Small Agency Services Bulletin - February 2026
| Important Dates | Important Messages | Small Agency Financial Services News | Travel Tips | Contact Us |
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Important Dates
Feb. 27
- Federal Assistance Certification Form (disclosure) is due to OFM.
Mar. 2
- Payroll timesheets Due. Have questions? Email despayroll@des.wa.gov or submit a Payroll Request form.
Mar. 6
- To reflect in your agency’s February monthly financial statements, all invoices and travel reimbursement requests are due to Accounts Payable.
Mar. 12
- Wrap up of the 2026 "short" Legislative Session.
Mar. 17
- Payroll timesheets due
Apr. 2
- Payroll timesheets due
Apr. 16
- Payroll timesheets due
Important Messages
Correctional Industries (CI) - end of year cut-off dates
CI has identified the following cutoff dates for FY26 furniture orders requiring delivery by June 30, 2026.
- Standard gross orders exceeding $100,000 – February 27, 2026
- Standard gross orders less than $100,000 – April 3, 2026
- Sit-to-stand riser orders – May 15, 2026
- Fast Fulfillment orders* – June 1, 2026
Recent change in how the United States Postal Service (USPS) defines and applies postmarks
Effective December 24, 2025, USPS revised its Domestic Mail Manual (Section 608.11, “Postmarks and Postal Possession”). Under the new rule, the date that appears in a machine-applied postmark will reflect the date the mail was first processed by USPS automated equipment at a processing facility, not necessarily the date the item was dropped off at a post office or in a mailbox.
What this means for you:
- A postmark no longer reliably shows the actual drop-off date. It shows when the mail was first handled by USPS machinery.
- For time-sensitive items (e.g., tax returns, ballot mail, contracts, legal or regulatory filings), you should not assume that the postmark date proves you met a deadline unless additional proof of mailing is obtained.
Tips to ensure proof of mailing date:
- Request a manual postmark at the USPS retail counter when you hand in your mail.
- Use services like Certified Mail, Registered Mail, or a Certificate of Mailing that provide official receipts with the acceptance date.
If you have questions about specific mailing deadlines or how this may affect your mailings, please contact your postal service representative.
DES Small Agency Procurement Message
As the Governor’s Budget and Legislative Session ends, if your agency has or is expecting to be awarded funding for special projects, the DES Small Agency Procurement team can help with any procurement needs related to budget provisos, interagency agreements, contracts, or anything of the like.
If any small agency has questions or needs help with the procurement process, they can email DESProcurementConsulting@des.wa.gov.
DES plans to distribute two separate rebates in March and early April
DES wishes to thank those of you who use the state's purchasing and fleet card master contacts. By working together, we are able to best leverage available rebates based on the US Bank/Voyager Fleet Card as well as the US Bank/Visa Purchasing Card. DES is sharing these additional rebates with entities who participated by using these contracts.
DES plans to distribute the rebates in March and early April
- The additional rebates from US Bank/Visa Purchasing Card for 2022 purchasing volume are based on Incentive No. 4 of the US Bank/Visa Purchasing Card contract 00719.
- The additional rebates from US Bank/Voyager Fleet Card for 2022 purchasing volume are based on Incentive No. 3 of the US Bank/Voyager Fleet Card contract 00719.
Both rebates are based on spend volume. Washington qualified for the additional incentive programs based on spending after enough states and public entities joined the multi-state purchasing card programs. We reached these benchmarks through DES' efforts in recruiting both other states and nonparticipating entities within Washington to utilize the contracts – an effort DES is continuing.
If your agency qualifies for a rebate and your agency receives Small Agency Financial Services for budget and revenue management, DES will deposit the rebate on behalf of your agency.
Small Agency Financial Services News
Payroll information
- We recommend that all correspondence and forms are sent using the Payroll Request form or to the despayroll@des.wa.gov inbox. Items sent via these methods are ticketed and monitored for completion.
- Reminder that Payroll Journals need to be signed prior to payday per SAAM 25.20.30 & RCW 41.06.270 and returned by the due date mentioned in the email that is sent with the journal.
- Once the payroll journals are signed, they should be sent back to DES Payroll for retention.
Five quick tips for handling receipts
- Tip 1: Incoming cash and checks must be deposited as soon as possible.
- Per RCW 43.01.050, deposits must be within 24 hours of the receipt of cash or checks.
- DES has been granted a waiver allowing Small Agency Financial Services (SAFS) agencies, to whom they provide accounts receivable services, to deposit either weekly or when cash on hand reaches $500, whichever comes first.
- Tip 2: Two people should open the mail whenever cash or checks are expected. One person should create a list of cash and checks received and another should review it. Both persons should initial the list after the amounts have been verified by both.
- Tip 3: A balance and summary of all cash receipts should be prepared daily. Any shortages or overages are to be investigated and to the extent possible, corrected.
- Tip 4: Receipts need to be safeguarded until they are sent to SAFS for deposit. Cash and checks received should be kept in a secure location that is restricted to authorized personnel.
- Tip 5: Agencies should maintain written procedures on all cash handling and cash control procedures. These should include the procedures used by the agency and the roles and responsibilities of staff handling and reviewing cash receipting activity.
For more information about safe handling cash and check receipts, please contact us at 360-407-2238 or desaccountsreceivable@des.wa.gov.
SAFS (Small Agency Financial Services) team updates
Did you know? Your DES financial support team consists of ALL of our SAFS team members. Even though you may work with specific SAFS members regularly, other SAFS members often step in to assist and provide continuity of services. We would like you to know about our whole SAFS team. Below is a list of each work group within SAFS, the members you may hear from, and recent news or a message from each team.
Accounts payable
Team members:
- Diana Huynh - Supervisor
- Riley Hyland - Sr. Lead
- Kaler Pearson - Sr. Lead
- Bryn Parker - Lead
- Forest Pope - Accounting Analyst
- Kyler Oblad - Accounting Analyst
- Amber Roberts - Accounting Analyst
Team message: Please join us in welcoming Amber Roberts to the SAFS AP team! Some of you may have previously worked with her in Payroll, and we’re excited to have her bring that experience and expertise to our team.
Accounts receivable
Team members:
- Betti Bartoldo - Supervisor
- Stacey Millsap - Sr. Lead
- Jenifer Mobley - Accounting Analyst
- Brandy Leitgeb - Accounting Analyst
- Sarah Palazzo - Cash Receipts Specialist
- Sean Garcia - Cash Receipts Specialist
Budget
Team members:
- Diann Lewallen
- Seth Flory
- Ian Shelley
- Christina Shearer
- Annis Jones
Team message: Legislative session is demanding, but our ability to stay connected and support one another is what carries us through. Grateful to be in this together.
Payroll
Team members:
- Rachel Rodgers – Manager
- Molly Guinan – Supervisor
- Kayla Preble – Lead
- Nichole Dahlin – Processor
- Vanno Non - Garnishments
- Adam Oskvig – Processor/Out of State Taxes
- Treyson Ramos – Retirement Specialist
- Brandy Butterfield – Benefits Specialist
Team message: "Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much." – Helen Keller
Administrative Assistance
Team members:
- Makaila Barbella
DES accounts payable statistics for Jan. 2026 (34 agencies served)
| Invoices received from agency | 1,654 | 71.11% | $12,382,949 |
| Invoices paid on delegated authority | 607 | 26.10% | $1,754,914 |
| Travel requests paid through TEMS | 63 | 2.70% | $19,122 |
| Payments reissued (SOL, Lost Warrant) | 2 | 0.09% | $1,100 |
| Total payments processed | 2,326 | 100% | $14,158,085 |
DES payroll statistics for Jan. 2026 (42 agencies served)
| Total employees paid | 1,215 |
| Appointment changes | 8 |
| New hires/rehires | 22 |
| Separations | 8 |
| Supplemental payments/walk throughs | 0 |
| Overpayments | 0 |
Travel Tips
Helpful Hints for Good to Go! Transponder Accounts
A Good To Go! account is the cheapest and easiest way to pay tolls in Washington. With an account, your tolls will be paid automatically without having to stop at a toll booth or worry about bills in the mail. Check out helpful hints on setting up and using a Good To Go! account.
As always, if you have any questions regarding travel: call SAFS AP at 360-407-8183 or email travel.safs@des.wa.gov.
Contact Us
If you would like to know what budget analyst, payroll analyst and HR business partner is assigned to your agency, see our Agency Assignments webpage.
If you would like to get contact information for DES SAFS and HR staff, see our Contacts webpage.
If you have suggestions or feedback about the Small Agency Services Bulletin, please send your comments to SmallAgencyBulletin@des.wa.gov.