April 2023 EXTRA EDITION

It's the final countdown - GEARS moves forward

Over the next three months, we will make the full transition to GEARS. May, June, and July will be busy months for the CARS/GEARS team. You can help this transition go smoothly. These tips will show you how!

Use the correct Expenditure Reporting Form

• On or before May 15, 2023, continue to use the CARS Expenditure Reporting form
• As of 4:00 p.m. on May 15, 2023, STOP using the CARS Expenditure Reporting form. Please delete any downloaded local copies of that form.
• On or after May 16, use the GEARS Expenditure Reporting form. This form will be available for use. Please download this first thing on May 16, 2023.

These forms will NOT be available online at the same time to help prevent confusion over which form to use.

Beginning May 16, 2023, enter the GEARS Agency Type Code* and GEARS Contract Year on your GEARS Expenditure Reporting Forms.

• For example, if your CARS Agency Type Code was 310, your GEARS Agency Type Code is 10. This code will no longer change annually.
• The Contract Year in GEARS is the 4-digit year in which the contract ends. In CARS, the Contract Year corresponds to the first digit of the 3-digit CARS Agency Type Code. For example, if your CARS Agency Type Code was 310, your GEARS Contract Year is 2023, since the FIRST digit of the CARS agency type code is 3.

The Contract Year code is essential to the three R’s of the grant agreement payment process--Reporting, Recording and Reimbursement of agencies’ costs.

Questions about GEARS? Contact us

Contact us with questions and suggestions related to GEARS. We want GEARS to work smoothly for everyone. Timely feedback will help us keep those three R’s—reporting, recording and reimbursing costs—working well as we transition fully to GEARS.

* The Gears Agency Type code is the last two digits of your current Agency Type code. This will no longer change annually.