Upcoming Deadlines
- Friday, 9/5 - Queue commitments for FY26 Q1 requests
- Friday, 9/19 - Submit proposals for Statement of Intent to Register deposits
- Friday 9/19 - Submit completed and approved Org Tree change requests
- Tuesday, 9/23 - Complete External Audit Activity Quarterly Report
- Tuesday, 9/30 - Validate your chartstring for Productivity Suite assessment
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
CalPlanning Update
Thank you for all your effort to complete and submit your budget materials. Budget allocation letters were distributed to divisions. CalPlan and HCP will remain unavailable while the FY26 Operating Budget is finalized.
As we prepare to finalize the FY26 Operating Budget Working, CalPlan has been updated with the revised FY26 CBR rates. HCP has been updated so that the cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for non-represented staff and faculty will be 3.2% (rather than the previously planned 3.7%).
As we indicated in the July 18 DFL Weekly Update, the CBR and COLA 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.
Action Items
Complete Queue Commitments for Q1 requests by Friday, September 5
Please complete the commitment queue form by Friday, September 5, for commitments to be funded in the first quarter of FY2025-26. 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. Please visit the Commitments page for more information about queueing commitments and the required documentation. 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, September 19
To submit an Org Change request, please access the Organizational Tree Change Request Portal. For Org Tree changes to be processed in September, please complete your org change request form in the portal as early as possible to allow time for the Org Tree Change Committee to review and route for all required approvals by the September 19 deadline. Please review the job aid for more information on how to get started, or contact dfl_concierge@berkeley.edu with questions.
Submit proposals for 2026-27 Statement of Intent to Register Deposits by Friday, September 19
Beginning this year, requests to establish or modify a Statement of Intent to Register (SIR) deposit will be reviewed by the campus once per year. The call for proposals, submission materials, instructions, and templates are available on the SIR Deposit page. Please submit your proposals to studentfees@berkeley.edu by Friday, September 19, 2025.
All academic units with graduate professional degree programs, including self-supporting degree programs, are eligible to propose a new SIR deposit or to modify an existing SIR deposit for the admission cycle following the proposal year. For example, an SIR deposit request submitted in 2025-26 can begin with the cohort admitted for Fall 2026. Please reach out to studentfees@berkeley.edu with any questions.
Complete External Audit Confirmation for Q1 by Tuesday, September 23
To ensure the completeness and accuracy of the quarterly Controller's report on the campus's external audit activities, please help us identify those activities. The Controller's Office is sending a separate email with additional information to DFLs with known external audit activity. By Tuesday, September 23, please submit the materials below to gao@berkeley.edu.
- All DFLs need to complete the External Audit Confirmation Form. You must return the completed External Audit Confirmation Form even if you do not have any external audit activities so that we can certify campus responses.
- DFLs with external audit activities need to complete the 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.
Validate your chartstring for FY2025-26 IT Assessments by Tuesday, September 30
Berkeley IT will be processing the FY2025-26 Productivity Suite and Campus Network assessments to post to the September ledger. Please take the following steps by Tuesday, September 30:
- Review the information in this FY2026 Berkeley IT Assessments spreadsheet.
- Find your division's chartstring used in the prior fiscal year to validate the chartstring to be debited for these two assessments for your division this year.
- Whether you require an update or keep the same chartstring used last year, please email bit_assessments@berkeley.edu with your division name and the confirmed DeptID and Fund by Tuesday, September 30.
- If we do not hear back from you by the deadline, your division will see both assessments for this year charged on the same chartstring used last year for Productivity Suite.
Please direct questions to bit_assessments@berkeley.edu and visit the Berkeley IT FY26 Assessments page for more information.
Informational Updates
Review September’s updated unused airline ticket credits
The UC Travel Center is sharing a monthly updated list of unused airline tickets with ticket credits available to travelers and travel preparers. Please encourage the travelers within your unit who are listed on the UC Berkeley Monthly Unused Ticket Report to use their credits whenever possible before they expire. If you are aware of individuals in your unit who are no longer with the university, there may be opportunities for other business travelers to take advantage of the credits for future business travel. Please contact the UC Travel Center at 310-206-2639 or travel@finance.ucla.edu to learn how to use the applicable credit before its expiration date. Read more detailed information in the Unused Airline Ticket Credit Alert (September 2025).
Introducing Strategic Campus Renewal
In alignment with the Chancellor’s guidance, UC Berkeley is refreshing how we discuss the ongoing efforts to modernize and enhance our campus environment. The term "Strategic Campus Renewal Program" will now replace "Deferred Maintenance" in our communications in the context of the 2.5% assessment on most gifts. This terminology shift is intended to emphasize the value of our investments in campus infrastructure, better reflecting the proactive and forward-looking nature of these crucial projects. For more information, review UDAR’s internal use document explaining the Philanthropic Allocation.
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