The Office of Finance is responsible for analyzing and monitoring University and individual account activity, advising administrative officials if problems or potential problems exist, recommending guidelines for completing reconciliation, and providing assistance to University departments as requested.
The Department Head or Approving Authority (the person responsible for the operating budget) is responsible for maintaining accurate records, and controlling the financial activity of their departmental organization(s).
Reconciliation of monthly reports is essential to assure the accuracy of transactions posted to the Financial Information System. It allows departments to monitor the budget and guard against under and over expending. The reconciliation process involves comparing departmental transaction records to the items posted on the FIS Monthly Detail Report and Summary Financial reports. Each department head or their designee is responsible for ensuring that documentary evidence, subject to audit, is maintained, that their budget and expenditure reports have been reconciled on a timely basis (no less than monthly) and that reconciling items have been promptly resolved. The nature and extent of this documentary evidence is contingent upon the size and scope of the department's operations and should be determined by the Department Head.
Individual amounts shown on the monthly detail report, are summarized and shown in total by expenditure account code on the Summary Financial report. These amounts are automatically summarized and forwarded to the current month column on the Summary Financial Report. Year to date expenditures, Budget Balance, Encumbrances and percent of budget available for expenditure is also shown on this report.
A review of this report is recommended to determine that the financial data is reasonable and that adequate funds remain in the budget to cover commitments and future expenses.
The following steps are suggested for reconciling monthly reports with departmental records for expenditures.
Using the monthly detail report, review Personal Services expenditures to determine that charges are appropriate. To facilitate this process, detailed information can be obtained from the HR System Personal Expenditures Report or through HR queries requested from the Payroll Services Department. To obtain access to the Personal Expenditures Report please contact the HRMS Data Manager. For expenditures Other than Personal Services begin with Contractual Services (120000 series) account codes and review each amount listed in the current month column, to determine if charges are correct.
Differences between the posted amounts and departmental documentation shall be reconciled by contacting the appropriate department.
The Standard Tool for Accounting Reconciliation (STAR) is one available reconciliation method. Refer to the STAR webpage for more information.
The person completing the reconciliation should initial and date the monthly detail report and the Department Head or Designee should sign and date the report confirming the reconciliation has been properly completed. The JMU Monthly Reconciliation of JMU FIS Transactions Cover Sheet may also be used as certification of the monthly reconciliation.