Documenting Accounting Adjustments in Workday

Information entered into Workday is accessed by auditors, so documentation needs to be audit ready. Be mindful that your responses are providing information to auditors that provides a reasonable assurance that the department is exercising appropriate Internal Controls.  

All documentation on Accounting Adjustments should include the following:

• Why the error was incurred; what Internal Control broke down
• Steps the department is taking to ensure the error will not happen again
• The tangible benefit to the recipient budget

Accounting Adjustment documentation should not include the following:

• Incomplete or incoherent sentences
• Identification of high risk practices (no PI review, budget reconciliations not completed)
• Blaming of other UW departments
• Identification of fraudulent or unallowable practices (temporarily posting costs, budgetary convenience)

 Accounting Adjustment Questions

Accounting Adjustment Question #1

Q: Provide the reason for the adjustment and why it was charged to the wrong grant worktag. 

A: Include why there was an error and what the department is doing to ensure that it will not happen again.

Accounting Adjustment Question #2

Q: How did the charge benefit the grant worktag?

 A: Include information on why the expense should be allocated to the receiving grant worktag. If the cost is allocated to more than one grant worktag, provide the allocation method used to determine how much of the cost belongs to the receiving grant worktag.

Accounting Adjustment Question #3

Q: Provide a complete statement that fully documents the reasons the transfer date is greater than 120 days from the original transaction date.

A: Recognize the error of such a long delay, identify the issue, and state how the issue is being addressed and what is being done to ensure it will not happen again.