The Office of Business & Finance would like to remind everyone that Ithaca College is changing its fiscal year-end. In October 2018, the Board of Trustees approved changing the College's fiscal year from the current June 1st - May 31st to July 1st - June 30th. As a result, fiscal year 2019 will end on May 31, 2019 and fiscal year 2020 will begin on July 1, 2019.
Detailed instructions regarding expenditures for May, June, and July can now be found in the Fiscal Year End Memo on the Business & Finance website:
https://www.ithaca.edu/financial_services/yearend/
If you have any questions regarding the change or year-end procedures, please contact me directly at lsweet@ithaca.edu or join me and the Business & Finance department for drop-in hours 1:00-3:00 every Thursday in the West Tower 14th Floor Conference Room.
Reasons which support making this change include:
1. This model is standard in the higher education space.
2. The change allows Ithaca College to become aligned with the external agencies which we are required to report to (e.g. Department of Education, IRS, and NYS Department of Taxation & Finance), making the filings less cumbersome and time-consuming.
3. IC staff that process financial related work will have more time to complete their year-end duties without the complications involved with end of the semester and commencement responsibilities.
Anticipated Questions and Answers:
Q: For Budgeting purposes, what happens to the month of June 2019 if our old year ends on May 31, 2019, and our new year begins on July 1, 2019?
A: The current Budget Cycle will end on May 31, 2019. A new, one-month Budget Cycle will begin on June 1, 2019 and end on June 30, 2019.
Q: Do we need to complete a separate budget for the month of June 2019?
A: Since changing the fiscal-year is a one-time event, departments were not asked to submit a budget in BudgetPak. Instead, the June 2019 Budget Request Form will be used by departments to request the funding that they need for the month of June. Only college expenses that relate to the one month of June 2019 can be expensed in that month according to GAAP “Generally Accepted Accounting Principles”. Expenses relating to fiscal-year 2019-20 need to wait until at least July 1st to be processed.
https://www.ithaca.edu/intercom/article.php/20190418111345482