Common Chart of Accounts Project

Project summary

A Chart of Accounts is the index or tool that outlines the chartfields we use for our financial system. At UC Berkeley, our general ledger and financial system is called the Berkeley Financial System (or BFS). Our Chart of Accounts page outlines the different pieces of the chartfields we use in our financial structure.

The Common Chart of Accounts project is a UCOP mandated project to create a chart of accounts that follows a set standard across the UC system. UC Berkeley’s chart of accounts was customized to our university’s needs. To be compliant with the standards required by UCOP, we are required to make a set of changes to BFS and to our existing chart of accounts. The Controller’s Office began working on this project in 2016 and will work on implementing changes through 2023 as the project has been done in phases by UCOP.

Key links

Questions

If you have any questions, please contact the Financial Accounting and Controls unit at gao@berkeley.edu.

Project scope

The Common Chart of Accounts project involves quite a few changes to the BFS system on “the back end” or basically, changes that will not be experienced by the regular transactional system user. However, there are two sets of changes that will impact campus system users, one that was implemented on May 31, 2022, and one that will be implemented on July 1, 2022. These changes are especially relevant to those that work in BFS and BearBUY. There are details about the changes on the Common Chart of Accounts webpage. 

New business unit for Agriculture & Natural Resources (ANR)

Agriculture & Natural Resources (ANR) and UCOP systemwide activity in business unit J0000 will be reported to UCOP as two separate entities. This will be accomplished by reporting all activity to specific ANR or UCOP systemwide department IDs (8xxxx series of department IDs). Effective May 31, 2022, users will be required to use an existing ANR or UCOP department ID for both sides of the transaction when recording online financial journals in BUJ. 

New series of account codes

  • Intercampus transactions - There will be a new 9xxxx and 8xxxx series of accounts which will be created for the intercampus transactions that are currently recorded in 5xxxx expense accounts or 3xxxx fund balance transfer accounts. 

  • Intercampus recharge transactions - Intercampus recharge transactions and funding transfers between UCB and other campuses/UCOP will be recorded to 98xxx intercampus recharge debit or credit accounts. 

  • Intercampus subaward transactions - Contract and grant intercampus subaward transactions will be recorded to the  925xx UC campus/UCOP accounts. These  925xx accounts will replace existing 578xx intercampus subaward expense accounts. Update existing POs in BearBuy with these new accounts by December 31, 2022, as the old accounts will no longer be available in BFS. For new POs created starting July 1 make sure to use new 925xx accounts.

  • New 94xxx and 95xxx accounts will be used to record specific revenue and expense allocations from UCOP.

  • Internal department recharge activity will be recorded to new 590xx expense accounts, with the recharge credit transactions recorded to existing account 59000 – Internal Recharge Income.

UC systemwide program transactions

Campus departments should use chartfield 1 (CF1) codes to record specific UC systemwide program transactions in the general ledger. Examples of such programs: Natural Reserve System, CA Institute of Quantitative Biosciences (QB3), Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society (CITRIS), etc.

Function Code 80 for 7xxxx Accounts 

CCOA requires all expense accounts to have a function code. Since 7xxxx accounts are set up as expense accounts, to align with this requirement, effective June, 2023, 7xxxx Operating Transfer accounts will require the use of Function Code 80. 

High level timeline

May, 2020

  • Effective May 2020, what was known as the Program Code field was renamed to Function in BFS.

May 31, 2022

  • System users are now required to use an existing ANR or UCOP department ID for both sides of the transaction when recording online financial journals in BUJ. 

  • The Business Unit field (10000 and J0000) must be added to BearBuy to distinguish between 10000 for UC Berkeley and J0000 activity. Any new BearBUY requisition, purchase order (PO), or voucher that uses 8xxxx departments will need to be coded with the new J0000 Business Unit. Any unapproved vouchers or open purchase orders will be closed after Noon on May 26th in BearBuy as BFS will not be able to process future vouchers or payments against these transactions due to the Business Unit upgrade.  

  • Students and employees as suppliers or vendors were removed from BearBUY.

July 1, 2022

  • The new 9xxxx and 8xxxx series of accounts for the intercampus transactions that are currently recorded in 5xxxx expense accounts or 3xxxx fund balance transfer accounts will be effective July 1, 2022.

  • For transactions recorded in July for the June accounting period departments will continue to use 5xxxx expense accounts.

  • If a division is not a recharge unit, but currently uses account 59000 to record revenue or 56xxx recharge accounts for vendor payments, they must use a different account going forward and update existing POs in BearBuy as soon as possible. 

  • When recording intercampus recharge transactions between UCB and other campuses/UCOP system users will need to use the new 98xxx series of accounts for transactions currently recorded in 5xxxx expense accounts. 

  • There are two separate accounts for each campus – Intercampus Recharge Debit for transferring funding and Intercampus Recharge Credit for transferring costs. 

  • There are also two new Intercampus Recharge Debit / Credit ANR accounts for transactions with ANR units at other campuses. Journal entries and templates must be updated accordingly. 

  • Contract and grant intercampus subaward transactions will be recorded to the 925xx UC campus/UCOP accounts and will replace the existing 578xx intercampus subaward expense accounts. Update existing POs in BearBuy with these new accounts by December 31, 2022, as the old accounts will no longer be available in BFS. For new POs created starting July 1 make sure to use new 925xx accounts.

  • Campus departments should begin using chartfield 1 (CF1) codes to record specific UC systemwide program transactions in the general ledger.

  • New function codes will be used with the following transactions:

    • 65 – Depreciation Expense. For use with plant funds (to be used by the Controller’s office only).

    • 66 – Impairment Expense. For use with plant funds (to be used by the Controller’s office only).

June, 2023

Effective June, 2023, 7xxxx Operating Transfer accounts will require the use of Function Code 80.

Effective June 2023, Function Code 76 - Auxiliary Enterprises can only be used with auxiliary funds.

July, 2023

  • Begin reporting all activity within Business Unit J to specific ANR or UCOP systemwide department IDs (8xxxx series of department IDs). 

Project updates