Business Portal Frequently Asked Questions

Who can complete and submit surveys?
When a survey is assigned to an institution, the institution's CEO is given access to the New York State Education Department (NYSED) Application Business Portal (Business Portal) through the NYSED Delegated Account System (SEDDAS). The CEO can fill out and submit any survey that has been assigned to that institution. If additional users need access to fill out or view surveys, an institution's Entitlement Administrator can entitle additional users to the NYSED Application Business Portal (Business Portal). For additional details on creating and entitling user accounts, please read the SEDDAS User Guide or the Entitling Users Mini-Guide. If you still have questions about creating and entitling user accounts, please email the SEDDAS help desk at SEDDAS@nysed.gov.

Who should I contact if I can't remember my username or password?
If a user forgets their password, wants to change their password, or needs to unlock their account, users can follow the Business Portal Password Reset/Unlock Account steps to reset their own passwords. Please refer to the SEDDAS Password Reset Guide for more information on password management. If you can't remember your username, please contact the SEDDAS Help Desk at SEDDAS@nysed.gov.

What functions exist within SED Monitoring and which functions am I able to perform?
Users can see their allowed functions within SED Monitoring next to their name, in the upper, right-hand corner of the screen. The available functions are as follows:

• SUBMIT/CERTIFY - allows users to certify and submit their assigned surveys,
• DATA ENTRY - the user can fill out surveys assigned to their institution, but only those authorized to SUBMIT/CERTIFY can submit them, and
• DATA VIEW - the user can view surveys assigned to their institution but cannot complete or submit them. Additional functions exist for NYSED users who create and maintain surveys.

Who should I contact if I have been assigned the incorrect function?
An institution's CEO should have the ability to perform all of the functions within SEDDAS, and other users within an institution are usually limited to performing the DATA ENTRY function. If you believe your function is incorrect, please contact your CEO or Entitlement Administrator. If you need additional assistance, please contact the SEDDAS Help Desk at SEDDAS@nysed.gov.

How do I update my contact information on the Business Portal?
It may become necessary to update user information because of changes to phone numbers, email address, or position/title. To update contact information, please refer to the SEDDAS User Guide.

Surveys, Corrective Action Plans (CAPs), and Audit Finding Questions

When is our State Aid impacted?
The deadline for submission of the Survey 1 - Audited Financial Statements is October 15 for most school districts and all BOCES. For Rochester, Syracuse, Buffalo, Yonkers, and New York City (Big 5), the deadline is January 1. The processing of State Aid payments for school districts with eight or more teachers will be delayed for late Survey 1 submissions, post mid-November. For the Big 5 school districts, the processing of State Aid payments will be delayed for late Survey 1 submissions, post January 30. BOCES are not subject to State Aid withholding. For more information, please refer to the NYSED State Aid webpage.

What does the NYSED consider a finding?
An audit finding is composed of five main elements: condition, effect, cause, criteria, and recommendation. For any recommendations/findings identified in the audit report, a Corrective Action Plan (CAP) must be prepared and must address all of the recommendations/findings identified in the audit report.

What are the requirements for a Corrective Action Plan (CAP)?
All CAPs must have Board approval. Additionally:

• Survey 2/3 -Management Letter(s) and Extraclassroom Audit - Pursuant to Commissioner’s Regulation §170.12(e)(4), CAPs in response to each finding/recommendation in the Management Letter and/or Extraclassroom Audit Report require:
  • the corrective action(s) planned, and
  • the expected date(s) of implementation.
  • If the auditee does not agree with the audit findings, or believes corrective action is not required, the CAP must include an explanation and specific reasons.
  • the name(s) of the contact person(s) responsible for corrective action,
  • the corrective action planned, and
  • the anticipated completion date.
  • If the auditee does not agree with the audit findings, or believes corrective action is not required, then the CAP must include an explanation and specific reasons.
  • the corrective action(s) planned, and
  • the expected date(s) of implementation.
  • If the auditee does not agree with the audit findings, or believes corrective action is not required, the CAP must include an explanation and specific reasons.
  • the corrective action(s) planned, and
  • the expected date(s) of implementation.
  • If the auditee does not agree with the audit findings or believes corrective action is not required, the CAP must include an explanation and specific reasons.

  If I re-vise my Corrective Action Plan (CAP), do I need Board approval?
  Pursuant to Commissioner’s Regulation §170.12(e)(4)(i), CAPs in response to any findings contained in the annual external audit report, management letter, or any final audit report issued by the district’s internal auditor, the State Comptroller, the State Education Department or the United States or an office, agency or department thereof, must be Board approved.

  Do we need to submit Corrective Action Plans (CAPs) for the Single Audit Financial Statement findings?
  Yes, pursuant to Uniform Guidance 2 CFR §200.511(c), school districts and BOCES must include the CAP related to all findings in the Single Audit or Program-Specific Audit report. This includes both Financial Statement Findings (Section II) and Major Federal Program Findings (Section III). All CAPs related to Single Audits or Program-Specific Audits are submitted via Survey 5 in the Business Portal.

  What information in the Single Audit Exemption Form must be completed?
  If your district’s total federal award expenditures were less than $750,000, you must submit a Single Audit Exemption Form. The Agency Information and the Certification sections on page 1 must be completed. The Single Audit Exemption Form must also include the correct fiscal year-end and signature from the district’s designated representative. Additionally, if your district’s total federal award expenditures were between $500,000 and $750,000, you must also complete all of the information on page 2.

  Our District did not have a Regulatory Audit Report issued during the requested fiscal year. Do I need to submit Survey 7) Regulatory Audit and Related Board Approved CAP?
  All school districts and BOCES must submit Survey 7. If your school district did not have a Regulatory Audit Report issued by the Office of the State Comptroller, the New York State Education Department, or the United States or an office, agency, or department thereof during the requested fiscal year, please answer "No" to Question 1 and submit the survey.

  Our District had a Regulatory Audit Report issued during the requested fiscal year, but there are no findings or recommendations contained in the audit report. Do I need to upload the audit report and submit this survey?
  If there are no findings or recommendations in the audit report: Upload the audit report (with no findings) and submit the survey.

  Other Questions

  What is the file size limit to upload my financial documents?
  Currently, the file size limitation is 12 MB.

  What should I do if the file size of the financial documents I would like to upload is greater than 12 MB?
  Please separate the large document into multiple documents and upload each.

  Why do I have to upload and submit financial information to the Business Portal?
  The Office of Audit Services reviews and monitors each survey to help ensure school districts and BOCES financial information conforms to the major reporting provisions of the Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB), the Office of Management and Budget’s Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards, commonly known as Uniform Guidance, and NYSED’s Audit Reference Manual. All school districts and BOCES must submit each survey and upload the required supporting documents using the Business Portal.

  Can I submit information and supporting documentation via email, U.S. postal mail, or to the note section of the survey?
  No, all information and supporting documents must be uploaded and submitted to the appropriate survey, using only the Business Portal.

  Using the Business Portal for financial submissions and CAPs, in place of email and U.S. postal mail will streamline the process for submissions and review.

  If I have already submitted the survey, how do I upload and submit other supporting documents related to the survey?
  If you have already submitted the survey and need to upload other supporting documents related to the survey, you must request to have the survey un-submitted. Please send the request to FSandSingleAudit@nysed.gov.

  Why does it take so long to receive notification of approval for the Survey submission?
  The typical timeline for reviewing and approving survey submissions may vary. Our office works very diligently to have all survey submissions reviewed and approved in a timely manner. The notice of approval for Survey 4 - The Single Audit Threshold/Single Audit Exemption Form may be delayed due to the required acceptance by the Federal Audit Clearinghouse prior to OAS review and approval. Additionally, for Survey 6B – The Internal Audit Function Exemption – the review of the survey may be delayed due to OAS not yet having the applicable data to conduct our review. Also, for Survey 7 – Regulatory Audit and related CAP, please be aware that the review does not begin until post the due date.

  When is our survey due?
  Each survey has a unique due date. Please refer to the applicable NYSED Application Business Portal Tutorial for more information on the OAS website.

  Can we have an extension as we are not able to meet the deadline?
  We do not have the authority to grant extensions or to alter due dates that are stated in Commissioner’s Regulations, Education Law, or Uniform Guidance.

  Who should I contact if I have questions regarding the OAS financial surveys?
  If you cannot find an answer to your question or need further clarification, please submit questions regarding the OAS financial surveys to FSandSingleAudit@nysed.gov.