Welcome to the Budget Office
Managed by the chief university budget officer, the Budget Office develops and manages the University’s operating and capital budgets; assists faculty and staff in monitoring their budgets; provides assistance and support for budget-related matters; and educates and guides constituents regarding all aspects of the budgetary process.
Resources
- Online Budget Reports
- Frequently Asked Questions
There are two methods available to view your budget reports online:
- Self-Service Finance, viewed through the CUWeb portal, is the easiest and fastest way to view online budget reports. Go to CUWeb. Using your Clark username and password, you can log on and navigate to Finance.
- Access via Banner, Clark’s main administrative system: Using your Banner username and password, log on to https://bprod.clarku.edu/applicationNavigator/seamless.
Both methods of viewing budgets require that you have an active Banner account.
What is Banner?
Banner is the ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) system that is used by Clark for many functions, including accounting and budgeting.
What is CUWEB?
CUWEB is a web-based system that interfaces with Banner data. For budget-related purposes, CUWEB can be used to monitor budget versus actual performance and research details of financial transactions.
How can I view my department’s budget results in CUWEB?
Please see the “Online Budget Reports” tab for detailed instructions.
How do I get Banner access to view my departments accounts?
Accessing Banner financial information is a two-part process. You need to request access to Banner (Banner Access Form) and also request access to the appropriate budget data (Banner Finance Form). For more information on Banner access, please view ITS’ Administrative Information Systems page.
How are Clark’s accounting codes structured? What is a FOAPAL?
Clark’s accounting codes can contain up to five segments Fund, Organization, Account, Program, Activity, Location. FOAPAL is an acronym using the first letter of each of the code segments. Generally Fund, Organization, and Account are required for revenue and expense accounts. For more information, please see “Understanding Accounting Codes.”
What flexibility does a department have in spending its operating fund budget?
Generally departments can treat their non-compensation budget lines (accounts beginning with “7”) as one big pool for budget management purposes. Departments are encouraged to complete a budget transfer form to move budget funds for any significant amount or to reallocate accounts that are no longer utilized (see next question).
How can I request a budget transfer?
You can request transfers between budget lines within the same Fund/Organizations but using the Budget Transfer Request form. Please note that budget transfers must net to zero – you cannot use a budget transfer form to request additional funds. There are two types of budget transfers:
- A “BD04” is a temporary transfer (applies only to the current fiscal year).
- A “BD02” is a permanent transfer that would carry over to future fiscal years.
What is SmartBuy Plus?
SmartBuy Plus is Clark’s electonic procurement (eProcurement) system that is used to generate purchase orders and submit invoices and employee reimbursements for payment. It intergrates with Banner using Banner’s Fund/Organization security.
What is an encumbrance?
An encumbrance is a reservation against your budget that is recorded when a purchase order is created with SmartBuy Plus. Encumbrances allow users to track funds that have been committed, through a purchase order, but have not yet been paid.
More Questions?
Contact UsBudget Office
Geography Building, Room 208
950 Main Street
Worcester, MA 01610
Monday – Friday
8 a.m. to 5 p.m.