“What’s New” in 2024

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April 2024

04/26/24	Reminder – Authorization for Warrant Pickup Due Reminder – Authorization for Warrant Pickup Due All state agencies and institutions must renew their Agency Authorization for Warrant Pickup form (74-189). Agencies without a new form on file by May 1 will not be able to pick up warrants or have their warrants mailed to them. See Authorization for Warrant Pickup for the form and more information. Contact Payment Services with questions.
04/26/24	Promote Direct Deposit Month Promote Direct Deposit Month May is Direct Deposit Month, a yearly reminder that direct deposit payments save the state money and offer a safe, convenient method of payment to the state’s payees. Each agency should review its direct deposit practices to protect itself and its customers. See Promoting Direct Deposit/Pay Cards for more information.
04/19/24	GAA Book Available GAA Book Available Agencies can purchase bound copies of the 2024-25 General Appropriations Act (GAA) for $15 each, including postage. All orders must be made online and prepaid with an interagency transaction voucher (ITV) or by check. Printed copies will be mailed in May 2024.
04/12/24	Second-Quarter Audit Reports Second-Quarter Audit Reports Fiscal 2024 second-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.
04/11/24	Semiannual Verification of Users’ Security Access Levels Due Semiannual Verification of Users’ Security Access Levels Due Security coordinators are required to certify that their records are up to date through a semiannual security verification process that is concurrent for all Fiscal Management applications. Review the instructions for the Semiannual Verification of Users’ Security Access Levels (FPP K.009) (login required). Download and review the Agency Security Coordinator Reports (login required) Complete and return the Attestation form (73-326) to the Comptroller’s office by May 15. If you have questions, email ssa.security@cpa.texas.gov.
04/05/24	CAPPS User Group Meeting CAPPS User Group Meeting A combined CAPPS HR/Payroll and Financials user group meeting will be held April 25, 9 – 11 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.
04/05/24	Reminder – Authorization for Warrant Pickup Due Reminder – 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 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.

March 2024

03/28/24	State Grant Requirement State Grant Requirement State agencies and institutions of higher education that award a state grant over $25,000 from funds appropriated through the General Appropriations Act must publish the purpose of the grant on the agency’s public website. See Requirement to Publish Purpose of State Grants (FPP S.010) for more information.
03/28/24	Discontinued Contract Extracts Discontinued Contract Extracts Effective April 5, the following USAS extracts are no longer available: Contract Profile Extract (DAFXT030). Contract Financial Table Extract (DAFXTCFX). Agencies stopped using these extracts, so the Comptroller’s office has discontinued them. Contact your agency’s financial reporting analyst with questions.
03/28/24	Accounting Policy Meeting Accounting Policy Meeting An accounting policy meeting regarding House Bill 4510 (Nov. 1 reporting deadline) will be held April 17, 1:30 – 3:30 p.m. Attendees can attend the presentation in person or online (webinar): Attend in person: William B. Travis Building, Room 1-100, 1701 Congress Avenue, Austin, Texas. Attend the webinar: See Accounting Policy Meetings to register. See Accounting Policy Meetings for meeting updates, including: Agenda (available one week before the meeting). Meeting materials (available the day before the meeting). Q&As (available two or three weeks after the webinar). Note: For the webinar, use Google Chrome as the internet browser to avoid Webex compatibility issues.
03/22/24	DDEP Web Application Updates DDEP Web Application Updates Daily agency reports will be available for download effective March 11 for reversals and reclamations processed in the Direct Deposits – Reversals and Reclamations (DDEP) web application. To help prevent fraud, the account numbers will be masked and only the last four digits will display. See Daily Reversals/Reclamations Agency Reports on TexPayment Resource for details and sample reports. TINS ACR 60608 unmasks account numbers on DDEP effective March 11. User security is required to access DDEP, so full account numbers are only accessible to users with the proper security. See Instructions for the DDEP Web Application for more information.
03/22/24	Warrant Distribution on Friday, March 29 Warrant Distribution on Friday, March 29 The Comptroller’s office will be closed March 29 to observe Good Friday; however, Payment Services will distribute warrants from 9 – 11 a.m. The warrants will be from the March 28 processing cycle. See Payment Distribution for warrant pickup requirements.
03/15/24	Authorization for Warrant Pickup Due 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.
03/15/24	T-Code for Manual IRS Payments Updated 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.
03/08/24	CAPPS User Group Meetings 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.
03/08/24	Reminder – 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.
03/01/24	Fiscal 2023 ACFR 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.
03/01/24	Reporting Requirements for ARPA 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.
03/01/24	Payables and Binding Encumbrances Due 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.

February 2024

02/23/24	Encrypt Confidential Emails to Fiscal Management 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.
02/22/24	Military (Formerly Veteran) Workforce Reporting Due 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.
02/16/24	Hotel Occupancy Tax Refund Reports 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.
02/16/24	Military (Formerly Veteran) Workforce Summary Reports Due 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.
02/09/24	Deadline to Request Unclaimed Funds 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.
02/09/24	CAPPS User Group Meeting 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.
02/02/24	Saturday Mainframe System Availability Change 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.
02/02/24	Direct Deposit Fraud 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.

January 2024

01/26/24	USAS and CAPPS Confidentiality Indicator 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.
01/19/24	Updated USAS T-Code Sorts and Reference Information Updated USAS T-Code Sorts and Reference Information For updated USAS documentation, see: USAS T-Code Reference Guide (FPP Q.014), with nine transaction code (T-code) sorts available in HTML and a list of commonly used T-codes. USAS Reference (FPP Q.012), with updated lists of comptroller general ledger accounts and comptroller objects.
01/19/24	First-Quarter Audit Reports 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.
01/16/24	Warrant Distribution Delayed Due to Inclement Weather 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.
01/12/24	Comptroller Manual of Accounts Updated 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.
01/12/24	CAPPS User Group Meetings 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.
01/12/24	Reminder – Request Form 1099 by Jan. 30 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.
01/05/24	Economic Stabilization Fund Fiscal Brief Now Available 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.
01/05/24	Reminder – Mileage Reimbursement Rate Increase 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.

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