A companion account is an account that shares the same sponsored activity and subactivity value with a non-sponsored fund value in the Harvard Chart of Accounts. By transacting to a companion account, users can track and access the related financial expenditures in the GL that are not posted to the sponsored award. Companion accounts are used for University contributions to costs sharing and to capture over-the-cap salary for effort reporting purposes.
Companion Account Example
The 33-digit sponsored account string is set up in GMAS and the general ledger, using sponsored fund 123456. To track cost sharing, expenses are posted to a Companion Account using a non-sponsored fund and the sponsored activity-subactivity combination.
- Sponsored Account String: 275.45300.123456.376612.0001.66498
- Non-Sponsored Account String (Companion Account): 275.45300.000001.376612.0001.66498
Please note, a companion account can be transacted against, as soon as the sponsored activity-subactivity combination is available in the GL. There is not a separate account setup process for the companion account.
Decision Chart for Cost Sharing Companion Account Coding
A companion account is an account that records cost-sharing amounts, often coded using the sponsored activity and subactivity value with a non-sponsored fund value, in the Harvard chart of accounts.
| Mandatory Committed Cost Sharing | Voluntary Committed Cost Sharing | Voluntary Uncommitted Cost Sharing | Over-the-Cap Salary | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University Contributions are: University Funds (gift, endowment, or other unrestricted non- sponsored sources in the fund range of 000001-054999 and 300000-699999) |
Required (See Note 1) |
Required (See Note 1) |
Not required |
Required (See Note 1) |
|
Sponsored Contributions are: Non-federal sponsored awards (in the fund range of 200000-299999) |
Not required | Not required | Not required | N/A |
|
In-Kind Cost Sharing is: Non-cash contribution of goods and services from the University or donations from third parties |
Not required | Not required | Not required | N/A |
Note 1: There may be exceptional cases in which a companion account cannot be used to track cost sharing. Therefore, a detailed listing must be provided at interim reporting periods and at award closeout.