DFL Weekly Update - 6/27/25

Upcoming Deadlines

  • Monday, 6/30 - Submit final C&G deficit clearing waivers in BFS
  • Monday, 7/7 - Approve FY25 C&G deficit clearing waiver request forms
  • Friday, 7/11 - Queue Commitments for June Q4 requests
  • Friday, 8/22 - Submit completed and approved Org Tree change requests

Federal Updates

Please be aware of two resources regarding the evolving federal policy shifts: the UCOP Federal Updates page and the UC Berkeley Federal Updates page.

Federal Billing Changes & Year-end Close Coordination

Recent federal policy changes now require CGA to submit more detailed, line-level justifications for federal grant billing and to complete closeouts within 30 days or less for awards subject to suspension, termination, or stop work orders. These changes, along with increased documentation burdens, federal system instability, and staffing constraints, have made last-minute billing requests difficult to accommodate. To help streamline compliance and secure payments, CGA analysts use newly developed BFS reports to populate each award’s expense-level detail, which is now required for all drawdown requests and DOGE justifications. However, as we approach the June 30 fiscal year-end, it is especially important that departments prioritize these activities now. Therefore, we’re urging departments to finalize expense adjustments early and submit closeout forms promptly. Please coordinate with your RA teams well ahead of fiscal close deadlines to ensure both year-end processing and federal compliance can be completed without delay. We appreciate your patience as this duplicative, mandated workload is implemented during a time when our teams are stretched thin, and we encourage your support in helping faculty/PIs understand the importance of timely expense review and early coordination to ensure compliance.

Budget Process

Budget Process Update

Thank you for all your effort to complete and submit your budget materials. The CalPlanning planning tools (CalPlan, HCP) are closed so the Financial Planning & Analysis team can review the budget submissions. CalPlan and HCP will remain unavailable while the Operating Budget is finalized.

FY26 revised CBR rates

The Regents recently approved a revision to the FY26 UC Retirement Plan (UCRP) and associated STIP component of CBR. The revised FY26 CBR rates are listed on the CBR website and are as follows:

  • Academic - 35.9%
  • Staff - 44.0%
  • Students - 2.3%
  • Limited - 15.2%
  • No benefit eligibility - 4.9%

The CalPlan FY26 Operating Budget Working version will be updated before we finalize the FY26 Operating Budget to reflect the revised FY26 CBR rates. The CBR for the outer years, FY27 and FY28, will not be updated at this time. Further adjustments can be made once we open the Forecast for FY26.The CalPlan FY26 Operating Budget Planner Submission will not be impacted. The FY27 expense growth model (EGM) calculations will not be taken from your FY26 Operating Budget due to this change.  Please reach out to the dfl_concierge@berkeley.edu if you have any questions.

Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) for Non-Represented Staff and Faculty

UCOP announced this week that the cost of living adjustment (COLA) for non-represented staff and faculty will be 3.2%. For the FY26 Operating Budget we planned for a COLA of 3.7%. The FY26 Operating Budget will be updated to reflect this change before we finalize the budget. For now, the FY27 and FY28 outer year budgets will not be adjusted. Further local adjustments can be made when we open the FY26 Forecast. The CalPlan FY26 Operating Budget Planner Submission will not be impacted.  Despite the lower-than-expected COLA increase, campus leadership remains committed to providing one-time funding to campus divisions sufficient to cover 2.5% of the increase for staff paid on core funds, as outlined in the original budget call letter.  Again, the FY27 EGM calculations will not be taken from your FY26 Operating Budget due to this change. Please reach out to the dfl_concierge@berkeley.edu if you have any questions.

Action Items

Fiscal close deadlines FY2024-25

Fiscal Close is underway. You will find the combined list of VCF/VCA deadlines on the Fiscal Close Dates - FY2024-25 page on the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) website. Departments are responsible for completing tasks in the BFS system by the due dates. Please take a moment to review the information to ensure that all relevant steps are taken according to the deadlines.

As an additional reminder, for timely and accurate fiscal year-end closing, campus departments are strongly encouraged to submit all reimbursements into the reimbursement system by the June 30, 2025 deadline. Additionally, it is crucial to prioritize reviewing invoices in BearBuy for any goods delivered or services received in FY2025. Please remember that expenses are not transferred transactionally to the General Ledger (GL) from BearBuy until the invoice is approved in the system and the goods purchased have been received. The same is true for reimbursements in the reimbursement system, so submitting and reviewing reimbursements is also critical by the June 30, 2025 deadline. This serves as a vital control feature between our three ERP systems (Reimbursement System, BFS, & BearBuy). Therefore, to ensure that these expenses are included in your department's financials for the current fiscal year, please ensure all relevant invoices are reviewed and approved promptly.

Gift & Pledge Fiscal Year End Guidelines

Please review the fundraising reporting deadlines for submitting gifts and pledges for FY25 totals, as outlined by UDAR's Gift Services and Fund Stewardship & Compliance teams. Find more information and details on the UDAR Fiscal Close 2025 Flyer - Deadlines & Instructions flier.

  • Monday, June 30:
    • Delivery of mailed gifts to Gift Services
    • Executed and signed gift agreements to Fund Stewardship & Compliance.
    • Gifts of securities or Wires/ACH to be received in the UC Berkeley brokerage or bank accounts, respectively. Notify GiveSecurities@berkeley.edu of any pending securities gifts. Notify GiftHelp@berkeley.edu of any pending wire/ACH gifts.
  • Thursday, July 3: Submit adjustment requests for FY25 gifts, payments, and pledges using the Adjustment Request Portal.

Submit final C&G deficit-clearing waivers in BFS by Monday, June 30

Research Administrators (RAs) or other BFS departmental users should submit FY25 Contracts & Grants deficit clearing waiver request forms, for a waiver of deficit clearing on open awards, via the RA Grants WorkCenter no later than Monday, June 30, 2025. For the Year-End Deficit Clearing Process on open awards, BFS users can submit the C&G deficit-clearing waiver request form through the RA Grants WorkCenter as of June 2. Refer to the action dots in the blue header row at the top of the screen in BFS for instructions. Access to the RA Grants WorkCenter is obtained by submitting a request via the SARA system. You can read more about the year-end deficit clearing process on the Deficit Clearing Process page.

Approve FY25 C&G deficit clearing waiver request forms by Monday, July 7

The deadline for Divisional Finance Leaders (DFLs) to approve the C&G deficit-clearing waiver requests in BFS is Monday, July 7. DFLs should navigate to the following page in BFS in order to approve waivers: Enterprise Components > Forms > Approve/Review a Form. Enter “CGADFCWVR” in the “Form” field.

As a reminder, the following are exempt from the Year-End C&G Deficit Clearing Process related to open awards. Please do not submit a waiver under these circumstances:

  • Awards that have a final Financial Report due date after May 31 of this year and before January 1 of next year.
  • Awards with an Anticipated Funding Amount recorded in BFS that exceeds the total actual expenses as of June 30 this year. The Anticipated Funding Amount for awards is found in the BFS fund panel on the "Award Info" page.

If you have further questions regarding the Contracts & Grants deficit clearing processes, please contact the Controller’s Office at cgahelp@berkeley.edu.

Queue commitments for June Q4 true-up requests by Friday, July 11

Please complete the commitment queue form by Friday, July 11, for commitments to be funded in June as part of the FY25 true-up process. For more information about queueing commitments and the required documentation, please visit the Commitments page. Please note that if you are working remotely, you must log in through VPN for these forms to work. Please email dfl_concierge@berkeley.edu with questions.

Submit completed and approved org tree change requests by Friday, August 22

If you would like to submit changes to the Org Tree, please submit your completed, Budget and Financial Operations (BFO) Committee approved request by Friday, August 22, 2025. We recommend that you submit your change request form for review as soon as possible to allow time for the BFO team to review your request, follow up with you for any necessary clarification, approve your request, and allow you time to obtain all required signatures before the submission deadline.

The time needed to review change requests will vary, depending on the complexity of the request. For more information:

  • A high-level summary of the process to approve org tree changes is available on the DFL concierge webpage.
  • An overview of the org tree change submission deadlines is available in the Org Tree Submission and Processing Timeline. Important: Please review the update on the estimated processing time for journal source configuration of new L4 org node codes. As a reminder, journal source configuration for new L4's is required if there is a need to prepare and approve journals.
  • Please review the Org Tree Calendar for the timeline of allowable org tree changes throughout the year.
  • Please review the new Org Tree Lookup Tool This new tool replaces the monthly manually produced Master Org Tree and will provide the most current org tree data as of one business day before. Training materials and Job Aids are located on the CFO website.
  • There are updates coming soon to the Department Prefixes, and How to Create Visio files job aids located in the Tools and job aids section of the Organizational Tree web page.
  • Please submit questions and requests for changes to the Org Tree to dfl_concierge@berkeley.edu. Note: If you plan to request an Org Node change or Entity Hierarchy redesign, please contact dfl_concierge@berkeley.edu and explain what you would like to change before completing the request form because these changes are typically more complex and involve longer consultations.

Review the list for unused airline ticket credits

The UC Travel Center has shared a list of unused airline tickets with ticket credits available with the travelers and travel preparers. Please encourage the travelers within your unit that are listed on the UC Berkeley Monthly Unused Ticket Report to use the credits whenever possible prior to their expiration. If you are aware of individuals in your unit that are no longer with the university, there may be opportunities to have other business travelers take advantage of the credits for future business travel. Please contact the UC Travel Center at 310-206-2639 or at travel@finance.ucla.edu to learn how to use the applicable credit prior to the expiration date. Read more detailed information in the Unused Airline Ticket Credit Alert (June 2025).

Informational Updates

Welcome new Divisional Financial Leaders

We want to extend a welcome to Mike Wong, the new Chief Financial Officer and Divisional Finance Leader for Haas School of Business. Welcome Mike!

We also want to extend a warm welcome to Sharon Lilly, the new Assistant Dean of Administration and Divisional Finance Leader for the College of Engineering. Welcome Sharon!

2025-26 Tuition and Fee Levels

UCOP has published the final approved tuition and fee levels for 2025-26. The schedule includes mandatory systemwide charges (i.e., tuition, nonresident supplemental tuition, and Student Services Fee) by undergraduate cohort and for graduate students, as well as professional degree supplemental tuition rates for resident and nonresident professional students. For questions concerning student tuition and fees, please contact studentfees@berkeley.edu.

Fixed Price Contracts & Non-refundable Grants Process Update

Contracts & Grants Accounting updated the Disposition of Unexpended Balances on Fixed Price Contracts & Nonrefundable Grants process. The most significant changes include:

  • Fixed Price Award Unexpended Balance Form is now required in order for the award closeout to be finalized by CGA.

  • Small balances under $500 remaining for more than 18 months from the award end date will be de-obligated if a fixed price closeout form is not submitted to CGA on time.

The eligibility criteria have not changed. The Unexpended Balances section of the Award Closeout website has been updated and includes current links to this information. Please direct all questions and concerns to CGAawards@berkeley.edu or contact the CGA Analyst assigned to the award.

Elimination of the capital renewal fee

Effective immediately, the campus will no longer impose a capital renewal fee on capital projects. While capital renewal is fundamentally important, experience has shown the fee to be a problematic means of obtaining funds for capital renewal. Insofar as many capital projects are centrally funded, the fee represents the center paying itself.  The capital renewal fee may also create friction with donors of capital projects, who often see it as double taxation when they support campus renewal efforts. While this has led to occasional fee waivers, inconsistent charges suggest it might be fairer to eliminate the fee entirely.

While the capital renewal fee on projects will be ending, the 2.5% capital renewal allocation as part of the 7.5% philanthropic assessment on all non-research gifts will remain in place. The campus has been developing other means of funding capital renewal, so we do not anticipate any adverse effects to future renewal efforts. For questions, contact evcp@berkeley.edu.

EVCP pre-approval of hiring of independent consultants and consulting firms

As part of our ongoing efforts to manage our budget challenges, the campus will be implementing a new pilot program to review and approve independent consultant contracts valued at $100,000 or more, effective July 1, 2025. This program aims to ensure that the use of external consultants provides a strong benefit-to-cost ratio and aligns with Berkeley's core functions of teaching, research, and service. To obtain approval, units will need to submit a one-page request to the Executive Vice Chancellor & Provost (EVCP) or designate, including details such as the anticipated impact, expected cost reductions, and scope of work. These requests are required in addition to the campus’s other standard procurement procedures. The program will run for one year, with metrics and criteria developed to determine its success. We anticipate that this additional review can be done in 3–5 business days. Units are encouraged to plan for adequate lead time and submit requests well in advance of the desired contract start date. Questions about the program can be directed to evcp@berkeley.edu, and additional guidance will be shared in the coming weeks.

SSGPDP fund deficit clearing and disallowed funds reminder

For divisions and departments with self-supporting graduate professional degree programs (SSGPDPs), we want to remind you that you may not clear deficits on SSGPDP funds with core funding sources. These funds are considered disallowed for use by SSGPDPs to cover operating expenses per campus and UCOP policy. Disallowed sources include state general funds (199XX), tuition (20095), Student Services Fees (20000), nonresident supplemental tuition or NRST (19942), and professional degree supplemental tuition, or PDST, funds. While self-supporting program expenses are intended to be fully covered by the program fee you charge your students, you may use allowed sources – such as unrestricted current-use gifts or sales & services revenue – to cover short-term deficits. Please reach out to studentfees@berkeley.edu if you have any questions about this policy.

Job opportunity

The Office of the Chancellor is launching a search for the Associate Chief of Staff. This pivotal role offers strategic support, advises on university priorities, manages operations, and fosters effective communication among staff, students, and faculty. Please direct nominations or questions to Elizabeth Antoinette Mosley and Tracey Frink of Berkeley Executive Search (BES) at executivesearch@berkeley.edu.

  • Position: Associate Chief of Staff (0554U), Chancellor's Office #78799
  • Department: The Office of the Chancellor at the University of California, Berkeley
  • First Review: Monday, June 16th at 9:00 AM PT.
  • Salary Range: $166,500.00 - $205,000.00. 
  • See the job description on the UC Berkeley careers site.

Recharge rates for FY26 are posted to the recharge page

The FY26 recharge rates are approved by the recharge committee and are on the Recharge webpage. Thank you very much for all your hard work developing the FY26 recharge rates. We appreciate it. Contact recharge_certification@berkeley.edu with any questions.

Cal Answers training

The Cal Answers website hosts self-service learning resources, including a complete course on basic navigation, short videos, job aids, wiki documentation, and a list of frequently asked questions. Enrollment is now open for the two-hour instructor-led class that builds on the basic navigation skills covered in the self-study. There are separate courses focusing on financial dashboards and student data dashboards. In the class, a subject matter expert guides a deep dive into the reports and data available in the dashboards and answers specific questions.

CalPlanning and Smart View training

The curriculum uses a blended learning model. Courses begin with self-study using online books divided into chapters supplemented with practice exercises and short videos. Courses culminate with a group session using Zoom in which participants work on case studies in small teams to apply the material covered in the self-study. The self-study materials are available on the website for everyone to use; they can be a helpful resource for those who have already completed the training and are looking for a refresher. Review the CalPlanning training page for schedules, links to enroll, and to access the self-study materials.

Changes to the DFL in your division?

If the DFL role in your division is changing, email fpa@berkeley.edu to ensure our website, communications, and training plans are updated.

DFL Weekly Updates Page

As a reminder, these updates are regularly posted to the DFL Weekly Updates page so you can reference past updates at any time. Additionally, the Operational Deadlines page provides an overview of deliverables by quarter.

Thank you,

Office of the Vice Chancellor of Finance