MyFinancial.desktop (MyFD) is retiring

MyFinancial.desktop (MyFD) is retiring to support UW Finance Transformation (UWFT) and the implementation of Workday Finance. To learn more see the Frequently Asked Questions.

Topics Covered Below:


What are Encumbrances and Open Balances?

Encumbrances are outstanding commitments on a budget for transactions processed through the Financial Accounting System (FAS). Currently the most common encumbrance is for salaries.

Open Balances are outstanding commitments on a budget for orders or contracts placed through the Ariba procurement system.

Encumbrances & Open Balances Report:

The Encumbrances & Open Balances report includes detailed information about remaining encumbrances from FAS and remaining open balance amounts from Ariba orders. It includes the description, reference number (which is often the purchase order number), date encumbered and/or date of last activity, open balance amount, estimated tax (based on the date of last activity), and total amount.

  • This report is not limited by access; anyone with access to MyFD may look at the Encumbrances & Open Balances Report for any budget.
  • This is an activity-to-date report. Time period selections are limited to the current date or past biennia.

Updates:

  • Salary encumbrance information is sent to FAS twice monthly from Workday, recalculated and posted on the day after the actual expenses post
  • Ariba Open Balance information updates MyFD nightly
  • If for any reason either the Encumbrance or Open Balance data is not current, MyFD will display a message in the header alerting users of the data discrepancy

To view the Encumbrances & Open Balances report:

  1. Select Encumbrances & Open Balances from the Reports drop-down menu
  2. Input a budget number in the View Budget # field, select a time period (past biennia or current date), and click GO
  3. View either Encumbrances or Open Balances by themselves by selecting or deselecting the appropriate checkbox

Reading the Encumbrances & Open Balances Report

Read the Encumbrances & Open Balances report from left to right.  Click the "+" under Account Code to view individual amounts by sub-account codes.

  • The Description field displays the transaction description. For salaries and benefits Encumbrances, this is generally the employee name. For Open Balances, this is the Title field from the Ariba order.
  • The Reference column displays the identifying encumbrance code or purchase order number.
  • For Encumbrances only, Date Encumbered displays the date the transaction was originally encumbered in FAS. Note: there is no Date Encumbered for Ariba Open Balances because there is no accounting entry in FAS until payment occurs.
  • The Date of Last Activity indicates the date of the last update, adjustment or liquidation.
  • The Open Balance Amount is the amount remaining, before tax, on the Ariba order.
  • The Estimated Tax is the amount of sales tax estimated for the remaining Open Balance amount.
  • Amount shows the total remaining amount open on the transaction, as of the date selected.

Encumbrances Data

Salary encumbrance data is based on information which originates in Workday and is then passed to Financial Accounting System (FAS). MyFD receives encumbrance information from FAS.  As transactions are processed through these systems for the encumbered amount, the encumbered amount reduces in FAS. Once FAS receives the encumbrance update, MyFD displays the updated data the following day. With the implementation of Workday, salary encumbrances have changed both in when they will post and how different budget types are encumbered. You can find more information regarding salary encumbrances on the Integrated Service Center (ISC) Resources webpage in the Administrative area under Salary Encumbrances. Other encumbrance types are manually entered by GCA and Facilities (see Reference field codes below).

Open Balances Data

Open Balance data is based on information which originates from Ariba. Purchase Orders (EI) and Contracts (BPO) not paid in full are collected nightly and passed to MyFD. MyFD summarizes the data and displays remaining open balances by budget number and account code. As invoices are paid against the Ariba order, the open balance decreases by the amount paid. Orders paid in full, not yet effective or past the expiration date will no longer show on the Encumbrances & Open Balances report. The paid amounts would then show up as posted transactions in the Transaction Summary and Reconciliation reports.

Source document links for Ariba orders in the Encumbrances & Open Balances report are available for Purchase Orders (EI) but not Blanket Purchase Orders (BPO). Source document links for both POs and BPOs are available in the MyFD Transaction Summary and Reconciliation reports, or directly from Ariba.

Ariba open balances are summarized in MyFD, however, Ariba includes a detailed report which includes specifics about how the open balance is calculated. To see this report, within Ariba, choose Manage > Reports > Select the Orders category > Select the Open Balance Details by Budget report > Filter by budget or org code > Click Run. The report format can be changed to support Excel, CSV or HTML needs. Understanding the source of the open balance calculation can help to understand if any goods or services are outstanding and what is needed to close it.

How to Close Open Balances

Report Links

The following list details what the report Reference Codes mean and whether the Encumbrance and Open Balance Report will link to the source documents for the encumbrance or open balance.

Reference Code Description Link to Source from MyFD? Need Help?
BPO Ariba Blanket Purchase Order Open Balance No pcshelp@uw.edu
EI Ariba Purchase Order (Catalog/Non-Catalog) Open Balance Yes pcshelp@uw.edu
JEE Benefit Encumbrance No ischelp@uw.edu 
T PAS Purchase Order Encumbrance No pcshelp@uw.edu
XXX-XXX-XXX Salary Encumbrance (Employee ID#) No ischelp@uw.edu
ZB Indirect Cost Encumbrance No gcahelp@uw.edu

 

Need more information?

Check out our Frequently Asked Questions about Open Balances and Encumbrances, and review the Encumbrances and Open Balances Report eLearning.