Successful payment processing
GEARS successfully processed payments for October 1st, November 3rd, and December 1st. The relevant reimbursement and payment reports were quickly reviewed and published. The processing dates for the GEARS runs are as follows: September 19, 2025, for the October 1st payments; October 21, 2025, for the November 3rd payments; and November 20th, for the December 1st payments. Please refer to these dates when accessing the GEARS -603 and/or -620 reports.
You can find the regular monthly GEARS run dates at GEARS Processing and Payment Schedule | Wisconsin Department of Health Services. This schedule is updated with a month’s regular processing date as soon as the GEARS team has reviewed and accepted that month’s run results.
Calendar Year 2025 Reconciliations
Many DHS grant contracts follow a calendar year schedule. If your grant contracts end on 12/31/2025, it's time to prepare for final cost reconciliation between GEARS and your accounting records. Regular reconciliations ensure timely reporting and reimbursement of allowable costs. Here are some reminders for a smooth reconciliation process.
- When you reconcile GEARS reports to your payments, please verify all contract to date information.
- Final expenditure reports are due in accordance with the terms of your Grant Agreement. When preparing and submitting a Final Expenditure report, remember to only select “Final Report” at the top of the Expenditure Report form. Please format your subject line as Agency #-Agency Type-Contract Year-FINAL-Report Month & Year-Agency name, using the final month of the grant for the Report Month.
- Not reporting all costs by the final report due date may lead to DHS being unable to reimburse these due to funding no longer being available. You can find the Listing of CARS/GEARS Profile Close Out Dates on the GEARS website: Grant Enrollment, Application and Reporting System (GEARS) | Wisconsin Department of Health Services.
If you find problems or have questions, please contact us by email at DHSDESBFSGEARS@dhs.wisconsin.gov Format the subject line as: Agency # - GEARS Agency Type Code - Contract Year - Reporting Month/Year - Agency Name
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GEARS -603 and -620 reports – designed to help you
The GEARS -603 and -620 reports were created to assist with your regular reconciliations.
The GEARS -620 report
The GEARS -620 report allows the user to view a single contract year or all unarchived contract years. It contains:
- • The chosen periods’ activity
• Contract to Date (CTD) activity
• Contract amounts
• Net Due to/from Agency
This can be useful as you do your regular, monthly reconciliations.
The GEARS -603 Report
The GEARS -603 Report provides information on reported expenses and calculated reimbursements for all profiles processed as of the voucher/expense processing date. The -603 report includes:
- Information on allocated expenses
- Any costs rolled between profiles
• Contract to date information
• The total amount due-to or due-from an Agency Number-Agency Type:
• The total amount due is subtotaled by a profile’s contract type
• The grand total is provided at the bottom of the -603 report
This can be useful as you complete your grant contracts’ FINAL reconciliation.
More information on both reports, including how to generate them and the information they contain, can be found in the GEARS Manual | Wisconsin Department of Health Services.
New calendar year contracts
As you receive your 2026 calendar year contracts, please review, sign, and return in a timely manner to ensure payments can be processed accordingly. Only fully executed contracts are eligible for reimbursement payments. Expense reports from fully executed contracts submitted by the 15th are processed and paid by the 5th of the following month, if applicable. GEARS agency reports are available not less than five (5) days prior to the scheduled payment date.
Timely update of banking information is important
Updating banking information for GEARS payments in Wisconsin's STAR system is necessary for changes like bank mergers and routing number updates. For questions or assistance on updating your agency’s banking information, including routing number or depository account number, please contact DHSDESBFSVendorVAL@dhs.wisconsin.gov.
- Please make sure to let them know you are a GEARS vendor and they will need to update your information in GEARS as well as in STAR.
- Please allow 2 – 4 weeks from receipt for the update to take effect and maintain the current account until you verify that payments are being deposited to your new/updated account.
For more information on EFT enrollment or changes, please visit GEARS: Electronic Funds Transfer Enrollment or Changes | Wisconsin Department of Health Services
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That's a wrap for 2025!
We're always online if you need us. Please visit the GEARS website at Grant Enrollment, Application and Reporting System (GEARS) | Wisconsin Department of Health Services to access the GEARS Payment Processing Schedule, CARS/GEARS Reports, Expenditure Reporting information and instructions, program funding sources listing and profile closeout dates, the CARS/GEARS Manual, and much, much more!
You can view prior newsletters by going to GEARS: Updates | Wisconsin Department of Health Services.
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