CBR Cost Recovery Process when CBR has been Charged Incorrectly

Overview

From time to time, UCPath may not calculate the Composite Benefit Rate (CBR) for an employee correctly. In most instances, this is due to an incorrect HR mapping in UCPath, where either the employee class or the benefit eligibility codes have been entered incorrectly in the system, and, as a result, the CBR group selected by UCPath might not be the correct one.

Additionally, CBR is not assessed on all earn codes. VAC earn code (vacation taken), for example, is not assessed CBR. As a result, when calculating the effective CBR rate in the actual ledger, it is important to include the earn code field in the query and exclude salaries on earn codes not assessed CBR when calculating the effective CBR rate, then compare it with the official CBR rate.

Process

For instances when you believe the CBR rates have been incorrectly calculated, please follow the process below:

  1. Submit an email to centralresourcemanagement@berkeley.edu identifying the issue.
  2. The CBR central finance lead (Kevin Mack) will contact you to briefly Zoom and review your case.
  3. Assuming there is agreement during the Zoom meeting that the CBR rate might have been incorrectly charged, create and submit a CBR Cost Recovery form (PDF) to UCPath. Your department’s research analyst (RA) or Berkeley Regional Services (BRS) contact should be able to help with this process.
  4. Once UCPath has responded and confirmed that the CBR rate charged was incorrect, email the CBR Cost Recovery form and the UCPath email confirmation that the CBR is incorrect to centralresourcemanagement@berkeley.edu to request a credit. Clearly identify the chartstring(s) to be credited.
  5. The CBR central finance lead will then create a journal to credit the department and debit the CBR pool, and will copy you on the journal number.
  6. The CBR central finance lead will consolidate all CBR cost recoveries received and submit a CBR Cost Recovery to UCPath to get the credit owed on a quarterly basis.

Salary Cost Transfers (SCT, fka Direct Retro) Exceptions

When salary cost transfers cross fiscal years, the CBR credited will use the CBR rate of the new year and not the CBR rate for the year the initial salaries were posted. This is how UCPath is set up, and credits related to changes in CBR rates for direct retro will not be issued. It is therefore important to process your SCT on a timely basis within the same fiscal year.