Federal Workstudy – How to Properly Code Payroll

Grants Accounting has noticed an increasing number of improperly costed student Federal Workstudy (FWS) payroll. When the FWS payroll is not properly costed, it takes additional time to complete the reconciliation and request the proper reimbursement amount from the Federal government, and delays when the University receives the funds.

The most common mistakes we see in FWS payroll include:

• Incorrect split of FWS and the required Cost Share (75%/25%)
• The incorrect OBJ used on the FWS SOURCES
• The charging of Benefits to FWS SOURCES
• Using the FWS OBJ on Operational SOURCES

There is a quick reference guide (QRG) available to help you understand how to code FWS payroll. If you are new to FWS payroll or you are someone that has been contacted by Grants Accounting about costing corrections needed for FWS, please take the time to review the Federal Workstudy (FWS) QRG.

As a reminder, approvers serve as the final control step at the departmental level and are responsible for ensuring that the FWS payroll is costed properly.

When we code these transactions properly the first time, it saves us all time and effort and allows the University to receive the funds reimbursement in a timely manner.

Questions? Please contact financecustomercare@ohio.edu