The number of credits consumed by a user depends on the level of activity for that user in each month they use the system. A user that only enters time on time cards consumes 1 credit for each month they use the system, while a user that enters time AND enters inspections and other activities consumes 2 credits per month. At the end of each year, the actual credits used are deducted from your pre-paid credit balance and any excess or deficit is applied to the payment for the next year. An example of the annual reconciliation calculation is given below. This approach is intended to simplify the process of annual budgeting and cost allocation so you don't have to adjust spending during the middle of the fiscal year.

The number of credits used by an individual user is determined each month based on the data they have entered into the system for that month. So if one of your staff is out sick or on family leave for a month and you have an administrator enter their timecard into CalCATS, you will only be charged one credit for that user for the month even if they are normally a field biologist or inspector.

Example

Your county purchases 250 usage credits for FY20/21. Over the course of the year you have 8 staff who enter time AND activity every month, and 3 staff that only enter time. For 5 months you have an additional 4 trappers who enter both time and activity (Ag Report 1). The usage over the year is:

(8 advanced users x 2 credits per month x 12 months) = 192 credits
(3 basic users x 1 credit per month x 12 months) = 36 credits
(4 trappers x 2 credits per month x 5 months) = 40 credits
Total Credits Used = 268
End-of-Year Balance = -18 credits

When you submit your order for FY21/22, remember to order 18 credits more than you think you will need for the year to make up for the FY20/21 shortfall.