In case you were not able to join a particular office hour or are just curious on what was discussed, we will post summaries (generated by Zoom AI) below:
- June 2, 2026
Key Takeaways
- This was an MAA Recharge Office Hours session hosted by Malik F. (Senior Analyst, MAA), Elroy (Program Operations Specialist), and Mary (UW), open to recharge center representatives across departments.
- The approval timeline for rate proposals requires Dean's Office or VP approval first; MAA's 6-week review period begins only after that approval is received, meaning the total timeline can be up to 12 weeks.
- MAA is actively working with the Finance Planning and Budgeting (FPB) office to remove recharge centers from the year-end process and from Adaptive budgeting, to prevent confusion around rates caused by deficit coverage requirements.
- In the interim, recharge centers should continue following their Dean's Office instructions regarding year-end deficit coverage, but may communicate to their dean that moving money impacts rates per the 60-day working capital rule under uniform guidance.
- If a center's new rate is not approved before the start of a new fiscal year, the previous rate remains in effect until the new rate is approved; no retroactive ISD corrections are required.
- Any department selling goods or services internally must set up an Internal Service Provider (ISP) and use Internal Service Deliveries (ISDs) for billing, regardless of frequency or amount.
- Whether a department becomes a formal recharge or service center is at the discretion of the Dean's Office, not MAA.
- A department can have multiple rates for different services under a single cost center, or opt for separate cost centers per lab/service — each approach has administrative trade-offs.
- MAA office hours are held every other Tuesday; one-on-one meetings can also be arranged upon request.
- Contact email for MAA recharge inquiries: recharge@uw.edu (response time: 24–72 hours).
Q & A Summary
Approval Timeline for Rate Proposals
Jill: What is the approximate turnaround time for submitting proposals for approval? Previously, both the Dean's Office and MAA reviews were completed within a combined 6-week window. Does the new process require 6 weeks for each, totaling 12 weeks?Elroy / Malik F.: MAA's 6-week review period begins only after Dean's Office (or VP) approval is received. The two reviews cannot run concurrently under the current process, as MAA cannot begin its rate review without prior Dean's Office approval. If the Dean's Office takes 6 weeks and MAA takes another 6 weeks, the total could be 12 weeks. The faster Dean's Office approval is obtained, the sooner MAA can begin its review.General Ledger Account Reporting (GLARP)
Monica Charlotte Rachel: Regarding general ledger accounting — who from MAA reaches out to departments for GLARP (General Ledger Account Reporting) on regular transactions?Elroy / Malik F.: MAA's recharge team does not typically handle general ledger journal entries with departments directly. Elroy noted this may vary by team member. Malik F. requested that Monica send an example of what she previously received to recharge@uw.edu (response within 24–72 hours) so the team can better understand and assist.Year-End Deficit Coverage and Rate Impact
Shana: If a recharge center's budget is in deficit at fiscal year-end, the department is required to cover it. However, if the center has already raised its rate and ends up with a revenue surplus, will MAA reduce the rate, or can the center recoup the deficit it previously covered?Malik F.: MAA is working with FPB (Finance Planning and Budgeting) to remove recharge centers from the year-end process and from Adaptive budgeting entirely, as this creates confusion with rates. Under uniform guidance, a 60-day working capital window is allowed — surpluses or deficits within that window are acceptable. Outside of 60 days, a surplus suggests rates are too high and a deficit suggests rates are too low. Moving money in and out complicates rate accuracy. MAA hopes to have this resolved by FY28 at the latest. In the meantime, centers should follow their Dean's Office instructions but may communicate that moving revenue impacts rate integrity.Shana: Can MAA provide written communication that departments can use to push back on their Dean's Office regarding deficit coverage?Malik F.: Once MAA receives confirmation that recharge centers will be excluded from year-end planning and Adaptive, a notification will be sent to all recharge centers via the MAA listserv. Until then, centers should comply with their Dean's Office while using the 60-day working capital rationale as context.Late Rate Proposal Submission and Interim Billing
Christie M.: As a new staff member, she discovered that her center's rate proposal for FY27 (starting July 1) may not have been submitted to MAA yet. With only 28 days until the new fiscal year, how will the first months of FY27 be handled?Malik F. / Elroy: Delays happen and are not uncommon. In the interim, the center will continue using its previously approved FY26 rates until the new rate is approved. Extensions of one to two months can be accommodated. MAA typically sends reminders suggesting 6–8 weeks for review.Christie M.: If the new rate is higher or lower than the interim rate, would ISDs need to be corrected retroactively for the extension period?Malik F. / Mary (UW): No retroactive corrections are needed. Once the new rate is approved, it goes into effect going forward only. No back-billing or ISD corrections are required for the interim period.Where to Find Timeline and Process Documentation
Christie M.: Is the information about the Dean's Office approval timeline and MAA's 6-week review period published on the MAA website?Mary (UW): Yes, this information is available in the MAA communication archive, which is linked from the mailing list page. It is outlined in previous emails sent to the recharge center mailing list.ISP Setup vs. Recharge Center — CSDE Group (College of Arts and Sciences)
Cara K.: On behalf of the CSDE (Center for Studies in Demography and Ecology) group, which has three distinct labs providing data analysis, server access, and software services to internal UW departments and some external entities — what is the best mechanism to set them up to issue ISDs? Do they need to be a recharge center, or can they simply set up an ISP?Mary (UW) / Malik F.: An ISP (Internal Service Provider) is required in order to use the ISD (Internal Service Delivery) billing process — you cannot use ISDs without an ISP. Whether to become a formal recharge or service center is a separate decision that rests with the Dean's Office, not MAA. MAA does not proactively require departments to become recharge centers, but does assist with rate development and costing if they choose to do so. The key distinction: if a department is selling goods or services at a rate (not merely seeking reimbursement for costs), it should set up an ISP. Malik F. used the analogy: "Are you a lemonade stand, or are you just making lemonade for friends?"Cara K.: Can the group set up an ISP without becoming a recharge center?Mary (UW): Yes, that is a valid option. Setting up an ISP is independent of becoming a recharge center. If they later decide to pursue a recharge center, they would complete MAA's rate proposal template and seek Dean's Office approval.Cara K.: If the three labs want three distinct cost centers with separate rates, is that permissible?Malik F.: Yes, that is structurally possible and is up to the Dean's Office and FDM (Financial Data Model) structure — MAA has no jurisdiction over FDM setup. However, each separate cost center would require its own rate, review cycle, and reconciliation, which increases administrative burden. An alternative is to have one cost center with multiple rates for different services, which MAA's template supports.Cara K.: If all revenue flows to one cost center, can different program tags be used to distinguish the three labs?Malik F.: No. Each ISP triggers a specific set of work tags, so work tags cannot be changed while still billing to the same ISP.Cara K.: What are the recommended next steps?Mary (UW): Cara K. should consult with Linda Nelson (Dean's Office contact) to determine the preferred path. MAA will send the rate proposal template link for reference. The group can return to office hours (held every other Tuesday) or schedule a dedicated meeting with MAA, including Linda if needed.- May 19, 2026
Key Takeaways
- The office hours meeting focused on MAA Recharge center topics, including quarterly financial reporting, training plans, rate setting, and equipment reserve usage.
- A live demo of the new quarterly financial report (using the R1300 report in Workday) was conducted using center CC101132 as an example.
- Quarterly financial reports will roll out in fiscal year 27; no live training is currently scheduled, but an asynchronous training recording is planned for approximately July.
- For recharge centers, quarterly financial reports are submitted to the Dean's Office. For service centers, reports go to both the Dean's Office and MAA.
- The current submission email for quarterly financial reports is recharge@uw.edu; a Connect ticketing system update is planned but not yet live.
- Equipment reserve funds (resource code 76) should primarily be used for equipment purchases; any non-equipment use requires prior approval via recharge@uw.edu on a case-by-case basis.
- A new fellowship rate tier for external users is feasible by creating a separate rate with allocated lower costs, but an external marketplace analysis is still required.
- Asynchronous training topics planned include rate proposal templates, depreciation handling, and report running (quarterly financial and salary reports).
Q & A Summary
Quarterly Financial Report Training
Monica Charlotte Rachel: Will there be specific training provided for the new quarterly financial reports rolling out in fiscal year 27?Rene: No live training is currently scheduled. An asynchronous training recording is being considered, and general overall training is in development. Rene offered to demo the quarterly financial report process during the session.Quarterly Financial Report Demo
Shana(She/Her (ATMOS)): Could Rene demo a quarterly financial report?Rene: Yes. Using center CC101132 as a volunteer example, Rene demonstrated how to run the R1300 report in Workday. Key steps included: selecting the company (typically UW 1861), choosing the last three fiscal periods to cover a quarter, entering the appropriate work tags and common book filter, including allocation journals to retain resource tags (especially for depreciation), and exporting the results to Excel. The template guides users to add any accrued revenues or expenses and calculate an adjusted net fund balance. For the 60-day working capital calculation, a full year of expense data is divided by 365 and multiplied by 60; this figure is only relevant when a center is in a surplus.Enforcement and Compliance for Quarterly Reporting
Irene: How do we enforce recharge centers to submit the quarterly report? Is there a penalty or fine for non-compliance?Rene: There is no formal penalty. Non-submission is primarily a compliance risk — centers may unknowingly fall into deficit or fail to recover costs correctly. The level of risk is ultimately managed by the department.Dean's Office Role in Quarterly Reporting
Irene: What is the Dean's Office's role and responsibility in the quarterly financial reporting process?Rene: The Dean's Office is responsible for receiving the quarterly financial reports and ensuring that centers are recovering costs correctly — neither over- nor under-recovering. For recharge centers, the process ends at the Dean's Office. For service centers, the Dean's Office reviews the report and also forwards it to MAA.Submission Workflow for Quarterly Reports
Irene: Should the quarterly report be sent directly to MAA, or to the Dean's Office first? And should the Dean's Office compile and submit to MAA via a ticket?Rene: Recharge centers generate the report and send it to the Dean's Office only. Service centers generate the report, send it to the Dean's Office, and also send it to MAA. For service centers, the Dean's Office (e.g., Irene's team) can compile and submit to MAA.Submission Email Address for MAA
Sonora: What is the correct email address for submitting quarterly reports directly to MAA?Rene: Reports should currently be sent to recharge@uw.edu. A Connect ticketing system is being developed to handle submissions in the future, but it is not yet active. Malik F. confirmed the email address in the chat.Asynchronous Training Topics and Timeline
Glen M: What topics will the asynchronous training videos cover, and when can they be expected?Rene: Asynchronous training development will begin after the completion of the in-progress "101 live class," which covers all policy and procedure for service and recharge centers. Planned asynchronous topics include: an overview of rate proposal templates, depreciation handling, and report running (quarterly financial reporting, salary reports, and depreciation reports). The estimated timeline for these materials is approximately July (summer).Setting Up a New Fellowship Rate
Sonora: A group is looking to establish a new fellowship rate that is lower than existing rates, primarily for external users (potentially from low- and middle-income countries). What information does MAA need to establish a new rate?Rene: Rene clarified that since this is a new pricing tier for an existing service (not a new service), one option is to reduce the external surcharge. However, rates must still recover costs and include internal institutional overhead. Another option is to create a separate rate altogether with a lower cost allocation reserved for that specific user group. Regardless of approach, an external marketplace analysis is required. Rene shared the marketplace analysis template link in the chat: https://finance.uw.edu/maa/files/recharge/marketplace-analysis-template.docx. Rene recommended Sonora develop a full proposal and submit it to MAA for review.