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“What’s New” on FMX

Authorization for Warrant Pickup Due

Every two years, the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts requires all state agencies and institutions of higher education to renew their Agency Authorization for Warrant Pickup form (74-189).

Return the completed, signed form by close of business on April 15. All authorization forms on file terminate at 5 p.m. on April 30. New forms are effective May 1.

See Authorization for Warrant Pickup for the form and more information.

Contact Payment Services with questions.

T-Code for Manual IRS Payments Updated

Effective March 15, transaction code (T-code) 876 allows comptroller object 7210 – Fees and Other Charges.

Agencies use T-code 876 to process manual Internal Revenue Service (IRS) payroll deduction payments outside of the payroll systems (they are entered directly in USAS). Using T-code 876 with comptroller object 7210 allows agencies to pay IRS penalties for late payment of the employer portion of the Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA) tax. Agencies must use T-code 876 for all manual payroll payments to the IRS to include the required taxpayer information with the automated clearing house (ACH) payment. Comptroller object 7210 is the only non-payroll object code permitted with T-code 876.

Contact SPRS or CAPPS agency support with questions.

CAPPS User Group Meetings

A CAPPS HR/Payroll user group meeting (including an ERS Q&A regarding Group 3 Retirement employees) will be held March 26, 9–11 a.m.

A CAPPS Financials user group meeting will be held March 28, 9–10:30 a.m.

See CAPPS HR/Payroll User Group Meetings or CAPPS Financials User Group Meetings for more information. The agenda for each meeting will be available a few days before the meeting.

Reminder

March 15 is the maintenance and corrections deadline for the fiscal 2024 second-quarter Military (formerly Veteran) Workforce Summary Reports (Dec. 1 to Feb. 29). Copies of the quarterly reports will be sent via electronic file transfer (EFT) on March 18. The online quarterly report acknowledgment form (with required complaint reporting included) will be available March 18 and must be submitted by March 26.

See Military Workforce Summary Reports and Military Complaint Reporting (FPP F.038) for more information.

Fiscal 2023 ACFR

The audited State of Texas Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR) for the fiscal year ending Aug. 31, 2023, is now available. This report presents the financial position and results of operations for Texas state government in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles as prescribed by the Governmental Accounting Standards Board.

Reporting Requirements for ARPA

For federal relief funds authorized by the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) (HR 1319) and awarded during the 88th Legislature, the Comptroller established Appropriation 21319 for all revenue and expenditure activity relating to these funds. Contact your appropriation control officer to request activation of Appropriation 21319.

See Coronavirus Relief of 2020 Federal Funding Accounting Policy for the State of Texas (FPP A.048) for more information.

Payables and Binding Encumbrances Due

State agencies and institutions of higher education must report payables and binding encumbrances for second-quarter fiscal 2024 appropriations by March 30.

Quarterly certification must be entered in the online form.

See Encumbrance Reporting and Lapsing of Appropriations (APS 018) (FPP A.019) for more information.

Encrypt Confidential Emails to Fiscal Management

State agencies and institutions of higher education sometimes send documents with confidential information to Fiscal Management.

An unencrypted email is not a secure transmission. Agencies must send confidential information in an encrypted email or as an encrypted email attachment as prescribed by your agency’s information security policy.

See Confidential Information Must Be Encrypted Before Emailing to Fiscal Management (FPP D.004) for details.

Military (Formerly Veteran) Workforce Reporting Due

Public community and junior colleges must provide quarterly data on military hiring and employment by completing the Comptroller’s electronic Military (formerly Veteran) Workforce Reporting for Public Community/Junior Colleges form. The online form (with required veteran complaint reporting included) will be available March 18 and must be submitted by March 26.

See Public Community and Junior Colleges Military Workforce Reporting Criteria in Military Workforce Summary Reports and Military Complaint Reporting (FPP F.038) for more information, including form criteria, instructions and quarterly reporting deadlines.

Hotel Occupancy Tax Refund Reports

Agencies that reimburse employees for state-related hotel stays are due a refund for hotel occupancy taxes. USAS automatically generates the refunds each quarter.

The hotel occupancy tax refund for December through February will be available on DAFR8190 and DAFR8200 on March 9.

See Hotel Occupancy Tax Quarterly Refund (FPP B.006) for more information.

Military (Formerly Veteran) Workforce Summary Reports Due

March 15 is the maintenance and corrections deadline for the fiscal 2024 second-quarter Military (formerly Veteran) Workforce Summary Reports (Dec. 1 to Feb. 29). Copies of the quarterly reports will be sent via electronic file transfer (EFT) on March 18. The online quarterly report acknowledgment form (with required complaint reporting included) will be available March 18 and must be submitted by March 26.

See Military Workforce Summary Reports and Military Complaint Reporting (FPP F.038) for more information.

Deadline to Request Unclaimed Funds

Unclaimed property transferred to the state includes property that might belong to state agencies or institutions of higher education. Money not claimed by May 31 will be deposited into unappropriated general revenue.

See Unclaimed Property Annual Notification for more information, including contact information for the Comptroller’s Unclaimed Property Division.

CAPPS User Group Meeting

A combined CAPPS HR/Payroll and Financials user group meeting will be held Feb. 27, 9–11 a.m.

See CAPPS HR/Payroll User Group Meetings or CAPPS Financials User Group Meetings for more information. The meeting agenda will be available a few days before the meeting.

Saturday Mainframe System Availability Change

Effective Jan. 27, mainframe systems (USAS, TINS, SPA, SPRS, HRIS and USPS) are available 7 a.m. – 7 p.m. on Saturdays.

System availability on weekdays (7 a.m. – 7 p.m.) and Sundays (noon – 7 p.m.) remains the same.

See System Outages and Holidays for all mainframe general system availability.

Direct Deposit Fraud

Agencies must continue to guard against fraud with direct deposit payments. The Comptroller’s office lists Fraud Prevention Recommendations on TexPayment Resource. Agencies can also:

  • Encrypt or password-protect internal and external emails that include account and routing numbers.
  • Require the existing account and routing numbers on file for change requests before making those changes to ensure the requests are from legitimate payees.
  • Use daily direct deposit reports to verify your agency’s direct deposit setups and changes.

Contact Payment Services with questions about direct deposits.

USAS and CAPPS Confidentiality Indicator


To make payment information available to the public promptly, the Comptroller’s office must be able to distinguish between confidential and nonconfidential payments. State agencies and institutions of higher education must mark confidential transactions to protect payee confidentiality, per USAS and CAPPS Confidentiality Indicator (FPP E.045).

The agency or institution submitting a transaction is responsible for determining confidentiality. Transactions are legally considered public unless specifically excluded by the Public Information Act (Texas Government Code, Chapter 552).

An agency or institution that marks a transaction as confidential should be prepared to cite the law or attorney general opinion that excludes the payment from public disclosure.

Updated USAS T-Code Sorts and Reference Information

For updated USAS documentation, see:

First-Quarter Audit Reports

Fiscal 2024 first-quarter expenditure audit reports are available. See the Audit page for forms, fiscal policies and procedures, and audit contact information.

Subscribe via GovDelivery for quarterly email notifications of audit reports posted.

Warrant Distribution Delayed Due to Inclement Weather

Due to inclement weather, warrant pickup will be available on Tuesday, Jan. 16 from noon – 2 p.m. Agencies may call the Payment Services help desk at (512) 936-8138 to confirm that warrants are available for distribution.

Comptroller Manual of Accounts Updated

Effective Jan. 1, substantive changes have been made to the Texas Comptroller Manual of Accounts (FPP Q.009), reflecting legislation passed by the 88th Legislature, Regular Session, and resulting from the Nov. 7, 2023, election for Texas constitutional amendments.

The Manual of Accounts provides current information on state agencies, appropriated funds, and accounts and object codes for recording accounting transactions.

CAPPS User Group Meetings

A CAPPS HR/Payroll user group meeting will be held Jan. 23, 9–11 a.m.

A CAPPS Financials user group meeting will be held Jan. 25, 9–10:30 a.m.

See CAPPS HR/Payroll User Group Meetings or CAPPS Financials User Group Meetings for more information. The agenda for each meeting will be available a few days before the meeting.

Reminder – Request Form 1099 by Jan. 30

Jan. 30 is the last day to adjust the 1099-reportable data and request 1099s in USAS.

Payments of $600 or more to a non-corporate payee for services or interest during a calendar year must be reported to the Internal Revenue Service on on Form 1099-MISC (miscellaneous), Form 1099-NEC (nonemployee compensation) or Form 1099-INT (interest income).

See USAS Procedures for 1099 Reporting for Calendar Year 2023 (FPP E.001) for more information.

Economic Stabilization Fund Fiscal Brief Now Available

The Economic Stabilization Fund (ESF) fiscal brief has been updated for the 2024-25 biennium. The ESF fiscal brief provides background information, key facts, how the ESF is funded, and calculation of the fund cap. Additionally, the ESF history table provides comprehensive data including historical revenues, expenditures, and maximum and ending balances since the fund’s inception in 1990 to the current biennium.

Reminder – Mileage Reimbursement Rate Increase

Effective Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 2024, the maximum mileage reimbursement rate for state employee travel in a personal vehicle has increased to 67 cents per mile (up from 65.5 cents in 2023). This rate is consistent with the Internal Revenue Service’s standard mileage rate.

See Current Rates and Transportation: Mileage in Personal Vehicle in Textravel for more information.

Mileage Reimbursement Rate Increase

Effective Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 2024, the maximum mileage reimbursement rate for state employee travel in a personal vehicle will increase to 67 cents per mile (up from 65.5 cents in 2023). This rate is consistent with the Internal Revenue Service’s standard mileage rate.

See Current Rates or Transportation: Mileage in Personal Vehicle in Textravel for more information.

Note: State agencies may adopt an internal policy with a rate that is lower than the maximum; however, the agency must distribute the policy before its employees begin any travel under the lower rate.

Reminder – New TINS Reversal/Reclamation Web App

A Direct Deposits – Reversals and Reclamations (DDEP) web application and the automation of direct deposit returned money were implemented in phases via Application Change Request (ACR) 60027 and ACR 60227 when the final phase migrated in January 2023.

Effective Jan. 2, 2024, agencies must process their own reversals and reclamations via DDEP. See ACR 60027 for more information, the DDEP Web Application for step-by-step instructions, and Direct Deposit Payments Made in Error for DDEP policy and procedure updates.

Contact Payment Services with questions.

Reminder – Holiday Warrant Distribution

Monday, Dec. 25, and Tuesday, Dec. 26: The Comptroller’s office will be closed; no warrants will be distributed.

Warrants from the Dec. 22 and Dec. 26 cycles will be available Dec. 27.

Monday, Jan. 1: The Comptroller’s office will be closed; no warrants will be distributed.

Warrants from the Dec. 29 cycle will be available Jan. 2.

See Payment Distribution or warrant pickup requirements and the System Outages and Holidays calendar for more information.

Reminder – USAS/TINS File Submission

If you need to submit a USAS or TINS batch file on a weekend or holiday, see the USAS/TINS Input Record File Submission Schedule.

Reminder – Direct Deposit Settlement Dates

To determine the direct deposit settlement date of a payment, exclude state and federal holidays listed on the System Outages and Holidays calendar.

Since financial institutions are closed, no direct deposit activity occurs on those days. Agencies must consider these dates when determining when to submit their payments to ensure prompt payment and avoid late payment interest.

Security Alert: Avoid Email Confirmation

Fiscal Management urges all agencies to review and further strengthen internal processes and procedures for requesting system or security changes. To avoid security threats, it is best to validate requests by a method other than email.

In the past, hackers harvested credentials such as user IDs, passwords, email addresses, etc., then used the credentials to access systems and gather data or other sensitive information.

Now, hackers target the credential with the most transparency — email addresses. They hijack an email account, change the password, then use the email address to request the agency to provide sensitive information or make detrimental changes to the user’s profile, such as changing direct deposit instructions.

This is what makes these hacks so dangerous. Everything about the email appears legitimate, because it is. Since the email account is compromised, the traditional strategy of training users to identify illegitimate email will not work. Only a second level of validation will ensure the instructions received were from the intended user.

See Fraud Prevention Recommendations for more tips, or contact your agency’s information security office for more information and/or to discuss and implement security improvements for your agency.