University Budget Office
Frequently Asked Questions
Budget Revisions Chartfields Financial Aid Budget Personnel Benefits Pool WRS Miscellaneous
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Budget Revisions
Q: Which budget revisions route for Budget Office approval and which post with only college approval?
A: There are two templates for online budget revisions, BUDGETJRNL and TRUSTBUDG. BUDGETJRNL has very specific routing criteria. TRUSTBUDG will not route for more than college approval under normal circumstances.
BUDGETJRNL is used for projects in ranges: 2xxxxx, 301000-349999, and 4xxxxx.
These journals will route for Budget Office approval if you use any accounts other than:
51110, 51209, 51210, 51220, 51230, 51250, 51270, 51310*, 51499, 51899**, 51910, 51920, 51930, 51950, 51970, 51990, and 55999;
* 51310 is ok when used with scenario CY23, but CN24 and FY29 will route for extra approval.
** 51899 will route if it is used with pool eligible projects.
These journals will also route if the dollar amounts do not sum to $0 by class, or if any of the projects used are in programs 230, 251, 252, or 990.
TRUSTBUDG has replaced AUXBUDJRNL and is used for projects between 350000 and 399999 (excluding classes 39 and 11) and projects between 700000 and 799999 (classes 73 and 79 only).
These journals will route for Budget Office approval only if budgets are increased by a significant amount.
Please contact your Budget Analyst (pdf) if you need to use an account for budgeting that is currently blocked by the TRUSTBUDG template.
Chartfields
Q: When I run my reports in WRS, I see lots of journals with CHTFLDCORR in the reference column. They do not appear to be doing anything when I run Report P1 because there is always an equal amount moving in as moving out, but when I run Report C3 they appear to be moving things in from or out to who-knows-where. What are these journals and why are they touching my stuff?
A: The Budget Office creates numerous reports from the information in the Financials system. Our reports rely heavily on the accuracy of the four chartfields connected to each project: department ID, fund code, program code, and class code. It is because of our reporting needs that we have become the de facto data steward for chartfield maintenance in Financials. The various other central offices create and maintain certain ranges of projects, but, whenever they change the chartfields associated with those projects, it is the Budget Office's responsibility to quickly make corrections to the affected ledger balances regardless of whether they are budgets, actuals, or encumbrances. (The only exceptions are C&G budgets. Since they exist across fiscal years on a project-to-date basis, we do not touch those.) Chartfield corrections always sum to $0 and 0 FTE by project and account, that is why Report 1 is unaffected. What the corrections do is move the current fiscal year balances from the wrong/old chartfields to the correct/new chartfields without changing project or account, so, when you run Report C3 with certain chartfields included and all others excluded, the current fiscal year to date balances will be zero for the wrong/old chartfields and the correct fytd balances will be in the correct/new chartfields. By doing these corrections on a monthly basis we guarantee that all reports that pull data by department or any other chartfield are accurate for that fiscal year.
Student Financial Aid and Stipends Budget
Q: Which accounts can I use for financial aid budget?
A: Only the accounts listed below should have budget balances. Those marked with an asterisk should only be used by the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid.
*56510 Appropriated Grants
*56518 Distance Education Grant Funds
56519 Oth Non-serv Schshps & Fel
*56540 Acad Enhance Scholarship
*56545 NC State Tuition Assistance Gr
56570 Traineeships
56575 Grad Assist Tuition Awds
56581 UNC Campus Scholarships
56590 Oth Educatl Grants (budget pool for all 56590-56599 expenses)
56905 Non-employee Awards (budget pool for all 56901-56959 expenses)
56960 Educ Serv Agrmnt Pymts (budget pool for all 56960-56969 Student Stipend expenses)
Please contact your Budget Analyst (pdf) for all 56970-56999 Non-Student Stipends and Subcontracts expenses
Personnel Benefits Pool
Q: Which projects does the Personnel Benefits Pool automatically cover?
A: All projects between 201000 and 249999, except 202xxx (summer session). There were more exceptions in the past, but now there is just this one.
Q: Which accounts does the Personnel Benefits Pool automatically cover?
A: All accounts between 51500 and 51899. No exceptions.
Q: How does the Personnel Benefits Pool process calculate the amount of budget needed?
A: Every night the process adjusts budget amounts for the projects and accounts listed above to be equal to fiscal year to date expenses plus any encumbered amounts. This makes the budget balance available equal to $0.00. By the end of the fiscal year all encumbered amounts will have been reduced to zero and budget will match expenses exactly.
Q: I did a budget revision to move 55999 budget to 51590 and now I have neither. Where did it go?
A: All accounts between 51500 and 51899 in projects between 201000 and 249999 (except summer session) are automatically adjusted nightly to have a budget balance available equal to $0.00. It is not possible to have extra budget in those accounts for those projects. Your 55999 budget is now part of the pool's 51590 balance. To help avoid this situation, all budget revisions that touch accounts between 51500 and 51899 in projects between 201000 and 249999 (excluding summer session) route to the Budget Office for approval.
Q: I've been told the Personnel Benefits Pool covers bonus leave payouts. Is this true? How?
A: This is true. At the end of each month the Budget Office runs a process that finds all the 51114, 51214, and 51314 expenses in projects between 201000 and 249999 (excluding summer session) and then distributes enough 51110, 51210, and 51310 budget to cover that month's expenses. You will be able to recognize these budget journals because they are named BPPAYOUTXX and are dated the last day of the month. (Annual leave payouts, expenses in accounts like 51X17, and other separation costs are not covered by the Personnel Benefits Pool -- except for associated benefit expenses in accounts between 51500 and 51899, of course.)
Q: My department has gotten smaller since the Personnel Benefits Pool first started. Can I have some of the benefits budget I contributed to the pool back?
A: No. When times are good and new positions are being created, the Personnel Benefits Pool does not normally require you to contribute additional benefits budget. Likewise, when times are not good and positions are being reduced, the pool does not normally distribute refunds. Additionally, when there are campus-wide budget reductions, the Personnel Benefits Pool has always contributed a larger share than you would have otherwise been asked to give up.
Wolfpack Reporting System (WRS)
Q: How do I get access to the P3 - Detailed Payroll Transactions by Project report?
A: The P3 report has sensitive HR/Payroll information so it requires an extra level of security. To get access to the P3 report, your unit will have to submit a System Access Request (SAR). Instructions on how to access SAR can be found here (unity login required). Note that access to the SAR web application is not available to all employees. Each unit has management-designated SAR users. Identify yours and request to add the "WRS Payroll Reports" security role on the "Financial Role Selection" tab and then add "WRS-Payroll Reports" to the OUC needed on the "Financial OUC Selection" tab. If you need to request access to a unit that is not your own, then the SAR request will route to that unit for approval.
Miscellaneous
Q: Can I charge employee moving expenses to my state project?
A: No. Account 51530 is not allowed on state funds, no exceptions. Both the Budget Office and the Controller's Office run regular checks for 51530 expenses on state funds. These expenses can only be paid from projects in fund 91000 Trust. Note: Account 51530 is for the reimbursement of an employee's personal moving expenses. If you are making a payment for an office move, then that is a current operating expense.