Departmental Journal Transaction
Departmental Online Journal Entries (DOLs) are the primary departmental journal transaction and are used primarily to adjust the ledger for transactions already recorded. This provides flexibility for university departments to authorize various interdepartmental transactions and make corrections to the General Ledger, as necessary. This action helps facilitate accurate record keeping at the Departmental/Project Code/Chartfield level. All DOLs should be processed using the Departmental Online Journal Entry form. Specific instructions on completing this form are available here.
There are several general guidelines associated with these types of transactions:
- Corrections via DOL should not take place before the original transaction has been posted to the General Ledger. It is always preferable for the source transaction to be corrected whenever possible (e.g., via a Change Order for an AP journal or an adjustment to an Expense Report for an EX journal).
- Correction transfers cannot be made from a department other than the one from which the expenditure was originally made.
- Corrections should be processed in a timely manner and as soon as possible after the original transaction has been recorded.
- Documentation of a DOL must contain evidence that it is appropriate:
- Reference must be made to the original transactions supported by the original journal, voucher, or expense report number and justification for the transfer. In addition, documentation supporting the original transaction as recorded in OMNI should be attached to the DOL form.
A breakdown of journal examples, as well as recommended tools for finding backup and supporting documentation, can be found in the grid below. Click on the hyperlink under “Type of Request” to see a specific example of each transaction.
Type of Request
Information Required
Suggested Query
AP Journal ID & Voucher ID
FSU_DPT_GL_JRNL_WITH_VCHR
AP Journal ID & Voucher ID
FSU_DPT_PCARD_GL_DETAILS
EX Journal ID & Expense Report ID
FSU_DPT_GL_JRNL_WITH_EXP_SHEET
Department Trial Balance
FSU_DPT_TRIAL_BALANCE
Department Trial Balance
FSU_DPT_TRIAL_BALANCE
SF Journal ID
FSU_SF_JRNL_DETAILS
3rd Party Journal ID
FSU_DPT_GL_JOURNALS
Journal ID/ Ledger Inquiry
FSU_DPT_GL_JOURNALS
Frequently Asked Questions
Who should approve the form?
If the transaction does NOT involve a sponsored project (fund 520-570), Florida High fund 510, or Foundation fund 599, it should be approved by the charged department. Acceptable departmental approvers are the Budget Manager or an authorized signer, as defined by university policy 4-OP-D-2-C Payables and Disbursements.
This person should electronically sign the form in the “DEPT APPROVER’S SIGNATURE” field. DOL forms that involve a sponsored project should first be approved by the charged Project Leader or Principal Investigator by electronically singing the form in the “PROJECT APPROVER’S SIGNATURE” field. The form should then be emailed to the Office of Sponsored Research by utilizing the “Email Form to Sponsored Research” button. Similarly, DOL forms that involve Foundation fund 599 should first be
approved by the Foundation by utilizing the “Email Form to Foundation” button.
How should the form be submitted to the Controller’s Office?
The Controller’s Office requests that completed and properly authorized forms be sent to GeneralAccounting@admin.fsu.edu.
What if my journal entry has more lines than are available on the DOL PDF Form?
In this case, the DOL Addendum spreadsheet should be utilized INSTEAD OF THE PDF FORM. Please do not populate both the PDF form and the Addendum (with only additional lines). This creates additional work for both your department and the Controller’s Office. The PDF Form should still be submitted with only appropriate approvals/signatures.
What should be entered in the “Purpose of Transaction” section of the form?
Users should be as explicit as possible in the "Purpose of Transaction" section, as this information will appear in the Header Description of the Journal within OMNI.
What should be populated in the “Transaction(s) As Currently Recorded” section?
The "Transaction(s) as Currently Recorded" section of the form should be completed with the original transaction being corrected/transferred, exactly as it was recorded.
What support for the DOL should be submitted with the completed form?
Submitted forms MUST include appropriate and sufficient backup documentation to be processed by the Controller’s Office. Backup can be attached directly to the form using the "Attachments" paperclip icon in Adobe.
Suggested queries/backup that should be included with the form, depending on the type of DOL, can be found at http://controller.vpfa.fsu.edu/accounting/interdepartmental-transactions.
How will the journal appear on the general ledger?
Most corrections will show up in OMNI with a "0000" journal prefix; however, corrections to SF journals will ultimately be recorded in FSU Student Central and posted through additional SF Journals (with a "SF" prefix).
