Once I receive notification that my proposal has been awarded how do I know what my MTU index/account number is?
Research and Sponsored Programs will send an email notification that your proposal has been funded. Within five business days, Research Accounting will assign an index number or numbers for the project account and email you with the index number(s) and budget.
How do I pay myself for the work I performed on this project?
A portion of your MTU salary/wages will be charged to the research account. The percentage is based on the sponsor agreement and the amount of your effort spent on the project. Please refer to the payroll section of the post award section.
How do I get reimbursed for travel related to my research project?
Travel that directly benefits your research project, and was included in the proposal budget, is reimbursed from the research account. Fill out a travel expense voucher and submit it to Accounts Payable for reimbursement.
How do I charge expenses such as supplies or services to my account?
This may vary, depending on the expense. There are several sections of the website for you to review: non-salary expenditures, allowable/unallowable expenditures, and “expenditures exceeding the award amount.” You may also want to review the “what form do I use? Section.
What do I do if I review my monthly account statement and determine that there are expenses charged to the wrong account?
In this case you need to fill out a reallocation of expenditures form. Keep in mind that reallocations must be made within 90 days of the original charge (unless there are extenuating circumstances). Please review the guidelines for reallocating expenditures.
How do I get the money from the sponsor once I have started performing work? How does the sponsor get invoiced?
The Research Accounting office prepares and submits invoices to the sponsor to collect the funds. Please do not submit anything financially to the sponsor yourself. We will contact you if your assistance is needed in preparing invoices or other financial documents.
What do I do if part of the award terms and conditions state that I must fill out a financial form either during the project or at closeout?
You do nothing! The Research Accounting office is responsible for preparing all financial forms related to the project. However, you are responsible for any technical reporting, so be sure to review your award for technical reports and have them prepared and submitted by the due date on the award.
I have been receiving payroll certifications for employees who work on my project. What do I do with these? And what do you mean by “percent of effort”?
The university is required by federal regulation (OMB Circular A-21) to verify an employee’s percent of effort on a project and verifies this with after-the-fact payroll certifications. The certifications are done on a semester basis for faculty and monthly for staff and students. It is essential to review these forms for accuracy and return the signed form to Research Accounting. If you notice a discrepancy between the percentage of effort on the certification and the actual effort for the various accounts, see the next question. See Financial Reports-Payroll Certifications for more information.
The far right column on the payroll certification form includes the budgeted percentage of time worked on a project. Please review this column to verify that the percent of effort listed represents the actual percent of effort. Percent of effort is defined as the verification of the ratio of payroll charged to sponsored agreements in relation to the employee’s effort on that project.
What do I do if my payroll certification is inaccurate?
If there is an error on your payroll certification, complete a payroll reallocation form to correct the error. Attach a copy of the reallocation to your payroll certification with an explanation of why the reallocation is necessary.
I keep getting notices that my account is overdrawn or expired from Research Accounting what do I do with these?
These are overdrawn expired notices that are sent to principal investigators once a month to assist with the financial administration of the project. The financial reports section describes these notices in more detail.
I received a notice that my sponsor is delinquent on paying invoices. What do I do?
Research Accounting has been in contact with the sponsor to develop a plan for payment of your invoice(s). If you know of any reason why payment is withheld, notify Research Accounting. When Research Accounting is unsuccessful in collecting payment from the sponsor, we will contact you for assistance. Visit the financial reports section for additional details.
What do I do if my project has expired or is about to expire, but I need additional time to complete the research or prepare the final report?
You must fill out a Request for Modification form requesting a time extension and submit this form to Research and Sponsored Programs (RSP). RSP will determine if the request can be internally approved for if sponsor approval is required. Once approved, your end date will be adjusted.
What do I do if my project has expired or I have spent all of the funds, but there are additional funds and/or a time extension on its way to MTU, and I need to continue working on the project?
In order to continue spending when your account is overdrawn or has expired, you will need to request an advance of funds and/or time. This is done on the Request for Advance form. Submit the request to Research and Sponsored Programs (RSP).
What do I do if I need to purchase something that was not in the budget I sent to the sponsor in my proposal (i.e. if you need to travel but travel was not in the proposed budget, or if you need to purchase equipment but equipment was not in the proposed budget)?
You must fill out a Request for Modification form stating the reason for the change in the original proposed budget. Submit the form to Research and Sponsored Programs (RSP). RSP will determine if your request can be internally approved or if sponsor approval is required. Once the request has been approved by RSP and the sponsor (if required), Research Accounting will modify your budget to accommodate the purchase.
What are the University’s current approved fringe and overhead rates?
The fringe rates are located here, and the overhead (indirect cost, facilities and administrative) rates are located here.
My project is ending. What do I need to do?
If the end date of your project is approaching you need to work with Research Accounting to ensure all of the charges related to this project are processed in a timely matter. Typically, projects require all final documents 90 days after the end date. However, it is not uncommon for final documents to be due 30 to 60 days after the end date. It is important to anticipate that your end date is approaching. Research Accounting will send you notices that let you know your account is about to expire and advising on a plan for close-out. Visit the Project Closeout section for additional information.
Another aspect of project close-out is the technical reporting and final deliverables. If you feel that the deliverables may not be completed by the end date, a time extension may be required.