Frequently Asked Questions

IPAC functionality supports the most current Microsoft browsers (Internet Explorer 11 and Microsoft Edge), Chrome and Firefox. Since Microsoft Internet Explorer 11 will no longer be supported after June 15, 2022, agencies are encouraged to start using Microsoft Edge to avoid any issues with application functionality. More information can be found in the Help option on the Internet Explorer 11 menu bar.

• Master Administrator
• Agency Administrator
• User

The Master Administrator (MA) is responsible for

• approving the person (or persons) who have the Agency Administrator role
• approving user requests if no Agency Administrator is available
• reviewing who has access when it is time to recertify

The agency's Chief Financial Officer (CFO) or Deputy CFO decides who is to be trusted with the Master Administrator role.

When reviewing requests for roles, the Master Administrator should ensure that each person has the least privileged access the person needs and that all fields in the request are complete and correct.

For more information, see the IPAC Enrollment Guide and the AA and MA Provisioning Guide.

Yes, the Master Administrator must be an authorizing official.

No. The Master Administrator cannot also have another IPAC role. If a person is taking on the Master Administrator role, that person must give up other IPAC roles.

The Agency Administrator (AA) is responsible for approving user requests for IPAC access. AAs may be granted other IPAC roles including the access to run IPAC reports.

The agency's Master Administrator decides who is to be trusted with the Agency Administrator role.

For more information, see the IPAC Enrollment Guide and the AA and MA Provisioning Guide.

Visit the Training and Events page to check for upcoming opportunities. The Training and Events page also gives you a link to the IAA forms and instructions.

On Form 7600B, you must enter a Component TAS. You may also enter a String TAS.

Although Form 7600B still says "and/or," the "or" is no longer valid. The "and" is optional.

G-Invoicing only allows the Component TAS.

If a field is required, you must put something in that field for the transaction to be processed. If you leave it blank, you will get the message: "Required field is missing."

Mandatory = required.

• Agency Location Code (ALC)
• Customer ALC
• Sender Treasury Account Symbol (TAS)
• Sender Business Event Type Code (BETC)
• Receiver Treasury Account Symbol (TAS)
• Receiver Business Event Type Code (BETC)
• Quantity x Unit Price = Detail Amount
• Pay Flag
• SGL Account Number
• Unit of Issue code from this list

What you do depends on whether you are already a CARS TAS/BETC Reporter.

If you are a CARS TAS/BETC Reporter

The transaction details will be automatically validated with the Shared Accounting Module (SAM). They will be posted to your agency's CARS Account Statements with the TAS/BETC that is on the IPAC. If the TAS/BETC on the IPAC is not correct, you can reclassify the transaction in the CARS CTA Module.

You do not have to do any other month-end reporting.

If you are not yet a CARS TAS/BETC Reporter

You must report your side of each IPAC transaction on the SF224 or SF1219/1220 month-end reports.

If your agency is not already a Full CARS TAS/BETC Reporter, you should begin working with the Fiscal Service Customer Relationship team to become one.

Yes, for buy/sell transactions only, no IPACs can be processed less than three business days before the close of each month or five business days before the close of year-end reporting.

You have 90 days after the billing date to enter adjustments to payments or collections.

Your agency may further restrict buy/sell transactions from posting to their ALC at the end of each month or each quarter. To do so, submit a Billing Status request in IPAC.

Yes. The agency that initiates the transaction must give a valid TAS/BETC for both the sender and the receiver.

If the TAS/BETC that the sending agency uses for the receiver is not correct, the receiving agency can correct it. To correct a wrong TAS/BETC, go to the CARS CTA Module and reclassify the funds into a different TAS/BETC.

https://sam.for.fiscal.treasury.gov/sampublic/tasbetc.htm

A TAS is not your long Line of Accounting information.

A TAS is made up of these pieces:

• SP ATA AID BPOA EPOA A MAIN SUB
• SP = Sub level prefix
• ATA = Agency Transfer Allocation
• AID = Agency Identifier
• BPOA = Beginning period of availability (Fiscal Years)
• EPOA = Ending period of availability (Fiscal Years)
• A = Account type (A, X, or F)
• MAIN = Main account code
• SUB = Sub account code

Here are the specifications for each part of a TAS:

Sub-level Prefix (SP)

• Size: 2 characters
• Format: 2 numbers from 00 to 99
• Description: The sub-level prefix is a programmatic breakdown of the account for Treasury publication purposes.
• Note: If there is no sub-level prefix, leave the SP spaces empty.

Allocation Transfer Agency (ATA)

• Size: 3 characters
• Format: 3 numbers from 000 to 999; If the current ATA has only 2 numbers, put a 0 in front of the 2 numbers – for example, write ATA 75 as 075.
• Description: ATA identifies the agency that is receiving funds through a transfer.
• Note: If there is no ATA, leave the ATA spaces empty.

Agency Identifier (AID)

• Size: 3 characters
• Format: 3 numbers from 000 to 999; If the current AID has only 2 numbers, put a 0 in front of the 2 numbers – for example, write AID 20 as 020.
• Description: AID identifies the account owner. In conjunction with the main account code, the AID represents the department, agency, or other U.S. government establishment that is responsible for the TAS.
• Note: The AID is required. It cannot be left blank.

Beginning Period of Availability (BPOA)

• Size: 4 characters
• Format: YYYY – the 4 digits of a year
• Description: For annual and multi-year funds, BPOA is the first year that an appropriation fund may incur new obligations. That year is determined by the applicable law.
• Notes: If the account is for a single year, the BPOA and the EPOA will be the same. If the account is of type X (no-year), F (clearing or suspense), A (central summary general ledger), or an unavailable receipt account, leave the BPOA spaces empty.

Ending Period of Availability (EPOA)

• Size: 4 characters
• Format: YYYY – the 4 digits of a year
• Description: For annual and multi-year funds, EPOA is the last year that an appropriation fund may incur new obligations. That year is determined by the applicable law.
• Notes: If the account is for a single year, the BPOA and the EPOA will be the same. If the account is of type X (no-year), F (clearing or suspense), A (central summary general ledger), or an unavailable receipt account, leave the EPOA spaces empty.

Availability Type (A)

• Size: 1 character
• Format: X, F, or A
• Description: The Availability Type identifies the accounts that do not have specific dates: X (no-year), F (clearing or suspense), A (central summary general ledger)
• Notes: For accounts that have a BPOA and EPOA, leave the A space empty. Also leave the A space empty for an unavailable receipt account.

Main Account Code (MAIN)

• Size: 4 characters
• Format: 4 numbers from 0000 to 9999
• Description: MAIN identifies the type and purpose of the fund.
• Note: MAIN is required. It cannot be left blank.

Sub-Account Code (SUB)

• Size: 3 characters
• Format: 3 numbers from 000 to 999
• Description: SUB identifies an available receipt or other Treasury-defined subdivision of the main account.
• Note: SUB is required. It cannot be left blank.

Please complete the IPAC Archive Request Form and submit to the Treasury Support Center for processing

Please see the IPAC Bulk File Layout posted at https://www.fiscal.treasury.gov/ipac/bulk-file-format.html. Additional information will be provided in the IPAC Release 22.4 User Guides.

Make sure your Internet Explorer security setting is correct. To do that:

1. In Internet Explorer, open the Tools menu.
2. Select Options, then the Security Tab, then the Custom Level button.
3. Change the Security Level from Medium to Medium-Low.
4. Click Enable.
5. Click OK.
6. Change the "Allow web pages to use restricted protocols for active content" from Prompt to Enable.
7. Click Apply.
8. Click OK.
9. Click OK again to close the Options box.

If your PC was recently updated, see the previous question and answer. If that does not solve your problem, contact the Treasury Support Center: 877-440-9476 or IPAC@stls.frb.org.

IPAC only gives you access to IPAC and TRACS data for the previous 18 months.

If you need data prior to 18 months, please complete and submit the IPAC Archive Form

If you need data older than that, contact the Treasury Support Center: 877-440-9476 or IPAC@stls.frb.org. Requests for historical data may take up to 48 hours to process.

All amounts in an IPAC Bulk File Upload must be numbers greater than zero.

The upload will not accept positive (+) or negative (-) signs. It will not accept letters or any special characters in an amount field.

If the file has any unacceptable characters, you get 2 messages:

• Invalid format of amount
• Header amount is not equal to sum of Detail amounts

If you have transactions with negative amounts, you must enter them manually (not in a bulk file).

See more information on IPAC Bulk File Formats.

Near the end of a fiscal year, users sometimes create an IPAC with a TAS whose EPOA (End of Period of Availability) is five years old. Because that is before the TAS is officially closed, the IPAC goes through.

Then, at the end of the fiscal year, the five-year-old TAS is closed.

Problem

If a chargeback is needed later, IPAC will not let the chargeback be processed to the original TAS because the TAS has been closed. You get the message: "A corresponding adjustment TAS/BETC pair does not exist."

You can't edit the TAS in the original IPAC. You can't charge back to it. Therefore, you need a different solution.

Solution

Create a new IPAC and include the pertinent transaction details in the Description and Misc. Info fields. You can still select COLLAJ and DISBAJ on the new IPAC to signify that you are making an adjustment.

For the new IPAC, contact your trading partner to agree on the TAS to use in place of the closed TAS. To see a current list of all active TASs, go to the SAM Master TAS/BETC file. It is updated every day.

What you do depends on whether you are a CARS Reporter or not.

If you are a Non-CARS Reporter or a Parallel CARS Reporter

In your regular monthly reporting, use your regular appropriation or fund symbol to report the erroneous charge.

If you are a CARS Reporter

You can reclassify the transaction in the CTA module. If you choose to correct the erroneous charge, you must coordinate the correction with the charging entity. When you later know the correct amount of the erroneous transaction, adjust the transaction through IPAC.

Send questions about Health Benefit Codes to FFSAMS@opm.gov.

Send questions about RITS or TRACS (other than about Health Benefit Codes) to us at IPAC@stls.frb.org.