Financial Accounting

• Contact Us - Best Contact by Subject
• How Can We Help?
• If you want to add or update a budget number

• Please Help Us

  • Are you responsible for any general ledger accounts?

  • Does your department have Accounts Receivable, Inventory, or Deferred Revenue balances? Please see the information about Financial Accounting's Annual Surveys .

• What We Do
• Financial Reports
• Financial Accounting System
• Capital Lease, and Agency Accounting
• Tax Responsibilities
• Department Guidance
• Quality Improvement - How We Measure Ourselves

How Can We Help?

Welcome to Financial Accounting! You found the right people if you are looking for:

• UW Annual Report
• Numbers:
  • Payroll Load Rates
  • Object and Sub-Object Codes for Expenditures
  • Revenue Codes
  
  
• Details on:
  • Financial Accounting System (FAS) or the online portion called FIN
  • Agency Accounts
    • Guidelines and Policies
    • Form for approval to create an Agency Budget
  • Cost Transfers and Internal Sales
    • CTI (Cost Transfer Invoice)
    • Guidelines
    • Process for authorizing the issuing budget number to process a CTI.
    • Form for processing a CTI
    • ISD (Internal Sales Document)
      • Guidelines
      • Form for authorizing the issuing budget number to process an ISD.
      • Form for processing an ISD
  • Revenue Budgets
    • FAQ's for Revenue Budgets That Can Receive Operating Revenue
    • Guidelines (flowchart) for Creating Revenue Budgets
  • State of Washington (OFM) accounting policies
  • University of Washington Information Security Program
    
  • Our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
  • Pages of special interest to our Financial Management colleagues:
    • Financial Accounting Dashboard
    • Accountant's Lullaby
  • If you have questions about depositing money or other cash handling processes , the Student Fiscal Services web page can help.

  If you haven't received your BAR or BSR, or wish to suppress your printed report, visit Requesting a BAR or BSR Copy at Accounts Payable.

  OR, you are curious about what we do.

  Contact Us

  We are available

  Monday - Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM

  • To visit come to the
    
    Purchasing & Accounting Building
    3917 University Way NE
    Seattle, Washington
    

    go down the steps to the lower level and turn left to the receptionist's desk.

  • Write to
    
    Financial Accounting
    University of Washington
    Box 351120
    Purchasing & Accounting Bldg
    Seattle, WA 98195-1120
    
    
  • Use the staff list to find people, or contact sections by using the following table:

  Section	Email	Phone	Fax
  Financial Accounting and Reporting	accountg@u.washington.edu	(206) 221-7845	(206) 543-3862
  Tax Office	taxofc@u.washington.edu	(206) 616-3003	(206) 543-3862
  State Financial Reporting	accountg@u.washington.edu	(206) 616-6786	(206) 543-3862

  
  

  Please Help Us

  General Ledger Account Reconciliation

  The University’s accounting system includes more than 700 General Ledger Accounts, with the responsibility for these accounts in several departments.  The integrity of an accounting system and the reports that it generates depend on the accuracy of the ledgers that support it.  Therefore, it is crucial that persons responsible for these accounts make sure they are correctly stated by reconciling them to appropriate sources and documenting the reconciliations.  To ensure that the accounts are being reconciled and provide assurance that our system is accurate, Financial Accounting coordinates and documents the reconciliation of all general ledger accounts.  Please refer to the General Ledger Account Reconciliation Policy.

  Suggestions about our web pages? Please send us your comments.

  What We Do

  People in Financial Accounting spend a lot of time behind the scenes on campus working on the University's -

  • Financial Reports

    We communicate timely, accurate, and useful financial information to our process partners and external users. We also prepare information for the following public financial reports:

    Financial Report	Financial Accounting:
    UW Annual Report	prepares financial statements and notes distributes copies
    IPEDS	reports the UW's financial data to the National Center for Education Statistics
    State Financial Reports	prepares year-end information for the State of Washington annual report (the State Comprehensive Annual Financial Report--CAFR) sends monthly University financial data to the state for budgeting and reporting purposes

    
    

  • Financial Accounting System (FAS)

    Financial Accounting works with other departments to improve and maintain the Financial Accounting System (FAS).
    • The online part of FAS is referred to as FIN. (Guide to Online Financial Accounting System (FIN).)
    • The FIN Kiosk (not for the faint of heart) includes all the technical "back-end" information plus detailed overviews of all UW Financial Systems. (We recommend you attend some Administrative System Classes before you venture onto this page.)
    We:
    • consult with people using the system
    • initiate and approve system changes
    • establish and monitor Object, Revenue, General Ledger and miscellaneous codes
    • perform system reconciliation, problem detection and resolution
    • coordinate biennium close
    
    

  • Capital Lease, and Agency Accounting

    Financial Accounting exchanges information with many process partners, (for example, the Treasury Office, Capital Projects Accounting and Grant and Contract Accounting) to record the following types of University transactions:

  Category	Financial Accounting:
  Capital Leases	evaluates capital lease agreements for proper accounting records new leases of fixed assets
  Agency Accounts	approves and monitors accounts for non-university users of campus services
  Capital Assets	records acquisitions and disposals of buildings, infrastructure and library materials

  
  
  
  
  

• Tax Responsibilities

  Tax Office
  • consults with departments about various federal and state tax issues
  • prepares the annual filings with the Internal Revenue Service
  • identifies and responds to new tax issues
  • interfaces with the Internal Revenue Service and other regulatory agencies during tax audits
  • prepares and submits
    • monthly sales tax returns and
    • city Admission Taxes
  
  

• Department Guidance

  • Internal Control Concepts and Framework
  • Budget Activity Reconciliation Process Guidelines
  • Reconciliation Best Practices
  
  

• Quality Improvement - How We Measure Ourselves

Financial Accounting
Division of Financial Management
accountg@u.washington.edu
Modified: June 29, 2009