Skip to main content
Version: 6

Finance Domain - Entities, References, and Descriptors

Finance Domain Entities​

NameDescription
LocalAccountThis financial entity represents the set of account codes defined by an education organization for a fiscal year. It provides a formal record of the debits and credits relating to the specific account.
LocalActualThis financial entity represents the set of local education agency or charter management organization expense or revenue amounts.
LocalBudgetThis financial entity represents the amount of monies allocated to be spent or received by a local education agency or a charter management organization as related to a specific account.
LocalEncumbranceThis financial entity represents the amount of monies that are already committed to be spent or received by a local education agency or a charter management organization as related to a specific account.
LocalContractedStaffThis financial entity represents the sum of the financial transactions to date for contracted staff. ContractedStaff includes "contractors" or "consultants" who perform services for an agreed upon fee, or an employee of a management service contracted to work on site.
LocalPayrollThis financial entity represents the sum of the financial transactions to date for employee compensation. An "employee" who performs services under the direction of the employing institution or agency, is compensated for such services by the employer and is eligible for employee benefits and wage or salary tax withholdings.
ChartOfAccountsThis financial entity represents a funding category combined with its purpose and type of transaction. It provides a formal way to categorize the debits and credits relating to a specific account.
FundDimensionThis financial entity is an NCES fund accounting dimension. As per the NCES, a fund represents "a fiscal and accounting entity with a self-balancing set of accounts recording cash and other financial resources."
ProgramDimensionThis financial entity is an NCES program accounting dimension. As per the NCES, a program is "a plan of activities and procedures designed to accomplish a predetermined objective or set of objectives."
FunctionDimensionThis financial entity is an NCES function accounting dimension. As per the NCES, a function describes the activity for which a service or material object is acquired.
ObjectDimensionThis financial entity is an NCES object accounting dimension. As per the NCES, an object is the service or commodity obtained as the result of a specific expenditure, such as salaries, benefits, tuition reimbursement, and so forth.
ProjectDimensionThis financial entity is an NCES project accounting dimension. As per the NCES, a project dimension reporting code permits school districts to accumulate expenditures to meet a variety of specialized reporting requirements at the local, state, and federal levels.
OperationalUnitDimensionThis financial entity is an NCES operational unit accounting dimension. As per the NCES, an operational unit dimension is used to segregate costs by school and operational unit such as physical location, department, or other method.
SourceDimensionThis financial entity is an NCES source dimension. As per the NCES, a source dimension is used to classify revenue, receivables, and other sources of income based on their origins such as taxes, tuition, fees, and so forth.
BalanceSheetDimensionThis financial entity is an NCES balance sheet accounting dimension. As per the NCES, balance sheet accounts and statement of net position accounts are used to track financial transactions for each fund.

Extended References​

NameDescription
EducationOrganizationThis entity represents any public or private institution, organization, or agency that provides instructional or support services to students or staff at any level.
StaffThis entity represents an individual who performs specified activities for any public or private education institution or agency that provides instructional and/or support services to students or staff at the early childhood level through high school completion. For example, this includes:
1. An "employee" who performs services under the direction of the employing institution or agency is compensated for such services by the employer and is eligible for employee benefits and wage or salary tax withholdings
2. A "contractor" or "consultant" who performs services for an agreed upon fee or an employee of a management service contracted to work on site
3. A "volunteer" who performs services on a voluntary and uncompensated basis
4. An in-kind service provider
5. An independent contractor or businessperson working at a school site.

Finance Domain Descriptors​

EntityNameDescriptionUsage ClassificationEDFacts MappingCommonly UsedCommonly State-Defined
StaffAcademicSubjectThe academic subject(s) in which the staff is deemed to be "highly qualified".LocalYesYes
ChartOfAccountAccountTypeThe type of account used in accounting such as revenue, expenditure, or balance sheet.
StaffAchievementCategoryThe category of achievement attributed to the individual.Local
EducationOrganizationAddressTypeThe type of address listed for an individual or organization.OrthodoxYesYesYes
EducationOrganizationCountryThe name of the country. It is strongly recommended that entries use only ISO 3166 2-letter country codes.Standard
EducationOrganizationEducationOrganizationCategoryThe classification of the education agency within the geographic boundaries of a state according to the level of administrative and operational control granted by the state.
LocalBudget,
LocalActual
LocalContractedStaff
LocalEncumbrance
LocalPayroll
FinancialCollectionThe accounting period or grouping for which the amount is collected.Flexible
StaffIdentificationDocumentUseThe primary function of the document used for establishing identity.Orthodox
EducationOrganizationIndicatorThe name or code for the indicator or metric.
EducationOrganizationIndicatorGroupThe name for a group of indicators.
EducationOrganizationIndicatorLevelThe value of the indicator or metric, as a value from a controlled vocabulary. The semantics of an empty value is "not submitted."
EducationOrganizationInstitutionTelephoneNumberTypeThe type of communication number listed for an individual or organization.
StaffLevelOfEducationThe extent of formal instruction an individual has received (e.g., the highest grade in school completed or its equivalent or the highest degree received).Orthodox
EducationOrganizationLocaleA general geographic indicator that categorizes U.S. territory (e.g., City, Suburban).
EducationOrganizationOperationalStatusThe current operational status of the education organization (e.g., active, inactive).
StaffOtherNameTypeThe types of alternate names for an individual.Orthodox
StaffPersonalInformationVerificationThe category of the document relative to its purpose.Orthodox
StaffRecognitionTypeThe nature of recognition given to the individual for accomplishments in a co-curricular, or extra-curricular activity.
LocalAccount
BalanceSheetDimension
ChartOfAccount
FunctionDimension
FundDimension
ObjectDimension
OperationalUnitDimension
ProgramDimension
ProjectDimension
SourceDimension
ReportingTagOptional tag for accountability reporting. Used at the dimension and/or chart of account levels to demote specific state needs for reporting.Orthodox
EducationOrganizationStateAbbreviationThe abbreviation for the state (within the United States) or outlying area in which an address is located.Standard
tip

See Non-normative Descriptor Classifications for more information on Usage Classification.