review profiles, degrees, financial aid, and campus surveys?
A: Information on student enrollment, degrees, courses, faculty,
employee count and other institutional statistics on
Institutional
Analysis' website.
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