General Accounting

Mission Statement

General Accounting is an area of the Controller's Office in the Division of Administration & Finance. The mission of General Accounting is to perform the official financial duties of the University of North Florida and to provide and maintain the official accounting records and related systems of internal control in accordance with accounting principles and standards set by the Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB), University policy and procedures, the requirements of federal and state governmental agencies, and external funding sources. To maximize customer service support, the department also provides training, instruction, assistance, and advice to University personnel charged with financial management and control.

The main duties of General Accounting are:

• Provide accurate and timely reporting of University financial matters to the appropriate internal and external recipients, including preparation of the University’s annual financial statements as well as any other required financial reports (e.g., IPEDS), including related financial statements schedules and workpapers.
• Process journal entries efficiently and accurately to the General Ledger. Control the flow of transactions to the General Ledger from subsystems and online journals including correction of system errors and various account control analysis. Record interdepartmental sales of goods and services to the General Ledger. Review and post correction journals to General Ledger, including corrections needed for the bank reconciliation provided by the Treasury department.  
• Review and reconcile General Ledger account codes, funds and processes that feed into the General Ledger, including the accounts receivable subsidiary ledger to the General Ledger and prepare the A/R write-offs to be presented to University Administration. This includes Payroll and PCard balancing and reconciling.
• Provide tax planning and related services to the University; serve as an information resource and provide advice on related issues; develop systems and reporting procedures to maximize compliance with federal, state and local tax laws, rules and regulations; coordinate and prepare the timely and accurate submission of various university tax filings; determine the budgetary impact of compliance initiatives on University departments; and identify and quantify potential areas of tax exposure. Tax Reporting: Annual Federal 990-T and State of Florida reporting, including Form 1120, Sales and Use tax, and Communications Services tax.
• Coordinate with the Budget Office and Financial Systems to establish and maintain the Chart of Accounts.
• Coordinate with the Budget Office and Financial Systems for month/year end closing.
• Maintain and monitor University agency funds.
• Monitor University petty cash funds.
• Provide General Ledger training to the campus community.   
• Monitor and provide administration with construction projects status reports, prepare monthly 442 disbursement report to the State, request funds from FLDOE, record work in process and analyze retainage liability accounts.
• Monitor Investment in Plant Fund, including depreciation, and capitalization in accordance with federal regulations specified in current OMB Circulars and GASB.
• Ensure proper accounting and compliance of departmental and financial aid activities, request draw-downs from agencies and reconcile financial aid funds
• Coordinate the efforts of internal and external audits related to financial reporting and accounting, including the NCAA Athletic agreed upon procedures or audit.
• Provide campus leadership in the development of effective control systems to safeguard University’s fiscal assets.
• Assist with business continuation in the event of a “disaster.”

Procedures

Accounting and Financial Management

The following items are processes that affect the University:

• Agency Procedures - procedures for handling funds deposited with UNF for the benefit of a third party.
• Agency Fund Procedure
• Capital Appropriation Procedures - procedures for handling capital project funds authorized by State of Florida legislation
• Construction Projects Cash Request (Form 442) Procedure
• Capital Outlay Encumbrance Authorization Request and Set Up of Newly Authorized Projects/Funds in Banner (Login may be required)

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