Managing Employee Compensation on Sponsored Awards

Overview

Key personnel make effort commitments when submitting grant proposals, and those commitments become contractual obligations upon award. During the award period, actual distribution of effort is tracked for all employees working on the grant, and all are required to certify their effort periodically per federal regulation.

Executive Summary

The Executive Summary describes employee responsibilities, best practices, and tools available at the University of Utah. It is a great starting point for employees new to working with employee compensation on sponsored awards, and a good refresher for seasoned employees. 

How It Works

• What is considered “Effort” for tracking/certification purposes?
  • The proportion of time an employee spends on all professional activities for which the employee is compensated by the University of Utah, including research, instruction, administration, and other University activities.
  • Effort-based earnings including regular and leave pay.
  • Non-effort based earnings are excluded, such as clinical incentive pay, additional compensation, bonuses, and cell phone reimbursements.
• Effort Commitments
  • It is the responsibility of Key Personnel, including the PI, to provide effort at the level budgeted on sponsored awards.
  • Recorded in e-Proposal.
• Effort Distribution
  • Recorded in the payroll system.
  • Planned (future) payroll distributions
    • Default set up in e-PAF and maintain in the Employee Distributions application
    • Override in Kronos
  • Actual (posted) payroll distributions
    • review in HRIL or Management Reports (need access?)
    • correct with an effort-based payroll reallocation
• Effort Certification
  • Hourly Employees
    • Kronos
  • Exempt Employees
    • PAR

Training/Support

• Questions or Suggestions? Just Ask Us!

Other Resources

Policy 3-020: Effort Reporting