There’s more to payroll funding than just SpeedTypes. Payroll transactions post using account codes to categorize different kinds of earnings, taxes and deductions.

Understand how account codes impact payroll funding and the general ledger

There is more to position funding than just distributing payroll transactions to SpeedTypes. Payroll transactions are also assigned an account code.  Account codes sort pay by the type of job into different categories for earnings, taxes, and deductions.

Account codes, like SpeedTypes, are created and maintained in FIN (the financial system) and sent to HCM. Each account code used by HCM is mapped to a job code and a combination of regular and temporary status, full- and part-time status, and sometimes specific earn codes.

• Account codes map earnings, taxes and deductions into job code categories like faculty (regular, clinical, research), university staff, classified staff, students, stipends.
• Account codes map full and part time status. They capture full-time status when the standard hours from all an employee’s positions total at least 20 standard hours per week.
• Account codes map all earn codes by default, but specific earn codes, such as shift pay, overtime pay or leave payouts may be mapped differently.

Organizing payroll into categories helps manage the payroll in various ways.

• Payroll costs can be budgeted and reconciled by the category of an employee’s job, like faculty, staff, or students.
• The costs for taxes and deductions can be evaluated for different types of employees. These costs are impacted by regular or temporary status, and full or part time status, i.e., tracking a full-time regular employee with a higher cost for benefits than a temporary employee.

There are different campus strategies for managing the cost of benefits, and those strategies use account codes. Account codes differentiate earnings, taxes and deductions in a single SpeedType, or they can be used to apply fixed fringe rates determined by earnings account codes.

• At UCD and AMC, the taxes and deductions post to the same SpeedTypes as earnings, but in a different section of the account code range (salary versus benefits).
• At UCB and UCCS, the total cost of taxes and deductions are pooled into campus SpeedTypes. Using account codes, different standard rates for the cost of fringe can be applied to payroll SpeedTypes during FIN month end processing.

Account codes are used to post encumbrances to the same account codes as earnings and benefits.  

• Encumbrances at UCD and AMC post using the same account codes as earnings, taxes and deductions.
• At UCB and UCCS, earnings encumbrances generated in HCM parallel the standard fringe rates established for earnings account codes in FIN. These are updated each fiscal year. Encumbrance data is reported on CU-Data mFIN reports.

Unexpected Account Codes

What if an account code posts in a way that is not expected? Since account codes are based on job code, regular/temporary status, and full/part time status, take a look at position and job data to determine what happened.

• Check that position data is correct. The job code and regular/temporary status in position should match job data.
• Check that the standard hours in position data are correct and they match job data.  If an employee has more than one job, the sum of all standard hours will be used to determine full/part time status. Use the HCM Job List query to identify employee jobs in other units. Full-time status is assigned for twenty total standard hours or above.
• Check if a contract ended mid-month and a new contract began in the same month on the same employee record. The account codes are assigned for both contracts from only the position active on the last day of the pay period. Use different employee records to end/begin contracts in the same month.

Funding entries and payroll expense transfers establish and correct funding distributions — changing SpeedTypes that fund pay. Account code errors are caused by faulty position and/or job data. To correct account code errors, a manual check adjustment must be processed.

• Work with campus HR to ensure any faulty position/job data rows are corrected and in sync.
• Complete a manual adjustment request form to request changes to a check that already processed. The Employee Services payroll team will have to create a new check to offset the former check and add the new corrected data.
• Once the new check processes, new account codes will be processed based on updated position/job data. Always confirm account codes with this process.
• Sometimes additional assistance is still required to update all the account codes. Reach out to your campus accounting resource or send an email to system.hrgl.team@cu.edu for next steps.

Need extra help?

• Use the HRGL page. Under the “Configuration Resources” to find account code mapping: Earning Account Mapping, Deduction Account Mapping and Tax Account Mapping.
• Use CU-Data to find mFIN reports.
• Office of the University Controller has information on account codes. 
• Find HR/GL training for Department Budget Table, payroll expense transfers and other HRGL resources through the HCM Community website.
• Email hcm_community@cu.edu or System.HRGL.Team@cu.edu for additional help.