Financial Planning and Budgeting Timeline

Here are the critical dates and processes for FY27 Operating and Capital budget requests and FY26 Quarter 2 (Q2) review. Please review the deadlines carefully and note the required meetings.

Deadlines and Key Events: December - January

Date/Range	Event or Process	Details and Action Items
December 15	RAPTOR Workshop	For users with Resource Planning and Forecasting responsibilities.
December 18	FY27 Workflow Finalization	LAST DAY to update the RAPTOR budget requests workflow per unit specifications. No modifications can be made after this date.
December 19, 2025 - January 20, 2026	FY27 Budget Request Submission Window	Submit your Operating and Capital budget requests via RAPTOR.
December 31	FY26 Q2 Ends	The second quarter of Fiscal Year 2026 concludes.
January 7 - 20	FY26 Q2 Review & Forecasting	Units must use RAPTOR to conduct a thorough review of Q2 activity and forecast fiscal year outcomes. Attendance at the Dec 15 workshop is strongly encouraged.
January 20	FY 27 FINAL Submission Deadline	FY27 Budget Request materials must be submitted and approved by ALL unit leadership.
January 26 - 30	FY27 Resource Planning Meetings	Essential 45-minute meeting focused on divisional budget requests and planned revenue and expenses, referencing specific RAPTOR reports.

Deadlines and Key Events: February - June 2026

Date/Range	Event or Process	Details and Action Items
February 16 - March 23	FY27 Revenue & Expense Budgeting	Begin accessing and utilizing budget reports and request submission tools in RAPTOR, including multi-year planning. (Instructions distributed separately.)
March 9 - 23	FY27 Labor Planning	Begin accessing and utilizing appropriate labor reports in RAPTOR. (Instructions distributed separately.)
February - May	FY27 Request Review Period	Requests are reviewed for inclusion in the overall FY27 budget. Expect to see 'decline' actions for unfulfilled requests prior to the May Board meeting.
May	FY27 Board Submission	FY27 Operating and Capital budgets are submitted for approval at the Lehigh Board of Trustees meeting.
May - June	FY27 Final Notification	Units will receive official notification of approvals and declinations as the approved requests are finalized in RAPTOR.