Accounting Structure

This is a default field set by the system.

The business unit is an entity created to accommodate different operating rules, reporting rules and regulations. UCOLO is the business unit used by all campuses of the University of Colorado, though you may see values for each campus, such as UCB, UCD, UCCS and USYS. These campus specific business units are referred to as PC business units and are included in the FOPP combination for project speedtypes. UCB is the PC business unit for all Boulder campus projects and project speedtypes. Using the business unit ChartField is mandatory when looking up ChartFields in the Finance System and entering transactions, such as journal entries. The business unit field is often labeled as SetID. Since the business unit ChartField of UCOLO is a default value within the Finance System, it never needs to be entered manually when doing online data entry.

This is a two-digit, required field that the user must input. 

The fund ChartField contains values that broadly classify types of funding. This ChartField identifies the type of money being received or the type of money being spent. Using the fund ChartField within a FOPP is mandatory.

Fund

A fund is a self-balancing set of records that includes assets, liabilities, revenue, expense and net position.

Fund Group

A fund group is a collection of funds that have a common purpose. The fund group is used to identify a general classification of resources. The expanded fund descriptions spreadsheet describes each fund and relevant information about each. CU Boulder uses the following fund groups:

This is a five-digit, required field that the user must input. 

The organization ChartField identifies the entity (campus, school, department, etc.) receiving or spending the funds. The first digit of the organization ChartField represents the respective University of Colorado campus as follows:

* The identifier for the consolidated Denver and Anschutz (formerly Health Sciences Center) campus is “6” and “UCD” includes both campuses. Organization numbers created for the Denver campus and Health Sciences Center prior to the consolidation will not change.

Use of the organization ChartField is mandatory in the Finance System.

The Finance System permits the use of a hierarchy of different levels when working with organizations. Some departments may choose to run all of their operations from one organization, while other departments may choose to break down their overall operations into smaller segments that reflect responsibility units within the larger organization.

For example, Intercollegiate Athletics has chosen to break down its overall department into smaller organization levels.

Athletics is first divided into organizations reflecting smaller segments of the department’s programs and operations such as Men’s Basketball, Women’s Basketball, Other Men’s Sports, Other Women’s Sports, etc. Then, the Other Men’s Sports and Other Women’s Sports organizations are further segmented into organizations for Men’s Track, Men’s Golf, Men’s Tennis, Men’s Skiing, etc., and Women’s Soccer Women’s Volleyball, Women’s Track, Women’s Golf, etc.

When an organization chooses to divide into smaller segments, the higher segment is called an “org node.” Boulder campus nodes begin with the letter B followed by four digits and are often referred to as “B-nodes.” Contact your campus accountant if you would like assistance in understanding the Finance System organizational structure for your department, or if you would like to adjust the organizational structure for your department.

This is a is a five-digit field. Using either the program or project ChartField is mandatory.

Each unique operation, function or task that a unit wants to track separately will be either a program or project, but not both.

The program ChartField identifies distinct university operations for one or more fund(s) and organization(s). Programs are based on the university’s fiscal year. Thus, a program is used to track the financial impact during a budget (fiscal) year of a distinct activity within an organization. The program ChartField is used in the following funds:

This is a is a seven-digit field. Using either the program or project ChartField is mandatory.

Each unique operation, function or task that a unit wants to track separately will be either a program or project, but not both.

Similar to the program ChartField, the project ChartField identifies specific work within the university. However, a project is not fiscal year based. Rather, a project is based upon the period of the project which could cross several fiscal years. The project ChartField is used in the following funds:

The activity ChartField (one character minimum) is used to further divide project components. The activity ChartField, while mandatory, is not widely used on the Boulder campus. In practice, most projects only have one activity. Programs do not utilize the activity ChartField.

This field is not required.

The sub-class ChartField is used to capture department-defined needs. Its use is optional. The FOPPS below shows the use of a sub-class. The sub-class ChartField can be alpha-numeric, consists of five characters and can be used with either program or project ChartFields.

This is a six-digit, required field that the user must input. 

The account ChartField describes the activity that is being done by identifying the natural classification of the transaction: asset, deferred outflows of resources*, liability, deferred inflows of resources*, net position, revenue, expense or transfer. All financial transactions must be designated by one of these categories. The use of the account ChartField is mandatory. All accounts fall into the following ranges:

Asset

Account Range: 000000-097999, An asset is tangible or intangible personal and real property such as cash, investments, inventory, accounts receivable, loans receivable, prepaid expenses, equipment, buildings, etc. Assets are found on the balance sheet.

Deferred Outflow of Resources*

Account Range: 098000-099999, Deferred outflows do not meet the definition of an asset. They represent payments made in advance that are waiting to be recognized as expenses when the government reaches the period in which those outflows belong. Deferred outflows are found on the balance sheet.

Liability

Account Range: 100000-197999, A liability is an amount owed to an external entity. Liabilities are found on the balance sheet.

Deferred Inflow of Resources*

Account Range: 198000-199899, Deferred inflows do not meet the definition of a liability. They represent payments received in advance that are waiting to be recognized as revenue when the government reaches the period in which those inflows belong. Deferred inflows are found on the balance sheet.

Net Position (aka Fund Balance or Net Assets)

Account Range: 199900-199999, Net position equals (assets + deferred outflows) minus (liabilities + deferred Inflows). Net position is found on the balance sheet.

Revenue

Account Range: 200000-399999, Revenue results from the sale of goods or services. It is measured by the charge made to customers for the goods or services furnished to them. CU Boulder records revenue when it is earned—that is when the goods or services have been furnished—regardless of when the payment is actually received from the customer.

Expenditure

Account Range: 400000-989999, Expenditure is an accounting entry that recognizes the consumption of assets. Salaries, fringe benefits, office supplies, travel, depreciation, etc. are examples of expenses. CU Boulder recognizes expenses at the time the goods or services have been received, regardless of when the actual payment is made.

Transfer

Account Range: 990000-999999, A transfer occurs when cash is moved from one FOPPS to another FOPPS, and no exchange of goods or services has been provided in exchange for the cash. Both the fund giving the money and the fund receiving the money must use a transfer account code. Transfers must offset one another. Refer to the transfer table located in Chapter 4 of the Guide for information about which fund-pairs are permitted to transfer cash between one another, and which fund-pairs are prohibited from doing so.

* In June 2011, The Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) published Statement No. 63, Financial Reporting of Deferred Outflows of Resources, Deferred Inflows of Resources, and Net Position. GASB later published A Plain-English Guide to Deferrals to better help understand the usage of these new components of the balance sheet. The application of these components was effective with CU’s fiscal year 2012.

The accuracy of the university’s financial reports depends upon correct account code usage. Chapters 6 and 9 of the Guide discuss accounts. The full Chart of Accounts is available through the Office of the University Controller’s website. It is also available in CU-Data by navigating to Team Content > Finance > Look Ups > m-Fin Account Tree List.

The budget year ChartField is a default field in the Finance System. The default value is the current fiscal year

This field is not required.

The statistics code ChartField is used to capture non-monetary units of measurements. Some examples include FTE, mileage and square footage.

The currency code ChartField is set by the Finance System system to default to United States Dollars ($USD).