FAQ: Compensation Planning in Oracle Planning and Budgeting for Staff and Faculty


Overview

This article assists budget preparers using the Oracle Planning and Budgeting system, also known as Enterprise Planning and Budgeting Cloud Service (EPBCS). Budget preparers use Task List 1 and Task List 2 to budget salary and benefits for staff and faculty members in a Financial Unit.

FAQ's

Q: I’ve made updates to my Staff and/or Faculty roster but don’t see the changes reflected in review forms 1.5 or 2.5.

A: For rules and calculations to run successfully:

  1. Check that all dates are within the budget planning year (i.e. for FY25, dates should be within the range of 7/1/2024 - 6/30/2024).
  2. Each employee Distribution Line must contain a Start Date.
  3. If budgeting on a Project, ensure that the FinUnit-Fund-Function matches the Descriptive Flex Fields (DFFs) assigned for that Project in PPM.
  4. Verify that the Position Budget Type on each employee Distribution Line is not blank.
  5. Check for errors highlighted in red; missing Recurring/One Time tag in Position Budget Type, missing Actual Pay Distribution %, etc.
  6. Click Save on each form even if you didn't make changes.

Q: In the Action Menu on Form 1.2 and 2.2, when should I use the Add a Distribution Line or Transfer Employee option?

A:

  1. Use the Add a Distribution Line option when updating the Fund, Function or Project for an individual. Reminder if you are updating the Project #, ensure the Fund and Function also correspond to that Project # and update if needed. The Project Information Lookup Panorama at bah.ucsd.edu may be helpful to confirm the Descriptive Flex Fields (DFFs) used in the initial setup of the Project #. 
  2. Use the Transfer Employee option to update the Financial Unit or Position for an individual.

Q: Are program increases already included in the Compensation amounts I see on Forms 1.2 or 2.2?

A:

  1. On Staff - program increase is not included in salary figure on Form 1.2 and will be applied globally, you can view the % that was applied for each staff employee in Form 1.6.
  2. On Faculty - program increase is not included in salary figure on Form 2.2 and will be applied globally, you can view the % that was applied for each staff employee in Form 2.6.

Q: Will the changes I make on my Staff and Faculty rosters on Forms 1.2 or 2.2 affect UCPath?

A: There is no automated flow of data between Oracle Planning and Budgeting and UCPath, the entries done in the budget system are only for budget planning purposes.

Q: Is Vacation Leave Assessment included in the automated Benefits calculation?

A: No. A budget preparer can choose to budget for this assessment on account 508300: Leave Assessment if they wish or can choose not to budget this expense as this assessment should zero out with usage throughout the fiscal year.  

Q: When salaries are entered into the budget what, if any, ancillary costs (GAEL, NGN, etc.) are calculated?

A:

  1. Only UCRP Interest is calculated and included in budget benefit account that feeds into the financial statement cubes.
  2. For NGN, GAEL, and other payroll assessments these can be planned for under their specific account codes in Task 4.2, 4.3, 5.1 or 5.2.

Q: How should Temporary Employees (TES) be budgeted?

A: 

  1. TES employees would not flow through on the UCPath roster on Forms 1.1 or 2.1.
  2. Use Task 4.2, 4.3, 5.1 or 5.2 and enter those amounts in expense Account 770017: Human Res Temporary Employment Svcs Recharge Debit.
  3. That is where the recharges will actually be posted in the GL so the budget will be aligned with actuals.

Q: If I have a Staff or Faculty member that is funded from one or more Financial Units that I don’t have access to, how can I verify that their salary is planned up to 100%?

A: 

  1. Data security for EPBCS is based on the FinUnit.
  2. If you don't have access to a FinUnit where a portion of an individual’s salary is paid, you cannot view it.
  3. This will involve offline coordination with the budget preparer in the other FinUnit.

Q: Can I sort Form 1.2 or 2.2 by Employee Last Name or some other column on the form?

A:

  1. No, these forms are static and are intended for data entry so they are not sortable.
  2. The rosters are currently ordered by the Position ID.

Q: I am only seeing the first few columns on Form 1.2 or 2.2 and my scroll bar is not visible and/or I don’t have much space to enter data.

A:

  1. The visibility of columns on these forms varies significantly depending on your browser, screen size and resolution.
  2. Try closing the form, zooming out in your browser, and then re-opening the form.
  3. You should see a scroll bar at the bottom of the form that allows you to scroll over to other columns on the right.
  4. You can also reduce the size of each column by hovering between the column headers and sliding to resize, once Save is selected, the columns will revert back to their original width.

Q: How will I know if an employee’s salary should be planned on the Staff Task List 1 or Faculty Talk List 2?

A: Below is a table that describes a variety of appointment types and their Task List association: 

 

Q: For Faculty and Staff Planning, I see my budget data in Budget accounts, but how will my Actuals post in OFC?

A: For Faculty and Staff Planning, users budget at the position level and data is summarized into budget accounts based on the position attributes and the type of expense, Budget account to Expenditure Account mapping is shown here:

Q: Why is an employee missing from my roster on Task List 1 or 2? How do I plan for them?

A: Faculty and Staff data in Oracle Planning and Budget is seeded with a January snapshot from UCPATH.

  1. Included: All filled current and active positions with valid position funding distribution %
  2. Excluded:
    • Employee classes such as Academic Students, Staff-Floaters and Staff Students.
    • 0% FTE position funding distributions.
    • Medical Center employees
  3. In order to plan for positions and people missing from your roster, please use the Create a Vacancy function to add the individual.

Q: In Faculty Salary Task 2.2, what does the "99" in the Academic Step dropdown menu mean?

A: This is an override and will clear out any amount in the Scale Pay and Program Increase column so that a user may instead enter a negotiated, off scale salary amount. 

Q: When creating a Vacancy, I can search for a specific Position ID # but I can’t select it. Why?

A: When you are using the Create Vacant Position action, the system only allows you to choose a general position ID such as "Recurring Vacant Position 1" or "OneTime Vacant Position 1" by clicking through the arrows. In Task 1.2 and 2.2, you may use the last column "Notes" to make an internal note of who the vacancy line is supposed to represent.

Q: When adding a distribution line to plan an individual’s pay on 2 different funds for example, how should I enter the Compensation Rate on each line?

A: When splitting an individual’s pay 50/50 on two funds or projects for example, use the Actual Pay Distribution % column to update the percentages but leave the Compensation Rate whole on both lines i.e. full annual salary should display on both lines. 

Questions?

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