Frequently Asked Questions
Please see below for a list of common questions. Clicking the question will take you to the answer. If you do not see your question here, please review our FAQ or search it for the best person to assist you. Email the help desk at controller@vcu.edu for any other assistance.
Payroll & Tax-Related Questions
Fiscal, Finance Systems & Website Questions
Expenses, Payments & Purchasing Questions
Looking for university purchasing or P-Card support? Please get in touch with the Corporate Card Program (corpcard@vcu.edu).
Q: Where are VCU's tax forms and tax exemption documents located?
A: VCU's tax documents and information are within the Tax Services section of the Controller's Office website. University's
- s tax identification number and Form W-9: University Tax Documents (VCU eID and password required).
- VCU's sales tax exemption documents: Organizational Tax
If you are having issues accessing a particular form, please get in touch with the Controller site webmaster at controller@vcu.edu. If you have any questions about the tax documents or forms, please get in touch with Veronica King: vbking@vcu.edu.
Q: Who do I contact for university tax-related questions?
A: For general university tax questions, please get in touch with Payroll Services: payroll@vcu.edu or (804) 828-0740
International tax questions can be directed to intltax@vcu.edu. Appointments with VCU Payroll Services for international employees can be made here.
Q: I am a vendor or contractor who hasn't received my Form 1099 from VCU. Who do I contact?
VCU Procurement Services processes annual 1099 forms for vendors and contractors in compliance with IRS regulations. Please reach out to the Vendor Support team by contacting vendinfo@vcu.edu or realsource@vcu.edu for assistance.
Q: My office received mail that says "Important Tax Documents Enclosed." Where do I send it?
A: Please forward VCU business tax documents to Box 842044 (Payroll Services). This includes payer tax forms such as Forms 1099-K, 1099-MISC, or 1099-NEC.
Q: How are Honorarium payments made?
A: Please refer to the Office of Procurement's "I Want to Pay an Individual" help guide. Honorariums are payments not tied to an employee/employer relationship; there is no W-2 reporting requiring a Social Security Number.
Q: Who do I contact about issues, questions, or suggestions with the content of the Controller's Office website?
A: For any assistance related to this website or any documents, please email the webmaster at controller@vcu.edu for assistance. We greatly appreciate any suggestions from the Fiscal Administrator community to make information more accessible.
Q: Who should I contact for questions or issues regarding the Finance Dashboard and PI (Principal Investigators) Dashboard?
A: For sponsored project indexes, if dates or budgets appear incorrect, please get in touch with the Grants and Contracts team (gcavcu@vcu.edu) for assistance before submitting a ticket.
For general Finance dashboard questions, please email the Financial Helpdesk (finsecurity@vcu.edu).
For issues, please submit a request through the RamsCentral (IT) ticketing system. Begin with Administrative & Business Resources, select Finance Systems to show Banner-related requests, and select the Banner Finance Dashboard Support ticket, or use the search function to select the specific ticket.
Q: Who should submit a ticket to gain Banner Finance access?
A: Once the required Banner Basic Navigation and System/Data Security course is completed in Talent@VCU, the employee's supervisor or fiscal administrator should submit the RamCentral (IT) ticket.
To access the ticket in RamCentral, access the IT Service Catalog, select Administrative & Business Resources, select Finance Systems to show Banner-related requests, and select the Request/Modify Banner Finance Account ticket, or use the search function to select the specific ticket: Request/Modify Banner Finance Account.
See Steps for Banner Finance Access or email finsecurity@vcu.edu if you need assistance.
Q: Where can I find the University Financial Administrator or Travel Approvers directories?
A: The lists of University Fiscal Administrators and Travel Approvers are kept regularly updated on the Controller's Office website. Please see below:
Need to change or update an FA?
Q: How long should fiscal records be maintained, and how should they be disposed of?
Q: How do I find out more about how VCU is funded and how those funds are utilized?
A: We created a webpage that tackles many subjects related to the University, including how it is funded and how those funds are used. Questions related to VCU's budget or budgeting process may be directed to the VCU Budget Office: budget@vcu.edu.
Q: A vendor payment was sent to PO Box 843035, Controller's Office, PO Box, which the Controller's Office cashed, or is now missing. Who do I contact?
A: If a VCU unit's check payment was issued by the University PO Box 843035 or was cashed by the Controller's Office, please email the help desk at controller@vcu.edu for assistance. Please provide the name of the issuer, the amount (if known), and any identifying information listed with the check (i.e., invoice number).
We often receive paper payments in the mail in error. If we cannot identify the department, we will attempt to contact vendors to identify the intended recipient. If the vendor does not respond promptly and the recipient cannot be identified, we may return the payment to the issuer or cash it and hold it in a separate account until it is claimed, at which point the funds can be transferred.
If a university unit's check payment is missing and was not directed to the Controller's Office PO Box, we recommend contacting VCU Mail Services for assistance or asking the vendor to cancel the check and issue a new payment to the correct department's PO Box. If the PO box cannot be changed and must be sent to 843035, please alert us at controller@vcu.edu and let us know which PO Box the payment needs to be sent to once it arrives. We will not process a received payment for another unit.
If a vendor is seeking assistance regarding a payment sent to VCU, please contact the Office of Procurement Services Vendor Support. Grant payment inquiries may be sent to gcavcu@vcu.edu. If you are inquiring about an escheatment payment, please email escheatments@vcu.edu.
Q: Can I buy a gift, flowers, or an award for a student, non-employee, or employee? Do I use local or state funds?
A: Purchases of awards, gifts, and flowers have heavy restrictions, and different possible fund sources as outlined below.
Monetary gifts and awards may not be purchased for university employees for any business justification using any university or state funds. This includes gift cards or gift certificates.
Monetary awards and prizes for random drawings or contests for students and non-employees are processed through the VCU Office of Procurement Services (see Give an Award or Prize). All other types of awards and prizes to students must be processed through the VCU Office of Financial Aid.
Flowers and floral arrangements may be purchased using local or state funds, depending on the business purpose. Use of a P-Card for purchasing flowers is permitted. See below for which funds may be used for which business purpose:
- STATE OR LOCAL FUNDS: Office plants or flowers for public events, and plant maintenance when they are located in common or public areas, and aid in the professional appearance of the office or building. These purchases are in line with procuring office supplies or facilities management and follow the same rules.
- LOCAL FUNDS ONLY: Floral arrangements may be purchased for the business purpose of expression of sympathy and show of support upon the death or hospitalization of an employee, student, major donor, or their immediate family. These purchases must be under $100. Expenses over $100 are required to be reported to the IRS (via Payroll Services: payroll@vcu.edu) as taxable compensation.
Non-monetary awards for VCU employees have heavily restricted uses. Typically, these are employee recognition expenditures reserved for a department celebrating an employee about to retire, a long-standing employee, or a staff appreciation ceremony. Raffles and giveaways for employees are not permissible forms of recognition.
Examples of employee recognition expenditures include any non-refundable, tangible items (such as trophies, framed prints, plaques, award certificates, sports paraphernalia, game tickets, etc.). These purchases are subject to all restrictions outlined below:
- Gift cards and gift certificates are not permitted as awards or recognition expenditures for any employee, for any reason.
- Recognition expenditures must use local funds.
- Recognition expenditures must be commensurate with the employee's years of service.
- Recognition expenditures for an individual may not exceed $100 in value without approval from the Vice President, Vice Provost, Dean, or Executive Director.
- All recognition expenditures exceeding $100 are required to be reported to the IRS (via Payroll Services: payroll@vcu.edu) as taxable compensation.
- VCU-branded clothing purchased for university employees must be funded with local funds and cost under $100 per employee (see next question).
- The business purpose must be clearly documented and uploaded, along with a reconciliation (P-Card) or an expense reimbursement report, or added as an attachment to a requisition that includes the recipient, their relations, the University, and the business justification.
- Use of a university-issued P-Card for recognition expenditures may not be permitted under the CorpCard Program, depending on the purchase (see the Allowability Chart on the Procurement Services website for details). Purchase Orders or personal reimbursements are permitted.
The value of these awards, if any, is not included in the 10% of base pay or $5,000 per-fiscal-year monetary award cap, whichever is greater. Note that this form of university recognition can result in taxable income to the employee.
Before purchasing, please work with your HR Professional to review all available options for recognizing an employee and determine whether a non-monetary award is the best option. Other options may include giving Recognition Leave hours, a Spot Award, or a Business Meal.
Please contact the Payroll Office (payroll@vcu.edu) if you have questions about tax withholding implications, or the controller@vcu.edu for other questions.
Q: Am I permitted to use state or local funds for purchasing VCU-branded clothing for university employees? (e.g., polos, quarter zips, jackets, etc.)
Uniforms can be purchased with state or local funds. A uniform is a standardized set of clothing that an employee is required to wear for identification, a unified appearance, and other purposes.
Clothing purchased for university employees not intended to be a uniform, such as for employee recognition purposes, must follow these guidelines:
- It is not considered a uniform or office supply purchase.
- The purchase of such clothing may be made only with local funds.
- Items must be valued under $100 per employee.
Note: promotional items may be purchased for students and prospective students with state or local funds (see Allowability Chart).
If you have questions about this policy, please reach out to the Controller's Office or Procurement Services. Questions related to VCU's brand standards and how apparel may be branded should be directed to the Office of Enterprise Marketing and Communications.
Q: Why am I not allowed to transfer an expenditure from a local fund to a state fund?
A: State funds include E&G, Sponsored Programs, Auxiliary Enterprises, and Hospital Services. They are designated for specific university operations.
Local funds primarily consist of gifts to VCU departments, investment earnings, endowment income, foundation support, and other transfers. These gifts may be restricted or unrestricted in their use and focus on academics, research, and scholarships. As such, departments are prohibited from processing expense transfers that charge a state fund and credit a local fund.
See the About VCU's Finances page for an in-depth overview of VCU's funding structure, and our Fiscal Handbook includes a breakdown of funding types and the limits on how funds may be utilized.
Q: Can I use the Cost Transfer form to process labor/non-labor expense transfers on non-sponsored projects?
A: Yes, the cost transfer form can be utilized for all active fund types and is not restricted to ledger 5 accounts.
Q: How long does it take for cost transfers to process?
A: An auto-approved cost transfer is processed within 1 to 2 hours after submission, depending on the current queue. Inquiries may be directed to gcavcu@vcu.edu.
Q: What is the process to terminate an index?
A: The index needs to be zeroed out, with no budget, encumbrance and available balances. Once this is done, please email the request directly to frindexcreate@vcu.edu. In the email, please include the index(es) and title description. However, if there are many indices, please also provide a spreadsheet containing the appropriate information.
Q: How do I register for NACUBO / SACUBO conferences with VCU as my institution?
A: Since VCU is a National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO) member (maintained by the Controller's Office), you can set VCU as an affiliated institution after new account creation with your VCU email. After that, you may register for a conference or workshop as an institution member.
To set VCU as your affiliated institution, once logged in:
- Select "My Affiliation" on the left-hand menu.
- Under Primary Affiliation, select Virginia Commonwealth University.
- Complete the form and a member of the NACUBO team will contact you or notify you when account affiliation is successful.
SACUBO account information is managed and updated via your NACUBO account.
Please contact membership@nacubo.org if you require assistance with registration or account setup.