Monthly Closing Deadlines

The October 2023 period in the general ledger has closed.  The current and future month-end processing deadline schedules are located at Monthly Closing Deadlines.

Update On Campus Deliveries

In order to mitigate the delivery issues encountered mostly by Amazon delivery drivers who had difficulties locating buildings on MMC campus, we decided to update the building addresses in PeopleSoft Financials from the main campus address (11200 SW 8th St) to their physical addresses. To qualify for an update, a building’s physical address had to be located accurately within FIU by Google Maps, which powers most delivery related applications. The FIU building list found here indicates if a building address was updated or not:

• Buildings with a green address were updated to their physical addresses.
• Buildings in red were not updated as their physical addresses in Google Maps indicated that their locations were not within FIU.
• Buildings in blue were not updated. Even though their physical addresses were located within FIU, their location was inaccurate.

Additionally, the University Postal Services has partnered with Amazon to allow drivers who have trouble finding their delivery locations to drop off their packages at the CSC mailroom. The mailroom staff will distribute the packages during regular campus mail delivery rounds.

Coming Soon – Changes to Purchasing Regulation FIU-2201

The BOG approved an increase to the formal bid threshold. Per Procurement Regulation BOG 18.001, each university Board of Trustees shall establish a competitive solicitation threshold not greater than $150,000 (the “Competitive Solicitation Threshold”) for the purchase of commodities or contractual services. Starting in January 2024, the competitive solicitation threshold will be reviewed every three years using the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), to determine if an adjustment should be recommended to the threshold.

Contingent upon BOT approval, Purchasing Regulation FIU-2201 will be amended to reflect these changes. The Procurement Services team will be sending out communication to address changes to quote thresholds and forms as applicable. 

Onboarding Multiple Honorariums/Stipends

The Supplier Relationship team would like to extend to you our assistance if processing multiple Honorarium/Stipend recipients in PantherSoft to be paid via the unencumbered payment process.

Please remember that they will need to register online via our supplier portal linked here, and must upload their signed and dated W-9 IRS form https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-form-w-9, and the documentation from the event or email invitation. Please instruct the recipient to include the department contact they are working with as the supplier team will be reaching out to them.

You may send an email to vendors@fiu.edu and we will provide you with detailed instructions on how to register via the portal. If honorarium recipients will be in one location for your event, let us know and the Supplier Relationship team can be present to provide in-person instructions on how to register.

Restricted Pcard Purchases

With South Florida temperatures cooling down and the holidays quickly approaching, we would like to take this opportunity to remind you of a few of the seasonal purchases that are not allowed with the Departmental Card: 

• Portable Heaters and Fans
• Air Purifiers
• Greeting Cards
• Gifts of any kind 
• Gift Cards
• Flowers & Balloon Arrangements (for individual recognition) 
• Holiday Decorations, Parties or Party supply
• FIU Parking Decals
• Alcoholic Beverages
• Hazardous Materials/Chemicals (including dry ice)

The items above are just a few of the restricted items. To review the online manual in its entirety, please click here, page 28. 

If you have accidentally purchased a non-allowable item or if you have any questions, please let us know. Again, we would like to wish you a wonderful holiday season and thank you for your continued participation in the University Departmental Card Program. 

Tax Compliance

Florida Sales Tax Rate Decreased to 4.5% on December 1, 2023, for Rental, Lease, or License to Use Real Property

Currently, Florida imposes a 6% sales tax on the sales of most goods and certain services. In addition, Florida counties can impose a local option surtax on top of the 6% rate that varies by county. Therefore, the sales tax rate is 7% in Miami-Dade County, Broward County, and Pinellas County (due to the additional 1% surtax).

The sales tax is also imposed on commercial leases and licenses to use real property, but at a reduced rate. Some examples of real property rentals that are subject to tax include (commercial office or retail space, conference rooms, ballrooms, stadiums, arenas, etc.). The sales tax rate imposed under Florida Statutes on the rent charged for renting, leasing, or granting a license to use real property is currently 6.5% (5.5% plus the additional 1% surtax).

Effective December 1, 2023, the sales tax rate imposed under Florida Statutes on the rent charged for renting, leasing, or granting a license to use real property is decreased to 4.5%. Therefore, the sales tax rate for any rental activity taking place on or after December 1, 2023, will be 5.5% (4.5% plus the additional 1% surtax) for Miami-Dade County, Broward County, and Pinellas County.

To accurately collect and remit the sales tax collected by the University, rental related sales tax collections should only be posted to one of the following general ledger accounts shown below.

Account number 311318 (Sales Tax Liab MD Prop Rental) – this account is used to record/deposit sales tax for rental activity taking place in Miami-Dade County, that is subject to the reduced 5.5% (2023) sales tax rate and previous 6.5% (2020) sales tax rate.

Account number 311319 (Sales Tax Liab Bwd Prop Rental) – this account is used to record/deposit sales tax for rental activity taking place in Broward County, that is subject to the reduced 5.5% (2023) sales tax rate and previous 6.5% (2020) sales tax rate.

Account number 311320 (Sales Tax Liab PIN Prop Rental) – this account is used to record/deposit sales tax for rental activity taking place in Pinellas County, that is subject to the reduced 5.5% (2023) sales tax rate and previous (2020) sales tax rate.

However, this reduction does not change the sales tax rate for all other taxable sales.  All other sales tax activity (not rental related) should be posted to one of the following general ledger accounts.

Account number 311315 (Sales Tax Liab MD NOT Rental) – this account is used to record/deposit sales tax for goods or services being sold in Miami-Dade County which are subject to the 7.0% sales tax rate.

Account number 311317 (Sales Tax Liab BWD NOT Rental) – this account is used to record/deposit sales tax for goods or services being sold in Broward County which are subject to the 7.0% sales tax rate.

Please continue to use Department Number 110401000 and Activity Number 1104120007 for all sales tax deposits regardless of general ledger account used.

If you have questions about this change or any other sales tax questions, please email Tax Compliance Services or call any of the Tax Compliance team members. You can also click this link to Florida Tax Information Publication (TIP) No. 23A01-20, which contains additional information related to the sales tax rate change.

Travel News

• Travel Proxies and HR Supervisors, Expense Managers, Project Managers, or Supplemental Approver must ensure Travel Authorizations, Cash Advances, and Expense Reports are being submitted properly and in a timely matter in accordance with FIU Travel Policy and Florida Statute (FS) 112.061.
• 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.
• Vicinity travel will not be reimbursed if the dates claimed are over ninety (90) days old.
• 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. 

International Travel on Behalf of FIU

As a reminder, all FIU faculty, staff, student-employees, and other personnel traveling abroad on FIU-sponsored or FIU-related trips, are required to complete a Travel Authorization Request (TA) and Expense Post Travel Compliance Report (ER).  A fully approved TA must be obtained before travel commences and any expenses are incurred. Please note that students not employed by FIU follow a different process which includes completing a required pre-departure travel registration and orientation prior to going abroad.

Pursuant to Florida State legislation (F.S. 1010.36), and other guidance by federal and state agencies, FIU is required to screen and report certain international travel activity. The University has modified the travel authorization and expense report process to meet the required screening and pre-approval for all international travel and associated foreign activities.

Travel Authorization Request

When completing a TA, travelers will be asked to complete a pre-departure Foreign Travel Guidance and Screening Questionnaire and acknowledge their understanding of FIU’s Guidance for International Travel. This must be completed and approved prior to travel taking place.  We recommend that FIU travelers or proxies submit their foreign travel TA’s at least seven (7) business days before departure to allow sufficient time for the request to be screened and approved by the Export Control Office. Failure to do so may result in a trip delay. Please note that there are significant restrictions related to travel to foreign countries of concern (FCC), which may impact screening time and approval (FCCs include the People’s Republic of China, the Russian Federation, the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, the Republic of Cuba, the Venezuelan regime of Nicholas Maduro, or the Syrian Arab Republic).

Expense Post Travel Compliance Reporting

Additionally, upon completion of travel, all travelers to an international location must also report any honoraria and/or payments received from a foreign source within the expense report system.  All travelers must complete an Expense Post Travel Compliance Report (ER), that must be submitted within ten (10) business days after the completion of the trip, even if no expenses are incurred.

Complete information may be found on the FIU Export Controls website (“Guidance for International Travel”) or you can contact our Office of Export Controls at export@fiu.edu. Our Export Controls team will promptly partner with you to answer questions and provide support. 

Limiting Allowable Hotel Expenses Continues for FY-2024

For the current fiscal year, the Florida Legislature has mandated in HB 5003 that lodging paid with state funding may not exceed $225 per night for university employees for events (meetings, conferences, or conventions) sponsored or organized in whole or in part by Florida International University. State funds include all E&G funds and state-sponsored grants.  Amounts exceeding $225 per night may be paid through an alternative funding source.

Departments must ensure this law’s requirements are met when lodging for FIU employees attending FIU-sponsored events.

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 October 2023.

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 sender.