Special Character Restrictions for CF1/CF2 Chartfield Values
Going forward, please use only alphanumeric characters and underscores (_) when creating CF1 and CF2 values. Do not use any of the following special characters:
- Dash (-)
- Percent (%)
- Dollar sign ($)
- Asterisk (*)
Due to technical limitations in upstream systems, such as SIS, chartfield values containing these characters are considered invalid and will cause transactions to fail. Thank you for your cooperation in helping to prevent transaction errors.
Guidance on Costing and Pricing to external clients for Academic Support Units
At UC Berkeley, it’s important that units providing specialized services to external clients operate in a financially sustainable, transparent, and compliant manner while supporting the campus’s research and teaching mission. This costing and pricing guidance webpage (CalNet authentication required) will help academic support units when they engage with the business contract office to deliver specialized services to external clients. If you have any questions, please email Kevin Mack at recharge_certification@berkeley.edu.
SSGPDP fund deficit clearing and disallowed funds reminder
For divisions and departments with self-supporting graduate professional degree programs (SSGPDPs), we want to remind you that you may not clear deficits on SSGPDP funds with core funding sources. These funds are considered disallowed for use by SSGPDPs to cover campus operating expenses, per UCOP policy. Disallowed sources include state general funds (199XX), tuition (20095), Student Services Fees (20000), nonresident supplemental tuition or NRST (19942), and professional degree supplemental tuition, or PDST, funds. While self-supporting program expenses are intended to be fully covered by the program fee you charge your students, you may use allowed sources – such as unrestricted current-use gifts or sales & services revenue – to cover short-term deficits. Please reach out to studentfees@berkeley.edu if you have any questions about this policy.
FY2026-27 UCRP Supplemental Interest Assessment Rates
UCOP has released the updated assessment rates for FY 2026-27, which are officially locked for the upcoming fiscal year. New multi-year projections are also available. DFLs should review their non-federal payroll fund sources against these schedules to ensure accurate long-term budgeting.
The uniform UCRP Supplemental Interest Assessment covers interest on historic pension borrowings. Because federal rules strictly prohibit charging pension interest to federal fund sources, this assessment is excluded from the Composite Benefit Rate (CBR) and applies only to non-federal funding sources. For more information, visit the UCRP Supplemental Interest Assessment webpage.
Update to faculty regalia purchasing & reimbursement
UC Berkeley has updated its stance on faculty regalia to offer departments greater flexibility while remaining compliant with IRS and UC policies G28 and Bus 79. Departments may now directly purchase UCB-branded regalia to keep in their inventory for future use. They can also reimburse faculty for UC Berkeley-branded regalia if the items are added to the department’s inventory. Additionally, departments may choose to reimburse faculty for non-UC Berkeley regalia; however, because the faculty keep these items, the reimbursement will be considered a taxable expense. These new options replace previous restrictions, offering a cost-effective alternative to annual rentals while following standard accounts payable regulations. For questions about these updates, please email disburse@berkeley.edu.
FY26 Composite Benefit Rates (CBR) rates have been approved
The composite benefit rates (CBR) for FY2025-26 have been approved by the government. As a reminder, we follow a standard process for calculating rates led by UCOP and adopt their agreements with the federal government. The new rate values and more information about how the CBR rates are calculated are available on the Composite Benefit Rate webpage. If you have any questions, please email Hervé Bruckert and Kevin Mack at centralresourcemanagement@berkeley.edu.
Cal Answers training
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. The Cal Answers website also 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.
CalPlanning and Smart View training
Enrollment is now open for instructor-led classes for CalPlanning and Smart View. Self-study materials for CalPlanning and Smart View 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 to access the self-study materials.
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