How to use the Certified Annual Report (CAR) – Chart of Account (COA) test site and actual site

Test and actual sites COA test site mirrors the actual site – Available year around – Switches to the current fiscal year’s edits after all the past fiscal year’s CARs have been received and reviewed – Additional capability of testing individual account codes Actual upload site is available in August – All accruals should be made prior to upload

Log in to the secure website:

Go into appropriate application

Test site Test early and test often!!! Testing gives you the opportunity to clean up incorrect account codes or reconciliations early on.

Test site – testing individual records

Enter up to 5 account numbers & click the Run Test button

OR… upload entire text file

First time through – answer questions. Edits are based on the answers.

Click on NOT COMPLETE button-Stage1

If no errors – green COMPLETE button appears - allows you to go to Stage 2 - errors in Stage 1 must be corrected

If errors appear in Stage 2, they do not need to be corrected at that point and you can advance to Stages 3 and 4.

To view errors – 2 possible buttons or drop-down menu (hit GO)

Errors are grouped in 2 ways – by fund and in categories

Individual account vs. entire file Individual account codes – Most edit checks to look at the format of an account code are in Stages 1 and 2. – Progressing to Stages 3 and 4, which are comprised of various reconciling edits, will give error messages that do not relate to the account number. Entire files – Some errors in Stages 3 and 4 cannot be corrected until accruals and end of the year journal entries are made.

Examples of errors after all 4 stages

Try, try, and try again! Individual account codes – Repeat this process for 1 to 5 account codes at any time – May only want to do Stages 1 and 2 Entire files – Correct errors and repeat process – Mirrors the actual upload site which is available in August

Actual CAR upload and reports Check points – Bank accounts are reconciled to financials – Using most updated version of financial software – One upload file – all accounts from all funds must be included in one comma delimited text file – Accounting entries have been made (adjustments and accruals) – Opened CAR reports and verified balances to ledger – Reviewed for accuracy – Report must be completed & certified by Sept. 15th

Actual CAR upload and reports – check reports for accuracy

Navigation of CAR-COA Use the Dropdown menu on each page to navigate through the application: choose page and hit GO button In completing a report or certification, information is only accepted after hitting UPDATE button

Complete 1 report – Nonprofit School Organizations If not applicable, must still hit Update

Instructions Instructions can be found at =com_content&view=article&id=1621&Itemid= =com_content&view=article&id=1621&Itemid=24 08 Or navigate by going to and follow this path: School Business & Finance Accounting & Reporting CAR

Resources – Use the Department of Education website often at & bookmark !!! – School Business & Finance, Accounting & Reporting, CAR CAR Information & Instructions – School Business & Finance, Accounting & Reporting, Uniform Financial Accounting Appendix G: Chart of Account Descriptions Appendix H: Minimum Chart of Account Quick Reference Guide Uniform Financial Accounting Manual – 2004 Edition – School Business & Finance, Accounting & Reporting, Procedures Uniform Administrative Procedures for LEAs (AEAs)

Other tips to using the Department of Education’s website Use the A-Z Programs List for finding things quickly

Other tips to using the Department of Education’s website Quick link to Secure Website (EdInfo) & more

Other tips to using the Department of Education’s website Quick Links to Important information and legislation

Other tips to using the Department of Education’s website Allocations are listed on each program page

Contact Us!!!! Denise Ragias – for help with the uploads and reports – – Phone: Janice Evans - for help with account codes and journal entries – – Phone:

Finance, Facilities and Operation Services (FFOS) Janice Evans – Account Coding, Journal Entries, Uniform Financial Accounting Su McCurdy – CAR Policy, SBRC, Supplementary Weighting, Uniform Administrative Procedures Denise Ragias – COA Uploads, CAR Reports, AEA & Juvenile Home Budgets Gary Schwartz – Facility, Bond, PPEL Elections Data Collections, Facilities, Infrastructure Grants & Allocations Joyce Thomsen – Operational Sharing, Unspent Balance Projections, Reorganizations 29