6.10 Account Management

Policy Information

Purpose and Summary

The purpose of this policy is to identify Account roles and responsibilities and provide general guidelines for establishing, modifying, monitoring, and closing UAccess Financials Accounts.

Source

Arizona Board of Regents Policy, including but not limited to 6-711

Governmental Accounting Standards Board, including but not limited to Statement 54

National Association of College and University Business Officers, Financial Accounting and Reporting Manual for Higher Education (FARM), including but not limited to ¶300 and ¶700

Scope

This policy applies to all University locations and units, including all University extensions, satellite locations, and off-site campus units, both domestic and international.

Definitions

1. Account: An individual pot of money that is established for a specific purpose, with primary responsibility for its activity assigned by Account Roles. The Accounts in UAccess Financials are 7-digit numbers that are approved by Financial Services. Similar types of Accounts will all be in the same range of numbers. See Table 1 in 2.01 Structure of the Accounting System.
2. Account Delegate: A person authorized to approve on behalf of the Fiscal Officer. Delegations are approved by the Fiscal Officer and can be primary or secondary. Delegates assume the same responsibilities as the Fiscal Officer for approving transactions. Delegation is assigned by the Account Delegate Electronic Document (eDoc) or Account Delegate Global eDoc.
3. Account Roles: Include Fiscal Officer, Account Supervisor and Account Manager. These are found within the Account Responsibility section of an Account inquiry.
   1. Fiscal Officer: An individual designated by the Account Manager who is responsible for the fiscal management of the Account. The Fiscal Officer ensures sufficient budget, spending is in accordance with Account purpose, and reviews and reconciles the Account monthly. Fiscal Officers are the business managers of the department.
   2. Account Supervisor: The individual who ensures that funds are spent and managed according to the goals, objectives and mission of the organization, that the funds are being spent according to a budgeted plan, and that the allocation of expenditures is appropriate to the function identified for the Account. The Account Supervisor cannot be in any other Account Role. It is assumed that the Account Supervisor will be the leader of the organization in which the Account resides. Account Supervisors are the Deans, VPs, Directors, Department Heads, and Principal Investigators of the department Account.
   3. Account Manager: The individual who oversees the management of the Account at a higher-level than the Fiscal Officer, but rarely receives any direct requests for action from UAccess Financials. The Account Manager will ensure that the Fiscal Officer has the education and training required to perform their assigned functions. As new Fiscal Officers are appointed, the Account Manager should insert themselves into the routing via organization review to ensure the Fiscal Officer understands their responsibilities. Account Managers are the Assistant Deans of Finance, Deans, VPs, Directors, and Department Heads.
4. Account Reconciliation: The process of comparing the transactions initiated for the Account to the transactions that are posted to the Account. This process verifies the balance of the Account and identifies any errors that must be resolved.
5. Attributes: Non-dollar, descriptive data attached to the Account. These Attributes often determine how the Account can be used in a transaction and are used to identify financial information for reporting purposes or drive specific processes.
6. Functional Expense Classification: A method of grouping expenses according to the purpose for which the costs are incurred. The classifications tell why an expense was incurred rather than what was purchased. Reporting expenses by functional classification helps donors, granting agencies, creditors, and other readers of the financial statements to understand the various mission-related activities of the institution and their relative importance. The University follows the NACUBO Functional Expense Definitions.
7. National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO): A membership organization that represents college and university professionals and other stakeholders who work in higher education business and finance.  NACUBO publishes the Financial Accounting and Reporting Manual for Higher Education, guidelines, and advisory reports to assist business officers and their auditors with complex and changing financial accounting requirements specific to higher education.

Policy

1. Departments are responsible for initiating and maintaining Accounts to record accurate, timely, and complete information on the financial transactions of the University.
2. Accounts will be established as required by budgetary and accounting purposes for proper management of the University and closed when no longer required.
3. Account Roles must be reviewed by departments and updated any time there is a change in departmental personnel.
4. Financial Services has final review of the creation, modification, and closure of all Accounts within UAccess Financials.
5. Sponsored Projects Services (SPS) has authority to establish, maintain and close Accounts for grants and contracts and indirect cost accounts.
6. The Fiscal Officer or Account Delegate is responsible for ensuring transactions are posted to an Account are:
   1. Consistent with the purpose and Functional Expense Classification of the Account,
   2. Properly classified to the appropriate Object Code,
   3. Authorized in accordance with University policies, State and Federal laws and regulations, and specific sponsor or donor requirements or restrictions,
   4. Within the available funding for the Account or supported by an approved backstop account with sufficient funding for the disbursement, and
   5. Entered on a timely basis in accordance with University policies.
7. The Fiscal Officer is responsible for:
   1. Account Reconciliation within 30 days of the accounting month-end close,
   2. Taking immediate action to resolve errors or discrepancies noted during the Account Reconciliation or otherwise, and to follow-up to ensure that errors are corrected,
   3. Keeping Accounts updated for changes in Account Delegates and other Account information,
   4. Attaching or maintaining copies of supporting documentation for all activity processed for the Account for at least the minimum time periods specified in the Records Retention Policy, and
   5. Responding to requests related to an internal or external audit or review of the Account and related transaction records. See policy 6.11 Audit Management.

Procedures

Opening a New Account

1. To open a new account, use the UAccess Financials Account eDoc. Refer to Accounts - Opening, Updating, and Closing for detailed information.
2. Additional information on opening Accounts can be requested as follows, based on the type of Account:
   1. Grant and Contract Accounts: Contact Sponsored Projects Services
   2. Gifts: Prepare a Gift Report and forward to Central Gifts
   3. Allocated Administrative Service Charge, Retained Fee, Differential Tuition, or Program Fee Accounts : Contact the Office of Budget and Planning
   4. Student Loan Accounts: Contact Financial Aid Accounting
   5. Endowment Accounts: Contact Endowment Accounting
   6. State, Designated, Auxiliary or Agency Accounts: Contact the Fund Accountant assigned to your department.
   7. If the primary source of revenue for this account is the sale of goods or services to other University departments, then the account may need to comply with 18.10 Service Center Policy: Contact Rate Studies
3. When completing the new Account eDoc, make sure to include information on the purpose of the Account, how it will be funded, and any expenditure guidelines. Providing detailed information on the Account eDoc will expedite the review and approval process.
4. New Account requests will be reviewed by the UAccess Financials Chart Manager, Financial Services, and the Office of Budget and Planning. The requesting department will be contacted if additional information is needed.
5. Document initiators will be notified if their eDoc was disapproved and why.

Modifying an Existing Account

6. To modify an individual existing Account, use the UAccess Financials Account eDoc. To modify the same Attributes on multiple Accounts, use the UAccess Financials Account Global eDoc.
7. Very few Attributes can be changed on an existing Account. In most cases, the Account initiator will be requested to create a new Account and transfer remaining funding to the new Account.
8. Attributes that can be changed:
   1. Account Roles:
      1. Fiscal Officer
      2. Account Manager
      3. Account Supervisor
   2. Account Address
   3. Expiration Date (cannot be backdated)
   4. Continuation Account
   5. Account Expense Guideline Text Box (with Fund Accountant approval)
   6. Account Income Guideline Text Box (with Fund Accountant approval)
9. Any other changes should be directed to FNSV-ChartManager@arizona.edu.
10. Document initiators will be notified if their eDoc was disapproved and why.
11. Financial Services may periodically review Accounts. Departments will be contacted to discuss proposed changes.

Closing an Account

12. To close an Account, use the UAccess Financials Account eDoc. Refer to How to Close an Account for detailed instructions.
13. Close an Account when the original purpose for the Account no longer exists and all reporting and administrative requirements are fulfilled. Examples include a discontinued program or completed grants.
14. Accounts must have no assets, liabilities, or fund balance.
15. Accounts must have no outstanding encumbrances.
16. Budgeted Accounts must have all temporary and permanent budget removed.
17. UAccess Financials will not allow an Account to close if the balance requirements have not been met.
18. After June 30, Accounts cannot be closed until beginning balances have rolled into the new fiscal year. Refer to Year-end Information.
19. Document initiators will be notified if their eDoc was disapproved and why.
20. Financial Services may periodically review Accounts for possible closure. Departments will be contacted to discuss proposed Account closures.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What needs to occur if errors are identified during the reconciliation process?
   Salary Expense Transfers (ST) and General Error Corrections (GEC) should be completed within 90 days following the accounting month-end close in which the expenditure posted. Specific fiscal year-end deadlines will supersede the 90-day requirement and must be met to properly report expenditures in the correct fiscal year. Salary Expense Transfers and General Error Corrections completed beyond 90 days may be subject to additional review, approvals, and documentation.
   
   Please note that transfers of costs to federal and sub federal sponsored projects correcting clerical or bookkeeping errors must be made promptly after the errors are discovered and within 30 days of posting to the UAccess Financials Account. Transfers made after the 30-day limit are considered "late cost transfers." Federal regulations require that late cost transfers be documented by a "Correction of Error Certification," which certifies that the expenditures were incurred for the goals, objectives, and benefit of the Account to which the costs are being transferred. Federal regulations require that the error certification contain a full description of the cost being transferred and how the cost benefited the project, how the error occurred, why the error correction is late, and the steps being taken to ensure that the error will not happen again.
    
2. Can DCCs (Designated Campus Colleagues) act as Fiscal Officers, Supervisors or Managers?
   DCCs cannot be a Fiscal Officer but can act as Account Supervisors or Managers. However, for Sponsored Projects Accounts, DCCs generally cannot be Account Supervisors/Principal Investigators. Please see the Principal Investigator Eligibility procedure for more information on Account Supervisor/PI Eligibility.
    
3. Which employees can be a Fiscal Officer, Account Supervisor or Account Manager?
   Please see the resource material located at Account Roles.

Related Information

Account Delegate Global Quick Reference
Account NACUBO Functional Expense Definitions
Account Roles
Creating, Updating and Closing Accounts
Fiscal Officer Training 
Fund Accountant Services
Fund-SubFund Table 
Higher Education Function Codes
Managing Projects Fiscal Responsibilities 
Policy 6.11 Audit Management
Policy 8.12 Gifts
Policy 18.00 Service Centers
Records Retention Policy

* Please note that sections titled Frequently Asked Questions and Related Information are provided solely for the convenience of users and are not part of the official University policy.