Budgeting for Experienced CalPlanning Users

Budgeting for Experienced CalPlanning Users

Live Sessions on Zoom and In Person

Live sessions were held in early March. Presentation materials are available for download.

Budget Planning Topics

Budget Process Key Dates

FY25 Budget Planning Process Key Dates

  • March 4, 2024: CalPlan and HCP available with FY25 Operating Budget updated with planning data and FY24 Forecast Working version updated with February actual data
  • March 15, 2024: Form A due (for divisions with ladder-rank faculty)
  • April 26, 2024: All budget information due in CalPlanning
    • FY24 Forecast Updates
    • FY25 Operating Budget
    • FY26-27 in Multiyear Budget Template
    • Use of Reserves in Multiyear Budget Template

Running CalPlanning and Best Practices

Running CalPlanning

The CalPlanning server and infrastructure were upgraded in July 2021 to improve performance, reliability, and compatibility.

If you are new to CalPlanning or are now using a computer that has never connected to CalPlanning before, there is some first-time setup required. The CalPlanning Upgrade job aid has step-by-step instructions with screenshots to walk you through the process. Here are the highlights:

  • Campus VPN network requirements: when you are away from campus, you must connect with Global Protect (bSecure Remote Access VPN) or access CalPlanning from the Citrix remote desktop
  • Web browsers: You can run CalPlanning from Chrome, Firefox, or Edge; Internet Explorer is no longer supported. You must enable or allow popups the first time you connect each browser.
  • Default settings: set default application to open and default entity (org) for planning in both CalPlan and HCP. The CalPlanning Upgrade Job Aid has the detailed instructions.

Best Practices

Running Reports

Use the Explore button to access the menu of report templates. “Explore is the door to reports galore” is a good way to remember this one.

CalPlanning user interface with Explore button highlighted

Rates

Rates for composite benefits and payroll assessments are now included in the Manage Existing Employees and Job Codes task.

  • FY25 CBR rates were added to CalPlanning HCP on March 1, 2024.
  • Note that UCRP is calculated for Current Funds excluding Contracts & Grants.

Fee Remission rates are now included in the Manage Fee Remission task.

  • FY24 fee remission rates were updated in HCP on October 17, 2023.
  • FY25 fee remission rates were added to HCP on March 1, 2024

CalPlanning Internal Data Updates

CalPlanning copies the data that planners enter in CalPlan and HCP for the Forecast and Operating Budget to the reporting databases, CalRptg and HCPRptg, at 9am, 12pm, 3pm, 6pm, and 9pm. To get complete data, do not run reports in the first 15 minutes of the data refresh, e.g. 9am-9:15am.

Data Flow and Timing for CalPlanning Data Updates

HCP

Topics

Recommended Org Level Settings

Composite Benefit Rates

HCP Data Seeded in FY25 Operating Budget

Plan for existing and to be hired employees

Review HCM Data to Add to Plan

HCP Compensation Drill Through

HCP Job Aids

Recommended Org Level Settings

We request that you work with an organization at level 5, 6, or 7, which is the Dept ID to ensure that you and other users have optimal performance. The amount of data present at an L4 Department or L3 Division level degrades performance for all users.

Composite Benefit Rates and Payroll Assessments

The composite benefit rates (CBR) for FY24-25 are for planning purposes only; we will not know the final rates until later this fiscal year.

Rates are now included as tabs in the Manage Existing Employees and Job Codes and Manage Fee Remission forms.

Rates tab from the Manage Existing Employees and Job Codes task  

HCP Data Seeded in FY25 Operating Budget

  • Monthly pay rates from Jun FY24 were copied with an increase of 4.2% for individually-planned employees and To Be Hired employees. 

  • Pooled positions were copied with an increase of 4.2% over FY24.
  • Dept ID Comp Adjustments were not copied.

Plan for existing and to be hired employees

There are a number of forms and processes available to help you plan for existing and to be hired employees.  We will talk about each of these:

  • Create backups
  • Compare HCP to your budget
  • Review HCM data
  • Update employees with changes
  • To be hired employees

Create backups

  1. From the Manage Existing Employees and Job Codes task, Monthly Pay Rates tab, go to the menu and select Tools / Export as Spreadsheet.
  2. Then go to the Distributions tab and export that as a spreadsheet.

Review HCM Data to Add to Plan

The Review HCM Data to Add to Plan task and form help you update your plan with:

  • Current and future pay rates and distributions for existing employees

  • New hires and transfers into your organization
  • Employees who have left your organization and should be removed from your plan

Job Aid: Review HCM Data to Add to Plan

Video: Review HCM Data to Add to Plan

NEW: HCP Compensation Drill Through

The Compensation Drill Through form allows you to navigate easily between summary and detail data in HCP. 

Compensation Drill Through shows a summary of compensation and benefits for each unique intersection of DeptID, fund bucket, and chartfield1. Starting at a summary level, you can drill down to detailed data and make updates as needed. And you can return to the summary level with a single click.

Job Aid: Compensation Drill Through

HCP Training and Job Aids

  • The Navigating HCP course is a combination of self-study and instructor-led training. CalPlanning Training has schedules and links to enroll.
  • CalPlanning Training Job Aids has links to job aid to help with HCP and other CalPlanning and Smart View topics.

CalPlan

Topics

Recommended Org Level Settings
Dept ID Inactivation
CalPlan Data Seeded in FY25 Operating Budget

Drill Through - Account Summary - NEW

Recommended Org Level Settings

We recommend that you set your org  in CalPlan at any level from Dept ID (L7) up to Department (L4).

Dept ID Inactivation

When a Dept ID is inactivated, CalPlan moves the plan data to the new mapped entity. The actuals data stays with the inactivated Dept ID. The Dept ID planned for inactivation web page shows the relevant information.

CalPlan Data Seeded in FY25 Operating Budget

General Allocation

The FY24 Operating Budget has been seeded with Permanent Budget data for these accounts: 71110 General Allocation, 71290 OP Allocations, and 75101 Dept - Initial Transfers.

Campus Support

  • The Campus Support accounts beginning with 71 have been updated with the most recent commitments data for open periods in FY23 and FY24.
  • Please note that inclusion in the commitments database does not guarantee future funding. All amounts are subject to change.
  • Form A Accounts in the 71xxx series will be updated again later this month with Form A data provided by the DFLs for both planning years.

Central Transfers and Commitments - Regents Endowment / FFE

  • For account 72210 Regents Endowment / FEE, the FY24 Operating Budget has an increase of 2% over the FY23 actual payouts.
  • To learn more about fund performance, see the FY2023-24 Operating Budget Guidelines for potential planner adjustments for information from University Development and Alumni Relations (UDAR).
  • Central transfers were loaded to new CalPlan-only Chart1 members. These are the Chart1 members used only in CalPlanning; they will not be used for the Actuals journals.

Drill Through - Account Summary form - NEW

The Drill Through – Account Summary form allows you to start from a high-level view of your organization, e.g. Division (L3) or Department (L4). From there, you can drill down to view and edit the details of your budget.

When you drill down on a high-level account, CalPlan presents the detailed data for the planning accounts, Dept IDs, fund buckets, and Chart1s in a format similar to the Account Intersection form.

What sets this form apart from the Account Intersection form is the ability to enter plan data at a summary level for a quarter or the YearTotal instead of entering data for each month. CalPlan spreads the data to each month.

Drill Through – Account Summary job aid

Multiyear Budget Template

The Multiyear Budget and Use of Reserves forms are used to enter high-level plan data for the years following the operating budget currently being planned. The forms are available in the CalPlanning web interface and in the Smart View Excel interface. Use the interface that you prefer to enter summary level budget data for FY26 and FY27.

Multiyear Budget Template job aid

CalPlanning and Smart View Learning Resources

Smart View for Planning

Designed for CalPlanning users who are experienced with the web interface of CalPlan, Smart View for Planning introduces the Excel interface of Smart View for the CalPlan and HCP applications. This will allow you to enter your budget and forecast data from Excel directly into the CalPlan and HCP forms. 

Key benefits of the Smart View Excel interface:

  • Manage viewing data with Excel functionality: adjust column width, hide/unhide columns, zoom in/out, freeze panes
  • Easy data entry: copy/paste, formulas to lookup values from other Excel sheets
  • Add supporting calculations and documentation to the right of or below the form
  • Share form data with colleagues for review, make updates in Excel and then load those changes to CalPlanning (CalPlan or HCP)

This blended learning course has 2 hours of self-study material that you complete prior to participating in a 1 hour group learning session. Enroll in a class.