CSWS Research and Travel Grants
Budget and Financial Matters
Frequently Asked Questions
Receiving Funds: Complete Directions
For complete directions on receiving funds from your grant
award, tuition remission activation, direct disbursement of funds, or
any other questions, please click
here for complete instructions. (This is an Adobe Acrobat "pdf"
file.) Or click here for the
same information in MS Word 2003 document format.
Research Grants
How
do I figure OPE (Other Payroll Expense) into my faculty release/salary
budget?
OPE is the percent of payroll tax that the employer (department)
is charged. The percent varies, depending on FTE as there is a fixed
and variable portion of benefits. If your department office manager
or payroll person can tell you what your usual percent OPE is, then
you can back into the salary amount. For example, if your OPE rate is
36%, and you want to use the full $6000 grant for salary, then divide
6000 by 1.36 for a result of 4412. Then $4412 is the amount of salary
you can request in your budget, plus 36% OPE of $1588 for a total of
$6000. If your OPE rate is 35%, divide 6000 by 1.35, etc. If you still
need help with this, please call the CSWS accounting technician, Peggy
McConnell, 346-2262, or email her at peggym@uoregon.edu.
How
do I pay students out of my grant?
The student
should be set up as an employee and paid through the UO payroll system.
The CSWS accountant can hire the student through CSWS and time sheets
would be turned in to her for time entry. If the student is already
an employee in your department, time can be entered there using the
CSWS index number (obtain this index number from the CSWS accountant).
How
do I pay subjects?
You can give subjects cash or gift certificates:
If giving cash -
1) Each person is assigned a number.
2) Each person must sign either a list or an individual certificate
with their assigned number stating that they received the cash.
3) A list of the numbers that were paid, indicating how much each were
paid, should be sent to CSWS. The page should contain a statement such
as "These are the numbers that identify subjects participating
in my study. The names of the subjects and their signatures indicating
that they have received payment are on file in my office." The
page needs to have your signature on it.
4) If you are faculty, you can get a cash advance in order to pay subjects,
follow the above procedure,and then repay the advance to the UO Accounts
Receivable department.
If giving gift certificates -
Gift certificates can be obtained by getting a check cut to Fred Meyer,
for example, and have Fred Meyer provide you with gift certificates
of a certain denomination. The subject must also sign that he/she received
the gift certificate and you should follow the same procedure as above
for accounting for them.
How
do I pay a non-employee out of my grant?
A non-employee
is someone who meets the qualifications as an independent contractor
(is not, or has not been a UO employee within the calendar year, among
other criteria) and is doing contracted consulting or other work for
you that will be paid as a lump sum. A Personal Services Contract (UO
form) or Personal Services Agreement (Foundation form) must be completed
in order for the person to be paid. If the person is a foreign national
the UO forms must be completed, and this process must be started (by
contacting the CSWS accountant) no less than one month before the person
is to start work.
Travel
Grants or Travel on Research Grants
Do
I have to pay for my airfare up front and get reimbursed later?
No. You can make reservations with one of the UO travel
agencies (Ambassador, Away, or Premier), have the itinerary faxed to
CSWS, the accountant will prepare the travel approval form and send
it to UO Accounting, and the ticket will be paid up front.
If your ticket is more than the award, then you will need
to pay for the difference yourself at the time it is booked, or if you
have available funds from another department you will need to provide
the CSWS accountant with that department index and activity code. The
difference will then be charged to that index.
If you pay for it yourself, send the original passenger
receipt portion of the ticket, along with a completed UO Foundation
Travel Log form in pdf format, (or in MS Excel format)to the CSWS accountant for reimbursement. If it is
an electronic ticket (no passenger receipt), please include the original
itinerary from the travel agent, showing the amount paid.
How
do I get reimbursed for other items?
Turn in original receipts along with a UO Travel Log form
for travel items (lodging, meals, transportation). Note that meals and
lodging are not allowable expenses on travel grants. Non-travel items
(conference fees, books, journals, materials, photocopying) do not need
a travel log form. Photocopying must be done at the UO Copy Center unless
there is some reason that the center cannot meet your particular copying
needs, or if you have copies made in the field.
