2024 System Updates & Enhancements

The Paycheck Modeler is now available to all transactors with location approval. Please follow these steps for access:

1. Obtain approval from the location Security Access Administrator (SAA).
2. Create a ServiceNow (SN) ticket and attach the email containing the SAA approval. Send the ticket to the "UCPC - Peoplesoft Security" SN-Assignment-Group.
3. List the EMPLID, name, job role/title and department of each user that has been approved for access.
4. The UCPC central security team will review and evaluate the details provided in the ticket before routing to UCPath for approval.
5. The UCPC central security team will provision the role to the users listed in the ticket only after it has been approved.

The feature is exclusively available to the Central Payroll teams. Payroll Directors can request access to the paycheck modeler for their team members.

The training team updated the UCPath Help site with training simulations and job aids for Absence Management, Payroll and Workforce Administration to incorporate the new navigation and searching functionality for Lived Name.

• Absence Management:
  • ABML195 Absence Management Inquiry
  • ABML200 Extended Leaves of Absence
• Payroll:
  • PHCMPAYL200 Additional Compensation and Payroll Requests
  • PHCMPAYL201 Payroll General Deductions
• Workforce Administration:
  • PHCMWFA100 Employee Data Inquiry
  • PHCMWFAL205 Person of Interest
  • PHCMWFAL220 Experience Based Pay
  • PHCMWFAL250- Template Transactions Part I
  • PHCMWFAL260 -Template Transactions Part II
  • PHCMWFAL270- PayPath Transactions

UC’s patent policy requires all employees and contractors to sign a patent acknowledgment. 

• There are approximately 50,000 employees who need to complete a patent acknowledgment in UCPath.   
• Location transactors can identify employees and contractors missing the patent acknowledgment electronic signature in UCPath by running the Missing Patent Acknowledgements (R-396) report in Cognos.
• Refer to the patent acknowledgment frequently asked questions for additional information.

2023 W-2 statements will be available online no later than January 31, 2024:

• Employees who opt for an electronic version of their W-2 will receive an email notification that their W-2 is available.
• Employees who did not opt-in for an electronic version may still access their W-2 in UCPath, and a printed W-2 will be mailed to the home address listed in UCPath no later than January 31, 2024.

HR Smart Templates do not have global (non-US) address logic. This means global addresses may not map correctly from HR Smart Templates to UCPath. If working with an employee who has a global address, we recommend asking the employee to log into UCPath to verify and update their address if necessary. 

Employees can generate their verification of employment documents directly from UCPath > Income and Taxes > Verification of Employment > Generate Summary Report.

• Employees who’ve opted out should refer verifiers (such as banks, employers, or leasing agents) to UCPath to complete employment and income verifications (phone: 855-982-7284 or email: ucpath@universityofcalifornia.edu)
• Refer to UCnet for more details

UCPath will be unavailable Friday, March 8 at 12:00 p.m. to Monday, March 11 at 6:00 a.m. for implementation of the March release. UCPath will not be available to employees and transactors during this time.

An invalid or missing social security number can impact an employee’s health, welfare and retirement benefits

• Employees can update their information, including social security number, in Employee Self Service by navigating to Employee Actions > Personal Information > Personal Information Summary.
• Once the employee updates their social security number, UCPath will validate the employee’s legal name, date of birth, and social security number with the Social Security Administration. This process can take 2-3 business days.
• Employees will receive an approved or denied email notification at their primary email address. If denied, the email will explain the reason. The employee should then validate the number or contact the Social Security Administration for assistance.

• The March release go/no-go decision is scheduled for March 4.
• All AWE transactions should be approved by Thursday, March 7, 3:00 p.m.
• Ask UCPath will be unavailable on Saturday, March 9, from 2:00 p.m. to 4 p.m.
• UCPath will be unavailable Friday, March 8 12:00 p.m. to Monday, March 11 6:00 a.m. for implementation of the March release. UCPath will not be available to employees and transactors during this time.

 Pay group is automatically assigned in UCPath.

• The pay group defaults to DEF when a person is hired, rehired or transferred.
• A batch process runs multiple times per day to assign the appropriate pay group based on a variety of factors including union affiliation, FLSA status, pay frequency (monthly or biweekly), etc.
• Pay group is a way to group employees based on shared characteristics to facilitate payroll processing.

Pay Group Override

• A pay group override can be requested to align the pay frequency (monthly or biweekly) for employees with multiple jobs.
• A pay group override can be requested during HR template processing by including a comment on the template.
  • A job data update form can be attached to an UCPath inquiry for overrides not requested on the HR template
• Special pay groups exist for certain scenarios (X= location code)
  • XMH: allows hourly employees to be paid monthly
  • XBE: allows exempt salaried employees to be paid biweekly
  • XMS: is used for monthly salaried employees and requires hours be submitted positive time
• Resources: Job Aid: Pay Group Assignment, Configuration and Code List

The Benefits Vendor File Schedule Calendar - 2024 is available on UCPath.  

• The vendor file serves as a crucial tool to track when employee enrollments and demographic changes are reflected with the vendor. Here's a breakdown of what each type of file includes:
  • Changes Files: Capture new enrollments, enrollment changes, and terminations.
  • Full Files: Encompass all active enrollments, new terminations since the last change file, and demographic changes (address change, name change, gender change, DOB, SSN).
• For Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs):
  • Changes Files: Cover new enrollments, terminations, mid-year changes (increases/decreases of annual pledges), and both bi-weekly and monthly contributions.
  • Monthly Files: Include all active enrollments and demographic changes.
• Regarding Social Security Numbers (SSNs):
  • Anthem, VSP, Delta Dental, Principal (PD), HealthNet (Active), WEX (FSAs), and Health Equity (HSAs) do not accept enrollments/contributions for employees without SSNs.
• Address Requirements:
  • HMO enrollments require a U.S. Home Address (no P.O. Box).
• Important Note:
  • Newly enrolled employees should allow for the weekly file to reach the vendor. Expedited enrollment requests are reserved exclusively for urgent medical services and prescription needs.
  • Excluding for COBRA and Open Enrollment files, UCPath files to vendors do not send future data (e.g., new enrollments, changes, terminations, etc.). For example, a new enrollment effective 3/1/24, will be sent to the vendor on 3/5/24.

UCPath updated the help site to reflect changes in payroll training material. Updates were made to the following job aids to include the new SharePoint links.

• PHCMPAYL200JA:
• Complete the Inbound File Generator for I-181 Regular Time Entry Template for On or Off-Cycle Payroll
• Complete the Inbound File Generator for I-618 Flat Dollar Amount Template for On or Off-Cycle Payroll
• PHCMPAYL201JA:
• Complete the Inbound File Generator for I-178 Parking Corrections Template
• Complete the Inbound File Generator for I-176 Parking Deductions Template

UCPath will send the following communications to the employees’ primary (preferred) email address on file:

• During a leave of absence, UCPath may contact the employee about benefit premiums using the primary (preferred) email address.
• UCPath may use the primary (preferred) email address to send information about the UC Retirement Plan buyback process.
• UCPath sends new hire system notifications to the primary (preferred) email address following the determination of benefits.

Encourage new and current employees to add or update their primary (preferred) email address in UCPath.

Removed links to the following benefits forms in UCPath

• Health Benefits Enrollment Form for Newly Eligible Employees (FR.008)
• Health Benefits Enrollment Form for Life Events (FR.065)
• HSA, Life Insurance, Voluntary Disability and AD&D Change Form (FR.066)
• Late Enrollment Request (FR.006)

Updated the approval required field to allow legal name change requests to display on the search page

Added an 'Add/Update Position Info' link to the reference links section of a Manage Jobs transaction for easy access to position data

Added job code description and standard hours when the job code is populated in the contingent worker direct entry process

Read the 2023 UCPath Annual Report for a comprehensive review of last year's achievements and a preview of what's ahead.

Hires without a birth date or social security number (SSN) experience downstream impacts.

• Use the Missing Personal Data (R-130) report to identify employees missing personal information.
• If the birth date of an employee is missing:
  • UCPath cannot prepare self-service events allowing employees to make benefit enrollment elections.
  • UCPath is unable to generate a paycheck.
• Employees without an SSN will have a variety of issues, including:
  • The vendors' inability to load their benefit enrollment elections (Delta Dental, VSP, Principal Health Net, and Anthem)
  • Duplicate accounts with Fidelity when the SSN is updated.
  • Safe Harbor participants will not be funded.
  • The inability to receive an expedited payment on a pay card.
  • Incorrect information with the Employment Development Department (EDD) for unemployment benefit purposes

UCPath updated the help site to reflect changes in benefits training material.

• EC9 valid values were updated in the PHCMBEN106JA: Benefits Administration (Ben Admin) Eligibility Configuration Fields job aid.

UCPath automatically reduces the employee’s eligible FMLA hours, CFRA hours and PDLL hours when the employee is on an unpaid FMLA, CFRA or PDLL extended leave using a function known as auto-calc.

• UCPath reduces the employee’s eligible FMLA hours, CFRA hours, and PDLL hours based on a full-time equivalent (FTE) and 8 hours in a workday. Employees who are not full-time or whose workday is not 8 hours may need the locations to make updates to their FMLA balances, adding or reducing additional time.
• When employees take a leave, the location adds the absence hours taken to the Time Entry (I-181) file. The location should also submit an extended absence request that outlines what specific type of leave the employee is using:
  • FMLA – Family and Medical Leave Act
  • PDLL – Pregnancy Disability Leave Law
  • CFRA – California Family Rights Act
• UCPath will link the leave information from the Time Entry file to the detail entered in extended absence, in order to decrement the correct leave bucket.

Terminations with Additional Pay

When terminating a job for an employee with additional pay that should also be terminated, make sure the additional pay end date matches the job termination date.

UCPath updated the help site to reflect changes in the Workforce Administration  and Academic training materials.

• The PHCMWFAL250 Emeriti Processing Following Retirement and PHCMWFAL260  Retirement Transaction Process for July 1 Retirement - COLA job aids were updated to include 2024 dates and the Manage Job Action process.
• The GSR Fellow or Trainee Job Setup - Payroll Components job aid was updated to reflect the new GSR Trainee/Fellow job codes and job setup examples.

Employees can see their leave balances in UCPath.

• Active employees will see eligible / available accruals including vacation, PTO, sick, etc.
• Employees on an intermittent leave will see additional balances for CFRA and FMLA
• These balances will display for the entire year of leave.
• Balances are refreshed after each AM process run.

Access Quicklinks > Payroll Resources > Payroll Processing Schedules & Working Hours. Check "Leave Accrual Available on UCPath" column for the updated balance date.