Upcoming Deadlines
- Friday, 3/7 - Queue commitments for Q3 requests
- Thursday, 3/20 - Complete External Audit Activity Report for Q3
- Friday, 3/21 - Submit completed and approved Org Tree change requests
- Monday, 3/24 - Submit Form A templates
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.
Budget Process
Budget process update
The FY2025-26 budget process timeline is available on the budget process website. The budget process call letter, templates, guidelines, and assumptions will be available next week. Throughout the budget process, the FY2025-26 budget process page is the hub where we will post budget process materials and updates.
CalPlanning Training for FY26 Budget
CalPlanning for FY26 Budget is a one-hour session that will cover data seeded in CalPlanning, the Multiyear Budget Template, the new Expense Growth Model (EGM), and enhancements to CalPlan and HCP. Three sessions are available via Zoom. You do not need to register. Click a link to add the session to your calendar.
CalPlanning availability
The planning tools CalPlan and HCP are unavailable for edits while we make updates to the system for the budget process. While the planning tools are down, we’ll actualize the Forecast and update central transfers for FY25 and FY26. 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.
Form A templates are due Monday, March 24
Form A helps 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 now in your Divisional Folders under the FY2025-26 Budget Process folder. Please download, review, and upload your completed Form A to the same folder by March 24, 2025. Once you have uploaded your division’s completed Form A, please email the Financial Planning & Analysis team at dfl_concierge@berkeley.edu to let them know you completed it.
Action Items
Queue commitments for Q3 requests by Friday, March 7
Please complete the commitment queue form by Friday, March 7, for commitments to be funded in the third quarter of FY2024-25. Please note that the following commitments do not need to be queued: Budget Decisions; EVCP TAS; Star Awards; Bear Grants; both Productivity Suite and Campus Data Network assessments and endowment payouts for rotating chairs. Commitments are processed on a quarterly basis. You only need to use one commitment queue Google form to submit your commitment requests for both faculty and non-faculty funding commitments. Faculty commitments are defined for this purpose as Start-up; Retention; ASMD; and Chancellor's Professorships. Chancellor’s Professorships are those that are offered via start-up or retention in lieu of an actual chair - until one can be found, and are funded by central resources. For more information about queueing commitments and documentation required, 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.
Complete External Audit Certification for Q3 by Thursday, March 20
To ensure the completeness and accuracy of the quarterly Controller’s report to the UC Office of the President - Ethics, Compliance and Audit Services, 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 activities. By Thursday, March 20, please submit the materials below to gao@berkeley.edu.
- All DFLs: External Audit Confirmation Form - You must return the completed 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 21
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 21, 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.
Informational Updates
Spring Release coming up on March 14
The Berkeley Financial System (BFS) team is updating the BFS system to stay up-to-date with security recommendations and best practices. The upgrade will take place from Friday, March 14, 2025, from 6 AM to 6 PM. The key update for this release is replacing the legacy campus deposit system (CDS) with the BFS Accounts Receivable module known as direct journals. The enhanced functionality in BFS will reduce complexity and costs to the university by leveraging a single enterprise system. If you have any questions about transitioning from CDS into BFS, please feel free to reach out to the Cash Handling and Banking Services team at cashiers@berkeley.edu.
FY26 Budgeted recharge rates are available
The Recharge web page has been updated to include the FY26 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 FY26 by June 7. Thank you to all the recharge units for their effort in submitting their recharge rate for FY26. Please email recharge_certification@berkeley.edu with questions.
New Faculty Start-Up & Retention Funding Allocation Guidelines
Over the past year, Financial Planning & Analysis has worked with the Office of the Faculty and a group of Chief Administrative Officers to develop new practices for when central/EVCP funding commitments for faculty start-up and retention packages will be transferred to the divisions. In addition, the deans have provided input on the new practices and the EVCP has approved them. The new practices will go into effect for new faculty joining UC Berkeley on July 1, 2025 and beyond. The DFL web page provides guidance about the new practices. Please feel free to reach out to us with questions.
Cal Answers training
The Cal Answers website hosts self-service learning resources including a complete course in basic navigation as well as short videos, job aids, wiki documentation, and a list of Frequently Asked Questions. We also offer a 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 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