Frequently Asked Questions - Direct Retro

Direct Retro

I am trying to process a Direct Retro using a chartstring I believe to be valid, however, I receive an error message when I try to submit. What should I do?

I am trying to process a Direct Retro using a chartstring I believe to be valid, however, I receive an error message when I try to submit: 'Combination Code Validation Failed with Reason: Failure: Invalid Combination.... Please correct the respective chart field value/s and retry. If error persists contact system administrator' What should I do?

Please use the chart of accounts validation lookup to verify your chartstring. 

For C&G managed funds, you will need to enter PC Business Unit, PC Project, PC Activity, and correct Chartfield 1 and Chartfield 2 fields (if they are mapped out).

If retroactive pay is issued after a Direct Retro or Funding Change is processed, will the system know?

Position funding for retroactive pay is based on the funding at the time the pay should have been received. If a Direct Retro has previously been completed, the current distribution will not be based on the updated Direct Retro distributions.

The best practice is that any time a Direct Retro is completed, the user should navigate back to the Position-Level funding on Funding Entry Page and make any necessary updates to the funding distribution data. Keeping the Funding Entry Page in sync with processed cost transfers is an optional, location-only business process.

On Direct Retros, if the federal fund is greater than 120 days and we're not changing the fund, rather only the CF1 field, for example, will it be considered high risk?

Definition of high risk Direct Retro:
Violates the 120 Day Rule: Increases the expense on a Federal or Federal Flow-through fund where the transaction is on a payroll transaction for which the original Pay End is prior to [SysDate – 120]

OR

Violates the 90 Day Rule: Increases the expense on a Federal or Federal Flow-through fund where the Fund/Grant End Date is prior to [SysDate – 90].

Can I change multiple pay periods (paychecks) at the same time?

You can select multiple paychecks at the same time for a single transaction, but you still have to make the adjustment for each one.

Will the system prompt me to fill out the questionnaire for high risk Direct Retro items?

Yes. If the parameters for high risk are met, then you will not be able to save the transaction without completing the questionnaire. All high risk Direct Retros have another level of approval (Controller's Office Contracts & Grants).

Can Direct Retros move benefits as well?

Direct Retros move all associated benefits/fringe with the salary. If a location desires to move fringe only they will need to utilize Benefit Cost Transfer functionality in Path.

How are Direct Retros processed?

Commitment Accounting (CA) process will run to post fully approved Direct Retros several times per week.

What if a Direct Retro has been submitted for an employee’s previous paycheck?

Only one Direct Retro transaction can be submitted for the same paycheck. No additional changes can be made until the Commitment Accounting (CA) process runs to process that Direct Retro.

Where can I find the Suspense Items and how will I know if I need to change them?

There are reports that will be available to see if there are any suspense items. No system notification will be sent regarding items in suspense.

Transaction errors go to suspense chartstring as follows:

Salary account associated with the employee, fund 69995, a Division level Dept ID code, the CF1 value noted below:

  • CF1 = 900000: When a position is created but the position funding is not set up 
  • CF1 = 900001: When the payroll processing date is past the Funding End Date for the Earnings Distribution (generally applies to Contracts and Grants funds)
  • CF1 = 900002: When the provided chartstring was valid at the time of initial entry input, but becomes invalid before payroll processing

If a Direct Retro transaction is denied by an approver, can I make a copy of the request?

The Direct Retro form has a Copy Transaction button that will allow the transaction to be copied, edited, and resubmitted for approval.

How do I create a Direct Retro when capped funds are involved?

If you have entered a capped fund and the employee's Total UC Salary value exceeds the salary cap rate, the system prompts you to use the Direct Retro Salary Cap/MCOP Funding Worksheet.

Is the Direct Retro questionnaire only for federal funds or for the other funds too?

The questionnaire is only required for high-risk Direct Retros. The current 120 day/90 days rules for Federal funds/Federal flow-thru funds apply. The questionnaire is not required for other funds.

How does the system detect a capped fund?

Attributes of the Fund are sourced from Chart of Accounts data coming from Berkeley Financial System (BFS).

Will Direct Retro activity show up in the General Ledger?

Yes. Once Direct Retros are initiated, approved, and processed, they will be available in Berkeley's General Ledger (BFS).

When can corrective action be taken on a Direct Retro?

Once the Commitment Accounting (CA) batch has run, processing the transaction, additional updates can be made for the pay period.

Can I make a change to the distribution for part of an employee's salary?

Yes. You can move all or part of your existing funding to one or more funding accounts.

How can I correct or update Position Funding?

You can use a Direct Retro to reallocate the distributed money, and add an effective dated row to your Position Funding to reflect the changes. 

Can I change the Earnings Code using a Direct Retro?

No. Direct Retro allows for the redistribution of funding or split funding between multiple funding sources. However, the Earnings Code cannot be changed.

If an employee is funded by multiple chartstrings managed by more than one department, who initiates the Direct Retro transaction?

The department that owns the position (rather than the department that owns the funding).

For example, if an employee works primarily for department A and their position is funded by department A and partially by department C, department A would initiate the Direct Retro and enter the chartstrings for both departments A and C. If approval is required from department C, department A can attach approval documentation to the Direct Retro transaction. 

Can I view the status of Direct Retro transactions in my department, regardless of whether I am the initiator or not?

The initiator cannot see the list of transactions initiated in the Worklist, however, you can review the status of your Direct Retro transaction by navigating to PeopleSoft Menu > UC Workcenter > Review Retro Distribution. Departments can view transactions by search parameters such as EMPLID, Initiator, etc.

As a transactional user, can I be both the initiator and the approver?

No. In UCPath, you cannot be both the initiator and approver for any transaction.

Can I change the order of chartstring field names in the template?

Yes, you can change the order during your active session by using the Personalize link. However, we encourage users to familiarize themselves with the default order defined by UCPath. 

How do I create a Direct Retro for an employee who has multiple components of pay (MCOP)?

MCOP refers to employees who have more than one earn code.  You should use the Direct Retro Salary Cap/MCOP Funding Worksheet to complete your Direct Retro transaction for employees with MCOP.

What are the tabs Retro Distribute Deductions and Retro Distribute Taxes used for?

These are delivered components in PeopleSoft and currently not being used in UCPath.

Which pay periods can I perform Direct Retro on in UCPath?

All pay periods processed by UCPath beginning March 2019 will be available for Direct Retro activity. UCPath payroll data is not purged. 

Will Project Costing (PC) Chartfields populate or do I have to look-up the chartfields?

The system will not auto-populate Project Costing (PC) Chartfields.