For the purpose of this part, the following definitions apply:
Agency means any department, instrumentality, office, commission, board, service, Government corporation, or other establishment in the executive branch, except the Tennessee Valley Authority.
Billing means any of a variety of means by which the Government places a demand for payment against an entity that is indebted to the Government. The term encompasses invoices, notices, initial demand letters, and other forms of notification.
Cash management means practices and techniques designed to accelerate and control collections, ensure prompt deposit of receipts, improve control over disbursement methods, and eliminate idle cash balances. “Cash Management Review Process” means periodic examinations of collection and disbursement cash flows to ensure that the most effective mechanisms are used to process the funds.
Collection means the transfer of monies from a source outside the Federal Government to an agency or to a financial institution acting as an agent of the Government.
Collection mechanism means any one of a number of tools or systems by which monies are transferred to the Government from a source outside the Government.
Cutoff time means a time predesignated by a financial institution beyond which transactions presented or actions requested will be considered the next banking day's business.
Day means a calendar day unless otherwise specified.
Deposit means as a noun, money that is being or has been presented for credit to the Treasury. Deposits can be made by an agency or directly by the remitter. All such transfers are effected through a Federal Reserve Bank or other financial institution. As a verb, deposit means the act of presenting monies for credit to the Treasury by an official of an agency.
Depositary means a bank or other financial institution that has been authorized by the Treasury to receive monies for credit to the Treasury.
Disburse means the initiation of an Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) transaction or other methods of drawing funds from accounts maintained by the Government.
Electronic funds transfer (EFT) means any transfer of funds, other than a transaction originated by cash, check or similar paper instrument, that is initiated through an electronic terminal, telephone, computer, or magnetic tape, for the purpose of ordering, instructing, or authorizing a financial institution to debit or credit an account. The term includes, but is not limited to, Fed Wire transfers, Automated Clearing House (ACH) transfers, transfers made at automatic teller machines (ATM) and Point-of-Sale (POS) terminals (to include use of the Government small purchase card), and other means of credit card transactions.
Fund means the Cash Management Improvements Fund.
Monies (or “receipts”) means EFT transactions, currency, negotiable instruments, and/or demand deposits owed to or collected by an agency.
Next-day deposit means a deposit made before the cutoff time on the day following the day on which the funds were received by an agency. For example, if an agency receives funds for deposit at 3 p.m. on Monday and transmits the deposits to the depositary by 2 p.m. on Tuesday (the depositary's next cutoff time), then next-day deposit requirements are met.
Payment means a sum of money transferred to a recipient in satisfaction of an obligation. A payment includes any Federal Government benefit or nonbenefit payment.
A benefit payment is a disbursement for a Federal Government entitlement program or annuity. Benefit payments may be one-time or recurring payments including, but not limited to, payments for Social Security, Supplemental Security Income, Black Lung, Civil Service Retirement, Railroad Retirement Board Retirement/Annuity, Department of Veterans Affairs Compensation/Pension, Central Intelligence Agency Annuity, Military Retirement Annuity, Coast Guard Retirement, and Worker's Compensation.
A nonbenefit payment is a Federal Government disbursement other than a benefit payment. Nonbenefit payments may be one-time or recurring payments including, but not limited to, payments for vendors, Internal Revenue Service tax refunds, Federal salaries and allotments therefrom, grants, travel disbursements and reimbursements, loans, principal and/or interest related to U.S. savings bonds, notes, and other savings-type securities, and payments of service fees to organizations qualified to issue and/or redeem savings bonds.
Point-of-sale (POS) terminal means an automated credit card or debit card transaction device.
Presumed EFT means that agencies will presume that new payment recipients will elect EFT as the means of payment delivery. Enrollment forms for use in establishing routine payments will be designed with this approach in mind, to obtain the required written consent of the recipient.
Recipient means a person, corporation, or other public or private entity receiving benefit or nonbenefit payments from the Government.
Same-day deposit means a deposit made before the cutoff time on the day on which the funds were received by an agency. For example, if an agency receives funds for deposit at 10 a.m. on Monday and transmits the deposits by 2 p.m. on Monday (the depositary's cutoff time), then a same-day deposit has been achieved.
Service means the Financial Management Service, Department of the Treasury.
Treasury Financial Manual (TFM) means the manual issued by the Service containing procedures to be observed by all Government departments and agencies in relation to central accounting, financial reporting, and other Governmentwide fiscal responsibilities of the Department of the Treasury. Volume I, Chapter 6-8000 (I TFM 6-8000) contains agency cash management procedures to be followed pertaining to these regulations.
Copies of the TFM are available free to Government agencies. Others who are interested in ordering a copy may call (202) 208-1819 or write the Directives Management Branch, Financial Management Service, Department of the Treasury, Liberty Center (UCP-741), Washington, DC 20227 for further information.