New statements and budget procedures are on the way

[mfmohlma]

Some of you may remember the thread where we were asked to evaluate a new financial statement. In it was a hint that there was a new system coming that would eliminate the need to manually reconcile MLS with a church statement. Well, it looks like somebody added a new page to the wiki today. Manual reconciliation and entry of missionary withdrawals will soon be a thing of the past.

Sorry to steal your thunder, folks, but this is welcome news to us. Thank you in advance from all of the financial clerks!

[gregwanderson]

I worry about whether the transition will be smooth, however. Consider the wards where reconciliation only happens a few days before each audit. Will this habit cause a major problem if a ward receives the MLS update on a day when the reconciliations are not up-to-date? Will MLS automatically create sub-categories for full-time missionaries where they already exist? (Say, for example, you have someone who's right in the middle of their missionary service when the MLS update arrives?)

I hope the clerks will receive a stern warning to stay up-to-date in anticipation of this change. And, perhaps they'll want a direct warning of what to watch out for after the update is received (like: take a close look at your Ward Missionary sub-categories).

[Freedom55]

This sounds like a great improvement. Some of our older clerks that still struggle with reconciliations will be thrilled that they won't have to do them any more. I'm assuming that since it will follow an MLS upgrade, it will also apply to the family history center finances (??).

No time line is indicated. Does anyone have an approx date? Will it be rolled out in stages across the US and canada or will everyone get it at the same time?

Wow, great job! Color me happy!

[aebrown]

Consider the wards where reconciliation only happens a few days before each audit. Will this habit cause a major problem if a ward receives the MLS update on a day when the reconciliations are not up-to-date?

It's clear that there will be additional communication before the changeover occurs. For one thing, every unit will have to upgrade to MLS 3.2, which isn't even available yet. For another, there once the MLS 3.2 upgrade occurs, the Church will have to do the switchover to CUBS. I'm sure we'll be told just what to expect.

My guess is that units will be encouraged to reconcile before they switch to CUBS. If they don't, they simply won't balance and will still have to do work to enter the missing or incorrect transactions, just like they do now.

Will MLS automatically create sub-categories for full-time missionaries where they already exist? (Say, for example, you have someone who's right in the middle of their missionary service when the MLS update arrives?)

The way I read the documentation, it's pretty clear that every missionary will have a subcategory automatically created, whether they are in the middle of their mission or just beginning. The Church will have to be able to connect a missionary to the subcategory, which can only be done automatically by the Church or by some sort of linkage -- existing subcategories can't possibly be linked, since there are no standards for how such categories are named.

[PNMarkW2]

We have a pending meeting for all Finance and Ward Clerks with a guest from Salt Lake in June or July (there is some confusion over the date). The topic is said to be new audit procedures. Now I might be linking things that aren't related, but it would seem to me that a new reconciliation process might also bring a new audit procedure.

Either way, sure wish we could reconcile properly. Oh, it balances, but it's not correct, and it's been this way since year end.

[aebrown]

Either way, sure wish we could reconcile properly. Oh, it balances, but it's not correct, and it's been this way since year end.

There are reconciliation specialists who can be very helpful. If you have already worked with your stake financial clerk and tried everything you know how, and it still isn't reconciling properly, then that might be something to try. Just call Local Unit Support and set up an appointment.

[kh_design]

Manual reconciliation and entry of missionary withdrawals will soon be a thing of the past.

As a past Stake Finance Clerk speaking, I have just one word to say hearing this news, 'Yes!'.

[kh_design]

Perhaps useful information for other Stake Finance Clerks.

I would send each Local Unit a Monthly Budget Statement, and then on November's budget statement a note highlighted and on bright paper reminding them of the Annual Curriculum expense to be certain to account for it in December's budget expenses.

I would just print the Local Unit Monthly Budget Statement from the Stake's MLS. I could print this from MLS because I would each month enter into the Stake's MLS the local unit's budget expenses, this would work for the most part really well, except for the very few times a local unit would have a budget reimbursement to their local unit's budget which would actually put them in a positive increase to their budget. Which truly was not a problem either just a different way of having to enter their unit's budget expense, which was actually an increase for that month. I did Local Unit Monthly Budget Statements even back in the day FIS was in use.

I always encouraged local unit Finance Clerks to balance their budget, although many never did because it was not required for the finance audits.

I hope manual budget MLS entries like Distribution Service orders and specifically the Annual Curriculum order (which usually is in December) will soon be a thing of the past (and I hope this happens in real time, by this I mean at least when send and receives are done, not just at the beginning of the month when statements are posted on MLS). No matter how often I mentioned to the local unit's finance clerk to be certain the Annual Curriculum is accounted for before they went out and spent the remainder of their budgets, and how often they did not, and then the sound of shock and dismay they would express to me upon learning they had overspent their budget by hundreds of dollars because they did not account for the Annual Curriculum expense.

[aebrown]

I hope manual budget MLS entries like Distribution Service orders and specifically the Annual Curriculum order will soon be a thing of the past (and I hope this happens in real time, by this I mean at least when send and receives are done, not just at the beginning of the month when statements are posted on MLS).

You get your wish (or at least you will later this year when CUBS comes on line) -- these entries will indeed be automatically downloaded to MLS as they occur. That's one of the great improvements that is coming.

[allenjpl]

It's clear that there will be additional communication before the changeover occurs. For one thing, every unit will have to upgrade to MLS 3.2, which isn't even available yet. For another, there once the MLS 3.2 upgrade occurs, the Church will have to do the switchover to CUBS. I'm sure we'll be told just what to expect.

We just got the message that 3.2 will be downloaded in the next week or so, and we aren't on the beta program. One step closer to full automation of the missionary payments! (a small set, sure, but it's something.)