A Sources of Funds: The Chest

Each year, most (but not all) departments have traditionally received an amount of money to support the core salaries and running costs of their department. This is known as Chest Allocation.

AAA*: Chest non-pay

Principally AAAA, this is the Source of Funds for non-pay expenditure.

The allocation is based on the annual planning exercise carried out by Schools in the Michaelmas term. Most, but not all departments have such an allocation. The allocations are posted as budgets by the Finance Division and usually phased equally over the year, although this may be revised to reflect actual spending patterns.

AAAA should be used to record general departmental running costs where costs cannot or should not be funded from elsewhere (e.g. from a trading activity).

There should be no income posted to this Source of Funds. If a proportion of costs originally allocated to AAAA is in fact financed by funds from another source – then these costs should be moved out of AAAA and allocated against the Source of Funds which this other income is allocated to.

At the end of the financial year the balance will normally roll up into the departmental accumulated balance Source of Funds – ADAA

AB** and AC**: Chest stipends and wages

Principally ABAA (stipends) and ACAA (wages), these sources of funds are used to identify salaries for staff where it has been agreed that their post will be funded directly by the Chest. 

At the end of the financial year the balances on these sources of funds will normally roll up into the departmental accumulated balance Source of Funds – ADAB. For some Schools the surplus or deficit (entire or partial) is rolled up to the Schools Office. Check with your Finance Business Partner or institution head of finance. 

AD**: Accumulated balances

Balances on these sources of funds are accumulated from prior year surplus or deficit on recurrent chest sources (AAAA, ABAA & ACAA) – see above.

They can be used to offset any overspends in the current year’s AAAA Source of Funds or alternatively items of expenditure can be charged directly to these codes.

AH**: Non-recurrent grants

Departments can apply for non-recurrent grants throughout the year to cover specific one-off items of expenditure. In most cases these are now handled through the Schools Office. Successful applications will have a budget allocation made against a specific AH** Source of Funds, which will be notified to them by Financial Planning & Analysis. (AH** codes replaced D*** codes in 2008.)

Any subsequent expenditure on the items related to the grant should be coded directly to the Source of Funds. When the allocation is made you will be notified where unspent funds are returned to.
 

AN**: Special expenditure, strategic expenditure, managed and administered funds

Administered funds hold Chest budget allocations to meet certain costs incurred University-wide and which do not form part of the running costs of the central offices that administer them.

Allocations are made to these Sources of Funds by Financial Planning & Analysis.
 

Latest version 01 May 2024