Final Reporting Certification
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens if I don’t submit the Financial Reporting Certification Form by the due date?
1. CGA will contact the MSO and request the Form be submitted in 5 business days.
2. If not received by day 5, CGA will prepare the report per the General Ledger and any variance will be the
responsibility of the department.
What can be done if a subrecipient does not typically submit their final invoice on time?
Use the accrual process to record the anticipated expense in the General Ledger in time to submit the Final
Reporting Certification Form. If the final invoice is not yet available, a commitment from the subrecipient stating
the anticipated amount is acceptable for the accrual process. If you are unable to obtain an estimate of the final
amount from the subrecipient, you may accrue your best estimate up to the maximum amount available.
When completing an accrual, the following should be considered:
1.
Per normal practice, an accrual should only be considered if the subrecipient is meeting the programmatic
terms of the project.
2.
Each subcontract has specific final invoice due dates. If a subrecipient submits the final invoice outside of that
window, they are in violation of the terms of the contract and payment may be disallowed. The Principal
Investigator and departmental staff should determine if it is in the best interest of the University and/or its
relationship with that subrecipient to pay the invoice.
Does the offset line for the accrual journal automatically get populated with the Accrued Expense account
23183?
No. This line must be manually entered.
What happens if the No Cost Extension (NCE) is approved after the award expiration date?
CGA can implement a NCE and will adjust the close date of an award only when notified via the appropriate preaward office via normal procedures (i.e., CACTAS) of the approved NCE. Therefore, if there is the possibility of a
NCE, it should be identified and executed as early as possible to avoid the necessity of the Final Reporting and
Closeout Process. If the NCE gets executed after the fact, all transactions will be reversed as appropriate.
If the actual expense comes in during the close-out and is greater than the accrual, where does the difference
go?
CGA will process the difference in accordance with the Exception Process for Refiles/Revisions (note, a revised
report does not need to be filed).
How do I know what my recharge accrual should be?
Determine if the recharge expenses are monthly or quarterly and ensure the full allotment for the reporting period
has posted to the ledger. Accrue the exact amount of the recharge that has not yet posted.
Also, inquire of the Principal Investigator and other significant program staff if any one-time recharge services
were ordered. If these charges are not yet posted, then accrue for these services.
How should I validate all payroll charges have posted?
Review the Distribution of Payroll Expense (DPE) Report for the reporting period and determine:
•
The employees included are appropriate (no missing, no extra, etc.)
•
The percentages allocated for each employee are appropriate (reflect their effort on the award) and
complete (reflect the entire award period)
•
Ensure that all included employee’s timesheets were approved timely (note, this ensures vacation and
other leave are recorded timely)
•
Ensure that there are no pending pay adjustments for the included employees (note, this ensures the
rates are appropriate)
•
DPE equals the Transaction Detail Report for the same period (note, this ensure there is no suspended
payroll)
If any of the above items determine, the payroll is incomplete, then propose a PET accrual.
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How do I know if payroll has gone into suspense?
Payroll is in suspense if you are able to see the expenses on the Distribution of Payroll Expense DPE report but
not on the General Ledger (i.e., through the Transaction Detail Report). In this case, contact the Controller’s
Office Solutions Center for assistance.
Why do we need the processing end date?
The processing end date ensures that transactions (expenses/revenues) DO NOT post outside of the budget
period to enable CGA to meet Uniform Guidance and other sponsor requirements for reporting and deobligation
of funds.
What if allowable expenses are identified after we’ve closed the award?
CGA will process the difference in accordance with the Exception Process for Refiles/Revisions. File a revised
Financial Reporting Certification Form to notify CGA of the identified expenses.
In accordance with this new exception process, generally, all transactions under $5,000 will be recorded by award
in a central clearing account by sponsor type. At year end, CGA will reconcile the central clearing accounts to
determine if the funds are to be returned to the sponsor, department or net to $0. Transactions over $5,000 will be
reviewed on a case by case basis to determine the appropriate action.
Who do I contact if I still have a question about Final Reporting Certification?
Contact CGASvcDesk@ucsf.edu
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