The backbone of the Banner Finance system is the FOAPAL. The FOAPAL is the accounting string used to denote where a revenue or expense item is to be transacted in the Chart of Accounts or General Ledger.
What does FOAPAL stand for?
Carleton uses Fund Accounting to separate the revenues and costs associated with the various activities across campus. Revenues and expenses from each kind of activity are reported to various internal and external entities, and the elements of our chart of accounts make this possible. Each time a financial transaction needs to be recorded, the FOAPAL elements must be provided.
FUND – How did we get the money?
A Fund code is six digits in length. Each individual Fund is set up for a specific purpose based on a unique legal, or contractual agreement identified by the reporting entity. Each has its own revenues and expenses. Funds are grouped in common categories based on the type of activity they are being used for, such as Operating, Special Purpose, Internally Restricted Research, or Sponsored Research.
ORGN – Who received the money?
The organization code is 3 or 4 digits in length, and represents the department or unit to which the fund belongs.
ACCT – What was the nature of the transaction?
Account codes are six digits in length, and are meant to represent the nature of each individual transaction. There are many different revenue and expense codes, and care should be used in choosing the appropriate code.
PROG – Where was the money spent?
The program code represents the functional use of the fund. These codes default for all transactions and it is not necessary to include it on any report or form.
ACTV – What is the specific purpose of the transaction?
Activity codes are optional, but may be used by to add further detail to a transaction. In the case of some research Funds, activity codes may be required for reporting purposes.
Click here to read about fund-orgn security.