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Newsletter 2024-2025 Volume 2

In this edition…

News

Monthly Closing Deadlines

The July 2024 period in the general ledger has closed on August 8, 2024.  The current and future month-end processing deadline schedules are located at Monthly Closing Deadlines.

Important Information Regarding Activity Number and Project Name Changes

Towards the end of Fiscal Year 2022 through the close of Fiscal Year 2024 requests for name changes to Activity Numbers or Projects were allowed.  However, due to audit considerations name changes to Activity Numbers or Projects will no longer be allowed effective Fiscal Year 2025.  We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.  Please contact Bonnie Bair with any questions or concerns, bbair@fiu.edu or 305-348-6613.

Below is a reminder from the Panther Post Newsletter 2021-22 Volume 10 regarding the ability to track transactions when name changes do occur on activity numbers:

Please be aware that you will lose the ability to lookup the activity number by name when a name is changed, and any issues caused by changing names will need to be resolved by the Finance Manager in an area.  In addition, if names are changed several times, it may be difficult to track the transactions unless the Speedtype is used.  Keep in mind it is possible to effective date activity numbers, so when viewing the activity number in PantherSoft online you can include history to see previous names. However, it is not possible to put this on most reports and queries, therefore, it may be difficult to track the changes.

Travel News

  • We have updated our Travel Website and created various forms to help you reconcile travel expenses.
  • Due to year-end closure, some expense reports were sent back for revision and asked to be resubmitted this Fiscal Year. Travel proxies must reattach the travel authorization to the expense reports and resubmit the report. For instructions on how to do this, please click here.
  • The Expense Report must be signed by the employee whose name appears at the top of the document via DocuSign or the “Print and Sign” option.
  • Ensure all receipts and supporting documentation are legible and uploaded prior to submitting an expense report to avoid delay in reimbursements.
  • All documents should be scanned into a single PDF file rather than individually.
  • The location of pick-up and drop-off must be annotated on the receipt for Taxi, Uber, Lyft, or shuttle (i.e., home to the airport, airport to the hotel, etc.)
  • If a University credit card or purchase order was used to pay for expenses, it must be annotated on the receipts prior to submitting the expense report.
  • The University’s procurement system must be utilized to the fullest extent for the operation of FIU. The Purchasing Services and the Credit Card Solutions department serve as the solution for acquiring equipment, furnishings, supplies, food, travel, renting meeting rooms, etc.

Avis/Budget Car Rental

  • It is crucial for university employees requiring a rental car for official business to adhere to the university’s policies and procedures. This includes using the specified website for making reservations: STATE OF FLORIDA RESERVATION PORTAL.
  • Effective July 2024, the daily rate for car rentals using the State Contract has increased. Please click here to view the In-State and Out-State Rental Pricing.

Reminders & Deadlines

Departmental Card Deadlines

As a reminder, departmental card billing transactions regularly load the first business day of the month; program participants will have 10 days to process this activity in its entirety. This month’s billing statement (dated July 31, 2024) loaded into PantherSoft on August 1, 2024 and must be completely processed by the end of the business day, August 16, 2024.

Any charges not processed by the closing deadline will be automatically charged to the cardholder’s default accounting on file and will not be eligible for expense transfer. Additionally, cardholders with three unjustified non-approvals in the same fiscal year may have their card limits temporarily suspended until they complete a retraining session.

Pending Travel Reports

Please approve Travel Authorizations, Cash Advances, and Expense reports in a timely manner. Documents that have not been completely finalized and are older than 90 days will be canceled or deleted by the Travel Department.  A list of pending documents is located here.  For information regarding report status abbreviations and how to close or cancel Travel Authorizations and/or Expense Reports, please click here.

Unidentified Wire Transfers and ACH Payments

The Controller’s Office occasionally receives payments that cannot be applied to the appropriate department due to inadequate information. Click here for the list of unidentified wire transfers and ACH payments as of July 2024.

To claim a payment, please contact Cash Management and provide the following information:

  • Payment details
  • Activity/Speedtype to which the payment should be recorded
  • Revenue Account to which the payment should be recorded

Payments that are not identified within 45 days of the wire/ACH date will be returned to the sender.

Surplus Form Submission Requirements

Effective immediately, the University has implemented changes to the Surplus Form submission requirements. The most significant change is that pictures must be attached to the email sent to property@fiu.edu of the equipment that is listed on the Surplus Form.

The Surplus Form has been updated with specific instructions on page 2 of the form.

Please take a few minutes to review the Surplus Form.

Should you need additional information or have any questions, please contact Property Control at: property@fiu.edu or (305) 348-2167.

For additional information, please visit Asset Management’s Website.