This guide will cover:
Interdepartmental Transfers (IDTs) provide a way for UW departments to purchase goods and/or services from other departments on campus. This process initiates a journal entry transaction that transfers funds between budget account strings within the WyoCloud Financial Management System. The funds do not leave the university and IDTs do not process through an approval workflow. Departments should ensure proper internal controls for processing and tracking IDTs are observed.
The transfers may be made between units within one college/division or between separate colleges/divisions. Examples of IDTs include departments paying Fleet Services for the rental of vehicles; departments paying UW Operations for services; or departments paying for food services from catering.
IDTs are budgeted and processed within Natural Account Codes 76001-76601 (Interdepartmental charges and credits) based on the nature of the transaction. The Expense Class should always be 001 (default) for funding that is not associated with sponsored program funds on IDTs.
The IDT process begins with the department providing the good/service (i.e., the revenue-receiving department). The revenue-receiving department should initiate the IDT and email the IDT with any appropriate invoices to the Expense department.
Step One
- Click on the IDT Form to download the form for use.
- Depending on your browser, the file will either open in an Excel pop-up window where you can select to open immediately or save the file based on your preference, or the file will appear in the downloads section of your browser
- The file will open in protective view. In the yellow ribbon at the top of the excel workbook, click Enable Editing.
Step Two
- Typically the revenue-receiving department will begin by saving the file using the naming convention outlined below: MMYYDEPT#####IDT
- MM - based on the calendar year with January beginning at 01, February 02, etc.
- YY - based on the calendar year with January 2021 through December 2021 equal to “21”
- DEPT – the abbreviated department name providing the good/service (e.g., Copy for Copier Services, USTORE for University Store, etc.)
- ##### - four digits using a numbering sequence that begins with 1 each month and increases in increments (e.g., 0001, 0002, 0003, etc.)
- IDT – the term IDT should conclude the name to keep these journal entries easily distinguished from any others.
- Complete examples of names include: 0520COPY0001IDT, 0520COPY0002IDT, 0520COPY0003IDT, etc.
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It is recommended not to save the IDT Template on a computer’s hard drive for repeated use because changes may occur to its design.
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- Some revenue-receiving departments may also, in addition to the name of the file, include the IDT number within the IDT form itself such as within the description like the example below:
Step Three
The IDT spreadsheet provides general department/submitter information as well as budget funding information to complete the transaction. All sections must be completed as follows:
- The revenue department begins the process of creating the IDT Journal Spreadsheet.
- Complete the revenue department portion of the IDT journal header information – all fields are required:
- Date – current Date
- Department – name of the department
- Submitter – name of the person completing the form
- Submitter Email – email of the person completing the form
- Submitter Phone – phone number of the person completing the form
- Description of Transaction – The reason for the IDT transaction. This description may be brief, but should also provide enough detail for individuals to understand the IDT’s purpose. Details such as IDT number and invoice number(s) are also appropriate to include here.
- Complete the Journal Lines for the Revenue-Receiving department – if using GL Funding (Unrestricted, Designated, etc.) the following fields are required:
- Entity – chart of accounts segment for entity
- Account – always use a 76xxx Natural Account Code (Internal Allocation & Sales) for this segment such as:
- 76001 - Internal Service Allocation: Plant Operations (UW Operations Dept Only.)
- 76002 - Internal Service Allocation: Info Tech (IT Only)
- 76003 - Internal Service Allocation: Other (transfers within one department)
- 76601 - Internal Sales Auxiliaries (e.g., Fleet Services, Residence Life and Dining Services & University Store)
- Fund Class – chart of accounts segment for fund class
- Fund Source – chart of accounts segment for fund source
- Organization – chart of accounts segment for organization
- Exp. Class – always enter 001 as IDT’s represent an internal transfer of funds
- Program – chart of accounts segment for program if used by your department. Must be 4 digits.
- Activity – chart of accounts segment for activity if used by your department. Must be 4 digits.
- Future – chart of accounts segment for future
- Currency – always enter USD
- Revenue –complete **Entered Credit with $$
- **If a project is receiving the revenue, enter the applicable fields within the Sponsored Programs Journal Line Entries section. **
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Multiple journal lines can be entered if the expense department is the same for each journal line.
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- Once the revenue portion of the IDT is complete, email the file along with the supporting invoice(s) to the expense department.
- The expense department receives the email from the revenue department with the IDT Journal Spreadsheet and supporting invoice(s). The expense department completes the same header information as the revenue department.
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If the expense is being charged to a non-grant account, the expense department completes the journal lines for non-project expenses using the Internal Service or Internal Sales account.
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For General Ledger (GL) Funding:
- Required fields to complete if using GL Funding (Unrestricted, Designated, etc.):
- Entity – chart of accounts segment for entity
- Account – replicate the Revenue Department’s 76xxx Natural Account Code (Internal Allocation & Sales)
- Fund Class – chart of accounts segment for fund class
- Fund Source – chart of accounts segment for fund source
- Organization – chart of accounts segment for organization
- Exp. Class – always enter 001 as IDT’s represent an internal transfer of funds
- Program – chart of accounts segment for program if used by your department. Must be 4 digits.
- Activity – chart of accounts segment for activity if used by your department. Must be 4 digits.
- Future – chart of accounts segment for future
- Currency – always enter USD
- Expense – complete **Entered Debit with $$
For Sponsored Project Funding
- If the expense is being charged to a sponsored project, the expense department will complete the POET information at the bottom of the form.
- Required fields to complete include:
- Project # - The unique number assigned to the sponsored project
- Organization Name – Organization name of the department assigned to the project
- Type Description (Expenditure Type) – Refer to the grant expenditures crosswalk for descriptions
- Task Number – always 1
- Expenditure Item Date – Date the transaction occurred
- Entered Debit – The amount to charge to the project
- The expense department reviews General Ledger and POET Balancing Control section of the Journal Lines General Ledger Accounts to ensure the revenue and expense accounting lines balance.
Step Four
- Review to ensure all information has been entered on the form
- Below is an example of a completed form where the expense department is splitting the expense between GL funding and sponsored project funding.
- Next, check to make sure the Balancing Control fields equal each other.
- There are three areas for balancing control:
- At the top of the form within the General Ledger Accounts Journal Lines, the Balancing Control fields sum all lines using GL funding.
- At the bottom of the form within the Sponsored Project(s) Journal Lines, the Balancing Control fields sum all lines using Sponsored Project funding.
- General Ledger and POET Balancing Control field sum the lines within #1 & #2 Balancing Control fields. These debit and credit fields MUST match each other (example from above $4,808.00 Debit & $4,808.00 Credit).
- Once the Balancing Control fields are reviewed, the expense department will email the completed Spreadsheet and supporting documentation to IDT-Accounting@uwyo.edu.
- The expense department should Carbon Copy (Cc) the Revenue Dept/individual that emailed the IDT to you so that they know it has been completed.
- Upon receipt of the completed IDT Spreadsheet and invoice(s), the files are reviewed for accuracy and uploaded into the WyoCloud Financial Management system by the Accounting Office.
Step Five
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An IDT cannot be accessed or displayed in the WyoCloud Financial Management System until it has been processed and posted by the Accounting Office. If the IDT you are looking up does not appear, reach out to the appropriate department (expense department or accounting office) to confirm receipt of the IDT.
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- Upon logging into WyoCloud, click on the Navigator in the upper left corner of the homepage.
- First, click on General Accounting to expand (you may have to scroll within the Navigator), then select Journals.
- The Journals page is displayed. Click on the Task Menu on the right of the screen, then Manage Journals.
- In the Manage Journals page, search for the desired IDT (*indicates the preferred field). You must complete at least one of the following search fields:
- *Journal – this field contains the name assigned when the IDT form was saved. You can select from the dropdown how you wish to search (e.g., Starts With, Contains, etc.). This entry can be shortened, e.g., 1120Auto will display ALL IDT’s for Auto Shop and you can select the one with the proper extension, e.g., 1120Auto004IDT.
- Journal Batch – for IDT’s, this field is the same as the journal. This field can be left blank.
- Accounting Period – because IDT’s may be posted in months other than their name, leaving this field blank works well. If this field is used by itself, ALL journal batch information will be displayed and includes IDT’s, integrations, assets, etc., and is a lengthy list.
- Batch Status – if this field is used by itself or with a date, the list is lengthy and includes IDT’s integrations, assets, etc. This field can be left blank.
- Click Search when finished.
- Locate your desired IDT from the search results and click on the blue Journal name to open details of the IDT.
- On this screen, you can review all the details of the IDT including account information (Journal Lines), Accounting Period, Status, etc.
- Clicking on Attachments will display the actual IDT form and any supporting documentation. You can open any of the attachments up to view.
- The status fields refer to where the IDT is within the Accounting Office. When reviewing the Approval and Batch Status fields, keep the following status definitions in mind:
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Batch Status
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Approval Status
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Definition
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Unposted
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Rejected
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The IDT was entered and sent for approvals but was rejected.
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Unposted
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In Process
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The IDT was entered and is in the approval process.
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Unposted
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Approved
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The IDT has been approved but not posted.
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Posted
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Approved
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The IDT has been approved and posted.
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- To review more details of where your IDT is in the Accounting approval process, click Show More next to the Journal Batch.
- Select the Action Log tab.
- This tab shows completed approvals.
- In this example, the IDT has been created (uploaded) and sent for approvals but does not have any approvals completed.
- If you would like additional details about the approvals workflow, contact the Accounting Office at accounting-office@uwyo.edu.
Step Six
If a correction on an IDT is needed, either the Expense Department or the Revenue Department can complete a correction for their budget strings.
- IDT Corrections are done via the Expenditure Correction Form. The Expenditure Correction Form is located on the Financial Affairs website under Forms and within the Accounting Office area.
APPENDIX
Effective fall 2019, a pilot program to streamline the IDT process was initiated. The program provides transparency and improves the posting frequency of IDT’s to the General Ledger. The following revenue departments currently participate in the program:
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Union
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UW Operations
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Catering
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Facilities
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Residence Life and Dining
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Shipping and Receiving
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Transit & Parking Services
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Safety
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Fleet Services
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Surplus
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Copy and Print Center
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Business Process:
- Employee requests goods/service from the revenue department and the revenue department requests the expense account information at that time to expedite processing of transactions.
- Default account strings are on file in many cases and will be used if account information is not provided. The default account strings can be updated at any time by contacting the revenue department directly.
- After the goods or service have been delivered, the revenue department will email a copy of the invoice denoting the default account information to the expense department’s employee and/or billing coordinator, as well as the Cost Center Approver (found here) for each department.
- The email requests the expense department to review the account coding and send a reply that verifies or changes the account information by a specified deadline. If a response is not received by the deadline, the IDT will be submitted to Accounting with the account string indicated on the invoice.
- Departments are generally not copied on the final submission of the IDT to Accounting, but the IDT number format follows general protocol and is provided in the initial email correspondence for future retrieval in WyoCloud, e.g. of 1120UWOPS003XXIDT. See Step Five for how to lookup an IDT in the financial management system.
This completes all of the steps for processing an Interdepartmental Transfer (IDT).