In January, two new Business Units were created in PeopleSoft to facilitate the recording of financial transactions in the General Ledger for UCSF Health operations. These additions are specifically in response to UCSF Health's recent acquisition (opens in new window) of two San Francisco hospitals, namely Saint Mary’s Medical Center and Saint Francis Memorial Hospital. These newly established Business Units, SFSMH and SFSFH respectively, are assigned for the exclusive use of UCSF Health's accounting teams and have been incorporated into the MyReports Business Unit filters.
UCSF implemented changes to PeopleSoft Financials in July 2023 to comply with the UC Office of the President’s Common Chart of Accounts (CCOA).
In an ongoing effort to meet contract and grant reporting requirements since the CCOA go-live, the Controller’s Office is implementing a change in the use of Account numbers when recording journal entries for Intercampus Orders and Charges (IOC) and Interlocation Transfer of Funds (ITF). Moving forward, these recharges must be recorded using an Account number that indicates the UC location, instead of an Account reflecting the nature of the expense...
As part of UCSF’s unrelated business income tax (UBIT) filing, we are required to report any donations made by the University to charitable organizations. These donations may reduce UCSF’s unrelated business taxable income, provided the University received an acknowledgement letter from the recipient organization.
If your department made charitable contributions during Fiscal Year 2022-23 (between July 1, 2022 and June 30, 2023), please email a copy of the acknowledgement letter to the General Accounting team no later than November 24, 2023. Direct all emails to [email protected] and...
After a recent enhancement to the General Ledger (GL) Verification Tool, users verifying by Award, Project ID, or Project Manager/PI can now verify all salary and FTE distributions selected for review directly from the Review and Verify Payroll tab.
Previously, the “Submit” button was not available from this tab when verifying payroll for Awards or Projects with funding distributions across multiple Dept IDs. In order to achieve 100% completion, verifiers were required to complete payroll verification by department for each Dept ID charged to the Award or Project.
Resources for using the GL...
Refer to the following resources and dates to ensure you are prepared for fiscal year-end close activities.
Presentation
If you are responsible for any year-end close activities and were unable to attend the Year-End Close Presentation held on June 8, 2023, watch the recorded session and review presentation slides on the Controller's Office website.
Key 2023 Year-End Dates
As we prepare for year-end, note the following key dates:
June Prelim Close: Wednesday, July 12
June Interim Close: Friday, July 21
June Control Point Final Close: Wednesday, July 26
These key dates and other...
The Controller's Office has added new Fund 4007 - Federal Gv Grant, FEMA to the Fund Tree in PeopleSoft Financials. The purpose of this new restricted fund is to record revenue and expense activity for COVID-19 related expenses eligible for reimbursement by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Although all PeopleSoft users will see this fund in the Fund Tree, it is intended for use by central accounting teams only and should not be used by departments.
If you have questions about using UCSF's chart of accounts, contact General Accounting & Reporting.
On July 1, 2023, UCSF implemented changes to PeopleSoft Financials to comply with the UC Office of the President’s new Common Chart of Accounts (CCOA). Although the structure of our UCSF chart of accounts has not changed, the Accounting & Reporting team has modified accounting rules in order to correctly report financial activity to UCOP in a way that conforms to the new CCOA.
The Combo Edit Rules reference guide on the Controller’s Office website now reflects these changes. Financial administrators responsible for preparing and approving journals, establishing SpeedTypes, and...
Update: A previous version of this announcement incorrectly stated that “Function Code 76 – Auxiliary Enterprise should only be used with Auxiliary Fund 5300.” It has been revised to reflect that Function Code 76 should only be used with Fund 5030.
As previously announced, UC's Office of the President (UCOP) has established a new Common Chart of Accounts (CCOA) that is standardized across UC systemwide financial applications. UCOP designed the CCOA to create consistency at the systemwide level while allowing UC locations to maintain local charts of accounts within the established framework...
Fiscal year-end close is approaching! If you are responsible for any year-end close activities, please attend the year-end presentation on June 8 from 10-11 a.m. The year-end presentation is a great resource to learn more about the year-end close process, including dates and discussion of key close activities.
Key 2023 Year-End Dates
As we prepare for year-end, note the following key dates:
June Prelim Close: Wednesday, July 12
June Interim Close: Friday, July 21
June Control Point Final Close: Wednesday, July 26
In addition, the last day to submit new chartfield requests or to...
The Controller’s Office will host a presentation on Thursday, June 8, 2023, to communicate fiscal year-end close activities, timelines, and expectations. Participants will have an opportunity to raise questions during the live broadcast.
Department managers, financial administrators, financial analysts, research administrators, and anyone else involved in the year-end close process should plan to watch the live broadcast or review the recorded presentation.
Thursday, June 8, 2023, 10 - 11 a.m.
Advance registration is required. A link to join the presentation will be emailed upon...
We need your help to ensure that we receive a copy of every IRS Form 1099-MISC issued to UCSF. During tax season, the Controller’s Office must review all IRS Forms 1099-MISC issued to UCSF to verify if tax has been withheld and to report and reclaim withholding amounts. Review the guidelines below to identify when your department may receive a Form 1099-MISC issued to UCSF and how to submit it to the Controller's Office for review.
What is Form 1099-MISC?
Form 1099-MISC (Miscellaneous Income) is used to report miscellaneous payments made by businesses and business owners to a...
The Controller’s Office is combining the Student Accounting, Cash and Controls, UCSF Merchant Services, and Department Accounts Receivable functions into a new Accounts Receivable and Banking Services team (opens in new window). Previously, similar services in cashiering, billing, and student accounting were spread across the Accounting and Reporting unit and the Contracts and Grants Accounting unit. The Accounts Receivable and Banking Services team is part of our Accounting and Reporting unit and will be led by Director Alma Martinez who joined the Controller’s Office in February.
We are...
UC Office of the President (UCOP) has established a new Common Chart of Accounts (CCOA) that is standardized across UC systemwide financial applications. The systemwide CCOA was designed to create consistency while allowing UC locations to maintain local charts of accounts within the established framework. It has been designed to enhance reporting, budgeting, and financial management and to reduce extensive and expensive data reconciliations UCOP prepares across UC locations.
UCSF reports our financial activity to UCOP. While our UCSF chart of accounts is not changing, we must align it to...
The Controller’s Office has observed an increase in deposits over the past two years using the bank’s generic deposit slips. This has contributed to an increase in misdirected deposits and unidentified deposits in our bank account with no corresponding cash journals.
Why does it matter?
The bank’s generic deposit slip contains no unique identifiers to tie the deposit to the department. This makes tracking a deposit much more difficult and increases opportunity for data entry errors by the depositor or bank teller.
When issues arise, the Controller’s Office is often unable to identify the...
Refer to the following resources and dates to ensure you are prepared for fiscal year-end close activities.
Presentation
If you are responsible for any year-end close activities and were unable to attend the Year-End Close Presentation held on May 31, watch the recorded session and review presentation slides on the Controller's Office website.
Year-End Key Dates 2022
As we prepare for year-end, note the following key dates:
June Prelim Close: Wednesday, July 13
June Interim Close: Friday, July 22
June Control Point Final Close: Wednesday, July 27
These key dates and other close...
To assist departments with the tracking of unapproved verifications, the General Ledger (GL) Verification Tool recently began sending email notifications of unapproved items. Designated Approvers will receive a monthly email informing them of all verifications pending their approval by accounting period and department.
Additional features within the GL Verification Tool allow departments to review verification and approval status reports and perform monthly trend analysis. Review additional training materials on the General Ledger Verification page of the Controller’s Office website. If you...
Fiscal year-end close is approaching! If you are responsible for any year-end close activities and were unable to attend the Year-End Close Presentation held on May 31, watch the recorded session and review presentation slides on the Controller's Office website. The year-end presentation is a great resource to learn more about the year-end close process, including dates and discussion of key close activities.
Year-End Key Dates 2022
As we prepare for year-end, note the following key dates:
June Prelim Close: Wednesday, July 13
June Interim Close: Friday, July 22
June Control Point...
The Controller’s Office will host a presentation on May 31, 2022, to communicate fiscal year-end close activities, timelines, and expectations. The presentation will be delivered via Zoom. Participants will have an opportunity to raise questions during the live broadcast.
Department managers, financial administrators, financial analysts, research administrators, and anyone else involved in the year-end close process should plan to watch the live broadcast or review the recorded presentation.
May 31, 2022, from 10 to 11:30 a.m.
Advance registration is required. Click here to register (...
We need your help to ensure that we receive a copy of every IRS Form 1099-MISC issued to UCSF. During tax season, the Controller’s Office must review all IRS Forms 1099-MISC issued to UCSF to verify if tax has been withheld and to report and reclaim withholding amounts. Review the guidelines below to identify when your department may receive a Form 1099-MISC issued to UCSF and how to submit it to the Controller's Office for review.
What is Form 1099-MISC?
Form 1099-MISC (Miscellaneous Income) is used to report miscellaneous payments made by businesses and business owners to a...
For operations outside of the United States, financial transactions are recorded in UCSF’s PeopleSoft Financial System using the local currency of the country. As part of the month-end close process, transaction amounts recorded in foreign currencies are translated to U.S. dollars and used for our financial reporting purposes. Established procedures in PeopleSoft for foreign currency conversion aim to represent the actual cost of expenses and to minimize gains or losses due to fluctuations in exchange rates over time.
A new reference guide, Understanding How Foreign Currency Amounts are...
Beginning in mid-October, some PeopleSoft system journals, including external flat files, journals created through the journal generator process, and allocations journals, are posting to suspense. These system journals are being incorrectly marked as “Invalid Dept-Function” during the nightly batch edit process.
The PeopleSoft technical team is investigating the root cause, while working to minimize the number of ongoing suspense entries. However, journals created from the journal generator process, including accounts payable voucher journals, may continue posting to suspense. The technical...
Consult the following resources and dates to ensure you are prepared for fiscal year-end close activities.
Presentation
If you are responsible for any year-end close activities and were unable to attend the Year-End Close Presentation held on June 8, watch the recorded session and review presentation slides on the Controller's Office website.
Year-End Key Dates 2021
As we prepare for year-end, note the following key dates:
June Prelim Close: Friday, July 9
June Interim Close: Friday, July 23
June Control Point Final Close: Tuesday, July 27
These key dates and other close deadlines...
Fiscal year-end close is approaching! To help ensure you are prepared, join us for the annual fiscal close presentation on June 8, 2021. If you are responsible for any year-end close activities, plan to view the session to learn more about the year-end close process, including dates and discussion of key close activities.
June 8, 2021, 1:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Advanced registration is required. Click here to register (MyAccess login required). A Zoom link to join the presentation will be e-mailed to registered participants.
Recording and slides will be available on the Controller's Office...
The Controller’s Office will host a presentation on June 8, 2021, to communicate fiscal year-end close activities, timelines, and expectations. The presentation will be delivered via Zoom. Participants will have an opportunity to raise questions during the live broadcast.
Department managers, financial administrators, financial analysts, research administrators, and anyone else involved in the year-end close process should plan to watch the live broadcast or review the recorded presentation.
June 8, 2021, 1:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Advance registration is required. Click here to register (...
Based on valuable feedback from our community of users, an update to the General Ledger (GL) Verification Tool will be made later this month, in conjunction with the upload of January 2021 data. The update will include several enhancements to the Verification dashboard page to improve the identification of payroll transactions selected for verification review. This change is in support of continued efforts to improve navigation and to support verification review and approval activities.
Payroll transactions selected for verification will be clearly displayed using two distinct transactions...
During tax season, the Controller’s Office must review all IRS Forms 1099-MISC issued to UCSF to verify if tax has been withheld and to report and reclaim withholding amounts. As forms are issued by many parties with varied relationships to UCSF, we need your help to ensure that we review each form. Consult the following guidelines to identify whether you or your department may receive a Form 1099-MISC related to UCSF business (not a personal 1099-MISC form), and to find out how to submit it to the Controller's Office for review.
What is Form 1099-MISC?
Form 1099-MISC (Miscellaneous Income...
The General Ledger (GL) Verification Online Tool will become the official system of record for campus General Ledger verification activities in March 2021. Beginning with transactions recorded in the February 2021 General Ledger, use of the GL Verification Online Tool will be mandatory.
General Ledger verification is a key departmental internal control and is a requirement per Campus Administrative Policies. Use of the GL Verification Online Tool ensures a consistent process and facilitates compliance monitoring across all departments. The Compliance Dashboard section within the tool...
As a result of a new journal entry combo edit rule, the PeopleSoft Financial System will prevent the use of recharge revenue Accounts 74200 and 74250 when recording financial journals with Source Code 535. Combo edit rules help facilitate proper use of UCSF’s chart of accounts and related chartfield values.
For help planning or troubleshooting the use of chartfield combinations, download the Combo Edit Rules quick reference guide or use the SpeedType Search and Chartfield Validator tool, available from MyAccess. The Recharges and Costed Central Activities how-to guide provides an overview of...
As previously announced by the Controller's Office, UCPath posts payroll expenses with invalid funding distributions to a department default chartstring. As a best practice, departments should regularly monitor and take action to correct expenses that are recorded to the department default chartstring by the following month-end close.
To help highlight payroll expenses with invalid funding that require department action, the General Ledger (GL) Verification Tool is now flagging these transactions for verification. Users will see these transactions by navigating to the “Review and Verify...
Consult the following resources and dates to ensure you are prepared for fiscal year-end close activities.
Presentation
If you are responsible for any year-end close activities and were unable to attend the 2019-20 Year-End Close Presentation held on June 8, watch a recording and review presentation slides on the Controller's Office website.
Year-End 2020 Key Dates
As we prepare for year-end, note the following key dates:
June Prelim Close: Friday, July 10
June Interim Close: Friday, July 24
June Control Point Final Close: Tuesday, July 28
These key dates and other close deadlines...
Fiscal year-end close is approaching! Review the following key dates and available resources to help ensure you are prepared.
2020 Year-End Key Dates
As we prepare for year-end, note the following key dates:
June Prelim Close: Friday, July 10
June Interim Close: Friday, July 24
June Control Point Final Close: Tuesday, July 28
Presentation
Join us for the annual fiscal close presentation on June 8, 2020. View the Zoom presentation to learn more about the year-end close process, including dates and discussion of key close activities. If you are responsible for any year-end close...
As previously announced by the Controller's Office, UCPath brings several changes to how salary and benefit expenses are recorded in the General Ledger. General Ledger (GL) Verification Tool users will experience these changes beginning with the release of May 2020 data in the tool on June 15. Verifiers should become familiar with changes in Accounts used to record payroll expenses, including new composite benefit rates, fellowship stipends, and vacation activity, as these changes will be reflected in the tool.
Due to differences in the recording of payroll journal data generated from PPS...
The Controller’s Office will host a presentation on June 8, 2020, to communicate fiscal year-end close activities, timelines, and expectations. The presentation will be delivered via Zoom webinar. You will have an opportunity to raise questions during the live broadcast.
Department managers, financial administrators, financial analysts, post-award research support analysts, and anyone else involved in the year-end close process should plan to join the live broadcast or review the recorded presentation. Registration is not required.
June 8, 2020, 10:30 a.m. – 12:00 Noon
A link to the live...
Consult the following schedule to begin processing student tuition and fee offsets for the Summer 2020 through Spring 2021 terms.
Term
Start Date for Processing Offsets
Journal Class
Summer 2020
June 8, 2020
SU20
Fall 2020
August 10, 2020
FA20
Winter 2021
December 8, 2020
WI20
Spring 2021
March 8, 2021
SP20
Departments processing student offsets should plan accordingly. See the job aid, Entering Offset Journals (Source Code 53O), for step-by-step instructions in PeopleSoft. If you have any questions,...
Based on valuable feedback from our community of users, several new features will become available in March, with the upload of February 2020 data. Enhancements are designed to further increase usability, to support the review of sponsored project data, and to integrate with the General Ledger to streamline the journal correction process.
Starting this month, users can take advantage of the following new features:
Filter data and save filter views, without the need to select Department first, to verify monthly expenses by:
Award or Project
Project Manager or Principal...
During tax season, the Controller’s Office must review all IRS Forms 1099-MISC issued to UCSF to verify if tax has been withheld and to report and reclaim withholding amounts. As forms are issued by many parties with varied relationships to UCSF, we need your help to ensure that we review each form. Consult the following guidelines to identify when you may receive a Form 1099-MISC issued to UCSF and how to submit it to the Controller's Office for review.
What is Form 1099-MISC?
Form 1099-MISC (Miscellaneous Income) is used to report miscellaneous payments made by businesses and business...
Semi-annual petty cash verification letters will be distributed via DocuSign to petty cash custodians in early December. Custodians must complete and return verification letters no later than December 30, 2019.
The required semi-annual verification process helps ensure that petty cash is accounted for and records are accurately stated. DocuSign allows custodians and managers to review, approve, and certify verification letters more easily and makes it easier to monitor progress and compliance. Failure to comply with the required process may result in closure of the petty cash fund.
If you...
The Budget Act of 2019 provided new permanent State General Fund support for the University as well as certain one-time funding. As a result, UCSF received new permanent funding to support certain student services, including food and housing insecurity, rapid rehousing efforts and student mental health resources. The following new Funds have been established in PeopleSoft to aid in tracking and reporting related activities:
PeopleSoft Fund
State & UC General Fund
Description
Purpose
1984
19984
Student Basic Needs...
As part of UCSF’s unrelated business income tax (UBIT) filing we are required to report any donations made by the University to charitable organizations. These donations may reduce UCSF’s unrelated business taxable income, provided the University received an acknowledgement letter from the recipient organization.
If your department made charitable contributions during Fiscal Year 2018-19 (between July 1, 2018 and June 30, 2019), please email a copy of the acknowledgement letter to the General Accounting and Reporting team no later than November 22, 2019. Direct all emails to genacctgsvcdesk@...
The quick reference guide, Doing Business with UCSF Health, was created to address the needs of financial journal preparers involved in recording business transactions between the Campus and UCSF Health and is updated as our business changes. This guide was recently updated with the addition of new paired accounts for recording expenses and funding for Interns and Residents. Proper use of these paired accounts is necessary to ensure accurate financial and compliance reporting.
If you conduct business between the Campus and UCSF Health, please refer to the latest version of the guide. If you...
We are happy to announce the release of several new enhancements to the General Ledger (GL) Verification Tool:
A new Approval Matrix Report is now available from the Reports menu to help users view assigned Approvers for their Dept IDs. The report indicates whether Approvers have been assigned manually or whether they inherited their role from an assignment at a parent Dept ID level. It also indicates where no Approvers have been assigned to a Dept ID.
A new Approval Compliance Dashboard is now available from the Compliance Dashboard menu. It displays the overall approval percentage and...
Consult the following resources and dates to ensure you are prepared for fiscal year-end close activities.
Presentation
If you are responsible for any year-end close activities and were unable to attend the 2018-19 Year-End Close Presentation held on June 10, watch a recording and review presentation slides on the Controller's Office website.
Year-End 2019 Key Dates
As we prepare for year-end, note the following key dates:
June Prelim Close: Friday, July 12
June Interim Close: Friday, July 26
June Control Point Final Close: Tuesday, July 30
These key dates and other close deadlines...
Presentation
Fiscal year-end close is approaching! To help ensure you are prepared, please join us for the annual fiscal close presentation on June 10. This year, the fiscal close presentation will be available via a Zoom webinar. You can view the presentation from your desk to learn more about the year-end close process, including dates and discussion of key close activities. If you are responsible for any year-end close activities, please plan to view the session. Registration is not required.
June 10, 2019, 10:00 - 11:30 a.m. - this live broadcast link will be available just before 10:...
The Controller’s Office will host a presentation on June 10, 2019, to communicate fiscal year-end close activities, timelines, and expectations. The presentation will be delivered via an online Zoom meeting rather than multiple in-person presentations. You will have an opportunity to raise any questions during the live broadcast.
Department managers, financial administrators, financial analysts, post-award research support analysts, and anyone else involved in the year-end close process should plan to view the live broadcast presentation or review the recorded presentation. Registration is...
A new Campus Account Request Form is now available in the Accounting & Reporting Forms section of the Controller's Office website. This form streamlines the process for both requesting a new Account and updating an existing Account Description. Use of the form makes it easy for individuals to submit all information needed, eliminating additional requests and facilitating accurate setup of the Account in PeopleSoft and on the account tree.
A new Account will be considered when:
no existing Account describes the transaction;
a unique Account is necessary to facilitate reporting or...
We are happy to announce the release of several new enhancements to the General Ledger (GL) Verification Tool:
Two reports are now available to help users view and monitor verification and approval status for their departments.
The Approval Status Report displays the approval status of one or more Dept IDs, along with the corresponding users responsible for approval. Approval is required as a part of GL Verification for each month.
The Verification Status Report displays the verification status of transactions in one or more Dept IDs, along with the corresponding users who...
In certain instances, the University may act as a fiscal agent for outside agencies such as student, faculty, staff, governmental, or private organizations or activities. An agency fund is used to record the administration of monies for the outside agency where the intended use is for a mutually beneficial and agreed-upon purpose that supports or enhances the mission of the University.
Examples of appropriate agency funds include establishing funds for:
a professional journal when a UCSF faculty member is an editor of the journal;
professional training, continuing education, or...
Oracle restricts the length of file names to 64 characters for all files uploaded to any module within PeopleSoft. The file extension (e.g., ".pdf" or ".xls") is counted as part of the file name character limit. Attempting to upload a file with a file name longer than 64 characters may result in an error message.
If you receive an error message or if you find that your attachments are not being uploaded, save your file with a new file name that does not exceed 64 characters and try again.
While spaces, hyphens, and underscores help make file names more readable, one way to shorten a file...
Now available on the University of California Office of the President Presidential Policies website, BFB-BUS-10: Principles of Accountability with Respect to Financial Transactions is the codification of UCOP Financial Policy previously posted on the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Division website into a new systemwide Business and Finance Bulletin.
Effective as of March 18, 2019, this policy provides an overview of financial accountability, financial management, data integrity, and compliance associated with financial transactions throughout the University. All individuals who have been...
The UCSF 2018 Annual Financial Report is now available. You can find this and prior year financial reports in the Financial Statements section of the Controller’s Office website. We thank everyone for the work they do every day to make creating a report like this possible!
If you have any questions about the Annual Financial Report, contact the General Accounting Service Desk.
Two new reports will be deployed to the GL Verification tool in mid-March. These reports are intended to help users determine approval and verification statuses for their departments.
Approval Status Report - displays the approval status of one or more Dept IDs, along with the corresponding users responsible for approval. Approval is required as a part of GL Verification for each month.
Verification Status Report - displays the verification status of transactions in one or more Dept IDs, along with the corresponding users responsible for verification and approval.
Both reports can be...
Journal Approvers play a crucial role in ensuring journals are valid, complete, accurate, and posted in a timely manner. Journal Approvers are responsible for understanding the nature and purpose of each journal submitted and for performing a detailed review of the journal lines and supporting documentation.
PeopleSoft's built-in workflow functionality helps facilitate best practices in journal review and approval. When a Journal Approver determines that a journal needs correction, denying the journal will trigger a notice alerting the Journal Preparer that the journal needs revision. The...
The Controller’s Office deployed additional enhancements to the General Ledger (GL) Verification Tool on January 22. A new User Management feature provides access to a roster of all users and their current roles, including Approver Dept ID assignments. Users can filter assignments by Dept ID, sort assignments by any column, and review historical role assignments by user.
Further enhancement details, including instructions on using the new feature, are available as part of a redesigned and streamlined GL Verification section of the Controller's Office website.
In January, a new Business Unit, SFMGP, will be created in PeopleSoft related to our strategic alliance with Marin General Hospital. This new Business Unit is designated to be used by UCSF Health accounting teams. The new Business Unit will also appear in the MyReports BU filters at the bottom of the list.
The PeopleSoft Worklist provides departments with queues to monitor and take action on journal submissions and other work items in progress. Worklists for individual journal preparers and department approvers may include journals that have not yet been submitted or approved.
As part of the month-end close process, departments should review worklists for any journals not yet submitted or approved; the journal preparer should delete any journal no longer needed. The Financial Calendar on the Controller's Office website includes two reminders each month to aid in clearing worklist queues of...
The Campus Dept ID Request Form has been revised to include a list of Functions that can be associated with a new Dept ID. Dept ID-Function combinations are mapped in PeopleSoft, and combo edit rules ensure that only valid combinations can be used together. It is now required to associate at least one Function with a new Dept ID.
The form is used to request new Campus Dept IDs, moving of Dept IDs on the Dept ID tree, and Dept ID name changes. Requests are coordinated centrally and submitted via Control Points. To initiate a request, complete the form and submit via email to your respective...
The Controller's Office deployed a number of enhancements to the GL Verification Tool user interface on November 18. Details were distributed by email to current users upon release, and an archive of all enhancements can be found on the Controller’s Office website.
To address future enhancement needs and priorities, representatives from departments across campus have been appointed to a new GLV Advisory Group. The group’s charter is to support the continuous improvement of the GL Verification Tool through the following activities:
Strategize about best practices for the verification...
The procedures for accessing archived PeopleSoft data have changed. Requests for PeopleSoft data prior to July 2013, previously accessible from the PeopleSoft (Archive) link via MyAccess, should be directed to the IT Service Desk.
In addition to the PeopleSoft archive, WebLinks is used for historical data reporting (through February 2014) in the previous chart of accounts. Most historical data reporting needs can be met using WebLinks. As a reminder, historic data prior to July 2013 was not converted to the current chart of accounts and is unavailable in PeopleSoft or MyReports.
Effective October 2018, UCSF IT custom website hosting recharges will be recorded using the new electronic recharge source code 5BF. John Kealy, IT Customer Communications Manager, will manage this recharge program.
Consult Recharges and Costed Central Activities for information on identifying and reviewing recharge activity. Refer to the list of Recharge Source Codes and Contacts if you have questions about a particular recharge transaction.
In May, UCSF released a new online tool to streamline the general ledger (GL) verification process and to replace paper-based procedures. The GL Verification Tool utilizes a risk and sampling approach in which transactions are systematically identified for verification with the goal of ensuring overall reasonableness of department financials.
Since launching in May, over 700 Approvers and Verifiers have been granted access to the tool, and new departments are continuing to make the transition to the new verification process. The Controller's Office will work with Control Points to determine...
A new reference guide, Supporting Documentation Guidelines for Journal Entries, has been created to provide additional guidelines, best practices, and examples for including supporting materials for the following journal types:
Cash Receipt journals (Source Code 320)
Financial journals (Source Code 535)
Sponsored Research Cost Transfer journals (Source code 545)
Providing appropriate supporting materials for a financial transaction is an essential element of internal control. Proper documentation gives Journal Approvers adequate detail to ensure a transaction is reasonable and accurate...
In limited situations, a third party may make a payment to reimburse UCSF for an employee's time. Often referred to as recoveries, examples of these payments include reimbursements for:
Employee attendance at a union meeting
Employee attendance at an event during work hours
Employee assistance related to an event
Because another entity is paying for this portion of an employee's salary, payments need to be tracked and recorded separately as a reduction in expense to avoid overstating total expenses. Account 57842 (Recovery - employee salaries) has been created to standardize the...
Consult the following resources and dates to ensure you are prepared for fiscal year-end close activities.
Presentation
If you are responsible for any year-end close activities and were unable to attend the 2017-18 Year-End Close Presentation held on June 5, watch a recording and review presentation slides on the Controller's Office website.
Year-End 2018 Key Dates
As we prepare for year-end, note the following key dates:
June Prelim Close Friday, July 13
June Interim Close Friday, July 20
June Control Point Final Close Tuesday, July 24
These key dates and other close...
In July, six Business Units will be available in PeopleSoft to facilitate the recording of financial transactions in the General Ledger for UCSF foreign operations. Following a standard naming convention, each Business Unit begins with SFN followed by a two-letter country code (for example, the Business Unit for foreign operations in Kenya will be SFNKE).
Intended only for use by UCSF Global Programs accounting teams, the Business Units allow for the recording and reporting of transactions in each country's respective local currency. While they will appear in Business Unit look-...
The new General Ledger (GL) Verification Tool is live and in less than a month, there have been over 300 unique user log ins! We are excited individuals are using this tool and appreciate the questions, comments and feedback we have received. As you continue to use the GL Verification Tool, we encourage you to note additional feedback as we look forward to hearing how we can make this tool most effective for our users. If you have not yet used the new GL Verification Tool, we encourage you to start using the Tool to take advantage of the streamlined process when ...
Presentation
Fiscal year-end close is approaching! To help ensure you are prepared, please join us for the fiscal close presentation on June 5. This year, the fiscal close presentation will be available via a Zoom meeting. You can view the presentation from your desk to learn more about the year-end close process, including dates and discussion of key close activities. If you are responsible for any year-end close activities, please plan to view the session. Registration is not required.
June 5, 1:30 to 3 p.m.- this live broadcast link will be...
The new General Ledger (GL) Verification online tool, designed to streamline the general ledger verification (GLV) process, will launch on May 10, 2018. In order to give departments the opportunity to adjust their processes and transition to the tool, we are following a soft implementation approach. Campus departments should start transitioning from their current GLV process to the new online tool beginning in May with April data. Campus departments do not need to maintain their paper logs for months when GLV activities are conducted using the online tool....
The Controller’s Office will host a presentation on June 5 to communicate fiscal year-end close activities, timelines, and expectations. Based on feedback, this year we will be hosting (and recording) a single Zoom meeting rather than multiple in-person presentations. You will have an opportunity to raise any questions during the live broadcast.
Department managers, financial administrators, financial analysts, post-award research support analysts, and anyone else involved in the year-end close process should plan to view the live broadcast presentation or review the recorded...
The FY2016-17 UCSF Annual Report is now available. You can find this and previous year's financial reports in the Financial Statements section of the Controller’s Office website. We thank everyone for the work they do every day to make creating a report like this possible!
If you have any questions about the UCSF Annual Report, contact the General Accounting Service Desk.
We are approaching deployment of the General Ledger Verification (GLV) online tool! The GLV online tool will be available to authorized campus users beginning mid-May for the April 2018 monthly ledger verification. Control Point representatives are working with their departments to coordinate access.
To help users prepare to use this new tool, we have scheduled training sessions where we will discuss the GLV process and provide a detailed demonstration of the new online tool. If you currently participate in the GLV process, you should plan to attend one...
As collaborations between the Campus and UCSF Health's continue to grow, the number and complexity of the required financial transactions is increasing. It is important that all transactions be recorded accurately and timely to aid with financial and regulatory reporting, analysis, related party eliminations, and consolidation. A large part of the transactions across Business Units relate to clinical activities, purchased services, and strategic support between the Campus and UCSF Health where a revenue Account is paired with an expense Account to properly capture this...
As we previously communicated, the Controller's Office is implementing a new General Ledger Verification (GLV) online tracking tool to automate and streamline the review and documentation activities. We have been working closely with an external development company to build the user interface for this online tool and are now completing the user data testing phase.
Testing has been very fruitful and positive. We appreciate and value all the feedback we have received from our three dozen testers who have provided additional insight into common needs, as well as some challenges, that...
It’s tax time again. One of the key IRS forms the Controller’s Office must review are any IRS Form 1099-MISC issued to UCSF. Since these forms are sent by many parties with varied relationships to UCSF, we need your help to ensure that we see every one of these forms.
What is Form 1099-MISC?
Form 1099-MISC (miscellaneous Income and interest) is an information return used by the IRS to track money flowing from business owners to non-employees (individuals or businesses). The form provides information about the miscellaneous income reported including...
Have you ever looked at your department’s recharges and wondered who recorded the recharge or who to call with questions you have about a specific recharge transaction? The Recharge Source Codes and Contacts List published on the Controller’s Office website may provide the answers you need.
The Controller’s Office maintains this list to help campus departments with their recharge activity, and we need your help to keep it current. If you are the contact for the recharge or manage a department that processes recharges, let us know as soon as possible of any...
As previously communicated, the Controller's Office is implementing a new General Ledger Verification (GLV) online tracking tool to automate and streamline the review and documentation activities. We have been working closely with an external development company to build the user interface for this online tool and are now in the user data testing phase. We anticipate testing through January 2018 and plan to finalize our roll-out timeline once this testing is complete.
General Ledger (GL) verification is a key control of UCSF, and is a requirement per Campus Administrative Policies...
Journal Approvers play a crucial role in ensuring journals are valid, complete, and accurate! Approvers are responsible for understanding the nature and purpose of the journal, and for performing a detailed review of the journal lines and supporting documentation.
Did you know PeopleSoft workflow functionality helps facilitate this process? If an Approver determines a journal needs correction, they should deny the journal. This action will automatically send the Journal Preparer a workflow notice alerting them the journal needs revision. The Preparer can then ...
The redesigned Controller's Office website features a financial calendar on the main page. You can select the dates you wish to view from the drop down menu; choices include all, employee pay, event, general ledger, holiday, and OLPPS/OPTRS. Selecting "--All--" will display the deadlines and other information you may need to complete financial activities related to the Controller's Office. To download a calendar to view next to your Outlook calendar, first select the desired calendar and then click the download icon on the top right of the calendar. ...
A new Fund 5017, “Sales and service, central use only”, has been added to the Fund Tree. This new unrestricted fund will be used to record the net position associated with some specific central long-term liabilities. Although you will see this Fund on the Fund Tree, it is intended for Central use only and should not be used by Departments.
If you have any questions about this Fund, contact Accounting and Reporting.
In September, several new Business Units will be created in PeopleSoft. These new Business Units are designed to facilitate consolidated financial reporting for both UCSF and Office of the President (UCOP), and should only be used by the Controller's Office and UCSF Health accounting teams. The new Business Units will have a naming convention of ELxxx. The new Business Units will appear in the MyReports BU filters at the bottom of the list.
The ITS Recharge System is a web-based application that provides faculty and staff with tools to view details related to recharge including the Data Network, IT Field Services, telephones, and server recharges. ITS is hosting 90-minute training sessions designed to introduce department financial administrators and financial analysts to the ITS Recharge System. The training also provides experienced users of the ITS Recharge System with an opportunity to learn about new system updates. Each training session will cover:
Overview of the recharge system
Reporting and recharge inquiries
ITFS\...
The ITS Recharge System is a web-based application that provides faculty and staff with tools to view details related to recharge including the Data Network, IT Field Services, telephones, and server recharges. ITS is hosting 90-minute training sessions designed to introduce department financial administrators and financial analysts to the ITS Recharge System. The training also provides experienced users of the ITS Recharge System with an opportunity to learn about new system updates. Each training session will cover:
Overview of the recharge system
Reporting and recharge inquiries
ITFS\...
In the January Newsletter, we announced our plan to implement a new General Ledger Verification (GLV) online tracking tool to automate and streamline the review and documentation of the required general ledger verification key control activities. At that time, we estimated the campus roll-out would take place in Spring.
We have been tuning the GLV system to improve performance, and have decided to change the web application that allows users to access the program online. We are making this change to ensure that performance, user interface, and flexibility will meet our expectations. While...
Presentation
If you are responsible for any year-end close activities and were unable to attend a presentation last month, or if you want to review key close activities, you can watch a recording of the Fiscal Year 2017 Year End Close Presentation.
General Ledger Monthly Schedule through September 2017
The General Ledger Monthly Schedule for June to September 2017 is available on the Controller's Office website. To access this schedule and previous schedules or other calendars, select the Calendars & Schedules link in the blue banner on the Controller's Office website.
Note the...
The ITS Recharge System is a web-based application that provides faculty and staff with tools to view details related to recharge including the Data Network, IT Field Services, telephones, and server recharges. ITS is hosting training sessions designed to introduce department financial administrators and financial analysts to the ITS Recharge System. The training also provides experienced users of the ITS Recharge System with an opportunity to learn about new system updates. Each training session will cover:
Overview of the recharge system
Reporting and recharge inquiries
ITFS\Data...
On Sunday June 18, the session time out for PeopleSoft Financials--including the Research Administration System (RAS)--will be shortened from 120 to 20 minutes. This change will bring PeopleSoft Financials into compliance with the heightened UCSF Security Standards.
Beginning on June 19, your PeopleSoft session will time out after 20 minutes of inactivity. At timeout, any unsaved activity will be lost. You will need to login to PeopleSoft again using the link on the timeout screen or via MyAccess. The PeopleSoft timeout will not impact other active MyAccess application sessions.
Contact the...
Presentation
Fiscal year-end close is approaching and to help ensure you are prepared, please attend the close presentation at Parnassus on June 5. As a reminder, the close presentation provides information surrounding the year-end close process, including dates and discussion on key close activities. If you are responsible for any year-end close activities, please plan to attend the session. Registration is not required.
June 5 2 to 3:30 p.m. School of Nursing (N-217), Parnassus This live broadcast link will be available just before 2 p.m. on June 5
If you are unable to attend this or...
The ITS Recharge System is a web-based application that provides faculty and staff with tools to view details related to recharge including the Data Network, IT Field Services, telephones, and server recharges. ITS is hosting training sessions designed to introduce department financial administrators and financial analysts to the ITS Recharge System. The training also provides experienced users of the ITS Recharge System with an opportunity to learn about new system updates. Each training session will cover:
Overview of the recharge system
Reporting and recharge inquiries
ITFS\Data...
The General Ledger Monthly Schedule for May 2017 has been posted to the Controller's Office website. To access this schedule and previous schedules or other calendars, select the Calendars & Schedules link in the blue banner on the Controller's Office website.
The Controller’s Office will host two presentations to communicate fiscal year-end close activities, timelines, and expectations. Department managers, financial administrators, financial analysts, post-award research support analysts, and anyone else involved in the year-end close process should plan to attend one of these presentations or watch the live broadcast or recorded presentation. Registration is not required.
May 24, 9 to 10:30 a.m. - Rock Hall (102), Mission Bay This live broadcast link will be available just before 9 a.m. on May 24
June 5, 2 to 3:30 p.m. - School of...
A new Dept ID Request Form will be available in the Accounting and Reporting Forms section of the Controller's Office website the week of April 3rd. This form streamlines the process for both requesting a new Dept ID and changing an existing Dept ID (including location on the Dept ID tree and modifications to the Dept ID name). Use of the form makes it easy for individuals to submit all information needed, eliminating additional requests and facilitating accurate setup of the Dept ID in PeopleSoft and on the Dept ID tree.
Beginning next week, individuals should complete and submit a Dept ID...
All journals submitted as flat files for electronic upload to PeopleSoft must use FTP (file transfer protocol). Beginning on February 1st, journal flat files sent using FTP will no longer require an email notification from the requester to IT Production Services for processing. Rather, files sent to the FTP server will be automatically picked up for processing during the next regularly scheduled job - Monday through Friday at noon and 4 p.m. Following processing, you will receive an email notification that your journal has been successfully loaded to PeopleSoft or that it failed to load. For...
General Ledger (GL) verification is a key control of UCSF, and is a requirement per Campus Administrative Policies and the University of California Office of the President (UCOP). This key internal control requires all departments to review and verify financial transactions on a monthly basis. Acknowledgement of verification and documentation currently resides in the campus departments requiring recordkeeping and maintenance of many paper files, and the transfer of files to central offices when required. The Controller's Office is implementing a new General Ledger Verification (GLV) online...
Donations made by the University to charitable organizations may reduce UCSF’s unrelated business taxable income, provided the University received an acknowledgement letter from the recipient organization. If your department made charitable contributions during the year, send a copy of the acknowledgement letter to Accountant Lihua Gu. If you did not receive an acknowledgement letter and are able to request and obtain one from the recipient organization, please forward the letter to Lihua Gu upon receipt.
If you have any questions, please contact Lihua Gu in the Controller’s Office.
We have created pooled worklists to reduce the processing time of departmental PeopleSoft journals requiring review and approval by central units. Journal entries routing to the Controller's Office for final approval in PeopleSoft now forward to a group of individuals within the Controller’s Office. Journal preparers and department approvers continue to follow the same procedures; no change is necessary. In the PeopleSoft journal approval tab, the term “Multiple Approvers” will now appear for the Controller's Office approval in the workflow.
Questions on financial (source code 535) journal...
Final close for Fiscal Year 2015-16 is Friday, July 29th. Central Accounting and Budget & Resource Management will be reviewing and recording entries during the week of August 1st. We anticipate MyReports will reflect Fiscal Year 2016-17 opening balances including beginning Net Position during the week of August 8th. MyReports users will be notified via a listserv communication when these balances are available.
July (period 1 FY2016-17) will open on Monday, July 18th. PeopleSoft defaults to the current calendar date as the journal date. If you are creating a FY2015-16 journal after July opens, you will need to change the journal date to 6/30/16.
The June Prelim General Ledger closes on July 15, June Interim closes on July 22, and June Final closes on July 29. Two tools are available to help keep you on track:
Review the General Ledger Monthly Schedule for Fiscal Year-End deadlines.
A video (requires MyAccess login) and the slides of the Fiscal Year-End Close presentation are available on the Training & Job Aids tab of the Accounting and Reporting section of the Controller's Office website. The presentation covers important aspects of the closing process and tips to ensure all your transactions process successfully. We...
The process to print or save a journal changed with the PeopleSoft 9.2 upgrade. Now when you run the print journal process, the output is a file in PDF format. To access this file, go to the Report Manager using the link on the journal Lines tab. The file will take a few seconds to generate. Click the Refresh button periodically until a link to the file appears. From here the file can be saved for use as an attachment or can be printed. For more detailed instructions and screenshots, see the job aid Printing or Saving a PeopleSoft Journal PDF.
Beginning in Fiscal Year 2016-17, Payroll will change the way that accrual amounts for biweekly employees are posted to the General Ledger. The new accrual amounts will be posted monthly at the full chartstring level as part of the monthly payroll journal. A reversal of these accrual amounts will be posted to the General Ledger along with the actual payroll expenses in the next monthly payroll journal. The first biweekly payroll accruals in FY2016-17 will appear on the General Ledger in early September as part of the August monthly payroll journal posting. The new accrual amounts and accrual...
Recorded Presentation now Available for Viewing
If you were unable to attend one of the year-end close presentations in May, you can watch the recorded presentation and view or print the presentation slides to learn more about fiscal year-end close activities, timelines, and expectations. Department managers, financial administrators, financial analysts, post-award research support analysts, and anyone else involved in the year-end close process should review this information if they were unable to attend a presentation.
June to September 2016 General Ledger Schedule Now Available
A new...
