Monthly Closing Deadlines

The November 2025 period in the general ledger has closed.  The current and future month-end processing deadline schedules are located at Monthly Closing Deadlines.

Timely PCard Cancellations Are Critical

Per the Departmental Card Guidelines & Procedures Manual, departments must follow the proper card cancellation process. Departments must promptly notify the Credit Card Solutions Team (CCST) whenever a cardholder’s employment status changes.

To prevent audit findings, the Office of the Controller requires the following:

Key Steps

1. Notify CCST immediately when a cardholder resigns, transfers, separates, retires, or changes duties.
2. Notify CCST before submitting the CSS08 Card Cancellation form.
3. Wait for CCST confirmation that the card is cancelled.
4. Submit the completed CSS08 form only after confirmation.

Why It Matters

1. Timely notification reduces liability and prevents unauthorized purchases.
2. Failure to follow proper and timely card cancellation steps can result in loss of PCard privileges for your entire department.

Action Required

Review Section 2.10 of the Manual and verify your team follows these steps every time.

Your efforts help safeguard University assets and ensure compliance. For questions, email ccsteam@fiu.edu.

Viewing an invoice on myFIUmarket

With the exception of Integrated DNA and 4Imprint, all myFIUmarket suppliers submit invoices electronically via Jaggaer. To view these invoices online, you must first request the ‘Invoice Viewer’ role (J020) using the Access Request form in PantherSoft.

Once your access is granted, log in to Jaggaer and navigate to Accounts Payable > Invoices > Search for Invoices, as shown below:

Once on the search page, navigate to Add Filter and scroll down to “PO Number” (see below).

Enter the full PO number. Click “Search”. You should be able to see the invoices attached to that PO.

To Receive or Not to Receive

You ordered an item from a myFIUmarket catalog, it was shipped, and you now have it in your possession. However, you no longer want to keep it and have not yet created the receipt in PantherSoft. In this situation, do not receive the item in PantherSoft. Instead, contact the account representative or the supplier’s customer service team to arrange the return. For additional details, refer to page 96 of the Procure To Pay Manual.

OCO Items mixed with Non-OCO Items on Req

When creating a requisition for OCO items, ensure that all related costs—such as installation, shipping, and training—are also classified as OCO using the same category as the asset. Because supplier quotes often break down costs into multiple lines, you must review each line before submitting to confirm whether you are purchasing a capital asset or non-OCO items like supplies or maintenance.

Enhancement to the Smart Journal Tool

The Smart Journal tool used for verifying available cash and processing cash transfers has been further enhanced to support Project IDs and Fund code 453.  We encourage all users to take full advantage of these new features and discontinue using the paper form.

For any questions, feel free to contact Financial Systems and Support Services at (305) 348-7200 or email controller@fiu.edu.

Safeguarding Attractive Property

Departments are responsible for protecting Attractive Property—items under $5,000 that are portable, unsecured, and often contain new technology or can be adapted for personal use.

To prevent audit findings, the Office of the Controller requires departments to:

• Identify and assess risk for Attractive Property
• Record and track these items

We also recommend an annual inventory to maintain accountability.

Please review the resources below as you implement or update your tracking process:

• Property Control #1130.010
• Property Control Manual
• Attractive Property Tracking Template

Your efforts help safeguard University assets and ensure compliance. For questions, email property@fiu.edu.

New Travel Expense Types

We are pleased to announce that several new travel expense types have been added to the Travel Module.  These additions are designed to allow for more accurate categorization and breakdown of travel-related expenses.

Below is the list of new Expense Types:

For any questions, feel free to contact Financial Systems and Support Services at (305) 348-7200 or email controller@fiu.edu.

Requirements for Non-Employee Travel

Effective November 2025, all Non-Employee travel must include the prefix “On Behalf of [Traveler Name]” at the beginning of the Travel Authorization (TA) and Expense Report (ER) descriptions.

This change is being implemented immediately to promote consistency, transparency, and facilitate the efficient identification of non-employee travel by the Controller’s Office and other auditing units.

Required Description Format Examples:

• On Behalf of Panther Roary
• On Behalf of Dr. Roary Panther

Please ensure all future non-employee TAs and ERs adhere to this format. Failure to comply may result in processing delays or a return for correction.

Travel News – Important Reminders

•  Employee Signature Requirement

Expense reports must be signed by the employee listed at the top of the report. This can be done via DocuSign or using the Print and Sign option.

•  Receipt & Documentation Requirements

Ensure all receipts and supporting documentation are legible and uploaded prior to submission to avoid reimbursement delays. Departments are strongly encouraged to use the [Travel Reimbursement Checklist] to verify that all required documentation is included.

•  Combine Files into One PDF

All documentation should be scanned and uploaded as a single PDF file rather than as individual pages.

•  Ride Receipt Annotations

For Taxi, Uber, Lyft, or shuttle services, the pickup and drop-off locations must be clearly noted on the receipt (e.g., “home to airport”, “airport to hotel”).

•  P-Card or PO Usage Notations

If expenses were paid using a university credit card or purchase order, this must be clearly annotated on the corresponding receipts prior to submission.

•  Use of FIU Procurement Systems

To ensure compliance and efficiency, the University’s procurement system must be fully utilized for all operational needs, including travel, equipment, supplies, rentals, food, and furnishings. Departments should coordinate with Purchasing Services and Credit Card Solutions as needed.

Important International Travel Compliance Reminder

Effective March 1, 2025, if you depart on an international trip prior to full Travel Authorization (TA) approval, a confirmation of which is emailed to you, there will be no reimbursement of travel expenses paid by you from personal funds, and repayment from the traveler to the University for expenses paid with University funds will be required. Further, an employee may be subject to discipline and/or restrictions on international travel privileges. Regardless of whether a proxy assists in the TA process, the traveler is responsible for verifying that the TA is fully approved before departing on the trip and will be held accountable if it is not.

Please reference the full memorandum, which also includes details from previous notifications.

Travel Authorization

 An approved Travel Authorization (TA) is a traveler’s permission to incur expenses and travel on behalf of Florida International University. Without an approved travel authorization (TA), the payment of travel expenses on behalf of the University, using the procurement card, or by the traveler is prohibited. This includes FIU employees, FIU students, and others who travel on the University’s behalf. The Authorization must include all known or projected travel expenses, a descriptive business purpose, and the correct trip start and end dates, as well as the business destination(s). It must also provide an estimated trip cost.

Requirement for Domestic and Foreign Travel

All expense reports must include a Meal Reimbursement Breakdown Template to support per diem or actual meal claims. This template is required and must be attached to the supporting documentation of the expense report.

To streamline compliance, FIU has developed two distinct templates:

• Domestic Meal Reimbursement Template
• Foreign Meal Reimbursement Template

Travelers are required to use the appropriate template based on their travel destination and include the completed form in the expense report documentation.

This template is mandatory to ensure compliance with the FIU Travel Policy and to facilitate accurate and timely reimbursement.