Budget FAQs

Chart of Accounts

• What is the Chart of Accounts?

  The Chart of Accounts (COA) is the numbering system used by Banner to capture financial transactions and facilitate retrieval of information and financial reporting. 
  The UNF Chart of Accounts is designated by the letter 'U' in the Banner System.

  The Chart of Accounts is made up of the following elements also known as the FOAPAL:

   

  1. Fund
  2. Organization (Org)
  3. Account
  4. Program (PCS)
  5. Activity
  6. Location

   

• What is an index?

  An index is a shortcut in the Banner system to return a specific combination of one fund, one organization (org), and one program code. Always use your index to ensure you have the correct fund/org/program code combination. Many times in the Banner System, once your input your index and hit submit, the index will disappear and return the corresponding fund, org, and program code.

  See the definition in the Data Cookbook.

• How do I find an index?
  If you need to look up an index, please use the Index Lookup tool. Here you can enter a fund and organization (org) combination to find the index, or find out more information about an index. The other tabs on the spreadsheet also contains a list of all active indexes, funds, and orgs and their titles. To utilize the lookup feature, you do have to open it in Excel versus viewing it in a browser.
• Is there a coding scheme for funds and organization codes?

  Yes, there is a 'smart' coding scheme for both fund numbers and organization codes (orgs). Each fund and organization code's starting digit(s) indicate what area that fund or org falls within. View the coding scheme below:

  Fund and Org Coding Scheme

Budget Amendments

• How do I submit a budget amendment online?

  Complete a Budget Transfer B09 in Finance Self Service or email your budget transfer request form to banner-budget@unf.edu.

• How do I know if I need to submit a budget transfer or expense transfer?

  Click to view the Decision Guide Flowchart or see below for an explanation.

   

  First, take a look at your budget query. 

   

  If the amount you want to move is located in the Accounted Budget Column, submit a budget transfer. The amounts in the Budget Columns are just plans for spending for the selected fiscal year. These transfers can be done in Finance Self Service with the 'Budget and Expenditure Transfer' link. Budget transfers are the B09 (UNF Budget Rule Code). You can also submit these requests through the University Planning and Budget Office using the Budget Amendment template. Email these requests to Banner-Budget@unf.edu.

   

  If the amount you want to move is located in the Year to Date Column, submit a request for transfer. The amounts in the Year to Date column are actual expenses that were charged to the index. These transfers can also be done in Finance Self Service, using the 'Budget and Expenditure Transfer' link. Expense transfers are the J09 (Departmental Expenditure Transfer). You can also submit these requests through General Accounting using their template via email to bangen@unf.edu.

• How do I make a permanent change to my budget?

  Permanent Budget Transfers can only be done by the University Planning and Budget Office or through the Self Service Budget Development module during Budget Development season (usually January to March each year).

   

  To submit a permanent transfer, fill out the template and email it to banner-budget@unf.edu. Please note that you would like this to be a permanent budget change (Journal Type BD02).

Positions

• How do I complete paper PAFs electronically?

  Please use the guidelines below for submitting paper PAFs via email. If you have the option to do an ePAF for the transaction you are completing, please submit an ePAF instead. When routing the electronic paper PAFs via email, please copy PAF@unf.edu at each step in the process.

  Completing an electronic Paper PAF.

  HR Forms

• How do I request a new position number?

  To request an entirely new position, start a new position description (PD) in the Position Management module in OASys. Contact Human Resources if you need help creating a new PD. Enter 'TBD' as the position number. In the budget section, note what index, fund, and org the position will be paid from, and note how the position will be funded including if there are any rate movements or OE conversions to fund the position. This request will route through HR, your division, and the University Planning and Budget Office who will add the position number to your PD if approved.

   

  To request a new position number for an existing position due to a change in funding, modify that position's PD in OASys. Contact Human Resources if you need help making PD updates. On the PD, enter 'TBD' as the position number that will need to be set up. In the budget section, note what index, fund, and org the position will be paid from, and note how the position will be funded including if there are any rate movements or OE conversions to fund the position. This request will route through HR, your division, and the University Planning and Budget Office who will add the position number to your PD if approved.

  
  

  For faculty position numbers, please request via email to banner-budget@unf.edu. Please submit the position class code and funding source (index/fund/org) where the position will be paid from.

E&G Funding

• What does E&G stand for?

  E&G is Education & General funding which comes from the state. 

  See the definition in the Data Cookbook.

• How to I plan for additional expenses throughout the year that are not yet in the banner system?
  There is an E&G projection tool located in Finance Self Service in MyWings. In this tool you can view your current budget and expenditures and add in additional projection figures to help you plan for upcoming expenses. You can also navigate to this link if you are signed into the VPN or physically on campus: https://banpages.unf.edu/BannerExtensibility/customPage/page/nfFinBud_002_BudgetProjection
• How do I request additional E&G money?
  Submit a Recurring Request in the budget development cycle for the new fiscal year. The request forms can be found on the Budget Development Resources page and are collected during the Budget Development season each year (typically January to March). Completed request forms should be submitted to your Divisional Budget Officer who will forward the request on to the University Planning and Budget Office if approved by the division.
• What happens if I am not able to use all my E&G funding by the end of the fiscal year?
  Unless you have an encumbered contract or purchase order by the fiscal year end deadline, you will not be able to keep any unused budgeted amounts to use in the next fiscal year. If you need to make any additional purchases, please ensure the charges come through or complete any contracts or purchase order processes and approvals before the fiscal year end deadlines.

Reporting

• Are there any additional budget reporting tools outside of Finance Self Service?

  Yes, we have been developing additional reporting tools for departmental and divisional use. Some examples are Budget Matrix by Unit, Budget Matrix by Fund, and Auxiliary Fund Dashboard.

  Please visit https://reports.unf.edu/reports/browse/Administration%20and%20Finance/Finance, or in MyWings, go to Employee Resources, then click Reports, then click Budget Reporting Tools.

• Who do I contact if I need help with budget reports or have an idea for a new budget report?
  If you have questions about existing budget reports or have an idea for a new budget or planning report that would be helpful for you, please contact Mike McGuire at m.mcguire@unf.edu.

Additional Assistance

• Who do I reach out to for help with my budget?

  Your divisional budget officer or college budget officer is a great starting place for you if you have questions about your budget. But, the University Planning and Budget staff is always here to help as well!

  Please see our Contact Us page for a breakdown of who is responsible for different budgetary functions, or email banner-budget@unf.edu with any questions and they will be routed to the appropriate person.