What is the General Ledger?
The General Ledger contains the financial data of the
University necessary for monitoring, analysing and
reporting the results of our financial operations.
The General Ledger records all financial transactions
undertaken by the University.

Generating Income - (selected GI)

Capital - (CPF)
COMMERCIAL ACTIVITIES (CA and selected GI)
RESTRICTED FUNDS
ChartFields organise our General Ledger financial
information into different categories or segments to aid
analysis and reporting.

External Research - (RE)

Other Restricted - (BE,ED, FC, GN, NP)
Financial data posted to the General Ledger requires
ChartField information including:- Business Unit*, Budget,
Fund, Department, Account, Project ID. These are
explained further below.

Other Research - (RF)
* GL Business Unit is unique for each legal entity and is different from
Business Unit in Procurement and Billing modules of Peoplesoft.
GL Business Units
STRATEGIC FUNDS

OTHER STRATEGIC - (DEV)

LEARNING & TEACHING - (LT)

STRATEGIC FUNDS - (SPF & SIR)
General Ledger Business Unit:
Department
—
—
—
—
—
To look up department hierarchies go to NSF and access
the menu item Tree Manager and run the ALL_ORGS tree
for the current year.
Holds a unique ACN & Payroll Group Number
Has reporting requirements to external bodies
Holds title to its own assets
Requires a separate Chart of Accounts
Is responsible for its own audit
I.e., UNSWA - Primary University / NSGLO - New South Global.
Budget
In system terms a Budget is usually a period of time.
Fund
To look up department hierarchies go to NSF and access
the menu item Tree Manager and run the
ALL_FUNDS_CALUMO tree for the current year.
Account
REVENUE
- Internal (0900 – 1300)
- External (1401 – 1507)

Operating Funds - (OP)

Faculty Research Grants - (IR)

Suspense - (SU)
Not used in the current accounting period chart of
accounts. Mandatory fields use zero’s in this field.
Project ID
Also sometimes referred to as a Grant. Captures and
controls transactions for specific projects within the
university.
Handy Inquiries & Reports
Budget Overview Inquiry - Summary position of your
Budget or Project, ie: how much money is left or how
much is encumbered.
Combination Edit Inquiry - Inquire as to the valid
ChartField relating to a project ie: what is the correct Fund,
Dept code for use to eliminate errors.
GLFS Report (General Ledger Financial Statement) –
Detail activity report listing of all GL transactions for a
selected Project for a selected Budget Periods. Schedule
your reports to be run overnight. By ticking the required
box additional information relating to AP Vouchers, AR
information and Payroll details can be obtained.
Journal Inquiry - Enables you to look up a specific journal
to view the accounting entries posted. Can filter inquiry
by Journal ID, Source, User ID, Date etc.
EXPENSE
- Payroll (4000 series)
- Equipment (5000 series)
- Material & Maintenance (6000 series)
- Travel (7000 series)
Terminology
ASSET (2000-3000 series)
Encumbrance - Monies “reserved” for expenditure, eg:
Purchase Orders which have been ordered, but not paid
for yet or, salaries assigned for the year but not paid yet.
LIABILITY (8000 series)
CONSOLIDATED OPERATING FUNDS
Program / Class
EQUITY (9000 series)
To view all account codes go to the NSF Menu item Tree Manager and
run the ALL_ACCOUNTS tree for the current year.
Commitment Control - ‘Expenditure Budgets’ meaning
the expected annual expenditure, eg: Salaries and
Purchasing.
Pre-Encumbrance - Monies “reserved” as above specific to
Requisitions raised in eProcurement before they are
converted to Purchase Orders.
Combination Edits - Pre-configured combinations of Fund,
Dept, Program, Class and Project ID to ensure validity of
ChartField in the transaction.
Accessing Additional Information
If you have any questions with regard to your financial
information please contact your School/faculty
Management Accountant listed in “Who can Help” section
on the Finance Home page.
More information on General Ledger Fundamentals can be
found in NS Financials Knowledgebase. Go to Finance
Website and then under Quick Links go to NS Financials
Knowledge Base >> General Ledger >> Chart of Accounts
NS FINANCIALS KNOWLEDGE BASE
Training Videos, User Manuals and Quick Reference Guides
can
be
accessed
from
Finance
Website
www.fin.unsw.edu..au under NS Financials Knowledge
Base in Quick Links.
NS Financials Knowledge Base >> Training >> Training
Materials
http://www.fin.unsw.edu.au/NSF_KnowledgeBase/QRG.html
http://www.fin.unsw.edu.au/NSF_KnowledgeBase/FKB_GL_C
OA.html
UNSW Accounting Periods
UNSW Financial Accounting Periods are as follows (be
careful not confuse the Month of March with the
accounting period 3):
Period
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
Start
01.01.14
03.02.14
03.03.14
31.03.14
28.04.14
02.06.14
30.06.14
28.07.14
01.09.14
29.09.14
03.11.14
01.12.14
End
02.02.14
02.03.14
30.03.14
27.04.14
01.06.14
29.06.14
27.07.14
31.08.14
28.09.14
02.11.14
30.11.14
31.12.14
GENERAL LEDGER
Days
33
28
28
28
35
28
28
35
28
35
28
31
Where to find Training
CLASSROOM TRAINING
Quarterly classroom training schedules are posted on the
finance website, select “NSF Knowledgebase” then
“Training” and “NSF Training”. Please seek approval from
your line manager and follow the normal approval process
to register classroom training.
Where to get help
GENERAL LEDGER HELP
– Contact your School/Faculty Management Accountant
for General Ledger and reporting assistance.
Quick Reference Guide
General Ledger Fundamentals
TECHNICAL HELP
–
Contact your local IT support team, if it cannot be
resolved contact the IT Service Desk x51333.
To access NSF and for all of the
University’s Financial Policies and
Guidelines refer to the Finance Website:
www.fin.unsw.edu.au
Version: V3.0