FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (AND ANSWERS)
Where can I find out which accounts to use to record GM New Vehicle sales by model lines?
Why is the Parts and Mechanical % of Sales different from last years Operating Report?
Which transactions should be recorded in Account 026, Incentives – Supervisions?
Using the New System
Can I submit using the old system?
Where can I get Training to use the system?
Why do I need to have the most current TB (Trial Balance) Edit update?
Why is the Version number important?
After I made changes to my TB Edit, why am I still getting the same error message?
When should I save the TB Edit file?
Why can’t I change a number or why do I get asked for a password when I try?
What are the GM field identifiers for the amortization of Lease and Rental Assets?
I am worried about losing my BAM points because I’m having trouble submitting my data?
Where can I find out which accounts to use to record GM New Vehicle sales by model lines?
The official source for GM New Vehicle model lines is this web based accounting manual. This manual will be updated from time to time and will have a table, which shows the proper accounts to use for each model. (Please see the next question also)
Please refer to the tables in Account 400 – 418, New Cars Retail and Account 423-438, New Trucks Retail. If a vehicle is listed in the New Car Table, then it should be put in Account 231, New Cars. Similarly, if a vehicle is shown in the New Truck Table, then it should be put in inventory using Account 235, Medium Duty Trucks or Account 237, New Trucks.
All Used Vehicles are to be placed in inventory by recording the purchase in Account 240, Used Cars or Account 241, Used Trucks. Sales of Non-Certified Used Vehicles (and other make Certified Vehicles) are posted to Account 446B, Used Cars Retail – Other or Account 450B, Used Trucks Retail – Other, respectively. Only GM Certified Cars and Trucks are reported in Account 446A, Used Cars Retail – Certified and Account 450A, Used Truck Retail – Certified.
Proper handling of PEP units to GM Employees depends on whether the vehicle is brand new or a GM company car retired from service (“brass hat”). In general, the proper accounting follows the rules for New and Used Vehicles above.
The accounting entry that was made in the past is no longer required.
The parts sales on repair orders are now recorded only in the Parts Department. The gross profit is still split 50-50 between the Mechanical and Parts Departments, but now it’s just a matter of display, not an accounting entry.
Most DSP systems will do this automatically for in house generated statements. However, some DSP’s may ask you for the percentage split between Mechanical and Parts for your in-house statement. If unsure, you will need to check with your DSP to determine how this is handled.
If you are manually keypunching the data, you simply need to enter the sales and cost of sales information in accounts 467 through 478 on page 6 of the TB Edit Application and the transfer amounts on page 4, line 59 will automatically be recorded at a 50-50 split.
Why is the Parts and Mechanical % of Sales different from last years Operating Report?
You may have noticed that the % of sales on page 4, line 2 of the Mechanical Department is higher. This is because the parts sales on repair orders have been moved to the Parts Department.
For dealers who have Quick Service bays, all R.O.s performed by the Quick Service technicians while working in the Quick Service bay should be recorded in Account 460C, Quick Service Labor – Cars & Light Duty Trucks or Account 461C, Commercial, Fleet and Medium Duty Trucks. If a dealership does not have a Quick Service bay, but routinely performs Quick Service repairs (single item R.O.s) such as Lube, Oil, & Filter (L.O.F.) service, tire rotations, windshield wiper replacement and other similar repairs done by technicians paid at a lower scale, then these single item repairs should be recorded in this account.
In the past GM would allocate these expenses on your operating report. Now you must distribute expenses according to the guidelines contained in the Accounting Manual. Please refer to the expense section and the chapter titled “Distribution of Expenses” for a general discussion of Expense Distribution. Each Expense Account text has a table showing recommended guidelines for charging expenses to each Department.
Which transactions should be recorded in Account 026, Incentives – Supervisions?
Account 026, Incentives – Supervision is established to record Incentives, spiffs and commissions paid to supervisors above and beyond regular salaries. Regular compensation such as salaries and wages are properly recorded in Account 021, Salaries – Supervision. Please refer to the Accounting Manual for complete details.
Account 33 has been changed to Account 033, Postage / Freight. Used Vehicle Maintenance expenses are now recorded in Account 013, Delivery Expense.
For most accounts, simply type in the Account Number. The exceptions are the Expense Accounts. Under the new system, all accounts have at least three (3) positions. When looking up an Expense Account, it is necessary to add a “leading zero”. For example if you do a search for an Account Number such as Account 13, Delivery Expense, be sure to put a “0” in front and enter “013”.
Using the New System
Can I submit using the old system?
No. The old system will only take data from last year and will be retired after the December, 2003 data is received.
FACTS codes will no longer be needed for the new system.
Where can I get Training to use the system?
If you haven’t taken the training or if need a quick refresher, the training programs will remain available on the GM Common Training web site. Search for a course that “contains” the words “operating report”. This will bring you to the course on the key changes and will also lead you to the course about submitting a trial balance.
We are having difficulty with the system. When it’s down we post a message at the screen you see after clicking on the FACTS 2.0 link. Please read it carefully, while the ability to create and download TB Edits has been a problem there has not been a problem with the upload capability so if you are able to get a TB Edit you will be able to upload you data. The problems we have experienced have been communicated to the highest levels of the companies involved and we expect at fix shortly. We have posted an alternative method to get your TB Edit on the site. Watch the messages on the site for updates.
Even though your accounting is on a fiscal basis, for the purpose of reporting to GM, you must prepare calendar-based data.
The GM Help Desk can be reached by dialing (888) 337-1010. Before calling the GM Help Desk, please check the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) in this section. You may find the answer here. This section will be updated and revised from time to time so please check it often and look here before calling. Unfortunately accounting and business related questions cannot be answered directly by the helpdesk – please check with your DSP (Dealer Systems Provider) or your tax & accounting professional for advice related to handling accounting issues.
In general, questions about preparing the Trial Balance should be directed to your DSP. Once the Trial Balance is created, questions about submitting the TB Edit Sheet should be directed to the GM Help Desk. General accounting questions related to the procedures outlined in this manual should be directed to the DealerWorld Help Desk and responses will be posted in this section. In this way, answers to all questions can be shared with all dealers.
In order to best utilize the GM DealerWorld-FACTS 2.0 Help Desk, please limit your calls to reporting technical difficulties with DealerWorld's FACTS 2.0 website and the Trial Balance Edit file (TB Edit). Any business or GM accounting related question or concern should be communicated to the FACTS 2.0 business team directly via the Feedback Form in GM DealerWorld. Under the form's question #6 be sure to type FACTS 2.0 as the Application Name then type your concern in the Comments section below it before clicking Submit. Answers will be published through GM Messenger, usually as FAQ’s like this one.
The GM DealerWorld Help Desk will ask for your Email address. Most questions will be answered through GM Messenger FAQ’s like this one, however we will answer some questions individually if they only apply to your dealership. We do not have a staffed help desk for business and accounting questions and response times may vary.
The GM Help Desk is frequently overloaded with more calls than the phone lines can carry. This is one of the reasons that this Frequently Asked Questions sections has been created. Please check this because the answers to your questions may be here. Many of your questions are related to DSP system problems and should be referred to your DSP. If you have a TB Edit file you should be all set, you only need to download it once per month. Also, don’t save the TB Edit file until you are done for the month. Lastly, be sure to upload the Tboutput.xml file created by the TB Edit sheet. We are receiving many successful data transmissions from dealers so please follow the instructions in the next paragraph.
As most of you know, we had some very poor system response time as well as down time when trying to download the trial balance edit file in past months. In addition, there were some mapping problems with some of the DSP’s. The good news is that as of February 26th we had well over 5700 submissions, this means most people were able to submit their data and we still have about one week left. Considering the system problems and all the new accounts most dealerships did an outstanding job. Also, many people expressed satisfaction with the functioning of the TB Edit sheet and its ability to quickly find and pinpoint errors. We apologize for the system problems and have had many people working overtime to improve the performance of the system. You will be able to download your new TB Edit file at the beginning of each month starting March 1st.
Based on a suggestion from our Business Manager Advisory group, here is a quick list of the steps your need to remember for the TB Edit preparation, this is not a substitute for the training, just a quick checklist.
Why do I need to have the most current TB (Trial Balance) Edit update?
We have made many changes to the TB Edit to modify some of the Edits. If you have experienced critical errors even though you feel your Trial Balance is correct, it is advisable to download a new TB Edit. We are changing the file whenever errors are discovered - generally once per day. Be sure to check the version number.
Why is the Version number important?
We have started to put version numbers at the bottom of the FACTS 2.0 page in DealerWorld. There were many changes so far as we relaxed restrictions and changed some edit ranges. We also put in some changes to work around some of the problems a few of the DSP’s had. Going forward we do not expect to change the TB Edit very often. However, if you are having a problem you may want to download the latest version before calling your DSP or the DealerWorld help desk. If the data is displayed differently in the TB Edit than in your DSP system you will need to call your DSP. There are 2 reasons for this. First, almost all the differences we have seen so far are do to incorrect mapping from the DSP to the TB Edit. Second, if we do need to change something in the TB Edit the DSP’s will be in the best position to tell us were the problem is.
There are many reasons for file rejections. Be sure you are trying to upload the XML file (Default name Tboutput.xml) that is created from the TB Edit spreadsheet. Many people are trying to upload the sheet TB Edit itself, this will not work. If you file rejects due to an incorrect version number, you need to download the latest version and use that. We are making changes if we think the ranges or critical errors are too tight, this results in a version number change.
After I made changes to my TB Edit, why am I still getting the same error message?
After you make changes to the TB Edit you will have to click the "Edit Data" button on page 1 again.
If you receive this error please be sure you are submitting the file created by the TB Edit named “Tboutput.xml”.
When should I save the TB Edit file?
Save the TB Edit sheet after you have uploaded your data to FACTS 2.0 on DealerWorld. The TB Edit acts like a filter. It should be fresh each time you bring in your data from the DSP system.
Excel will automatically select the type size to fill the page. If you click the "hide COS" button on the "hide gross % of sales" button on the pages there will be less data to display and excel will pick a larger font.
Why can’t I change a number or why do I get asked for a password when I try?
Except when using manual input many fields are locked in the TB Edit. You will need to go back into your DSP system to make the fixes. Only fields that are in blue text and not italicized can be changed.
If you enter data by keypunching, you must enter it in the YTD areas.
Some systems (DSP) will provide most of the statistical data on the Operating Report. The degree of automation will vary by DSP. Some DSPs may require you to keypunch some data.
This is a memo item that must be filled out manually on page 7 line 60 of the Operating Report (if not done automatically by your DSP). This represents all the cash sales for the dealership for the last month, not the cash that is shown on page 1 of the Operating Report.
Page 5J of the Operating Report is used to report other non-GM new vehicles. If you dealership is dual with another make, you may use your own method to assign account numbers and report these sales on this page.
All of the entries on page are memo totals. If you have delivered fleet or commercial vehicles to qualified fleet accounts, you may break them out and report them on Page 5K. It is for your benefit to track your fleet and commercial business because of the difference in gross profit and incentives.
Each employee should be pro-rated by the amount of work performed for each Department. For example a Technician typically works only for the Mechanical Department. Therefore, each Technician would count as one (1) employee – completely assigned to the Mechanical Department.
On the other hand, suppose a Sales Manager devotes 60% to the New Vehicle Department, 30% to the Used Vehicle Department and 10% to Leasing & Rentals. The Sales Manager would be split across Departments as follows: New 0.6, Used 0.3, L&R 0.1 = Total 1.0 person
If there are personnel expenses in any account, there must be at least one employee (or fraction) reported in the respective Department in the Dealership Personnel Count section on page 7 of the Operating Report.
The 2004 Operating Report no longer tracks body shop customer car and truck labor, it now tracks customer body and paint labor. In most cases, a customer body shop repair order will contain both paint and body labor. Consequently we now have only one body shop customer repair order count number. An edit check is performed to insure that a body shop customer repair order count is present if either paint or body labor Sales/C.O.S. are present. This means that if you only record paint labor (Account 470, Customer Paint Labor – Cars and Trucks) repair orders also need to be recorded in R.O. Account 471, Customer Body Labor.
The Working Capital Standard will not be on the TB Edit of the new Operating Report (OR) for the first 2 months. In most cases it should be the same as listed on your GM ProfitCenter December year-end statement. You are always notified when it’s changed.
If you have capital stock listed on your TB Edit you need to click on the capital stock field and select the type. When you get the TB Edit the next month it will be pre loaded for you. If you use the short cut method to directly download a blank TB Edit you will have to select the stock type again.
What are the GM field identifiers for the amortization of Lease and Rental Assets?
Lease and Rental Assets and Accumulated Amortizations are all listed on page 8 lines 33 to 42 of the TB Edit. The unique field identifiers for the amortization of Lease & Rental Assets are as follows:
|
277D Leased Vehicles |
00-00-277D-ACCDEPR-CURR |
|
277E Rental Vehicles |
00-00-277E-ACCDEPR-CURR |
|
277F Leased Equipment |
00-00-277F-ACCDEPR-CURR |
Keep in mind that these are the unique field identifiers that GM is expecting from the Dealership System Providers (D.S.P.), what is used internally at the dealership is entirely up to the Dealer Accountant and his/her Dealership System Provider.
Account 347, Accumulated Depreciation Lease & Rental Units, was added to the new 2004 GM Chart of Accounts. In the past dealers used account 277A for Accumulated Depreciation. The amounts shown in L & R, page 8, lines 39, 40, 41, on the Operating Report are “Net” amounts (after accumulated depreciation).
Because of system problems, the new Operating Report and related Compass Reports have not been put into production. If we see that the system is stable and fast we will put them out, if not we may delay them further.
If you are new to using a Person Computer or the Excel spreadsheets software, here are some tips that might make a little easier.
Control-Page Up will move you from page to page on the TB Edit, this may be faster than always using the mouse and the page numbers at the bottom.
View / Zoom – click “zoom” to re-size your screen
View / Full Screen – click “full screen” to see the page numbers
View / Zoom – hold the control key and click on the pages at the bottom, then click zoom at the top and pick something less that 100% to see more of the page. If you click 50% for example you will see most of the page. While this may be too small to work on for long periods of time it will allow you to see were the errors are more quickly. Try various sizes, computer screens have different resolutions, the display will vary depending on you particular setup.
Space bar – do not use this to remove information in you spreadsheet, use the delete key. One of the changes we made to the TB Edit prevents you from using the space bar.
I am worried about losing my BAM points because I’m having trouble submitting my data?
We realize this is a big change and will not be deducting any points until submission of the April data.
We have had requests for a list of the points and errors that could possibly be deducted. Since there are over 4000 edit checks and because of size and complexity we do not plan to publish them. Keep in mind that you should not transmit your data until you have had the opportunity to check the data and clear up all of the errors. The errors are explained in the TB Edit.
The screens for allowing 3rd party authorizations will be updated early next week. This screen will allow you to give 20 Groups access to your financial data.