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4 Sep 2015: What is the chart of accounts? The chart of accounts is the collective name that we give to all our General Ledger account codes. It includes the way the account codes are structured as well as the individual codes themselves. Why is it important?

6 Aug 2015: The tax code for entering all purchases charged without VAT (within the UK) on CUFS is 'No UK VAT'. This is irrespective of whether the supply is zero-rated, exempt or outside the scope.

6 Aug 2015: All modules will be closed at 5 pm on the following dates.

2 Apr 2015: Before releasing a donation, CUDAR will check that the source of funds code is appropriate given the nature of the donation. They will then instruct the Finance Division to transfer the funds.

5 Aug 2015: Enter two new lines: the first a negative line to remove the value from the incorrect distribution and the second a positive line to the correct distribution code. • ... Be careful to remove the PO number that defaulted in on both your new lines as you

23 Jul 2015: Cognos reports for monitoring grant expenditure at institutional level are available, including a summary report which provides an overview of grants expenditure and remaining budget on active awards. Furthermore, once-off, bespoke Cognos reports

5 Aug 2015: If there is no factor site then an amendment request should be made on the Supplier database to add a new Factor site, (refer section 1.8 above).

29 Jul 2015: Where applications are successful the sponsor will send an ‘Award Letter’ notifying the Research Operations Office and the applying Principal Investigator (PI). If the department of the PI receive a copy directly from the sponsor they should

4 Sep 2015: This is used to define the department or institution processing the transaction, e.g. AG for the Finance Division. The first letter can help to indicate the group to which the department belongs.

2 Apr 2015: Expenditure charged to a specific donation must meet the conditions specified by the donor. Responsibility for ensuring that the terms of specific donations are available for reference and are adhered to rests with the Head of Department.

17 Aug 2015: Where a prospective customer has requested a quotation (or it is considered appropriate to issue one), use the template from the Finance Division web page. The issue of a quote and its subsequent acceptance by the customer guarantees the application

5 Aug 2015: AR Invoices are automatically transferred overnight (via an interface) into the receiving department’s AP module. PDF invoice copies are automatically emailed nightly to the receiving department. Departments should be emailing any backup

31 Mar 2015: Fixed assets within the University are split into three specific categories and presented differently in the financial statements. Equipment Purchased by departments in the normal course of business, including from research grants.

31 Mar 2015: New buildings have been included at their purchase price/cost. No depreciation is provided on land as it is not considered to have a limited life (i.e.

12 Aug 2015: Search site. Finance Division. Credit control. The credit control team within Research Accounting credit-check all new sponsors for credit worthiness where possible.

7 Apr 2015: Reports on UFS It is the responsibility of Heads of Departments and Department Administrators to monitor outstanding / unpaid Internal Trading invoices. As part of month-end procedures for the Accounts Payable module, users are advised to : Run the

12 Aug 2015: Grants that are awarded in a foreign currency will be converted to sterling at activation stage, using the University’s foreign exchange policy. The preferred currency for research grants is sterling. For US Dollar and Euro denominated grants the

6 Aug 2015: Introduction and overview Heads of Institutions that receive income from the sale of goods or services, including Research, must establish procedures to ensure that all sales are authorised and supplied as agreed.

6 Aug 2015: From 1 Jan 2021 Following the end of the Brexit Transition Period purchases from suppliers in the EC are treated in a similar manner to those from the rest of the world.

23 Jul 2015: When transferring costs between sources of funds, it is recommended that the transfer should use the original transaction code wherever possible. However should this not be practical then the generic transfer code of EZXX can be used, but must be

1 Apr 2015: Calculate the cost of the activities of the trust over the forthcoming year. For salaries, do not forget to include on costs such as employer's NI and pension contributions, as well as the overhead charge.

23 Jul 2015: All trust funds are legally created and have their own deed that details the rules and regulations for the specific fund.

23 Jul 2015: The primary purpose when monitoring expenditure against a budget is to ensure that expenditure does not exceed either the budget, or its planned or received income. The first problem is how to spot where expenditure has, or will, exceed the budget.

2 Apr 2015: Donations are not available for investment or spending until they have been received and credited to an income account in the relevant Department.

12 Aug 2015: The Departmental Administrator and the Principal Investigator will be notified by email once the grant has been activated by the School Team in the Research Operations Office The activation notice will include a link to the sponsor’s terms and

12 Aug 2015: Some research sponsors, eg. Research Councils and the EC, may require a Principal Investigator to submit an interim or final scientific report. These are also known as Individual Grant Reviews (IGR).

20 Mar 2015: Budgetary control is financial jargon for managing income and expenditure. In practice it means regularly comparing actual income or expenditure to planned income or expenditure to identify whether corrective action is required.

5 Aug 2015: BACS payments All Sterling University Suppliers are paid via BACS (Bankers Automated Clearing System). This is an electronic payment system whereby money can be paid directly into a supplier's UK bank account on a specified day, without the need to

2 Apr 2015: The procedures for authorisation of Trust Funds and Special Funds expenditure involve explicit approval by a Manager of the Fund and are set out in a separate chapter of the Financial Procedures Manual (Chapter 13 - Trust Funds).

12 Aug 2015: Costs can only be incurred during the active period of research, i.e. after the start date and before the end date of the grant. After the end date, purchases can be charged if the goods were physically received before the end date. The start date

12 Aug 2015: All departments have access to Cognos, as well as reports within the UFS Grants Module, enabling them to view the latest financial position on their grants.

6 Aug 2015: If we purchase something from a supplier in the UK who is not registered for VAT (normally because their turnover is too low), then they will not be able to charge the University VAT and hence the expenditure is entered as 'No UK VAT' on CUFS.

23 Jul 2015: Where finances can be managed using UFS this is the most efficient way. However, there may be times when off-line systems can add further detail/clarity. For example, trust fund managers may choose to record a simple budget for the fund on an Excel

6 Aug 2015: Human blood and products for therapeutic purposes made of human blood, human (including foetal) organs or tissue for diagnostic or therapeutic purposes or medical research are exempt. Therefore no VAT is charge on the purchase and these purchases

11 Aug 2015: The full economic costing methodology was adopted for costing all research grant proposals in September 2005.

2 Apr 2015: When funds are released they will be credited to the specified department / cost centre / source of funds combination with a transaction code: LFDO "Donations transferred from Development Office" It will also include any interest that has been e

29 Jul 2015: When funds are received from a body external to the university, the following criteria are used to determine if those funds can be classed as a research grant or should be recorded as something else eg. a donation.

5 Aug 2015: Suppliers that have been entered more than once onto the Supplier database are identified and deactivated by the Accounts Payable (AP) Team. Suppliers that the University does not wish to trade with in the future, for example, companies that have

31 Mar 2015: Where Departments are providing funding for land and buildings an internal invoice will not be raised. The recovery of funds will be by journal entry. This is true of both minor works and major projects. The process is as follows: 1.

23 Jul 2015: A commitment is an agreement or a pledge to assume a financial obligation at a future date e.g. the funds that we are committing to spend with a supplier when we send them a purchase order. UFS is a commitment accounting system.

2 Apr 2015: The Finance Division is responsible for the University's financial policies and accounting procedures: whereas, the Development and Alumni Relations (CUDAR) is responsible for the policy on the solicitation, acceptance and stewardship of

12 Aug 2015: Any external audit requirements will be included in the terms and conditions of each award. External audits will be arranged by ROO and auditors may need to visit departments to check invoices and payroll information. ROO will contact departments to

31 Mar 2015: Fixed or tangible assets are the physical structures that support the University and are therefore of significant value and are required to be accurately recorded and reported on within the University's financial statements.

11 Aug 2015: All new proposals must be costed using X5; awards or contracts which include a financial value will not be accepted unless an X5 costing is completed.

12 Aug 2015: The budget is divided into project(s), task and then into expenditure categories.

23 Jul 2015: Schools and other University Institutions are expected to produce strategic plans. These plans set medium- to long-term priorities and explain how they are to be implemented. The strategic plans are accompanied by detailed financial forecasts.

4 Sep 2015: Many departments receive income from trust funds. Each trust has its own deed that details the rules and regulations concerning its set up and use. Details of each trust are recorded in the University’s statutes and ordinances.

17 Aug 2015: Staff must not represent themselves as an agent of the University when undertaking personal consultancy work. University-headed document templates, the logo and the University’s Financial system (UFS) must not be used for charging customers for non

19 Mar 2015: 1] Apprenticeship Levy – “The Apprenticeship Levy will be a levy on UK employers to fund new apprenticeships.

23 Jul 2015: Budgets should be input to UFS on the same transaction codes to which actual expenditure will be coded, as far as possible, otherwise meaningful analysis of Actual versus Budget expenditure is jeopardised at institutional, School and University level