To the UMBC Grant Community,

This is a reminder that Effort Reports for Fall 2019 are available and ready for certification. The Fall 2019 period includes Payroll 2020001 through Payroll 2020014 (from June 23, 2019 through January 04, 2020). Certifications are due March 31, 2020.

Please remember that Effort Reports are both a Compliance Tool and a Grants Management Tool. After reviewing payroll charges, work with your business managers if any changes are needed. Payroll cost transfers (retros) must be processed prior to certification of Effort Reports.   

To find out whether you have open effort reports (see page 6, Year: 2019 Period: Fall) and to learn how to certify them, see the attached updated Effort Report Quick Reference Guide with screenshots and contact information for your convenience.

Your timely commitment to this process is appreciated!

I am happy to announce Joseph Clampitt has been hired as the newest Financial Accountant for the Office of Contract and Grant Accounting.  An alum of UMBC, Joe comes to us from Parcel Delivery Express where he was a Billing and Receivables Manager.

Over the next couple weeks we will begin transitioning specific sponsors to Joe’s area of responsibility.  Please be sure to check the Grant Summary Page of PeopleSoft to identify each project's assigned accountant.  We will also update the OCGA website as the transition for each sponsor is complete.

Please join me in welcoming Joe to UMBC and if you are in the Admin building, stop by the OCGA suite to say hi.

The Justification section of the retro request form is very important in explaining the need for the payroll correction and must follow all compliance rules affecting sponsored funds. An explanation merely stating that the transfer was made “to correct an error” or “to transfer to correct project” is not sufficient.

Retros must contain the following information in the Justification section:

• A detailed description of why the cost transfer is needed and how the error occurred. Why does this retro need to be processed?
• A correlation of the charge to the project to which the transfer is being made. Why should this project pay for this expense; how does this charge relate to the scope of the project?
• If over 90 days, also include an explanation as to why the error was not discovered and corrected within the required 90 day timeframe. What is being done to help prevent this from happening again?
• If the retro request affects more than one sponsored chartstring, include an acknowledgement that ALL PIs or Department Administrators have approved the payroll cost transfer.

You can access the full updated Cost Transfer Procedures either through the What's New section of our Homepage or go directly to the Management --> Cost Transfer section.

For those who like shortcuts, simply click the links below!

Cost Transfer Procedures on Sponsored Projects

Payroll Cost Transfer (Retro) Checklist

Cost Transfer Procedures on Sponsored Projects

Payroll Cost Transfer (Retro) Checklist

• Honoraria paid to a guest speaker or lecturer
• Expenses for project personnel or collaborators to attend meetings, conferences, or seminars including meetings to discuss a research project’s progress and direction 
• Payments to participants in human subject research studies  
• Conference support costs such as facility rentals, media equipment rentals, or conference food and snacks  
• Payments to the providers of the training  
• Payments to other employers to reimburse the employer for the costs related to sending its employee to a training.