Office of Sponsored Programs - 500.17, Procedure 1 - Tango PrePaid Card Request & Reconciliation

Title

Office of Sponsored Programs - 500.17, Procedure 1 - Tango Card Request & Reconciliation

Corresponding with:

Purpose

This procedure details the steps to request and reconcile Tango prepaid cards related to a sponsored project. The Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP) is responsible for all sponsored project-related Tango prepaid card approvals.

The Finance University Controller (Finance) and Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research (OVCR) procedures should be followed for requesting and reconciling Tango prepaid cards for non-sponsored activities.

Expectations of Tango card management:

  • All prepaid cards distributed within a calendar month must be reconciled by the 15th (or next business day) of the following month, unless required sooner for reporting purposes.
  • Tango card program is strictly limited to the payment of study subject/participant incentives.
  • Funds advanced for Tango use should not exceed the sponsored project’s budget for the expense to which the prepaid cards will be reconciled upon distribution.

Procedure

I.  Requesting an Advance for Tango

Initial Request: 

  • Complete the Tango Request Form and for requests on:

  • The request is reviewed for completeness and allowability. For sponsored projects, the assigned Sponsored Project Specialist (SPS) will review. For non-sponsored projects, Finance and OVCR will review. If approved, the signed form will be returned to the submitter within 3 business days of receipt.  
  • Department submits a campus voucher (within 10 business days of receiving the approved form) requesting the approved amount on account code 559550 for sponsored projects.
    • The Invoice Number format should be the date of the request YYYY/MM/DD and the IRB Number. Example: 2023-07-11-12-1234
    • Include the approved Tango Request Form and Tango Training certificate email as attachments
  • OSP Pre-Audit Technician reviews the voucher documentation for completeness and allowability; transaction will be subject to rejection without all required documents.
  • If approved, the voucher payment is processed by Finance, and funds are wired to Tango for the requested project.

Change Request:

  • To request additional funds and modify users in Tango, complete the Tango Request Form to denote it is a request on an existing Tango project and then follow the process as identified above for the Initial Request.
  • To only request adding or removing user(s) for an existing Tango project, complete the Tango Request form to denote it is a request on an existing Tango project and send the complete form to Tango@unc.edu.

II.  Reconciling Tango

  • Create a reconciling journal (JOT) moving expenses from account code 559550 to the appropriate account code for the type of expense (i.e., 523150 – study subject payment or 523160 – study subject expense).
  • Complete and attach the following documents to the journal transaction:
  • OSP Pre-Audit Technician reviews the journal documentation for completeness and allowability. Some situations where transactions may be subject to rejection are if all required documentation is not included and/or expenses were incurred outside the award period of performance.
  • If the journal is approved, the expense is moved to the requested study subject expense type. If the reason for rejection was due to non-compliance with any University policy, the advance must be reconciled to non-sponsored funds.

Related Requirements

External Regulations and Consequences 

Unit Policies, Standards, and Procedures

Contact Information

For questions regarding this procedure and its related operating standard, please contact SponsoredPrograms@unc.edu.

For questions regarding Pre-Award management or Post-Award administration, please contact the assigned Sponsored Projects Specialist (SPS).

For invoicing, reporting, and other financial matters, please contact the assigned Sponsored Projects Accountant. OSP Staff assignments may be found in RAMSeS or on the OSP website.

History

History Table
Date Description
03/24/2025 Revised to update naming of corresponding standard and include OVCR.
07/11/2023 Revised to reflect new Tango prepaid card process and form.
07/01/2022 Revised to reflect new office name.
09/05/2021 Released new operating standard and procedure.

The operating standards in the Office of Sponsored Programs Operating Standards & Procedures Manual supersede any OSP operating standards, procedures and appendices previously included in the University Business Manual, a publication of UNC-Chapel Hill’s Division of Finance.

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