Office of Accounting Services Monthly Newsletter - Finance and ...

Sponsored Program Accounting continued...Service CentersSalary for employees charged to accounts establishedas a service center cannot be used as cost sharing on asponsored agreement. If the employee was committedto cost share on a project, one of the following actionsmust occur:1. Assign a replacement person who will work on theproject to fulfill the cost sharing obligation. If theperson is considered key personnel, the sponsormust be notified of the change in personnel.2. Request a reduction in the cost sharingcommitment. A letter would have to be submittedto the sponsor and routed through OSP.3. Process a change in source of funds for theemployee to put them on the appropriatedepartmental funds. In this case, the charge ratefor the service center will be reduced.Internal Prior Approval FormWhen processing an Internal Prior Approval Form forequipment acquisitions, a budget adjustment must beattached to transfer the funds from the appropriatecategories to the equipment category. Equipment isdefined as an article of nonexpendable, tangiblepersonal property having a useful life of more than oneyear and an acquisition cost of $5,000 or more per unit.Internal No-cost ExtensionsLSU can only grant one no-cost extension for up to 12months on certain grants and cooperative agreementsusing the Internal Prior Approval Request Form. If a PIrequests a six-month extension internally andadditional time is subsequently required, anotherrequest must be submitted by the PI to the sponsorthrough your campus OSP.Sponsor DeadlinesIn order for us to meet agency deadlines for submissionof invoices and financial reports, we request principalinvestigators (PIs) or their designees to ensure that:1. appropriate charges are reflected on the officialUniversity ledger,2. cost sharing is documented,3. the required monitoring/technical reports aresubmitted, and4. property and patent reports are returned promptlyto the SPA contactMonthly and quarterly invoices and financial reportsare usually due within 10 to 30 days of month-end andfinal invoices within 10 to 90 days of expiration.2Final invoices will not be revised for additionalexpenditures. It is essential that departments notify usof any pending items in process, such as personnelaction forms, before the final is billed.Subrecipient invoices should be forwarded to SPA forreview after it has been approved by the PI. We willreview the invoice and forward it to Accounts Payablefor processing. Please remember to reference the LSUaccount number on the invoice prior to sending it toSPA. In addition, refer to the PI Checklist forSubcontractor Invoices on the SPA webpage at http://w w w . f a s . l s u . e d u / a c c t S e r v i c e s / s p a /paaManual/2006/31.pdf to expedite processing ofinvoices.Travel Expense Reimbursement RequestsWhen charging travel expenditures to a sponsoredagreement account, the purpose on the travel expensereimbursement request must relate to and/or benefitthe sponsored project and the travel must be within thetime frame of the agreement.Early TerminationIf an agreement is terminated for any reason, pleasenotify OSP and SPA in writing (e-mail is preferred). Ifthe sponsor sent any written correspondence relating tothe termination, including e-mails, it must also beforwarded to both offices. Our offices will work withthe PI, department, and sponsor to close the project.Board of Regents (BOR) Graduate FellowsGraduate fellowship status reports are due to MarieHamilton, Assistant Dean, Graduate School. She willforward them to SPA to include with invoices which aredue to BOR by January 31, 2011.Personnel Activity ReportsThe following FY 2011 have been forwarded todepartments:PAR A & B Due 11/08/10PAR C & D Due 12/06/10PAR 5 Due 11/29/10Please certify and return all outstanding 2010 PARs. Ifapplicable, please ensure cost sharing is documentedbefore returning the PARs. Also, copies of PARs shouldbe kept in the departments for three years.

PayrollTax TopicsAdvanced Earned IncomeFor tax year 2011 and beyond, there will be no moreadvance payment of the earned income tax credit.Eligible individuals will still be able to claim it on theirpersonal income tax returns, but employers may nolonger advance a portion of it with each paycheck.This change is a provision of HR 1586 (Public Law 111-226, Section 219), signed into Law by President Obamaon August 10, 2010.W-4 UpdatesPlease remind employees to review their withholdingstatus. Employees can complete and update their W-4,L-4 and L-4E forms through PAWS by selecting theEmployee Resources link from the PAWS desktop, thenselect Tax Withholding. Changes will take effect withintwo business days.2011 Contribution LimitsThe IRS has announced the dollar limits applicable topension plan contributions for calendar year 2011. Thelimits will remain the same as those for calendar year2010:403(b) Plans - $16,500457 Plans - $16,500Both 457 and 403(b) plans allow catch-up contributionsfor individuals age 50 or over. Catch-up contributionamount remains at $5,500 for 2011.Employees who wish to change contribution amountsto their supplemental retirement account shouldsubmit a new Salary Reduction Authorization form toPayroll. This form can be found atwww.fas.lsu.edu/acctservices/forms/pay/403(b).pdf.No Mismatches PleaseEmployee names as reported on Form W-2 must matchSocial Security Administration (SSA) files. Employersare subject to a $50 penalty for name mismatches.Additionally, employees may not receive proper creditfor Social Security or Medicare earnings if SSA cannotidentify the individual.The name and social security number (SSN) on theemployee’s card should match the name and SSN thatappears on HRM/HRS and Directory. If the employeewishes to be employed under another name, they mustfirst go to the Social Security Administration and havetheir card changed before Payroll or HRM can make thechange.Employee names on the W-4 form should match thename on the employee social security card. If anemployee completes the W-4 form using a differentname, Box 4 should be marked on the W-4 form andSSA should be contacted at the number indicated onthe W-4 form.The Federal Patient Protection and Affordable CareAct (PPACA) had originally required employers toreport the value of health insurance coverage onemployee’s 2011 W-2. In order to allow time for theIRS to provide more guidance to employers, thisprovision has been delayed until 2012.The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) dictates thatemployees must be paid for all hours worked and thepayment should be made for the pay period in whichthe work was performed.Supplemental Timesheets should include LSUID, legalname, and hours worked for week 1 & 2. Monday-Friday hours must match hours in the total column foreach week. Be sure to reference the correct payperiod. Please double check these timesheets foraccuracy and sign and date before sending them toPayroll. Backup timesheets should be included forWork Study if applicable.When negative supplemental vouchers are sent toPayroll, please write “Negative Timesheet” in red at thetop of timesheet.Time Should Be Estimated CarefullyRemember that we are approaching yearend whenearly due dates mean time may have to be estimated.Please be careful as some students chronicallyoverestimate their time and this causes anoverpayment. Their W-2 earnings cannot be adjusted3

Payroll continued...for overpayments unless the earnings are repaid in thesame calendar year.Form InformationTo view the Remarks section of a form, select the formon HRS, then hover over the action button on the rightof the form, finally select form remarks in the dropdown box. Helpful information such as payments paidon supplement, retirement, or leave information maybe noted.Pay basis 13 academic employees must either beseparated or continued for the Spring semester NOW.It is imperative that separation forms be loaded timelyas Payroll must notify insurance providers viaseparation form if the employee has health insurance.Insurers have a small window to offer COBRA insuranceto a separated employee.Appointment Dates for GAs must be on an actual workday. The first day of work for the spring semester is1/11/11. Please consult the academic completion tableto determine work days.Diplomas will not be issued to graduating studentswho have outstanding wage/salary overpayments. Inorder to receive diplomas on Commencement Day,students must clear overpayment balances by 4:30 pmon Monday, December 13, 2010.Aid Allocations Reaching LimitMany students with Federal Work Study andChancellor’s Student Aide are exhausting their funding.Please watch these accounts closely. The ETA timereport is a good monitoring tool. When a student iswithin $300 of their allocation limit, the report willindicate a double asterisk (**) next to their name.A Change in Source of Funds (XCSF) form must beprocessed to place a student on the correct account.Timely submission is imperative as the Payroll Officedoes not process retroactive transfers on students.IRS Individual Taxpayer IDPaid foreign visitors and those foreign students onscholarship who are not eligible for a Social Securitynumber should apply for an Individual TaxpayerIdentification Number (ITIN). These individuals arerequired to report payments to the IRS and thereforemust have an identifying number. LSU is a designatedacceptance agent, with authority to collect and submitIRS Form W-7 and the appropriate paperworknecessary to apply for the number. Individuals thatneed to apply for the ITIN may do so in the PayrollOffice, 204 Thomas Boyd Hall. To avoid delays at taxtime, apply NOW. The turnaround time for receipt ofthe number is approximately six weeks.4Address Changes or CorrectionsPlease verify that the address is correct on HRM andDirectory for employees who work in your department.Having a correct address is important when payrollinformation has to be mailed to an employee. Theemployee can update their address information viaPAWS. Please inform employees to go to their PAWSaccount under the Personal Preferences Link andupdate the address on the Directory Information Link.Note: Employees will need to submit a written requestto change an address for any insurance carrier. TheChange of Address form needed can be found on thePayroll or HRM websites.Wage and Student Timesheets Early DeadlinePayroll Voucher # Timesheets DueWage 065-30 Wednesday, Dec. 15 thStudent1st day of075-17 Thursday, Dec. 16 thDecember 21 st

Payroll continued...Special DeliveryTimely submission of ETA timesheets is especiallyimportant when there are holidays in the pay period.Calculations for overtime and holiday pay are performedautomatically when ETA timesheets are submittedcorrectly by the due date. When adjustments arereceived for prior pay periods, Payroll Office personnelmust spend valuable time to manually calculate ifovertime earnings are due, what rate should be used forovertime, etc.Holiday Pay for Eligible EmployeesIf an employee is in a paid status (including paid leave) onthe work day before or the work day after the holiday,the employee is due holiday pay for the entire holidayperiod. Please call Payroll or HRM with questions aboutan employee receiving holiday pay.Payroll Fraud is IllegalPlease remember the following:Employee timesheets should be completed for hoursactually worked, ensuring that the dates and time ofwork are correct.Supervisors are required to approve employeetimesheets and should ensure the timesheets areaccurate.Never return a completed and approved timesheet tothe employee.Do not accept a timesheet that is written in pencil orerasable ink.Any changes to the timesheet should be initialed bythe employee and the supervisor.Never load time for a previous pay period on ETA.Process separation forms immediately for terminatedemployees and remove them from ETA.In the case of a no-show employee, call the PayrollOffice immediately for instructions to have theappointment form nulled or voided. SeparationDates for GAs must be the actual last day worked.For academic GAs the last day worked for the fallsemester is 12/17/10.Financial Accounting & ReportingReporting ToolsOn-line ledgers/reports can be accessed by:Logging into PAWSSelecting Financial ServicesSelecting Reporting ToolsImportant NotesPopulate all parameters marked with an asterisk (*).Verify the data being entered is in the properparameter format. For example, November 30, 2010month end date should be entered as 20101130(YYYYMMDD).Verify mainframe access for that account,department or college.Adjust the print area through the Print Previewtoolbar function when printing reports.RemindersThe information pulled on the on-line ledgers/reportsis as current as the GL update from the previousnight.December GLS cutoff is scheduled for January 4,2011. Therefore, on-line ledgers for the entire monthof December can be viewed on January 5, 2011.Space StudyIn an effort to compile data for the FY 2012 Facilities &Administrative (F&A) rate calculation, we have startedconducting space surveys. Due to the magnitude of spaceincluded in the proposal, each college/unit will besurveyed every other year (FY 2011 – Cycle A; FY 2012 –Cycle B).Cycle A units will be contacted by a member of the spacesurvey team to schedule surveys. An individual withknowledge of the department’s space inventory, roomoccupants, and room usage should be present during thesurvey. Important information related to the space study(including the planning schedule) can be found at http://www.fas.lsu.edu/acctservices/far_b/spacestudy.asp.Deposits/Wire TransfersDepartments that are expecting deposits/wire transfersor missing funds should e-mail bankrecon@lsu.edu.Please include as much information as possible related tothe funds.5

Accounts Payable & TravelThe final APS check run for the year will be Tuesday,December 21, 2010. Please plan accordingly to ensurevendor payments (especially construction payments)are made by the final APS check run.Special Handling Form (AS209) must be attached tothe top of the invoice or document in order for thespecial handling request to be handled timely andproperly. If a check is required by a certain date, pleasemake sure the due date is specified in the PriorityHandling section of the form. For questions, pleasecontact Patti Bruce at 578-1549 or pmbruce@lsu.edu.PRO AssistanceDepartments are encouraged to contact a member ofthe PO Invoice Processing staff to assist with questionsregarding pending invoices, creating a receiving reportin PRO and/or viewing attached vendor invoices:Susan LemingGreta TempletMisty Gregoire578-1545 or slemin1@lsu.edu578-1620 or gtempl3@lsu.edu578-1541 or mgrego1@lsu.eduLACARTELaCarte and CBA BF entries must be released to APusing the on-line PCARD system with complete costdocumentation no later than 30 days from the date ofthe purchase/transaction.LaCarte Cardholders Leaving the UniversitySupervisors must retrieve LaCarte cards fromemployees leaving the University prior to their last dayof work. More importantly, supervisors are advised tomake sure all LaCarte purchases are reconciled prior tothe employee’s last day. This includes obtainingreceipts/supporting cost documentation for purchasesthat are not reflected on an existing LaCarte entry.VAT Recovery ProgramPlease do not destroy the original receipts/invoicesupon attaching them to LaCarte entries when LaCarteis used as means of payment for internationalpurchases and/or travel expenses. The original invoicesand itemized receipts for travel expenses attached to acopy of the approved AS292 form should be forwardedto AP. For questions, please contact Jackie Chen at578-1536 or jchen3@lsu.edu.Travel on LaCarteLaCarte can be used as a means of payment for travelexpenses (except for meals or personal incidentalexpenses) while in travel status. Employees who arenot current LaCarte cardholders, but do travel onuniversity business, are encouraged to complete aLaCarte Enrollment form (AS700) and submit to AP tohave a LaCarte card issued. The AS700 form must beapproved by the Department Head for the appropriatespending limits/authorities (i.e. purchasing and/ortravel). The AS700 form can be found on AccountsPayable & Travel website at http://www.fas.lsu.edu/acctservices/forms/ap/AS700.pdf.The on-line LaCarte Distribution Training is available onthe Accounts Payable & Travel website at http://www.fas.lsu.edu/AcctServices/acctpay/ and can beaccessed by clicking the “On-Line Training” link. Thedirect link is http://community.moodle.lsu.edu/course/view.php?id=220. The users will be required to:1. Login through PAWS.2. Click “Accounts Payable & Travel”3. Select the on-line training session - “LaCarteDistribution”.New cardholders are required to complete this trainingprior to receiving their LaCarte card. The card will begiven only to the cardholder upon signing the LaCarteAgreement form. For questions, please contact PatriceGremillion at 578-3366 or pgremill@lsu.edu.Social security numbers should not be included on anyof the supporting documentation. If SSNs arediscovered, the Attachment will be deleted and thedepartment will be contacted to re-attach thecorrected file. Please review all supporting costdocumentation very carefully to ensure SSNs are notincluded before creating the Attachment.6

Accounts Payable & Travel continued...TRAVELAirfare for Business TravelWhenever airfare for University business travel includesan additional personal destination, the traveler mustobtain a lowest logical quote for the business destinationonly. Reimbursement for the airfare with the personaldestination will be limited to the lesser of:1. Lowest logical quote, or2. Prorated amount for the business portion of theairfare only. The “prorated amount” is calculated bydividing the airfare by the total number of days(business and personal) and multiplied by the totalnumber of business days.Whenever airfare does not include a personaldestination, but the traveler adds personal days at thebusiness destination, the total amount of the airfare isreimbursable. The expenses incurred for the personaldays are not reimbursable.The state contract travel agency contact information is asfollows:SHORT’S TRAVEL MANAGEMENTToll Free - (888) 846-6810Fax - (319) 433-0847Email: state@shortstravel.comWebsite: www.shortstravel.com/lsuSummary of pertinent information:1. Short’s Travel Management normal business hours are8:00 am to 5:00 pm CST Monday-Friday.2. The agent-assisted transaction fee is $24.3. Short’s Travel should be used for University businesstravel only.4. A 24-hour Emergency Travel Service at (888) 846-6810is available 24 hours/7 days a week. The 24-hourService is designed to support travelers in the event ofa “true emergency”. Beginning August 1, 2010, therewill be a $15 per call transaction fee for use of theafter hour services. The fee will be reimbursable onlyif the service was used for a “true emergency”. In theevent the 24-hour Service is used for any nonemergencytransactions, the transaction fee will notbe reimbursed.Short’s Travel On-line (STO) is the innovative easy-touseon-line self-booking system that is available forUniversity travelers to make their own travelarrangements. The transaction fee for on-line bookingsis $5 per transaction. STO can be accessed through theAP & Travel website at http://www.fas.lsu.edu/A c c t S e r v i c e s / a c c t p a y / o r d i r e c t l y a twww.shortstravel.com/lsu. To login the system, theusers will need to enter the following information:Username: Employee’s PAWSIDPassword: lsutigers1 (all lowercase)Only upon the initial login, the system will prompt theuser to create a new password. Given the savings perbooking, travelers are strongly encouraged to use thesystem.Update Profile InformationAll travelers are strongly encouraged to review theirprofile information in STO prior to making any airfarereservations. In accordance with Transportation SecurityAdministration (TSA) requirements, the traveler’s namelisted in the profile must match the government-issuedidentification (i.e. driver’s license or passport) used totravel. If the name on the traveler’s itinerary does notmatch the government-issued identification, the travelerwill experience difficulty at the airport.Campus-Wide Virtual Invoice (VI) LookupShort’s Travel now offers another resource to obtain atraveler’s itinerary at https://bizinfo.shortstravel.com/reports. To access the link, users will need to enter thefollowing information:User Name: vilookupPassword: lsutigers1Departments can search for an airfare itinerary by theTicket Number and/or Agent Fee Number by enteringthe information in the “Ticket Number” field along witha Start/End Date. For questions, please contact LindsayBerthelot at 578-1538.7

Accounts Payable & Travel continued...The original approved Authorization to Travel forms(AS292 & AS516) should be attached to the TravelExpense Reimbursement Request (Form AS300) whenthe request for reimbursement is made. Please do notforward the original AS292/AS516 forms to Travel prior tothe making the trip and/or requesting reimbursement.For travel related questions, please contact the travelstaff:Jennifer Driggers 578-3699 or jdrigg@lsu.eduCatherine Herman 578-3698 or cherman@lsu.eduCarlen Ensley 578-3697 or censle1@lsu.eduLindsay Berthelot 578-1538 or lberthe@lsu.eduAdminDecember Business Managers’ MeetingBudget & Planning will make a presentation at the final2010 Business Managers’ meeting on December 7 th from9:30 am to 11:00 am in 225 Peabody Hall.Meetings are normally held on the first Tuesday of eachmonth in 225 Peabody Hall from 9:30 am to 11:30 am.The 2011 Monthly Business Managers’ MeetingSchedule is as follows: February 1, March 1, April 5, May3, June 7, August 2, September 6, October 4, November 1& December 6. Please note that there will be no meetingsin January & July.To be added to the Business Managers Mailing List or tosubmit an idea for a future topic, please contact MariaCazes at mcazes@lsu.edu. Prior meetings can be found athttp://www.fas.lsu.edu/AcctServices/business%20manager%20mtgs.html.ShredderAccounting Services has an industrial-sized shredderlocated on the 4 th floor of Thomas Boyd Hall.Departments may request to reserve the shredder bycontacting the Imaging Supervisor, Demetres JohnsonCasma, at djohnson@lsu.edu or 578-2132. Anydepartments using the shredder will be responsible forlearning how to operate the shredder, clean the generalarea and where to dispose the bags of shredded paper (inthe dumpster by T Boyd/Middleton Library). Note thatthe shredded bags of paper can be fairly heavy whenmoving them to the dumpster. Also, any departmentsthat have a large amount of shredding may be required topurchase and replenish shredder bags and oil.Admin continued...W-9 RequestsAll requests for a W-9 should be forwarded toAccounting Services for processing. This documentmust be signed by Donna K. Torres on behalf of theUniversity. The W-9 will be sent directly to thevendor from Accounting Services. Requests shouldbe sent to Brenda Wright at bwrigh4@lsu.edu orDesiree Esnault at desnault@lsu.edu.Junk MailThere has been an excessive amount of “junk mail”being delivered to Accounting Services. Please notethat this mail is not forwarded to individualdepartments on campus. If a department has a needto view brochures and catalogs from specific vendors,please contact that vendor to update the mailingaddress. Contact Desiree Esnault atdesnault@lsu.edu or Brenda Wright atbwrigh4@lsu.edu with any questions on this issue.Accounts Payable & TravelWelcome back from maternity leave, Alisha Templet.PayrollCongratulations to Ashley Tate on the arrival of herbouncing baby boy, Collin Patrick, 8lbs, 20 inches.Sponsored Program AccountingWelcome Crystal Dalgo to SPA. She can be reachedat 578-1625 or cdalgo1@lsu.edu.University HolidaysDecember 23 - 318