Frequently Asked Questions

• Why would I budget negatives in my area and how do I get a report listing them?

  Unit chiefs are encouraged to match the funding sources with their uses during the budget development cycle.  An example would be transferring employees who will be funded by IFR/SUTRA accounts to those accounts instead of processing journal transfers between accounts during the fiscal year.  This will result in transparent financial reporting and will minimize corrective journal entries.  Since the CBM dataload process loads a snapshot of actual employee data, there will be no need to budget negatives for this population.

   In limited instances, such as MOUs or cross VP commitments, negatives may be budgeted in CBM provided that the other VP area has budgeted the corresponding positive and explanatory notes are input in CBM.

   In CBM, run report 14 to obtain a report of the negatives budgeted in your area.

• I have been contacted by my VP coordinator and/or the Accounting Office about IFR accounts with structural deficits. What happens if I do nothing?

  Your new year State allocation will be reduced to cover the deficits in your IFR accounts.

  In accordance to the IFR Deficit Policy, on an accrual basis, each IFR account is expected to reach a break-even status at the end of each fiscal year.

• What should I do to address my IFR accounts with structural deficits?
   

  You should (1) adjust this year's IFR activity to resolve the deficit, and/or (2) obtain approval via the Accounting Office if your deficit resolution plan may extend beyond the current fiscal year.

• I have an IFR account with a healthy cash balance. Is it at risk of "being scooped"?
   

  There is currently no central plan to scoop VP areas' IFR cash.  However, where appropriate, units with IFR accounts with structural deficits may need to transfer funding within the IFR/SUTRA funds in order to resolve their deficit balances.

• Will departments have to absorb the costs of union raises?

  Yes; in the event that the State does not fund the State costs associated with contractual salary increases (CSIs), you should plan to internally reduce your expenses by 2-3% in order to have the resources to be able to addresses the future CSI costs.

• Will we get our State rollovers back?
   

  Provided that your VP area adheres to the Surplus/Deficit Policy, the State rollovers will be returned to VP areas.  Please consult with your VP area to find out their procedure for internally redistributing their State Purpose rollover

• How do I account for enrollment increases in my undergraduate programs?

   If your school is going to be significantly impacted by the campus’s undergraduate enrollment plan, you are responsible for submitting a budget request to request funding to help defray the resulting increased costs to your area from supporting the enrollment growth.

  Please note that the undergraduate tuition sharing program that was developed in FY 19/20 and scheduled to be rolled out in FY 20/21 has been suspended due to the enrollment impact from the COVID-19 global pandemic. 

• I don't have enough allocation to make a purchase. What should I do?
   Contact your VP Coordinator.
• How do I process allocation transfers between VP areas?
  State Purpose cross-VP allocation transfers should be initiated by the Budget Office. Please email your request to the Senior Budget Analyst [anna.sweet@stonybrook.edu]
• How do I process allocation transfers within my VP area?
   Contact the Accounting Office at 2-6040.
• How do I get assistance with the PeopleSoft Campus Budget Module (CBM)?
   See contact information at http://www.stonybrook.edu/commcms/budgetoffice/campmod/CBM10.htm
• How do I get information regarding UWide and Special Appropriations programs?
   Contact the Budget Office at 2-6090.
• How to I get answers to other questions?
   Input your question on the Budget Feedback page.