NEWS

Systems and Procedures
A Division of The Corporate Controller's Office

News

Subject	SIMBA/GURU Procedure Revisions
Verbiage	Effective July 1st, all procedures on the GURU website containing IBIS functions/processes will need to be updated for the launch of SIMBA. All procedural information will be replaced with SIMBA contact information until such time that new SIMBA procedures may be drafted, vetted, and published. Thank you for your patience as review committees become familiar with SIMBA processes and can create relevant procedures. If you should have any question, use the contact information as provided on each procedure link on the Procedures tab of the GURU website.
Date	10:43 AM - 06/15/2020

Subject	SIMBA/GURU Form Revisions
Verbiage	With the launch of SIMBA on July 1st, many of the forms appearing on the GURU website will have an IBIS version and a SIMBA version of each available for use. The new version will have SIMBA included in the document title. The IBIS version will remain through the year-end close of IBIS and then be decommissioned.
Date	10:42 AM - 06/15/2020

Subject	SIMBA General Ledger Accounts
Verbiage	The SIMBA General Ledger (GL) Accounts document has been added to the Rates and Schedules section of the Business Resources on GURU. This new document is to assist end-users as the University begins the transition from the IBIS financial system to the SIMBA system. The General Ledger Accounts document contains the numeric listing of SIMBA GL Accounts with IBIS Object Code cross-references.
Date	1:19 PM - 05/29/2020

Subject	SIMBA CHART OF ACCOUNTS
Verbiage	The SIMBA Chart of Accounts document has been added to the Rates and Schedules section of the Business Resources of GURU. This new document is to assist end-users as the University begins the transition from the IBIS financial system to the SIMBA system. The Chart of Accounts provides information pertaining to Cost Center Hierarchy, Functional Areas, and Business Area Codes within SIMBA.
Date	10:47 AM - 05/29/2020

Subject	Procedure CR2067 Processing Foreign Currency Drafts - Decommissioned
Verbiage	Procedure CR2067 Processing Foreign Currency Drafts is obsolete and has been decommissioned. The wire transfer process should be used in its place. Please contact Amber Iwanski in Accounting Operations with any questions.
Date	10:23 AM - 05/13/2020

Subject	2020 Standard Mileage Rates
Verbiage	The Internal Revenue Service has issued the 2020 optional personal standard mileage rates used to calculate the deductible costs of operating an automobile for business, charitable, medical or moving purposes. Beginning on January 1, 2020, the standard mileage rates for the use of a car (also vans, pickups, or panel trucks) will be: • 57.5 cents per mile driven for business use (down one half of a cent from the rate for 2019) • 17 cents per mile driven for medical or moving purposes (down three cents from the rate for 2019), and • 14 cents per mile driven in service of charitable organizations.
Date	8:59 AM - 01/08/2020

Subject	Policy Guideline FNG05 to be decommissioned
Verbiage	PENDING REVISIONS Policy Guideline FNG05 to be decommissioned Please be advised that Policy Guideline FNG05 - Expenditure Guidelines for Costs Not Allowable Under Uniform Guidance is being prepared to be decommissioned. All information contained within the policy guideline is procedural and as such will be converted from a policy guideline to a procedure. When the new document is ready for publication, FNG05 will be decommissioned on the Policy Library website and the new procedure, CR2009 Expenditure Guidelines for Costs Not Allowable Under Uniform guidance will be available on the GURU website. The projected publication date is September 6th. Please contact Systems & Procedures at 814-863-8662 with any questions.
Date	4:17 PM - 08/27/2019

Subject	Unsubscribe from GURU Listserv
Verbiage	Follow the steps below to unsubscribe yourself from the GURU Listserv. 1.) Click the link below. Unsubscribe from GURU Listserv 2.) Leave the subject of the email blank. 3.) Leave the body/message of the email blank. 4.) Send the email. You should receive an email confirming your removal from the list.
Date	2:14 PM - 06/12/2018

Subject	Ordering Pre-numbered Receipts
Verbiage	All orders for pre-numbered receipts must be placed within IBIS. Please prepare an Interdepartmental Charges and Credits (IDCC) in IBIS to order pre-numbered receipt books. Systems & Procedures will continue to fill these orders. The Supplying Department ID is &sys The unit cost is $3.00 per book and all orders must be for a minimum of 5 books. Please contact Mindy Barnett at 814-863-8662 or by email at mag5188@psu.edu with any questions pertaining to pre-numbered receipts.
Date	2:28 PM - 05/25/2018

Archived Announcements

Subject	UNIVERSITY SCHOLAR AGREEMENT FORM RENAMED
Verbiage	The University Scholar Agreement is being renamed the University Guest Presenter Agreement. Recently, Policy AC01 Visiting Scholars was added to the Policy Library and this policy contains a Visiting Scholar Agreement. To alleviate any confusion, and to more accurately reflect its purpose, the “University Scholar Agreement” has been changed to “University Guest Presenter Agreement” effective December 11, 2019. Since the file name has changed, any bookmarks or saved file copies will need to be refreshed in order to access the new version of the form. Also, any references to the University Scholar Agreement on departmental websites will need to be amended to University Guest Presenter Agreement and the associated hyperlink corrected.
Date	12/11/2019

Subject	Procedure CR2049 Reporting Moving Expense Compensation and Moving Expenses Support form revisions
Verbiage	Effective November 20, 2019 Procedure CR2049 Reporting Moving Expense Compensation and the Moving Expenses Support form have been revised to reflect the changes to Policy HR104 Payment for Relocation Expenses and to comply with federal law. To comply with federal law, all University paid or reimbursed moving expense payments are included in the employee’s gross income as taxable compensation. These payments are subject to payroll tax withholding and are reported to the Internal Revenue Service on the employee’s W-2 at the end of the calendar year. Administrative areas have the discretion of offering three (3) types of employee expense reimbursement: lump sum payment, reimbursement of actual expenses, or a combination of lump sum and reimbursement. Alternatively, the administrative area may engage Purchasing Services to directly contract the moving services. Lump sum payment is a one-time, non-recurring payment and no receipts are required. Reimbursed Payments requires the employee to submit itemized receipts to their administrative area documenting the actual expenditures. Receipts are no longer submitted as back-up to the Special Request for Check (SRFC). See Policy HR104 Payment for Relocation Expenses for complete details.
Date	11/19/2019

Subject	Object Classification Code revision
Verbiage	The Object Classification Code list has been revised. The title of Object Code 0905, as it appears in GURU, has been changed to match the title as it appears in the IBIS financial system. Prior to this revision, the Object Code 0905 was entitled ARL Admin Fee with use being restricted to ARL. The correct title should be Admin Fee with use being restricted to Central Office.
Date	06/12/2019

Subject	YEAR-END CLOSING GUIDELINES FOR 2018-2019
Verbiage	Carryforward Policy and Year-End Closing Guidelines 2018-2019
Date	04/23/2019

Subject	2019 Standard Mileage Rate
Verbiage	The Internal Revenue Service announced that the 2019 Personal Mileage reimbursement rate will be raised to 58.0 cents per mile, an increase of 3.5 cents from the rate for 2018. The Employee Reimbursement System has been updated with the new rate and effective date. All expenses for personal mileage with travel dates on or after January 1, 2019 will be automatically calculated in ERS using the new rate. https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-issues-standard-mileage-rates-for-2019
Date	12/18/2018

Subject	New GURU website Search function
Verbiage	The GURU website has been updated to include Search functions. The search element is located adjacent to the header at the top right of the page. In order to access the newly revised GURU, and depending on the browser, it may be necessary to clear the cache. Please use a Technical Support Form (https://guru.psu.edu/tech-support-form.cfm) to submit any inquiries or call the Help Desk at 814-863-8592 if further assistance is needed. Effective: 8/20/2018
Date	08/20/2018

Subject	Form
Verbiage	The One Day Travel-Meal Reimbursement Report form has been "unretired" It has been determined that there are additional uses for the One Day Travel-Meal Reimbursement Report which cannot be processed through the ERS system. In order to address this situation, the One Day Travel-Meal Reimbursement Report is once again available on GURU. Effective: 8/9/2018
Date	08/09/2018

Subject	New additions to GURU
Verbiage	New additions to GURU: The Payment Clearinghouse - Access to The Payment Clearinghouse site has been added to the Business Resources/Tools section of GURU. The Payment Clearinghouse is an external link within Rates and Schedules or the View All listing. Software Agreement Decision Tool - Access to the Software Agreement Decision Tool has been added to the Business Resources/Tools section of GURU. The Software Agreement Decision Tool is an external link within Decision Tools or the View All listing.
Date	07/23/2018

Subject	GURU Form Retired - One Day Travel-Meal Reimbursement Report Form
Verbiage	GURU Form Retired - One Day Travel-Meal Reimbursement Report Form The One Day Travel-Meal Reimbursement Report Form has been retired. The Employee Reimbursement System website should be consulted regarding processing Employee Travel Reimbursement requests. Websites containing references to this document and/or a hyperlink will need to be revised. Effective 7/12/18
Date	07/12/2018

Subject	Users with previous versions of Acrobat Reader should update
Verbiage	Users with previous versions of Acrobat Reader should update to the most recent version to assure compatibility with documents on GURU. Adobe Acrobat Reader DC is now available.
Date	05/25/2018

Subject	IBIS forms, functions, and transaction instructions
Verbiage	IBIS forms, functions, and transaction PDF downloads are available on the Administrative Information Services (AIS) website.
Date	05/25/2018

Subject	Disabled pop ups may cause problems
Verbiage	Disabled pop ups may cause problems when using resources on GURU. We understand that users get annoyed with the pop-up windows when visiting various website; however, if you encounter a problem when using GURU resources, be aware that it may be due to your browser not having pop-ups enabled.
Date	05/25/2018

Subject	Technical Difficulties
Verbiage	If you experience any problems accessing an application or finding a particular page, please contact our support staff by accesing "Help" on the GURU toolbar or by calling (814) 865-9568 for assistance.
Date	05/25/2018

Subject	YEAR-END CLOSING GUIDELINES FOR 2017-2018
Verbiage	Carryforward Policy and Year-End Closing Guidelines 2017-2018 (Posted 4/23/2018)
Date	05/25/2018

Subject	2018 Standard Mileage Rate
Verbiage	The Internal Revenue Service has announced the Standard Mileage Rate for 2018 is 54.5 cents per mile. The Standard Mileage Rates at a Glance page on the IRS website has yet to be updated to include this information. (Posted 1/25/2018)
Date	05/25/2018

Subject	Moving Expenses are now taxable
Verbiage	Due to changes to the federal tax law, all moving expenses incurred after 2017 that are paid or reimbursed by the University will be taxable to employees. There are no longer non-taxable payments for relocation expenses under the law. As such, all University paid or reimbursed moving expenses will be reported as taxable income and subject to University payroll tax withholding. Any questions should be directed to the University Tax Manager. (Posted 1/9/2018)
Date	05/25/2018