I.    General Comments

This guideline is designed to assist divisions and programs in understanding when to perform an expenditure transfer and the responsibilities associated with the transfers. 

II.   Definitions

Payroll Transfer Request – is the transfer of an expenditure that is related to the worked hours of an employee.

Non-Payroll Transfer Request – is the transfer of all other expenditures within an agreement except work hours or salary.

System Calculated Costs – are the costs that are automatically calculated by the accounting systems at different times during the month including such things as benefits, computing service center, and indirect costs.

III.  Expenditure Transfer Requests

1. Completing the Expenditure Transfer Request
   1. The request forms can be found on the Web in the Forms Library at https://www.fin.ucar.edu/forms/internal/FINANCE/je_nonpay_form/je_form.shtml for a non-payroll transfer request, or via an electronic format using the DW on the Web/ART report.  https://www.fin.ucar.edu/forms/internal/FINANCE/saltrfr_form/saltrfr_form.shtml for payroll transfer request, or via an electronic format using the DW on the Web/ART report. 
   2. All fields on the form should be completed.  Do not include any system calculated costs on the expenditure transfer request.
   3. All authorizing signatures should be received prior to or with the request.  The account key that will have their expenses increased, debit account key, is the account key that determines the requisitioning authority on the transfer.  Requisitioning authority levels apply to each line being transferred rather than the total of the expenditure transfer request.  The signature may either be an original or electronic such as an e-mail approval. 
      1. Payroll transfer requests require the employee’s authorization.  In the following exceptions, the employee’s supervisor and/or Division/Program Administrator may authorize the transfer and the transfer justification must include a brief explanation as to why the employee is unable to authorize the transaction.   
         1. The employee is NO LONGER employed at UCAR.
         2. The employee is on off-site extended field program where the employee does not have email access.
         3. The employee is out of the office for an extended period of time, greater than 2 weeks, and does not have email access.  Examples include but are not limited to: Sabbatical, Family Sick Leave, Family Death, and Short Term Disability.
         4. The sponsor has funded the “same” project via a new interagency agreement number, wherein that salary allocation could have been applied to either agreement.
4. Any transfer of an expenditure where the original expense was posted in the General Ledger more than six months prior to the requested transfer date will require the authorization of the Vice President for Finance and Administration before the transfer may be completed.  The Project Accountant will be responsible for obtaining this authorization.
5. Project Accountants have the authority to transfer balance sheet items for their contracts and to perform less than $25 adjustments to contracts per Division/Program requests as the final entry to close an agreement.
6. Lab/Division/Program Administrators have the authority to move income statement items.
7. Requisition authority is verified using the Signature Authority Web application n the Finance and Administration Web site.
8. The expenditure transfer request must have a clear justification for the request.  Simply requesting to transfer the expenditures is not adequate. When evaluating the completeness of the justification, consider the reasonableness of the justification and does the justification explain why these costs belong in the new agreement.
9. Attached to each expenditure transfer request should be documentation proving the existence of the original transaction.   Backup must include, at a transaction detail level, the following information: account key, object code, description, transaction date, vendor ID, check number, secondary reference (Purchase Order or Travel Voucher #), and dollar amount. Examples of acceptable transaction detail reports: GLREFLTR in long format, RXTXNRPT, and RXTXNPO (aka USE TXNOBJ and USE TXNPO). 
   1. Other supporting documentation may be needed to support the expenditure transfer request:
      1. Purchase Order (PO) status report and on all open PO’s an encumbrance summary report to determine whether the transfer needs to have changes made to the encumbrance balances.   
      2. Participant Support Cost (PSC) transfers must be approved by the Accounts Payable & Travel Supervisor prior to posting.
      3. Property transfers must be approved by the Property Administrator and include the fixed asset tag number before the transaction is posted.
      4. Period of performance on the receiving agreement must be attached to prove the expenditure being transferred is allocable.  This should include a report(s) with the receiving key’s contract number and period of performance dates. 

IV.   Responsibilities

1. Division/Program
   1. Monitor expenditures per the Funds Management Policy 3-1-2
   2. Complete appropriate transfer request including providing adequate justification for the transfer
   3. Acquire appropriate signature authorizations based upon the request
   4. Review purchase order information prior to submitting request to determine if a change order request is appropriate.  Determine that request is within the scope and period of performance of receiving agreement and requests follows all other UCAR policy, procedures, and guidelines.
2. Budget and Finance
   1. Review request for appropriateness according to OMB circulars for allowability and UCAR policy, procedure, and guidelines
   2. Create appropriate documentation to substantiate transfer request
   3. Receive additional authorizations, as necessary, for transfers involving PSC and Property, and any transactions older than 6 months.

 

updated 6/27/08