Small Agency Services Bulletin - November 2024
| Important Dates | Important Messages | Small Agency Financial Services News | Travel Tips | Contact Us |
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Important Dates
Dec. 2
- Timesheet Deadline for pay period ending 11/30.
Dec. 6
- CFD proceeds are due to the Office of Secretary of State.
- To reflect in your agency's November monthly financial statements, all invoices and travel reimbursement requests are due to Accounts Payable.
Dec. 17
- 2024 IRS 1099-MISC reporting invoice cutoff. See more details in “Payment Pause – AP IRS FORM 1099 Analysis” section below.
Dec. 20
- Statutory deadline for Governor to release supplemental budget proposals.
Jan. 13
- 2025 Legislative Session begins.
Jan. 31
- 2024 W-2s will be distributed. They will also be available electronically in MyPortal.
- Annual sick leave buy-out form is due.
Important Messages
OFM Budget Preparations are Under Way
The Office of Financial Management (OFM) is busy reviewing agency requests and preparing recommendations to the Governor's 2025-2057 biennial and 2025 supplemental budgets. Be sure to contact your DES Budget Analyst should you receive any questions or make subsequent changes to your budget submittal. The Governor's budget proposal is required by statute to be submitted to the Legislature by Dec. 20.
Apple Health Communication for All Employees
Some state employees may qualify for health care coverage through the Washington Apple Health program at no cost, or Washington Apple Health for Kids with premiums. If you would like to see if you or your dependents qualify for coverage you may apply online at wahealthplanfinder.org or by contacting the Health Benefit Exchange Customer Support Center at 1-855-923-4633.
If you or your dependents qualify for no-cost Apple Health, you will have a choice of available managed care plans depending on the county in which you live. There are no premiums, co-pays, or deductibles. If your dependents qualify for Apple Health for Kids with premiums and you choose to enroll, you will be responsible to pay a small monthly premium.
You may also choose to keep your insurance through your employer. If you keep your employer-based coverage you may qualify for help with your insurance premiums.
Call 1-800-562-3022 Ext. 15473, or visit the Premium Payment page on Health Care Authority's website for more information. The site includes general information and an application form for your convenience. Additional information is available at the U.S. Department of Labor's website.
Small Agency Financial Services News
DES Travel Workshop
On Nov. 4, the DES SAFS AP team hosted a successful Travel Workshop with over 100 attendees representing 27 small agencies.
This workshop covered:
- Travel Volume Stats
- SAAM Travel Policy review
- TEMS Demonstration
- Meals with Meetings & Light Refreshments
- Telework & Travel
- An interactive Q&A section
Special thanks to DES SAFS Accounts Payable team Diana Huynh, Bryn Parker, Diana Dikhamindzhiya, Forest Pope, Kaler Zoucha, Kyler Oblad.
The presentation and resources have been updated and posted on our Workshop Materials webpage. Enjoy!
DES Small Agency Contracts & Procurement Workshop
On Nov. 14, DES Small Agency Procurement Support Services hosted a successful Contracts and Procurement Workshop with over 60 attendees representing 29 small agencies.
This workshop covered:
- Background / History
- Small Agency Procurement Consulting Support Services
- Upcoming Procurement Risk Assessments
Special thanks to Alexander Kenesson, Peter Colina, Brandon Cipolla, and Marilyn First.
The presentation and recording have been posted on our Workshop Materials webpage. Enjoy!
Payment Pause – AP IRS FORM 1099 Analysis
- Send payments by 12/17/24 to guarantee payment before the payment pause
- Last 2024 payment day is 12/20/24
- No payment processed from 12/23/24-12/31/24
- Payments will resume 1/2/25
This payment pause allows the AP team time to accurately analyze for IRS 1099 reporting, thank you for your understanding.
Calendar Year-End 2024 is Approaching
The end of the calendar year is quickly approaching. Our payroll office has a few important reminders:
- Ensure all timesheets and leave slips are submitted timely and accurately by Dec. 16. This will ensure your 2024 W-2s are correct.
- Update your W-4: Only if there are any changes in your financial or marital status. Find your current withholding status in the top right corner of each earnings statement.
- W-4 - send a copy to DES Payroll
- W-4 - Spanish version - send a copy to DES Payroll
- Update your address: Have you moved? Now is a good time to update your address. Please send an email to the Human Resources (HR) office.
- Review Beneficiary: Now is a good time to review your beneficiary information for your life insurance, retirement, deferred compensation program, and your Health Savings
Leave donations to/from another agency affect your budget
Often employees have excess leave that they may never use or actually lose on their anniversary date. Donating excess leave to other state employees in need and who qualify for shared leave donations is common.
But did you know... leave donations can affect your budget?
- If an employee donates leave, the hours AND the monetary value of those hours transfer.
- If an employee is donating to an employee within the same agency, there is no impact on the agency's budget except possibly between the agency's program budgets.
- If an employee is donating to another agency's employee, the budget of the giving agency is decreased by the monetary value of the leave being donated -- and the gaining agency's budget is increased.
Before approving an employee's leave donation to an employee at another agency, check with your DES SAFS Budget Analyst to see that your agency's budget can afford the decrease/expenditure.
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 |
Diana Huynh |
We are happy to welcome 2 new Senior Lead Fiscal Analysts, Rachel and Riley to our SAFS AP team. Their first day with us was Monday, November 18. |
| Budget |
Diann Lewallen |
|
| Payroll |
Molly Guinan |
Please welcome Adam and Malachi, who both joined our team November 1. Adam will be handling Out of State Taxes, and Malachi is a new Time and Attendance Processor. Rachel – Manager |
| Accounts Receivable |
Betti Bartoldo |
Please welcome Stacey to our team starting November 18. She came to us from the State Board of Community & Technical Colleges (SBCTC) and has a bachelor's degree in accounting and over 8 years of AR experience. |
| Administrative Assistance |
Danelle Guerin |
|
DES Accounts Payable statistics for October 2024 (34 agencies served)
| Invoices Received from Agency | 2,361 | 73.94% | $23,765,896 |
| Invoices Paid on Delegated Authority | 605 | 18.95% | $1,638,128 |
| Travel Requests Paid through TEMS | 218 | 6.83% | $95,565 |
| Payments Reissued (SOL, Lost Warrant) | 9 | 0.28% | $19,606 |
| Total Payments Processed | 3,193 | 100% | $25,519,195 |
| Turnaround days | 2.44 |
Travel Tips
Travel Workshop
The Nov. 4 Travel Workshop presentation and resources have been posted on our Workshop Materials webpage. Enjoy!
Per Diem Taxation
Per diem is taxable and will be included on the employee's W-2. When utilizing the Travel and Expense Management Systems (TEMS), the meals must be marked as taxable when applicable.
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.