State Agencies Bulletin No. 1129

Subject
Updates to Cost Centers in the Statewide Financial System (SFS) and PayServ Account Codes in the Payroll System required due to the implementation of SFS
This document updates the January 24, 2012 revision and changes will be noted throughout the text in italics
Date Issued
January 24, 2012
Status
Reissued
Status Date
February 27, 2012

Purpose and General Information

To inform agencies of action required to ensure that payroll earnings charges are properly transmitted to SFS and posted to the General Ledger.

Payroll representatives not directly involved with SFS should refer this bulletin to your SFS agency coordinator.

Note: PayServ uses the term Account Code to mean the value on the Account Code page that represents the combination of CAS Cost Center and CAS Object Code. SFS is now using the term Account Code to refer to the value that replaces the CAS Object Code. For purposes of clarity, the terms PayServ or SFS will be used in conjunction with the term Account Code for the remainder of this document for clarification purposes.

Critical Date(s)

  • Cost Center updates in SFS must be completed by February 15, 2012, prior to the start of the second Full Dress Rehearsal (FDR2).
  • SFS-second full dress rehearsal begins February 17, 2012.
  • Updates to Position Pools must be completed by March 23, 2012.
  • PayServ conversion to SFS data values and formats begins March 23, 2012.

About the Payroll Earnings Charge Interface with SFS

PayServ will continue to use CAS Cost Centers when posting payroll transactions to SFS. Accordingly, all agencies (even phase one agencies) need to maintain up-to-date information on any CAS Cost Centers in both SFS and PayServ. The link between PayServ and SFS is dependent of the transmittal of valid Cost Center information from SFS to PayServ, and the use of only that valid Cost Center information by PayServ when submitted charge transactions to SFS.

The exchange of information between PayServ and SFS begins with SFS providing PayServ with a weekly file of all CAS Cost Centers that are active, have been properly mapped in SFS, have valid chart field values, and have personal service segregation established (including zero segregations).

PayServ will then build the PayServ Account Code table using these Cost Center values provided by SFS, concatenated with the SFS Account Codes (formally object codes) that are appropriate for payroll. These values will be updated and loaded into the PayServ Account Code Table each week and replace all existing values in that table. All Position Pools in PayServ must be assigned to one of these PayServ Account Codes using a Cost Center provided by SFS.

At the end of each payroll cycle, PayServ will create a Payroll Earnings Charge file for submission to SFS. The file contains an accounting charge lines summarized by Position Pool and SFS Account Code and is used to post the payroll transactions to the General Ledger. In order for the Payroll Earnings Charge file to be accepted for processing in SFS, all accounting charge lines have to be valid Cost Centers.

Transition to SFS

SFS will send PayServ the initial Cost Center file to be loaded into the PayServ Account Code table for use upon conversion to SFS during the second Full Dress Rehearsal FDR2. Only Cost Centers that are active and properly mapped in SFS, have valid chart field values and have personal service segregations established (including zero segregations) will be included on that file. This file will contain data as of February 17, 2012. Any Cost Centers updated in SFS after February 15, 2012 will not be transmitted to PayServ in time for the first pay period in April 2012.

OSC will begin converting the PayServ Account Code table using the Cost Center file from FRD2 concatenated with the new SFS Account Codes on March 23, 2012. OSC will then match the values in the table with the PayServ Account Code values in the Position Pools (Cost Center portion only).

All Position Pools with a valid match will then be updated with the new SFS Account Code (formally object code).

Any Position Pools that do not have a valid match to a PayServ Account Code table cannot be successfully transmitted to SFS. As a result, OSC must change any Position Pool assignments to PayServ Account Code value that was valid in SFS as of February 17, 2012. All changes to Position Pools in PayServ must be completed by March 22, 2012 so that conversion of the PayServ system to the SFS format can begin.

OSC will assign a default PayServ Account Code value to every Position Pool without a match. The updated value will remain in place until action is taken by the agency. This value cannot be changed prior to the first pay cycle in April. Accordingly, completing all Position Pool updates by March 23, 2012 is critical.

One default value has been established for each Business Unit using a Cost Center that is valid for that Business Unit. Each default value has the same short description of OSCCHG. A list of these default PayServ Account Code Values is in Attachment A.

After these actions are taken, all Position Pools will function properly in SFS and the Payroll Earnings Charges file can be successfully transmitted to SFS. But, while the PayServ Account Code will be valid in SFS, it may not charge the COA string desired by the agency. Agencies that do not complete updating of the Position Pools may need to process Journal Vouchers in SFS.

OSC Actions

OSC has compared the PayServ Account Codes assigned to Position Pools in PayServ to the most recent file of valid Cost Centers provided by SFS. This comparison uses data from the first Full Dress Rehearsal. Any Position Pool in PayServ that does not match a Cost Center in the file provided by SFS represents an accounting charge line that could not process in SFS if it were in use today. Control D Report NPAY714 – PayServ Position Pools Requiring Agency Action, is available listing these exceptions. Additional information and assistance can be obtained directly from SFS.

Agency Actions

Currently there are numerous PayServ Account Code Values in PayServ that are not on the file of valid Cost Centers provided by SFS. A listing of those exceptions is on a Control D report NPAY714 – PayServ Position Pools Requiring Action. The data in this report is as of February 1, 2012, Agencies need to review this list and determine what action is required.

If the Cost Center is still required in SFS agencies must map the cost center and assign chart field values. All Changes to Cost Centers in SFS must be completed by close of business February 15, 2012.

If the Cost Center is no longer required after transition to SFS, agencies must ensure that there are no Position Pools that utilize a PayServ Account Code value that contains the Cost Center. Agencies must either inactivate the Position Pool or change the PayServ Account Code assignment of that pool.

All updates to PayServ Position Pools must be completed by close of business March 23, 2012.

Instructions on updating Cost Centers in SFS or modifying Position Pools in PayServ are on Attachment B.

Questions

Questions related to SFS should be directed to http://www.sfs.ny.gov/.

Questions regarding this bulletin should be directed to [email protected].