Latest update includes:

 

Payroll User Group Meeting Files Posted
The presentation and agenda from the September 12 Payroll User Group Meeting have been posted to the Payroll User Group page of the Comptroller Web Portal.

 

MMARS Chargeback

The first FY2013 billing for the Office of the Comptroller's MMARS chargeback to support the operation of the Massachusetts 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 July and August. The document ID is CTRMMARS13CHARJULAUG. If you have any questions, please contact Susana Peck at 617-973-2401 or Fred Russo at 617-973-2610.

 

Fringe Benefit, Payroll Tax, Indirect Cost Allocation Processing Delayed 
Payroll, Fringe, and Indirect Cost Allocation, originally scheduled for this weekend, has been postponed until next weekend (September 22).  MMARS and LCM will be available from 9 AM to 4 PM tomorrow.

 

Purge of Rejected Documents over 75 Days Old
Rejected documents in the system accumulate in the document catalog and are removed in a regularly scheduled monthly purge of documents over 75 days old. The next purge will be on September 17 and will delete rejected documents entered before July 1. If you have documents entered before July 1 that you would like to save, please place them on "hold".

 

To place a document on "hold":

  • Locate the document in the Document Catalog.
  • Check the checkbox to the left of the document (in the Document Catalog).
  • Click "Action Menu", select "Scheduling Actions", select "Mark Document" and choose "Hold".

 

MMARS Saturday Hours

MMARS and LCM will be available Saturday, September 15 from 9:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. The Help Desk will not be staffed and any Saturday Help Desk calls will be returned on Monday, September 17.

 

Close/Open Key Dates September 15 – 22
September 21, Friday: No automatic balance forward roll.


Upcoming Training Sessions and Meetings

  • HR/CMS Fundamentals – Tuesday, September 18, 9:00 A.M. – 12:00 P.M. One Ashburton Place Boston 9th Floor Training Lab
  • Intermediate MMARS Warehouse – Wednesday, September 19, 9:00 A.M. – 1:00 P.M. One Ashburton Place Boston 9th Floor Training Lab
  • Establishing a Federal Grant in MMARS – Thursday, September 20, 9:00 A.M. – 12:00 P.M. One Ashburton Place Boston 9th Floor Training Lab
  • Fraud Awareness and Prevention – Friday, September 21, 9:00 A.M. – 12:00 P.M. One Ashburton Place Boston 9th Floor Executive Conference Room
  • CIW Report Building with MS Access – Tuesday, September 25, 9:00 A.M. – 12:00 P.M. One Ashburton Place Boston 9th Floor Training Lab
  • Intro to LCM Warehouse – Wednesday, September 26, 9:00 A.M. – 1:00 P.M. One Ashburton Place Boston 9th Floor Training Lab
  • Intro to State Finance MMARS Navigation – Tuesday, October 2, 9:00 A.M. – 12:00 P.M. One Ashburton Place Boston 9th Floor Training Lab
  • Intro to HR/CMS Payroll Warehouse – Wednesday, October 3, 9:00 A.M. – 3:00 P.M. One Ashburton Place Boston 9th Floor Training Lab

 

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 2012.

 

MMARS Hint of the Week - Referencing the Statewide Master Agreement Number

All departments encumbering against statewide contracts MUST reference the statewide MA number on the MMARS encumbrance transaction. This allows the Operational Services Division (OSD) to track and report on encumbrance and payment activity from statewide contracts. It provides OSD with substantive information when negotiating statewide contracts.

 

Departments should review their internal guidance and procedures to assure that this step is properly completed in MMARS. OSD's and CTR's Quality Assurance teams will monitor department encumbrance and payment transactions to ensure compliance with this policy.

 

Board Award
When you reference a statewide MA on an encumbrance, do not fill in the encumbrance Board Award field. This field will automatically default to the Board Award of the MA being referenced. If no number is inferred, contact OSD at 617-720-3300 and request an update to this field on the MA.

 

Commodity Code
When you reference a statewide MA on an encumbrance, the commodity code field will automatically default to the commodity code of the MA commodity line being referenced. The commodity code must not be changed under any circumstance.