FY 2019

Summary: Wire Transfer Payments

In accordance with KSA 75-3728, this Informational Circular (IC) addresses agency procedures related to wire transfer activity.

Wire transfers requested to be made by the State Treasurer’s Office (STO) are required to follow the same guidelines as any other payment remitted through the Statewide Management, Accounting, and Reporting Tool (SMART). 

Wire transfer vouchers must be completed, matched (if applicable), budget checked, and agency approved in SMART no later than 9:30am on the date the wire is to be transferred.

SMART payment vouchers may be pre-entered before the date the funds are to be wired, by scheduling the payment due date. Note: The batch processes that run matching, budget checking, and submit vouchers for workflow approval run on the hour during the day. Ensuring the voucher is “Saved” before the 9am hourly batch process will allow the voucher to be ready for agency approval before the 9:30am deadline.

Agency staff must notify STO (treascash@treasurer.state.ks.us) and Agency Audit Services (arpreaudit@ks.gov) via email no later than 9:30 am on the date the wire is to be transferred. Agency Audit Services will review all wire payments in SMART to verify the payment meets all state laws and policies (including the amount, budget check status, match status (if applicable) and agency approval).  For wires payments that exceed 10 million dollars, please provide notification the day before to ensure sufficient cash is available on the day of the transfer.

Agency Audit Services will notify STO of all payment vouchers agency approved in SMART by the 9:30 am deadline and only those wire transfers will be made. Failure to agency approve vouchers in SMART may result in a delay of the wire transfer payment by a minimum of one business day.

Foreign Currency Wires: Agency staff must verify the daily exchange rate with the STO to ensure the voucher amount reflects the correct conversion rate.  Agency staff should complete, budget check, match (if applicable), and agency approve the SMART payment voucher as soon as possible to ensure the wire is transferred with the correct currency exchange rate. Failure to do so could result in the wire to be sent incorrectly or the voucher process to be completed again with a new currency exchange rate. 

SMART job aid WIRE Transfer Voucher has been updated to further assist agency staff in processing wire transfer vouchers. 

For questions on wire transfer procedures, please email Agency Audit Services at ARpreaudit@ks.gov.   

 

Summary: Updated FY 2018 Meals and Incidental Expense (M&IE) and Lodging Rates for travel occurring on and after October 1, 2018

As authorized by K.S.A. 75-3207a, the Secretary of Administration has fixed subsistence rates for FY 2019. The U.S. General Services (GSA) has announced a change in the CONUS standard rate for lodging and M&IE effective October 1, 2018.  The GSA standard lodging rate has been increased to $94 and the standard M&IE rate has been increased to $55.

For State of Kansas travel, federal per diem rates are followed to determine subsistence allowances. The CONUS per diem rate for an area is divided into two components: the lodging allowance and the meals & incidental expense (M&IE) allowance. These per diem rates are based on travel location and travel dates (seasonal rates may be listed for some locations).  If a specific travel location is not listed (or within the location definition), the standard rate, or “other” location rate is used. The following standard rates apply to many locations across the contiguous United States (CONUS).

For CONUS locations, the following standard daily subsistence rates apply for travel which occurs on October 1, 2018 and thereafter:

Meals & Incidental (M&IE) - $55

Lodging Allowance Rate - $94

The Employee Travel Expense Reimbursement Handbook is updated to include this information regarding subsistence for travel occurring on and after October 1, 2018.

SMART maintains the official subsistence rates for CONUS and OCONUS travel locations and will be updated semi-annually each October 1 and April 1 for any interim rate changes which have occurred.  International subsistence rates are not loaded into SMART.  For international travel locations, employees will obtain M&IE rates directly from the U.S. Department of State (DOS) website listed below.  For international travel, payment for actual lodging expense is allowed.

Source of Subsistence Rates:

Contiguous United States (CONUS)-

The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) maintains the M&IE rates and lodging rates for travel locations in the contiguous United States -
U.S. General Services Administration website: https://www.gsa.gov/travel/plan-book/per-diem-rates/
Outside Contiguous United States (OCONUS):

(Alaska, Hawaii, and U.S. Territories/Possessions) -

The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) maintains the M&IE rates and lodging rates for travel locations within Alaska, Hawaii and U.S. Territories/Possessions -
U.S. Department of Defense website: http://www.defensetravel.dod.mil/site/perdiemCalc.cfm
If you receive security warning messages or alerts when attempting to open this link, click “yes” until you reach a “This site is not secure” page. Click “More information” or “Details” and click “Go on to the webpage (not recommended)”.

International Locations -

The U.S. Department of State (DOS) is the source for M&IE rates only for international travel locations-
U.S. Department of State website: https://aoprals.state.gov/web920/per_diem.asp
For international travel, payment for actual lodging expense is allowed.
Note for using federal websites:
For CONUS and OCONUS travel, if SMART is not accessible, employees may access subsistence rates through the federal websites. However interim federal website updates may occur subsequent to the semi-annual SMART updates each October 1 and April 1. CONUS rates are published on an annual basis, but the annual file is updated periodically throughout the year with no interim files published. OCONUS and international rates are updated and published on a monthly basis. Be aware that any interim updates for CONUS or OCONUS locations are not valid until reflected in SMART. For international travel, only the October 1 and April 1 subsistence files should be used to locate the M&IE rates.

If employees utilize the federal websites to find M&IE and lodging rates, those rates should be used as follows:

Rates published October 1 - for travel occurring between October 1 and March 31 of each year.
Rates published April 1 - for travel occurring between April 1 and September 30 of each year.

Lodging Expense Limitations:
K.S.A. 75-3207a(f) provides that the daily lodging expense limitations established may be exceeded, upon approval by the agency head or designee, by the lesser of either: (1) an additional 50% of the applicable lodging expense limitation, or (2) the actual lodging expense incurred.

These lodging limits continue to be applied to the lodging rate before taxes.  Thus, the amount reimbursed or paid for lodging expenses may exceed the established lodging limitation by as much as the amount of associated taxes.

Conference Lodging qualified under K.A.R. 1-16-18a(c):
Agencies may authorize payment or reimbursement for actual lodging expenses when an employee is required or authorized to attend a conference, and the lodging rate exceeds the applicable lodging expense limitation (including the additional 50%).  The agency head must be provided with conference materials and rates.  These should be maintained with travel documentation.

Reduced Meal Allowance:
If the cost of meals is included within the cost of registration fees or other fees and charges paid by the agency or provided at no cost to the employee, the daily M&IE rate for the travel location should be reduced based on the percentages listed below.  For partial days, the quarter amount is calculated first and then the reduction percentage is applied.  The daily M&IE reduction percentages are as follows:

Breakfast - 15%

Lunch - 35%

Dinner - 50%

 
Same Day Meal Allowance:
Reimbursement for a same day meal, in accordance with K.A.R. 1-16-18(c)(2), is calculated as a percentage of the daily M&IE rate for the travel location, based on the approved meal, as follows:

Breakfast - 15%

Lunch - 35%

Dinner - 50%
 

Queries in SMART to Obtain M&IE Rates and Lodging Rates:
A query “KS_EX_CONUS_RATES” is available in SMART to obtain all CONUS and OCONUS locations with the daily M&IE rates, meal reductions and lodging rates. Historical locations and rates from each semi-annual update will be maintained in SMART.

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Summary: Procedures for Filing Calendar Year 2018 Form 1099 Information Returns for non-SMART payments and payments in SMART without the required 1099 information

• Requirements to report payments where the 1099 data was not recorded in SMART:
  1. The supplier/client must be in the Statewide Management, Accounting and Reporting Tool (SMART) supplier table.
  2. All reportable payments must be submitted via Service Desk using the EXCEL template referenced below
  3. The Office of the Chief Financial Officer processes the payments submitted via Service Desk using SMART. SMART generates the paper 1099s which are mailed to the suppliers. The 1099 information is electronically submitted to the IRS.

There is NO option for the agency to print the forms and have the Office of the Chief Financial Officer report to the IRS.

Policy and procedures:

While most 1099 transactions are recorded in SMART, and require no additional action by state agencies; there are some payments that occur outside of SMART or the information to be reported to the IRS is not in SMART. These transactions result in unique reporting procedures comprised of the following:

• Locally administered interest payments of $10 or more are to be reported on IRS Form 1099-INT. These payments typically represent interest paid from trust funds to clients of institutions with the Department for Aging and Disability Services and the Department of Corrections.
• Other payments such as non-employee awards not paid directly to the recipient from SMART.

To report non-SMART payments for form 1099 purposes the agency must confirm the supplier is in the SMART supplier table with the appropriate 1099 type and class, and ensure that withholding is turned on. If the supplier is not in the supplier table, the agency must add the supplier to SMART including the appropriate 1099 type and class, and turn withholding on.

Complete the EXCEL template “PS_WTHD_TRAN_TBL_update_template” (link to the Excel document is included at the bottom of this circular) for all non-SMART 1099 reportable payments. The completed template needs to be received by the Office of the Chief Financial Officer by January 10, 2019 to ensure the 1099s are distributed by the January 31, 2019 deadline.

The template has the columns listed below. Do not insert or delete columns or rows. Do not change the formatting. Beginning with line 2 (replacing the sample data), complete one line for each payment (add lines as necessary for additional withholding types/classes). The gray columns are defaults and should not be changed. If 499 lines are not sufficient, copy line 500 down. When completed, attach the EXCEL spreadsheet to a Service Desk ticket with the heading “non-SMART 1099”. Note if you have leading zeros precede them with an apostrophe ‘, i.e. supplier id ‘0000123456.

BUSINESS_UNIT: 5 digits with leading zeros, as assigned by SMART (agency number)

WTHD_ENTITY: IRS

WTHD_TYPE: as listed in the supplier table (1099, 1099I, 1099G)

WTHD_JUR_CD: FED

WTHD_CLASS: as listed in the supplier table, with leading zeros.

WTHD_RULE: RULE0

SUPPLIER_SETID: SOKID

SUPPLIER_ID: 10 digits with leading zeros, as assigned by SMART.

SUPPLIER_LOC: the supplier location with the 1099 withholding type and class entered in column C and E, usually 001, with leading zeros

ADDRESS_SEQ_NUM: 1

PYMNT_ID: Blank

SUPPLIER FEIN OR SSN: SSN or FEIN, 9 digits including leading zeros

PYMNT_DT: date of payment, mm/dd/yyyy format

WTHD_DECL_DATE: Same as date of payment

WTHD_BASIS_AMT: The taxable amount for this 1099 type and class for 2018.

DESCR100: 100 characters of your choice – alpha and numerical characters only (no punctuation, no special characters)

Additional Resources:

Training guide for setting up suppliers for 1099 reporting and an account code guide:
1099 and  Withholding Training Guide

IRS guide to each type of 1099, including instructions for each:
IRS Online Instructions for Forms

Excel withholding template:
PS_WTHD_TRAN_TBL_update_template

 

Summary: State of Kansas Encumbrance Policy Amendments - Audit Finding Changesand New Fiscal Year Grace Period.  

This Informational Circular is issued to announce two changes to Policy Manual (PM) Filing 10,300 Statewide Encumbrance Policy. 

Amendments to the encumbrance policy:

1)  Currently an audit finding results when the budget date is subsequent to the service date or the order date.  Effective July 1, 2019, an audit finding will result when the requisition date is subsequent to the service date or the order date.

2)  Beginning July 1, 2019, a grace period will be allowed during the month of July to allow agencies time to enter encumbrances for the new fiscal year.  During the entire month of July, no audit findings will be issued based on a comparison of the requisition date to either the service date or the order date.
 

The provisions of PM Filing 10,300 should be followed in conjunction with all requisition and purchase order requirements issued through the Office of Procurement and Contracts. 
 

For guidance on fiscal year closing and determination for all obligations, please see PM Filing 14,002 Fiscal Year Closing Including Fiscal Year Determination.
 

Please note:  The following payments remain under review pending a determination of any encumbrance requirement:

• Payroll expenditures and remittance of payroll taxes, deductions and garnishments
• Single Pay voucher payments

Attachments:

PM Filing 10,300 Statewide Encumbrance Policy

Best Practices – Statewide Encumbrance Policy 

PM Filing 14,002 Fiscal Year Closing Including Fiscal Year Determination