Using Funding Codes and Strings

How to use and understand funding codes and strings when purchasing, billing, making payments, transferring funds, and managing reimbursements at UW–Madison.


Sometimes these are referred to as a “charts of accounts.”

Chartfields/Chart of Accounts

A funding string is a collection of several chartfields used to record and classify a transaction.

This is an accordion element with a series of buttons that open and close related content panels.

Account code

A four digit numerical value that categorizes the nature of the transaction.  Account code types are Expense, Revenue and Balance Sheet.

Search account codes

Download 1099 Tax Reportable Account Codes (PDF)

Fund Code/Appropriations

A three-digit numerical value that categorizes the State Appropriation for the transaction.

Common categories:

  • GPR – General Purpose Revenue – General purpose revenues consist of general taxes, miscellaneous receipts and revenues collected by state agencies which are deposited into the general fund, and are available for appropriation by the legislature.  Fund 101 for example.
  • PR – Program Revenue – Program revenues consist of revenues which are deposited into the general fund and are credited by law to an appropriation to finance a specified program or state agency. Fund 128 for example.

View UW System Chart of Accounts webpage 

Department IDs

A six-digit numerical value identifying the organizational structure the transaction is charged/credited to. In Legacy this was referred to as the UDDS. The first two digits represent Division, the second two digits represent Department, and the last two digits represent Sub-Department. For example department 037780 represents:

03 – Division of Business Services

77-  Department of Materials Distribution Services (MDS)

80 – Sub-Department of Surplus With a Purpose (SWAP)

Program codes

A one digit alpha or numerical value identifying the activity type of the transaction. Based on the Financial Accounting and Reporting Manual for Higher Education, published by the National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO).

  • 0 – Student Services
  • 1 – Institutional Support
  • 2 – Instruction
  • 3 – Hospitals
  • 4 – Research
  • 5 – Public Service
  • 6 – Academic Support
  • 7 – Physical Plant
  • 8 – Auxiliary Enterprises
  • 9 – Financial Aid
  • F – Farm Operations
  • R – Revenue

Class codes

Four to five character alphanumeric values to further categorizes the nature of the transaction.  Most of the time this is optional, but is required in a few cases when used in combination with certain account codes.

Project ID

Seven character alphanumeric values used to capture all the transactions associated with a specific grant, contract or activity. Project IDs are optional in many cases, but are required when used in combination with funds 114, 133, 135, 138, 142, 143, 144, 145, 146, 150, 161, 233 and 236. Projects can be sponsored or non-sponsored.

Project Definitions

Project ID formats

    • Created 05/31/2015 or later: ααα#### – created in sequential order (i.e. AAC1234)
    • Created between 2008 and 05/12/2015 – PRJ##αα (i.e. PRJ25AF)
    • Created before 2008 – ###αα## (where the first 3 #s represent fund i.e 233FS40 would be a gift project)

Sponsored projects

  • Projects on funds 133 (non-federal grants) and 144 (federal grants) are managed by RSP.  See the RSP Accountant Search for contacts for specific RSP projects.
  • Fund 135 – WARF Grants – Contact VCRGE Accounting to request new projects or modify existing projects
  • Fund 142-143 -CALS
  • Fund 145-148 – Federal Aid

Non-sponsored projects

Edits

UW–Madison’s Financial Systems have various edits in place to ensure that the use of all the chartfields is appropriate and to prevent data entry mistakes.

  • Common error message and troubleshooting (Word doc)
  • Checking Edits/Validating Funding Strings – Use the Funding Validation/Inquiry page of WISER. Navigate directly in WISER via Main Menu>Tools>Funding Validation.  Enter all of the chartfield values and click “Check.” You will either receive a “funding string entered is valid” or one of the error messages seen in the guide above.
  • Special note for project edits – a transaction must pass all edits. Often times a user will look at the results of a Project Search in WISER and see that everything seems valid for the project (project dates, project status and the Edits tab of the search result) and wonder why they are still receiving an error. A transaction must pass the project edits as well as all the other edits. Often times in this scenario the transaction isn’t passing the Org Edits and the fund-program combination isn’t valid with the department ID.