Small Agency Services Bulletin - January 2023
| Important Dates | Important Messages | Small Agency Financial Services News | Travel Tips | Contact Us |
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Important Dates
Jan. 31
- 2022 W-2s will be both mailed and available in MyPortal.
- Sick leave buyout options are due back to DES Payroll. If employees opt for sick leave buyout, it will be paid on the February 10 paycheck.
Feb. 6
- To reflect in your agency's monthly financial statements, all invoices and travel reimbursement requests are due to Accounts Payable.
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Important Messages
Legislative Session is Underway
January 9 was the first day of the 2023 Legislative Session. Please remember that agencies have three days to respond to fiscal notes during session, with a priority for fiscal note requests. Agencies that have experienced staff turnover are reminded to make sure appropriate staff have access to the systems necessary to the fiscal note process.
- Check out the 2023 Session Cutoff Calendar
- Keep up on What's Happening on the Floor
- View Legislative Proceedings
Electronic IRS 2022 Form W-2
Electronic copies are now available in MyPortal. Paper copies will be mailed soon and should be received by mid-February. Contact the DES Payroll Office to obtain a copy if an employee did not receive their Form W-2 and do not have access to MyPortal.
New 2023 Form W-4
The IRS 2023 Form W-4 Employee's Withholding Certificate is now available. Only those hired in 2023 and anyone making withholding changes during 2023 will need to complete the 2023 Form W-4.
Here are links to the forms:
- 2023 Form W-4 Employee's Withholding Certificate
- 2023 Form W-4 (Spanish version)
- DES forms page
OFM Training Coming Soon
OFM is happy to announce that development is complete on the first training in their new accounting curriculum, and they are preparing to launch enrollment.
Accounting 101: Foundations of Accounting is a virtual instructor led course that covers the basics of general accounting, such as: the accounting equation, debits and credits, GL accounts, how to read financial statements, and journal entries.
In early spring, this training will be open for enrollment on The Learning Center for all state finance staff, including higher education staff.
Check out the full article and information of other trainings in OFM’s Winter 2023 The Connection.
AFRS Table Roll Coming Again
The AFRS table roll is the process by which current biennium (2023) AFRS program index, appropriation index, organization index, and descriptor tables are duplicated for the new biennium (2025), eliminating the need for agencies to rekey hundreds or thousands of records. The table roll is completed in phases with the first phase planned for April 2023 and the final phase, expenditure authority related tables, occurring after the Governor signs the 2023-25 budgets.
Fiscal officers should expect an email in February asking them to verify and/or update their agency-assigned contact information. See the full article in OFM’s Winter 2023 The Connection.
Department of Revenue – Unclaimed Property
Each year businesses and state agencies report unclaimed money or property to the Department of Revenue (DOR). Individuals or businesses can check to see if DOR is holding money or property that belongs to them. Check it out and Claim Your Cash.
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Small Agency Financial Services News
DES Budget is Working on Projections
Your DES Budget Analysts is working on budget projections for the remainder of FY23. It is important that each agency partner with their Budget Analyst to incorporate spending plans into the budget.
The following items should be included in budget projections:
- Changes to revenue expectations
- Staff hires, vacancies, retirement leave cashouts
- Unexpected expenditures (e.g., unemployment, attorney general, auditor, repairs and maintenance)
- Infrequent expenditures (e.g., annual subscription or insurance payments)
- Additional travel or meetings
- Moving expenses, rent increases
- Future investments
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.
| Team | Members | News / Message |
|---|---|---|
| Accounts Payable |
Ian Shelley |
New Year Fun Fact: There are 38 time zones at this time of year, so New Year’s Eve is celebrated at 38 different times. See the different time zones on New Year World Map. |
| Budget |
Diann Lewallen |
The Budget team is currently busy assisting agencies with fiscal notes. Lisa will be out on leave starting January 30. Please contact gwen.mcclanahan@des.wa.gov while Lisa is out. |
| Payroll |
Carrie Knudson |
DES Payroll Team will be operating with limited resources over the next several weeks. While routine payroll process will occur as normal, we will have very limited capacity to respond to non-urgent requests and inquires. During this time, we are asking that you please:
|
| Accounts Receivable |
Betti Bartoldo |
New Year Fun Facts:
|
| Administrative Assistance |
Danelle Guerin |
New Year Fun Facts: Time balls were invented to help sailors. Long before it was used on New Year's Eve, a ball on top of England's Royal Observatory in Greenwich was dropped at 1 p.m. every day (starting in 1833) to help ship captains coordinate their navigation equipment. |
DES Accounts Payable statistics for Dec. 2022 (34 agencies served)
| Invoices Received from Agency | 1,894 | 78.82% | $12,954,486 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Invoices Paid on Delegated Authority | 411 | 17.10% | $956,655 |
| Travel Requests Paid through TEMS | 87 | 3.62% | $33,399 |
| Payments Reissued (SOL, Lost Warrant) | 11 | 0.46% | $42,568 |
| Total Payments Processed | 2,403 | 100% | $13,987,109 |
DES Payroll statistics for Dec. 2022 (42 agencies served)
| Total Employees Paid | 1,498 |
|---|---|
| Appointment Changes | 15 |
| New Hires / Rehires | 11 |
| Transfer In / Transfer Outs | 8 |
| Separations | 18 |
| Supplemental Payments / Walk Throughs | 0 |
| Overpayments | 0 |
Quarterly DES Accounts Receivable statistics for Oct. - Dec. 2022 (32 agencies served)
| Invoices Produced | 749 | $3,109,557 |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue Recorded | 479 | $6,567,588 |
| Expenditure Reductions Recorded | 154 | $1,933,269 |
| Accounts Receivable FTEs Completing the Work | 2.17 |
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Travel Tips
- Remember your prior approvals! Out of state travel requires prior approval and lodging over per diem requires prior approval. Please contact AP with any questions
- 2023 Mileage rate change! 2023 rate is now $0.655 per mile. See the full article in OFM’s Winter 2023 The Connection.
As always, if you have any questions regarding travel: call SAFS AP at (360) 407-8183 or email travel.safs@des.wa.gov
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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.
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