January 22, 2025 | Edition #204

Retirement of Direct Retro Tool in UCPath

 

UCOP is planning on deprecating the Direct Retro (DR) tool in UCPath effective July 1, 2025. The decision was made to deprecate the tool because of ongoing maintenance concerns and due to the launch of the new Salary Cost Transfer (SCT) tool in November 2023, which was designed to enhance the user experience and replace the older Direct Retro tool.

 

What does this mean for you?

 

Please perform Direct Retros in UCPath for any remaining payroll transactions that will require the use of the Direct Retro tool and have them approved by June 30, 2025. Please note that High-Risk Direct Retros will require an additional approval.

The use of the Direct Retro tool is required for:

 

1.      Payroll transactions with an earnings period end date prior to October 4, 2021

2.      Any payroll transactions that have been moved using the Direct Retro tool before and require an additional Direct Retro correction (i.e. a Direct Retro on a Direct Retro)

 

Note: Any corrections not made in UCPath for the scenarios above will no longer be able to be moved with a Direct Retro as of July 1, 2025.

Canva for Campus - Pro License: UC-wide Agreement Unlocks Canva Pro for UC San Diego

UC San Diego Faculty and Staff can purchase a Canva Pro license for $94.50 per year per license. Students can access Canva Pro for free. Canva is a user-friendly online platform that simplifies the creation of a wide range of visual content with easy-to-use templates and design tools. Canva Pro unlocks unlimited premium templates, 100M+ photos, videos, graphics, audio, social media scheduling, 1TB cloud storage, 1000 brand kits, and over 20 AI tools. Visit the Canva Blink page for details.

Subaward Payments Account codes

Two new accounts (and expenditure types) have been created for non-research subawards.

 

For Gift subawards, please use 539509 – Gift Subcontract Services.

 

For all other funds (non-sponsored, not gift), please use 539515 – Other campus funds subcontracts.

Subaward payments on sponsored research should always use accounts 533000 and 533100 and their related expenditure types.  If you have subaward payments off non sponsored funds, new account codes have been created for this use.

 

Any subawards processed through Kuali Research will default to the appropriate account and expenditure types based on the Project entered into KR.

 

This change to use new accounts & expenditure types on KR subawards went into production Jan 15, 2025.

 

You will begin to see these in your commitments and AP payments.

Gift Card Pick-up Best Practices

1. Provide a strong business purpose for each gift card request.
2. Review the Request Timeline for approval tracking / request status. 
3. Email paymentservices@ucsd.edu 5 business days after the final approval is granted to schedule your gift card pick-up. 
   1. We are not able to accommodate same day pick-ups/walk-ins. 
   2. Gift Card pickups can only be scheduled on Tuesdays - Fridays, between 8:30 AM to 1:00 PM

New Required Training for Oracle & Concur Role Requests

The Oracle & Concur Role Request Form in Services & Support has been updated to require users requesting OFC inquiry roles and higher-level access to complete specific training courses in UC Learning. To learn more about all training requirements, please go to the Finance Training Program in Blink.

 

New training requirements include:

Accounting in Oracle for Non-Accountants for the following roles:

• All GL roles
• All financial unit approver roles (UCSD WF XXXXXXX Approver JR)

Intermediate PPM Concepts for the following roles:

• All PPM roles
• All cost transfer approver roles (UCSD WF XXXXXXC Cost Adjustment Approver JR)

Internal Controls Checklist Update

The UCPath-Oracle Salary Reconciliation Report was moved from the Monthly As Needed activities to the Monthly Financial Reporting activities. This report identifies variances that need to be corrected on a monthly basis. As a reminder, The Default Project Payroll report is the best choice for reviewing corrections that need to be made to payroll posted to default project.  Please download a new copy of the checklist here: Best Practices in Internal Controls.

Budget Development Training Begins in One Week

 

EPBCS System Training Starts January 27 for All Budget Preparers! The Campus Budget Office will host virtual instructor-led and in-person system training sessions for all campus budget preparers starting the week of January 27. Please visit this webpage for a list of all courses with links to register on UCLC.  

 

Who is a Budget Preparer? Budget preparers are individuals assigned by their department to create and manage financial unit budgets. The Budget Preparer role could be responsible for budget entry or final review & approval. Not sure if you're responsible for preparing the budget for your Financial Unit in the Oracle Planning and Budgeting system? Please consult with your Vice Chancellor Office.  

 

Need or Know Someone Who Needs Access to EPBCS? Request access via the Services and Support portal https://blink.ucsd.edu/finance/resources-training/get-started/access-requests.html.  

 

Join our Community of Practice (COP) - The Budget and Planning COP channel audience includes Budget Preparers identified by each Vice Chancellor Office with responsibility to create Financial Unit budgets within the Oracle Planning and Budgeting system (EPBCS). 

Updates to University Fringe Benefit Rates

 

UC San Diego’s annually adjusted fringe benefit rates, also known as Composite Benefit Rates (CBRs), take effect on July 1, 2025. These changes reflect adjustments in the costs of medical and retirement benefits, the inclusion of new benefits, and specific increases in cost components funded by the university. Now is the time to incorporate these rates into your FY26+ budget planning, including all sponsored project proposal budgets.

 

While the University strives to maintain stability in fringe benefit rates, adjustments are necessary to align rates with the actual costs of providing these benefits. Typically, fringe benefit rates remain relatively stable as salary increases offset rising benefit costs. This year, the growth in benefit costs has outpaced salary increases resulting in larger rate increases for certain employee groups. To assist with this transition:

• The updated rates will be integrated into EPBCS for use in the FY 2025/26 university budget planning process.
• They will also be linked on the Sponsored Projects Office (SPO) Office of Contract and Grant Administration (OCGA) website for easy reference by those managing contracts and grants.
• We will host two sessions to discuss these changes in detail and address questions.
  • February 18th from 9:30 AM – 10:45 AM on Zoom: https://ucsd.zoom.us/j/98515968359
  • February 20th from 1:00 PM – 2:15 PM on Zoom: https://ucsd.zoom.us/j/91929785541

For assistance with sponsored project proposals, budgets, and cost allocations, please consult your departmental research administrators, the Sponsored Projects Finance (SPF) office, or the Sponsored Projects Office (SPO).

 

If you have any questions, please refer to https://blink.ucsd.edu/finance/costing-analysis/cbrs/index.html or email CBR@ucsd.edu.

Make an Impact with the Process and Systems Optimization Workgroup

Help shape the future of UC San Diego’s financial systems! The Process and Systems Optimization (P&SO) workgroup is dedicated to improving the Financial Information System (FIS) to better meet the university's needs. We invite you to collaborate with us to enhance workflows and ensure your team has the tools to succeed.

 

To get involved, submit a Business Enhancement Request or work directly with our team. Visit our NEW Process and Systems Optimization Blink page to learn more.

New IPPS Systems Resource Guide!

Find all the information you need in one place with the new IPPS Systems Resource Guide! This comprehensive guide provides an overview of the various systems and sites involved in the procure-to-pay process, including purchasing, reconciliation, payee management, receiving and distribution, and more. Check out our Blink Page here and bookmark it!

All Fund Management Office Hours recordings and FinOps video content has been moved to Mediaspace. Mediaspace is a UCSD-owned and managed video repository protected by single sign-on. Cloud recordings of your Zoom meetings are automatically saved there, which streamlines content management (no downloading/uploading). 

 

We have leveraged a really great AI transcription software called Notta to generate summaries of everything that was discussed in the recording, including timestamps. Those summaries are included in the description of each video, and Mediaspace's search functionality then allows users to search for any keywords that might be found in the descriptions.

UC San Diego Travel: Reporting Expenses

Thursday, January 23rd @ 1:00pm - 3:00pm 

Intended for: Those involved in the process of trip reconciliation for business travel at UC San Diego, including travelers, preparers (Concur Delegates) and approvers. 

 

The course provides an overview of UC San Diego travel policy and procedure, including summarized guidelines, resources, and information about online tools. 

 

In this course, you will learn about Concur processes for prepaying travel and claiming expenses after the business trip occurs in accordance with Travel Policy G-28. 

 

Topics Covered: 

• Arranging for prepayment of fees, such as registration 
• Making deposits, such as for hotels 
• Reporting expenses 
• Claiming traveler reimbursement

Concur: Event Expenses & Other Reimbursements

Thursday, February 13th @ 9:00am - 10:30am 

The course will include an in-depth explanation of Concur processes related to meetings, entertainment, and business expense reimbursements. This course will be especially valuable for employees who host meetings and events and want to further their understanding of the expense reconciliation process via Concur. Also, those who previously utilized MyPayments for requesting employee reimbursements for business expenses may attend this course. Intended for preparers, meeting/event hosts, financial managers, and entertainment approvers who are familiar with Entertainment Policy BUS-79 and would like to learn about more advanced meetings and entertainment terminology and concepts. 

 

Topics Covered: 

• Learn how to submit event payment requests and employee reimbursements via Concur 
• Review the process to submit event vendor payments 
• Be able to view and reconcile Travel & Entertainment card transactions 

25-26 Budget Development Kickoff and Information Session

In addition to system training which begins January 27, CBO is hosting a webinar that will provide an overview of the high-level budget climate for the FY26 planning cycle, along with details on the campus timeline and available resources.

 

Please join us on January 29, 2025 at 11:00am on Zoom: https://ucsd.zoom.us/j/95468634016 

Fund Management Office Hours 
Every Thursday 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM 

At this week’s office hours, we will continue our Uniform Guidance Training Series with a focus on other cost considerations, such as pre-award costs, unallowable costs, or applicable credits. Click here for a full schedule, subject to modification.

ECERT Effort Reporting Office Hours
Come get your questions answered, system access setups, or helpful hints on the effort report certification process. 

ECERT OFC hours for 2025: Join using this link

• Once a month beginning January 8, 2025 and every first Wednesday of the month.

IPPS Office Hours

IPPS holds weekly Office Hours to help with all of your questions related to Procurement, Accounts Payable, Travel and Entertainment, Procurement Card, and Tax & Account/Supplier Setup. This is our schedule:

Internal Control & Accounting (ICA) Office Hours (last Wednesday of the month)

Wednesday, January 29th. 2025 1:00pm - 2:00pm 

Join us and ask questions related to Period Close, Payroll reconciliation, Intercampus Recharges, ITFs, General Ledger, Fixed Assets, Capital Equipment, and more in an open forum discussion.

ICA 1:1 Sessions

Sign up for 1:1 zoom session with ICA team members!

• Payroll Financial Management team 1:1 sessions have moved from UCPath to ICA.  
  
  • Register here for help with Salary Cost Transfers, Direct Retros, Payroll Reconciliations, UCPath Funding Transactions, Composite Benefit Rates (CBR), General Liability (GAEL) & Vacation Leave Assessment (VLA). 
• General Ledger Financial Management team 
  
  • Register here for help with General Ledger, Capital/ Fixed Assets, Detail Code setup, ITFs, Internal Controls, Oracle Role questions and more.

Reporting 1:1 Sessions

Sign up for a 1:1 Zoom session to meet with a member of the BI & Financial Reporting team who can answer your specific questions about financial reporting and dashboards/panoramas in the Business Analytics Hub (BAH).

Financial Operations Office Hours

Friday, February 21st @ 9:00am - 10:00am

Join the Financial Operations team on Friday the 21st for updates from Accounts Receivable, Strategic Design, Cash & Merchant Services, and Open Q&A. As always we will have open forum discussions, any updates we might have to share with you, and general Q&A sessions. We look forward to seeing you there!

Financial Operations: Announcement

📢 Attention: Accounts Receivable will be Hosting a Clinic on Unclaimed Receipts!

Are you struggling to locate unclaimed receipts? Did you know the university receives many deposits each year that remain unclaimed?

Join the Accounts Receivable (AR) team for a special clinic to learn effective methods for identifying and claiming these receipts. We'll walk you through the tools and processes available to track down unclaimed funds and ensure they are correctly allocated.

📅 Date: January 23, 2025📅

⏰ Time: 10-11am

📍 Location: Zoom Registration

The Support Framework: Your Guide to Finding Help

Learning all there is to know about budget & finance can feel daunting.

The Support Framework is designed to help the Budget & Finance community, including faculty or staff with financial responsibilities, identify their resources based on the following questions:

• What can I do on my own?
• Where can I get help?
• Who can help escalate?
• How do I suggest enhancements?

Bookmark or download a copy for quick links to various resources available to you.

Each Tuesday, the Weekly Digest provides important updates related to
Budget & Finance, including Oracle Financials Cloud and Concur Travel & Expense.
Our goal is to deliver timely information that matters to you.

 

Not sure where to find answers? Get started using our Support Framework.

 

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