This site provides Accounting & Finance guidance for the Olin Business School. If you are not affiliated with Olin, please refer to the central Financial Services site.


About Accounting Services

The Accounting Department processes Olin’s financial transactions and manages the school’s budget. Our ultimate goal is to provide you with the highest level of service and information in support of Olin’s academic and research missions. The office is located in Room 333 of the Piper Executive Programs Suite on the third floor of the Charles F. Knight Executive Education and Conference Center, but our staff is currently working remotely. We hope you find everything you need here. Feel free to contact us for further assistance.

Accounting Representatives

Every Olin department has an Olin Accounting Representative who can advise you on University policies and processes, including payments to vendors, reimbursements, and travel expenses. See our contact page for information on who to contact for support.

Workday Finance

Washington University replaced its legacy finance system, Accounting Information System (AIS), on July 1, 2021. Workday Finance unifies a wide range of finance functionality into a single system. It includes areas such as Banking & Settlement, Procurement, Financial Accounting, Grants, Customer Accounts, Endowments, Expenses, and others. Learn more about the key changes and core concepts of Workday Finance and Workday Human Capital Management (HCM) here.

Budgeting

Washington University operates on a fiscal year from July 1 to June 30. Olin’s Accounting Department provides data and support to departments throughout the budgeting process.

Accounts Payable

Your Accounting Representative can advise you on the appropriate process for paying department invoices and reimbursements.  If you are unsure of the best method to pay for something, please submit a general inquiry ticket in Freshdesk. All payment requests should be made via Freshdesk using the appropriate form for the expense (reimbursement vs. supplier payment, etc.). For more information on Freshdesk navigation and usage, please review the tutorial videos available here.

Purchasing

Washington University has strict policies that govern the purchasing process.  The Purchasing Department website offers a list of preferred vendors as well as online resources that facilitate making purchases.  For more information, please refer to the Washington University Purchasing website

Tracking Expenses

The Foundation Data Model (FDM) replaced the University chart of accounts in the transition to Workday on July 1, 2021. The new FDM will make it easier, and faster, to understand our financial health from the University level to the school- or unit-level. There are identification numbers for grants, gifts, projects, and endowments.

Contact your Accounting Representative for questions or assistance.