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.
ChartFields organise our General Ledger financial information into different categories or segments to aid analysis and reporting.
Financial data posted to the General Ledger requires ChartField information including:- Business Unit*, Budget, Fund, Department, Account, Project ID. These are explained further below.
* 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
General Ledger Business Unit:
— 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.
CONSOLIDATED OPERATING FUNDS
Ø Operating Funds - (OP)
Ø Faculty Research Grants - (IR)
Ø Suspense - (SU)
Ø Generating Income - (selected GI)
Ø Capital - (CPF)
COMMERCIAL ACTIVITIES (CA and selected GI)
RESTRICTED FUNDS
Ø External Research - (RE)
Ø Other Restricted - (BE,ED, FC, GN, NP)
Ø Other Research - (RF)
STRATEGIC FUNDS
Ø OTHER STRATEGIC - (DEV)
Ø LEARNING & TEACHING - (LT)
Ø STRATEGIC FUNDS - (SPF & SIR)
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.
Account
REVENUE
- Internal (0900 – 1300)
- External (1401 – 1507)
EXPENSE
- Payroll (4000 series)
- Equipment (5000 series)
- Material & Maintenance (6000 series)
- Travel (7000 series)
ASSET (2000-3000 series)
LIABILITY (8000 series)
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.
Program / Class
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.
Terminology
Commitment Control - ‘Expenditure Budgets’ meaning the expected annual expenditure, eg: Salaries and Purchasing.
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.
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
http://www.fin.unsw.edu.au/NSF_KnowledgeBase/FKB_GL_COA.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 Start End Days
1. 01.01.14 02.02.14 33
2. 03.02.14 02.03.14 28
3. 03.03.14 30.03.14 28
4. 31.03.14 27.04.14 28
5. 28.04.14 01.06.14 35
6. 02.06.14 29.06.14 28
7. 30.06.14 27.07.14 28
8. 28.07.14 31.08.14 35
9. 01.09.14 28.09.14 28
10. 29.09.14 02.11.14 35
11. 03.11.14 30.11.14 28
12. 01.12.14 31.12.14 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.
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
Where to get help
General Ledger Help
– Contact your School/Faculty Management Accountant for General Ledger and reporting assistance.
Technical Help
– Contact your local IT support team, if it cannot be resolved contact the IT Service Desk x51333.
General Ledger
Quick Reference Guide
General Ledger Fundamentals
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