Reports & Processes Reminders
June 25, 2009
Finance Contacts:

The CND Finance Team recently sent out a few reminders for running reports & processes.  We wanted to share this information so everyones jobs run efficiently during year end processing.

Setting up Run Control and criteria
Please make sure you are selecting the correct criteria in your run control.  Some run controls have a section titled Selection Parameters which requires a row for each criterion.  The first row requires the selection of business unit and a value for your business unit.  Additional rows are added for more criteria. 

When you run a report and select the all values button, it overrides the value from and value to fields. Please make sure to not check the all values when you are running for a specific fund/account combination. Also, note there are chartfields in 9.0 that we are not using, please only include the chartfields that apply to the report you are processing.

If you decide to "select all values' the report needs to be scheduled to run after 5:00 as it will run quite awhile.  We do not want these reports to run during the day and take up resources. We will cancel these processes if we find them running too long.

If you need assistance in setting up your run controls, please feel free to email financequestions@mail.und.edu.

Running one or more reports using the same run control ID
The way the process monitor works is that when you save the run control parameters and submit a job (report), the parameters are not actually used until the process starts. 

When you submit one job (report) the parameters get used when it starts running.  If you wish to submit another one, but use the same run control ID, after you change the parameters and save the run control, if the previous job you submitted is not yet started, it will use the new parameters you just saved for your new report. 

The result is that the report will run twice, with one set of parameters - the one you most recently set up. Subsequent reports are manually canceled by the CND Project staff.  If the jobs were allowed to process, not only would it slow the system but the reports would return the same information.  If you are running the same report multiple times because the system is slow, you are actually contributing to the slow response time of the system.  If you wish to use the same run control ID for different values, you still need the first one to process to "Success" before running the next one.  Alternatively, you can set up new run control IDs for each set of parameters.

Please be patient and wait for your report "Run Status" to indicate "Success" in the Process Monitor before running the next report using the same run control ID.

Reviewing the process monitor

Be sure to check out the other Tip Sheets available on the Connect'U'ND website:
http://www.und.edu/cnd/HTML/Financetipsheets.htm

Thanks for your support and patience in making the system more efficient!

HRMS Access & Pay Confirm
June 25, 2009
HRMS Contacts:

All HRMS department users MUST be logged off and out of HRMS by 11:45 am on Pay Confirm days. You may log back in at 10:15 the following morning to run your HE Actual Reports.   In the future, we will send an email, notifying you of Pay Confirm and the time that you must be out of HRMS. In addition, you can also refer to the Payroll calendar.

Several users have been experiencing access problems the past few pay periods.   The Security Team believes these problems are caused by HRMS users either logged into HRMS when the access is shut off for Pay Confirm, or trying to log into HRMS when they are locked out.   

Please read the additional instructions from the Security Team that should solve any future access problems that you may experience:

It is imperative that users sign out prior to the time that pay confirm is being run.  To sign out, you must click on the hyperlink 'Sign out' in the upper corner of your screen.  If you click on the 'X' in the upper corner to close the session, you are not
signing out.

Each time that the pay confirm is run, there are certain users who are troubled by not being able to use certain navigations.  This is caused by the user not signing out properly and/or by not signing out at all and remaining on the system. 

This causes frustration on the part of the users who later cannot use the navigations and also causes extra work for several people to resolve the problem.

To avoid these problems, it is recommended you follow these steps on the day that Pay Confirm is run:
1.Sign out before Pay Confirm is run (See the calendar on the UND Payroll website) - by 11:45 am.
2.Do not sign back in before 10:15 am on the following day
3.Before you sign in the following day, clear your cache and delete your cookies , close your browser , open a new browser and then sign in.

If you have problems with your access, please call the Help Desk at 7-2222.  HRMS users that consistently have problems with their access and Security can see that they continue to be in HRMS during a lock out, may lose future access to HRMS and/or be reported to their supervisor.

Patricia Hanson
Director of Payroll
University of North Dakota
264 Centennial Drive Stop 7127
Grand Forks, ND  58202
Telephone: (701) 777-4228
Fax: (701) 777-4721

Mileage Reimbursement Policy Change
June 24, 2009
Finance Contacts:

UND Accounting Services continues to review policies and procedures to improve efficiency and effectiveness for UND and its employees. Beginning July 1, 2009, the UND mileage reimbursement rate for personal vehicles will be consistent with other state agencies and the North Dakota Century Code (NDCC) 54-06-09. Currently, the UND reimbursement rate for personal vehicle mileage is more restrictive than required by NDCC. The in-state mileage rate will be paid to any location 300 miles beyond the borders of the state. Mileage in excess of 300 miles will be paid at the out-of-state mileage rate.

The current reimbursement rate for in-state mileage is $.45/mile; the current rate for out-of-state mileage is $.18/mile. The actual reimbursement rate may fluctuate periodically as established by the ND Office of Management and Budget to align with the US General Services Administration (GSA) rate.

NDCC still requires the use of state-owned vehicles unless the employee's supervisor or their designate has approved the use of a personal vehicle.

If you have any questions please contact any of the following:
Allison Peyton, Director of Accounting Services at 7-2968 or allisonpeyton@mail.und.edu
Bonnie Nerby, Accounting Services Auditor at 7-2966 or bonnienerby@mail.und.edu
Sharon Berning, Controller at 7-3178 or sharonberning@mail.und.edu

Email #062409-2

New Software Purchasing Policy
June 24, 2009
Department Heads & Finance Contacts:

President Kelley has approved a new software purchasing policy that has led to the development of a streamlined software purchasing procedure.  A group of individuals, assembled by Josh Riedy, UND CIO, worked through the details to ensure the functionality of the process.  The new Software Purchasing Procedures and a Non-Standard Software Purchasing Form are attached.  The new procedures become effective July 1, 2009.

 Josh Riedy, UND CIO
Scott Schreiner, UND Director of Purchasing

 Email #062409-1

Software Purchasing Procedures
Non-Standard Software Purchase Form

UND Foundation FYE 2009 Procedures
June 1, 2009
Finance Contacts:

Please note the attached fiscal year-end procedures memo from the UND Foundation.

Thank you!
Finance & Operations on behalf of the UND Foundation.

Email # 060109-3

UND Foundation 2009 FYE Procedures

HRMS Information Update
May 22, 2009
HRMS Contacts:

New Hire Chart Updated:  The New Hire Chart has been updated.  It is attached and on the Payroll website.   A change has been made to the Non-Student Part-time column, #1.  If employee was a UND student spring semester and will be a UND student in the fall, Student Financial Aid will approve hiring these employees as students during the summer.  Departments must follow the Institutional Hiring processing, including the use of JobX, just as they would with other student employees.   This change has been made to allow department to hire these individuals as students, so you do not have to process a termination and rehire through Payroll in the fall.  However, you must still do the rehire through JobX in fall (see Student Employment Grid on the Payroll website for process).

Graduate Student Assistants:   Since Graduate Student Assistants are paid monthly, they will continue to be paid unless you process the necessary paperwork through Payroll.  If they will not be working for your department during the summer as a Graduate Student, do the following:  1) If a Graduate assistant will not be teaching/researching anywhere on campus during the summer and will not be returning to UND in the fall, submit a Job Data change form to terminate.  OR   2)   If a Graduate Assistant will be doing teaching/research on campus this summer for another department, or will return in the fall, Submit a Job Data change form to reduce their compensation to zero, so they will not receive a check, but their Health insurance will continue through the summer.   Termination of a returning Graduate Assistant will cancel their Health insurance.

Summer Paperwork:  Due to the large number of hires and terminations that happen during the summer, please submit your paperwork as soon as possible.

New Hire Chart

Important Information Regarding Identification While Traveling
May 21, 2009
Finance Contacts:

This message is from the Transportation Security Administration regarding the Secure Flight Program.

AIRLINE PASSENGER TRAVEL DOCUMENTS MUST BE AN EXACT MATCH TO PASSENGER IDENTIFICATION DOCUMENTS
 
Important Information - Effective May 15, 2009

In March, the TSA announced implementation of the Secure Flight Program, which shifts pre-departure watch list matching responsibilities from individual aircraft operators to the TSA and carries out a key recommendation of the 9/11 Commission.

Under Secure Flight, airlines (and travel agents) will gather a passenger's full name, date of birth, and gender when making an airline reservation. The idea behind Secure Flight is to eliminate the possibility of a passenger being mistakenly delayed due to a similar name of someone on the TSAs watch list. By providing the additional data elements of gender and date of birth, Secure Flight will be even more effective in helping prevent misidentification of passengers.

Beginning May 15, 2009, tickets must be issued in the passengers full name as it appears on the government identification they will be using to fly. If the drivers license and passport have different names, the name on the ticket should match exactly to the identification they will use on the specific trip.  This means middle name or initial, and anything else noted on the identification, including things like Jr.

In the near future, small differences between the passengers ID and the passengers reservation information, such as the use of a middle initial instead of a full middle name or no middle name/initial at all, will not be an issue for passengers. Over time, passengers should strive to obtain consistency between the name on their government issued ID and the travel information they use for booking flights.  The goal is to eventually, by early 2010, require an exact match. Also note, as of August 15, 2009, passengers will need to include their date of birth and gender when booking reservations.
Message forwarded on behalf of Accounting Services.
Email #052109-1

Travel Forms Updated
May 5, 2009
Finance Contacts:

Effective May 4, 2009, the Travel Expense Voucher form and the Non-Employee/Student Travel Expense Worksheet have been updated.  All departments are to start using the new form immediately.  If you have saved the form to your computer, please delete and upload the most current version of the form.

Please contact Accounting Services at 7-2771 if you have any questions.

Thank you!

Accounting Services
Email #050509-1

Fiscal Year End Procedures Workshop
April 28, 2009
Finance Contacts:

Reminder:  The Fiscal Year End Procedures Workshop is scheduled for Tuesday, May 12th at 9:00-11:00 in the Memorial Union Lecture Bowl.

Please make plans to attend this session.  You can register through U2 at http://www.conted.und.edu/U2/

The Fiscal Year End Procedures workshop is hosted by a number of core offices on campus.  Representatives from Grants & Contracts, Payroll, Purchasing, Student Account Services and Accounting Services will be presenting.  The presenters will review due dates for fiscal year 2009 transactions as well as identify changes for the upcoming fiscal year.

Hope to see you there!

Finance & Operations
Email #042809-1

Preliminary FY2010 Benefits Calculator
April 24, 2009
HRMS Contacts:

The Preliminary FY2010 Benefits Calculator is now on the payroll website at:
http://www.und.edu/dept/payroll/html/calculators.htm

The numbers are not final until the legislative session is over, but due to the short turn-around time for budgeting, we are providing you with the information as it is currently in the legislative language.   The Final Benefits calculator will be posted to our website at the completion of the legislative session.

HRMS News
April 15, 2009
HRMS Contacts:

1)  New Hourly Reporting form is attached and out on the Payroll website.  Improvements to this reporting form include:  When Period Beginning and Period Ending dates are entered, the dates on the side of the form fill to the correct days of the week;  calculation of weekly totals; correctly calculates PM to AM times; spreadsheet is locked so that supervisors and payroll staff are assured the calculations are correct.   If your employees use an Hourly Reporting form, we highly recommend that each employee complete the top and save it to the desktop of a computer and the employee enter time directly on the form when the employee punches in and punches out.  Requesting the employee to complete it online, will save supervisors time reviewing and there will be fewer errors that will need to be corrected.

2)  New Hire Guide is attached and out on the Payroll website.  The New Hire Guide has been updated to include the E-Verify procedures.   Please review carefully before hiring new employees.   Change Reminder:  Only the Payroll Office will be E-Verifying GTA's, GRA's and GSA's.

3)  Student Employment Grid is attached and out on the Payroll website.  Although there has not been a need for any changes, it is always recommended to review this document as we approach summer with student employees.

4)  An In/Outprocessing Checklist has been developed for departments to use when hiring and terminating employees.   The left side of the list can be used to identify the equipment/access that an employee receives when they are hired and the employee initials when they receive it.   The right side of the form is completed by the supervisor or department contact when they submit the paperwork to terminate the employee's access and when the employee returns the department equipment and other items.  The form is signed by the employee and the supervisor/department contact when the employee terminates employment.   Currently, this form is to be used as an internal department form for your records and should not be submitted to HR or Payroll.

5)  Minimum wage will increase to $7.25 per hour on July 16th, 2009.   An automated process in HRMS will increase any employee under the minimum wage to the minimum wage.   You do not have to submit paperwork, unless you want an employee to be increase over the minimum wage.   Departments will be receiving lists of employees that will be increased to minimum wage, prior to July 16th.

6)  Remember that I-9 forms need to be completed, prior to the employee starting work.  I-9 forms are only completed by an E-Verify site (The Payroll Office is the E-Verify site for any department that does not have an HR office).   Please make sure that the employee knows their start date and what identification documentation that is needed prior to appearing in Payroll.  New Employee packets will be provided to the employee when the I-9 form has been completed.  If you need to have an I-9 form completed for an employee that will never be on campus, contact the Payroll Office and an I-9 site will be located close to where the employee lives.

7)  Per NDUS, when a contract benefitted faculty member completes their academic term and submits a resignation for the next academic year, the effective date of the termination should be July 2, 2009 or the last day of work (whichever is later).   If a faculty member is teaching or working during the summer for another department on an Additional Pay, do not terminate their employment until they are done, or they will not receive their pay from that department.

8)  Remind your hourly employees to submit their Hourly Payroll Reporting forms on time every pay period.   Remember to check your Pay Registers and HE Actuals every pay period and report errors.   This will save everyone extra work.

Hourly Reporting Form
New Hire Guide
Student Employment Grid
In/Outprocessing Checklist

NOTICE: Stimulus Tax Tables in Effect for March 31st Paycheck
March 31, 2009
HRMS Contacts:

New "Stimulus" Tax Tables will be Effective with March 31, 2009 payday.
The University of North Dakota has implemented the new 2009 "Stimulus" tax tables, effective with the March 31, 2009 paychecks.
The new 2009 income tax withholding tables issued to implement the Making Work Pay Credit (MWPC) may place some taxpayers in a slightly "under withheld" situation by the end of the year.  In particular, married couples with both spouses earning wages, individuals working multiple jobs at one time or anyone that is claimed as a dependent on someone else's tax return may want to adjust their Forms W-4 to have additional withheld.
When you file your taxes, the tax credit that you will receive is supposed to be the lesser of:
(1)  $0 for anyone claimed as a dependent on someone else's tax return OR a non-resident alien
(2) 6.2% of earned income OR
(3) $400 for single individuals and $800 for joint filers
Special Note:  This credit will be phased out by 2% of the modified adjusted gross income over $75,000 for single filers and $150,000 for joint filers.
The Payroll Office will be unable to tell you what your federal tax will be for the March 31st check, until pay day.   If you would like to estimate your federal tax, prior to pay day, there is a Federal Tax Calculator on the Payroll website : http://www.und.edu/dept/payroll/html/calculators.htm  Use the calculator named:  Federal Withholding Calculator for CY2009-Effective March 31-2009.   This calculator uses the new withholding tables that will be used for the rest of calendar year 2009.  This calculator can also be used to provide you with different scenarios, if you would choose to change your W-4.
We recommend that you wait and review your paycheck stub on March 31st and if your wages are the same, then if the difference in your federal withholding between your last check and your March 31st check, multiplied by your number of pay periods remaining in the calendar year is more than your anticipated credit above, you may want to submit a new W-4 to increase your withholding.  The W-4 form is located on the Payroll website: http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/fw4.pdf  You may print it, complete it and deliver/mail it to the Payroll Office (Twamley 312, or 264 Centennial Drive Stop 7127)