How to Move Payroll Expenses in UCPath


Overview

UCPath uses the Salary Cost Transfer (SCT) process to move payroll expenses charged to one funding source to another. This guide explains how to complete SCTs, key considerations before you begin, and how to troubleshoot common issues.

For a video overview watch: Salary Cost Transfer Overview (YouTube Video)

The fields available on the Salary Cost Transfer page will change depending on the type of funds being transferred: Unrestricted, Restricted, and Work Study. 

Only earnings after October 3, 2021 and that have not been processed through Direct Retro are eligible for SCT processing.

For earnings before October 3, 2021 or have already been processed through Direct Retro, refer to the following resources for next steps:

Note: The Direct Retro Tool has been deprecated as of October 1, 2025. 

Essential Information

When to use

You can use SCTs to move: 

Intended Audience:

UCPath Transactors

Prerequisites

Before starting a transaction:

Next Steps

For Best Results

Work Study Considerations

You can process SCTs for Work Study funding for earnings within the current Work Study eligibility period.

For previous earning periods, submit a Service & Support ticket to the Financial Aid and Scholarships Office to confirm whether changes are still possible.

Work Study fields on the SCT page depend on the position pool ID.

Important Rules:

When processing an SCT transaction involving Work Study funds, several options appear in a drop-down: 

Work Study OptionDescription
Apply Work-study

Used to apply work study on all eligible employee paychecks eligible for WS, and the WS has never been applied.

Examples of when to use: 

  • Work Study has never been applied.
  • To apply work study to all eligible employee paychecks eligible for WS.
  • The VC-Area source of funding was charged for the full salary expense, and the Work Study funding did not split for eligible earnings.
Flexible OptionNot used at UC San Diego
Leave as Is

Use when WS split has already occurred, but you need to change the Dept Cost Share only without further WS split.

Examples of when to use: 

  • The VC-Area source of funding was charged for the portion of salary expense that should have been funded by the department (Work Study earnings were funded appropriately).
  • Need to transfer the departmental portion to a different chartstring. 
Re-Apply WSUse when WS split already occurred, but settings have changed at the employee level or at the Position pool level, and need to apply WS new split (remove and apply in one transaction). Consult with the Financial Aid and Scholarships Office.
Remove WS

When WS is applied in the original payroll for an ineligible check, and need to revert/remove the WS that is already applied.

Examples of when to use: 

  • Work study split should not have been applied.
  • Financial Aid and Scholarships Office reached out because the student has lost their WS eligibility.

The AltAcct chartfield is the Work Study indicator. The values you see let you know how the Work Study was applied: 

CodeDefinition
WFull Split – WorkStudy Share with sufficient balance 
DFull Split – Department Share with sufficient balance 
YPartial Split – Department Share of non-WS funds 
PPartial Split – Work Study Share 
SPartial Split – Department Share of WS funds 
XSplit Refusal – No Balance 
ZChartstring Error 

Verification Steps:

Steps to take in UCPath

Before starting, review the Job Aids below for step-by-step guidance. The system steps may have changed since the last time you did this type of transaction:

After Completing Your SCT

Note: For Sponsored Projects, always include Project, Task, and Funding Source values within the chartstring.

Supplemental Guides & Information

Questions?

If you need additional transaction assistance, please submit a ticket.