Frequently Asked Questions
Getting started with SPS
The technical requirements page tells you about both the computer systems and the people you need.
No. SPS does not use a web browser (like Microsoft Edge, Apple Safari, Google Chrome, or Mozilla Firefox) to launch or run.
SPS uses a localized version of Java, not the Java that browsers use. This Java is built into SPS. That way any Java updates your agency makes do not affect SPS.
At minimum, the Agency must appoint one person as a Data Entry Operator (DEO) and one person as a Certifying Officer (CO). We highly recommend that you have other personnel appointed as backups for the DEO and CO roles. We also highly recommend that you appoint someone as a Trusted Registration Agent (TRA). The TRA is not a user of SPS but supports the user with the PKI ikey issuance and management. Enrollment forms for each role can be found on our forms page.
Using SPS
SPS now accepts PIV badges for login. However, users should not attempt to login to SPS with their PIV badge until contacted by a SPS representative. You will hear from us as we near implementation for your agency.
Contact your Trusted Registration Agent (TRA). If you don't know who your TRA is, contact our SPS Help Desk:
816-414-2340kfc.sps.help.desk@fiscal.treasury.gov
Yes, if the data is in File 440 format. You cannot import from other format types, such as spreadsheets or databases.
Using the SPS File 440 format and importing the data directly has great advantages: It saves time. It avoids data entry errors. Depending on the number of payments being entered per schedule, it could take an hour to manually type one schedule while importing the same schedule will take less than one minute. Since no payment data is typed during an import, there are also no human data entry errors.
For more information, see the Technical Requirements page.
A payment must have at least 1 TAS/BETC. It may have up to 100.
A schedule must also have at least 1 TAS/BETC. It may have up to 1,000.
No. TAS/BETC is a required field. You must have a least 1 TAS/BETC for a payment or schedule.
If the TAS/BETC field is not filled in a manually-typed schedule, SPS will not save the schedule. If the TAS/BETC field is not filled in a file you are trying to import, the import will fail.
Also, as the schedule is created or imported, the system checks the TAS/BETC information against the Shared Accounting Module (SAM) file. If the TAS/BETC is not valid according to that day's SAM file validation, SPS won't save or import the schedule.
Type A payments must contain at least one TAS/BETC but may have up to 100 total. A Type B schedule must contain at least one TAS/BETC but may have up to 1000 total.
SPS only supports Windows 10 64-bit. SPS currently still runs under Windows 7 32-bit or 64-bit, but we will not be able to troubleshoot if any issues arise while running under Windows 7.