Upcoming Deadlines at a Glance
- Friday, 3/15 - Submit completed Form A templates (for divisions with ladder-rank faculty)
- Monday, 3/18 - Complete External Audit Certification for Q3
- Friday, 3/22 - Submit completed and approved org tree change requests
Budget Process
Budget process update
We presented the budget assumptions to the Divisional Finance Leaders on Thursday, February 22. The budget timeline is available on the FY2024-25 budget process page. Throughout the budget process, the FY2024-25 budget process page is the hub where we will post budget process materials and updates.
Form A templates are in the shared Divisional Folders and are due Friday, March 15
Form A helps to plan campus support for faculty appointments. The form documents anticipated changes in permanently budgeted state-funded faculty for a division’s Forecast and Operating Budget. Form A templates are in your Divisional Folders under the FY2024-25 Budget Process folder. Please download, review, and upload your completed Form A to the same folder by March 15, 2024. Once you have uploaded your division’s completed Form A, please email the Financial Planning and Analysis team at dfl_concierge@berkeley.edu to let them know you completed it.
CalPlanning availability
The Planning tools CalPlan and HCP are unavailable for edits until early March while we make updates to the system for the budget process. We will provide a more specific date as soon as possible. While the planning tools are down, we’ll actualize the Forecast, and update central transfers for FY24 and FY25. We will also load updated UCPath HCM data for planners to review and selectively copy to HCP. The CalRptg and HCPRptg reporting applications will continue to be available to run reports and Smart View queries.
Budget process training
The Financial Planning and Analysis team offers training in using the planning and reporting tools in CalPlanning for new and experienced users who would like to review and extend their capabilities during the budget process. Visit the CalPlanning Training page for course descriptions, schedules, and links to enroll.
Budgeting for Experienced CalPlanning Users is a one-hour refresher course designed for those who already know how to use the CalPlanning tools and focuses on what’s new to know for this year’s budget process. Click a link to add the session to your calendar. Registration is not required.
Action Items
Complete External Audit Certification for Q3 by Monday, March 18
To ensure the completeness and accuracy of the quarterly Controller's report on the campus' external audit activities, please help us identify the campus' external audit activities. The Controller's Office is sending a separate email with additional information to DFLs with known external audit activity. By Monday, March 18, please submit the materials below to gao@berkeley.edu:
- All DFLs: External Audit Confirmation Form (You must return the completed External Audit Confirmation Form even if you do not have any external audit activities so we can certify campus responses.)
- DFLs with external audit activities: External Audit Confirmation Template (Include any related documentation with the template, i.e. notification of the commencement of the audit, audit report, etc.)
If you have questions, please contact gao@berkeley.edu.
Submit completed and approved org tree change requests by Friday, March 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, March 22. 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. As a reminder, the May 16 submission date was the last day that approved change requests could be submitted for entry to the May Master Org Tree. Allowable changes through November 30 include New DeptIDs, New Org Nodes, Description Changes, and moves of DeptIDs and Org Nodes.
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.
Informational Updates
FY25 Budgeted recharge rates are available
The Recharge web page has been updated to include the FY25 recharge rates approved for budgeting purposes only. We will be reviewing the submitted rates in detail in the coming weeks and will approve the rates for use in FY25 by June 7. Thank you to all the recharge units for their effort in submitting their recharge rate for FY25. Please email recharge_certification@berkeley.edu with questions.
Mileage reimbursement rate changing, per IRS guidelines
The university’s mileage reimbursement rate for expenses incurred in connection with the
business use of a private automobile was updated for expenses incurred on or after January 1, 2024, in accordance with the Internal Revenue Service standard mileage rates published in IRS Notice 2024-08. The reimbursement rate for the use of a private automobile for university business travel was increased from 65.5 cents a mile to 67 cents a mile. The campus reimbursement system and UC Travel Policy BFB-G-28: Travel Regulations, have been revised to include this information. If you have questions, please contact travel@berkeley.edu.
BearBUY Supplier Expo 2024 and Office hours
Supply Chain Management is hosting a Supplier Expo on Wednesday, April 17, 2024, from 10 am. - 2 p.m., at Pauley Ballroom in the MLK Student Union. Details about registration, schedules of events, and the participating suppliers and campus departments will be available beginning in late January 2024. More details about the event and registration information will be published on the BearBUY system and through associated campus newsletters. The first 300 registered attendees will receive welcome packages at the event. For more information about this event or other questions about BearBUY, please visit the Supply Chain website or the BearBUY Open Office Hours.
Reminder re payment process for Faculty Club invoices
As we communicated earlier, beginning January 2, the Faculty Club will no longer bill departments monthly. All meals and other activities at the Faculty Club from January 2, 2024, going forward will require the host of the activity to pay the bill at the time of the activity. This can be handled in two ways: using a personal credit card, after which the payee can seek reimbursement using the reimbursement system, or by using an Event Planner Card, which can be obtained by applying through the UC Berkeley card program. When using an Event Planner Card, charges are paid directly to the vendor by UCB; the cardholder is then responsible for making sure the charges are properly reconciled in BFS within 15 days of the payment, but no personal funds will be used and no reimbursement will be necessary. We would appreciate it if each department would make sure to pay any remaining outstanding invoices from expenses incurred before January 2 promptly using the existing payment method. This change will also ensure that expenses are recorded accurately and on time and will improve financial reporting to the departments through Cal Answers. Direct any questions to the Accounts Payable help desk at disburse@berkeley.edu.
Upcoming changes to CalTime delegation access
The Controller's office is working to improve the accuracy of hours worked and leave recorded in CalTime, submitted to UCPath, recorded on the employees' payroll earnings record, and ultimately in the general ledger. In 2024, we plan to implement tighter controls regarding delegation access and will conduct periodic audits. For cases where a supervisor or the delegate are not approving the employee's timecard, delegation access will be removed. Additionally, delegation access will be granted on an interim basis only and those requesting delegation access will only be granted temporary access. The CalTime team will review the delegated authority rights and evaluate if delegates comply with our policies and procedures. Delegates that are not performing the required responsibilities will have their delegated authority removed. A more detailed message outlining policy, roles and responsibilities of employees, supervisors and delegates, and campus-wide statistics regarding noncompliance is being planned for distribution next week. Please contact caltime@berkeley.edu with any questions.
Cal Answers Training
Please review the self-service learning resources on the Cal Answers website, where Cal Answers users will find a complete course in basic navigation as well as short videos, job aids, wiki documentation, and a list of Frequently Asked Questions. Additionally, the two-hour instructor-led classes build 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 will guide a deep dive into the reports and data available in the dashboards and answer specific questions.
CalPlanning Training
The next series of CalPlanning and Smart View training classes begin Thursday, September 14. 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 that 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