Latest update includes:

MMARS Chargeback
The second FY2013 billing for the Office of the Comptroller's MMARS chargeback to support the operation of the Financial Accounting and Reporting System for the Commonwealth has been entered.  Billings are sent bi-monthly. This billing is for actual usage based on transaction lines posted to the general ledger for the months of September and October. The document ID is CTRMMARS13CHARSEPOCT.

Budget Re-Synchronization Complete
The quarterly re-synchronization for departmental budgets (Subsidiary Expense, Department Expense, and Department Revenue) was completed the weekend of November 17. MMARS budget structures were in-synch as of Sunday, November 18.

MMARS Thanksgiving and Saturday Hours
MMARS and LCM will be available on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 22, from 7:00 A.M. to 7:00 P.M. A normal LCM cycle, but no financial cycle, will be run. The Help Desk will not be staffed and any holiday Help Desk calls will be returned on Friday, November 23.

MMARS and LCM will be available Saturday, November 24, from 9:00 A.M. to 7:00 P.M. The Help Desk will not be staffed, and any Saturday Help Desk calls will be returned on Monday, November 26.

Weekly Fraud Awareness and Prevention Fact – The Fraud Triangle
All frauds have these three characteristics, often referred to as the “Fraud Triangle”:

  1. Opportunity – The opportunity to commit fraud often arises due to lax or un-enforced internal controls and/or a lack of segregation of duties.
  2. Pressure/Motivation – Those who commit fraud are often driven by financial pressure, vices, or simply greed.
  3. Rationalization - Those who commit fraud have the ability to rationalize their behavior. “Nobody will miss the money” or “It’s only $20” are often quotes that indicate that rationalization has occurred.

Please visit the Fraud Prevention section of our Internal Controls Page for a link to the Toolkit for Departments to Combat Fraud, Waste and Abuse and the Combat Fraud, Waste and Abuse Brochure. 

If you have any questions regarding this or previous Fraud Awareness and Prevention Facts, please contact the Comptroller Help Desk at 617-973-2468 or via email Comptroller.Info@State.MA.US. To report Fraud, Waste, or Abuse contact one of the Commonwealth’s Whistleblower Hotlines.

Upcoming Training Sessions and Meetings

  • Establishing a Federal Grant in MMARS – Tuesday, November 27, 9:00 A.M. – 12:00 P.M. One Ashburton Place Boston 9th Floor Training Lab
  • Intro to LCM Warehouse – Wednesday, November 28, 9:00 A.M. – 1:00 P.M. One Ashburton Place Boston, 9th Floor Training Lab
  • Intermediate MMARS Warehouse – Thursday, November 29, 9:00 A.M. – 1:00 P.M. One Ashburton Place Boston, 9th Floor Training Lab
  • Payroll User Group Meeting – Thursday, December 6, 9:30 A.M. – 12:30 P.M. One Ashburton Place Boston, 21st Floor Conference Room
  • Webcast Payroll User Group Meeting – Thursday, December 6, 9:30 A.M. – 12:30 P.M., Online Training
  • Webcast How to Run a Warehouse Starter Query – Friday, December 7, 10:00 A.M. – 11:00 A.M., Online Training
  • Encumbrance Management – Monday, December 10, 9:00 A.M. – 12:00 P.M. One Ashburton Place Boston, 9th Floor Training Lab
  • Payment Management – Monday, December 10, 1:00 P.M. – 4:00 P.M. One Ashburton Place Boston, 9th Floor Training Lab
  • Vendor Management – Tuesday, December 11, 9:00 A.M. – 12:00 P.M., One Ashburton Place Boston, 9th Floor Training Lab
  • Intro to State Finance MMARS Navigation – Wednesday, December 12, 9:00 A.M. – 12:00 P.M., One Ashburton Place Boston, 9th Floor Training Lab
  • Intro to MMARS Warehouse – Thursday, December 13, 9:00 A.M. – 4:00 P.M., One Ashburton Place Boston, 9th Floor Training Lab
  • Webcast Interdepartmental  Chargeback – Friday, December 14, 10:00 A.M. – 11:00 A.M., Online Training
  • Risk Management – Friday, December 14, 9:00 A.M. – 12:00 P.M., One Ashburton Place Boston, 9th Floor Conference Room B

Register for these sessions via the Comptroller's Training and Meeting Schedule which lists classes scheduled for three months and Payroll User Groups through December 2013.

MMARS Hint of the Week - CD Forms Submitted to Treasury
When sending CD forms to the State Treasurer, be sure to manually draw federal funds to record deposits. The CD form must contain the following or it will reject:

  • Fund
  • Sub-Fund (derived from the BQ82 level 3 budget screens)
  • Department
  • Revenue Source
  • Unit
  • Fiscal Year
  • Budget Year

If this is a federal grant draw, the CD must also contain the program code.