Developing a Budget
The project budget is the financial plan reflecting the estimated costs of the project. As you develop your project, consider all areas where you may need funding to successfully carry it out--will you need to hire special staff, students, consultants; is travel necessary; will there be subcontracts under this award? The Office of Research Administration can help assess your needs and develop a reasonable budget given the parameters of the funding agency and your project requirements. Some guidelines for selected budget elements are outlined below.Salaries
Salaries for all UMass Dartmouth personnel involved with the project should be included. List all faculty, technicians, students, and others who will be devoting time to the project, include their salary and percent effort. Clerical and other administrative salaries are normally treated as indirect costs according to OMB Circular A-21 and may only be included as direct charges on sponsored programs in certain unusual circumstances. Please contact ORA if you have any questions regarding the allowability of these charges in your proposal.
Rates for students may vary according to discipline and experience. Stipends for graduate and undergraduate students can be determined by contacting your Department Chair, Career Services and/or the Office of Graduate Studies. Checking with these sources will ensure that rates are consistent with University policies and that compensation does not fall below minimum levels and that all applicable fees are waived. To estimate rates of salary for faculty and/or other personnel, calculate the rate based on contracted months. For example:
To calculate various rates for a 9 month position:
Annual Salary / 9 months = monthly rate
Annual Salary / 39 weeks = weekly rate
Annual Salary / 39 weeks / 5 days = day rate
- To calculate summer salary multiply the monthly rate by the applicable number of allowable months.
Fringe Benefits
Fringe benefit rate for FY07 has been recalculated. Health and Welfare is now $12 per week.
Academic and Calendar Year Employees
Full-time benefited employees 39.65%
Non-benefited 1.33%
Students 1.33%
Summer
Faculty 1.33%
Students 1.33%
Travel
Travel costs are for University employees only. Please list domestic and foreign travel separately. Since travel costs may change from the time you submit your proposal, request the standard rate and avoid special rates to ensure adequate coverage of your travel costs. Also consider full costs when determining hotel or room & board expenses, especially for international travel. As of July 1, 2006, the University will reimburse $40/day for travel status of 24 hours or more with the exception of $50/day for travel status of 24 hours or more in Boston, New York City, San Francisco, Baltimore, Chicago, Philadelphia, Seattle and Washington DC. One half the per diem rate is allowed when travel status is at least 12 consecutive hours but less than 24 hours. The IRS does not consider per diem for travel that is not accompanied by an overnight stay as a reimbursable expense. The University will continue to reimburse these requests but they will now be recorded with the account number 727280 so that these payments can be tracked and ultimately added to an employee's W-2 at the end of the year as a taxable benefit.. Effective January 1, 2008 the new Standard Mileage Reimbursement Rate for employees who use their automobiles for University business will be 50.5 cents per mile. This change will impact all business travel that occurs on or after January 1, 2008.Equipment
Maximum Travel Per Diem Allowances for Foreign Travel http://www.state.gov/m/a/als/prdm/65735.htm
Equipment is any tangible item with a useful life of one or more years and has a unit cost of $1,000 or more. Depending on the nature of the equipment, calculate your costs based on several estimates. The Purchasing office can provide estimates for general computer and office equipment needs.Publication Cost / Documentation / Dissemination
These include printing, layout, mailing, graphic design costs and other costs associated with publishing or disseminating your results. Consider the costs of printing and mailing by the piece. If you are developing a highly sophisticated report, brochure, or document the costs can be substantial for the graphic design, layout and printing. The Publications Office, #8013, will provide you with estimates. Also, give consideration to hiring a graduate student in graphic design or professional writing to assist you.Materials and Supplies
This will normally cover laboratory and/or studio supplies and software applications. The cost of the office supplies is included in those costs that should normally be charged through F&A recovery by OMB Circular A-21.Consultants
Consultants are individuals who are hired for a specific task but are not involved with the project on a regular, consistent basis. List all consultants, rate of pay and description of work to be performed. A letter of intent must also be submitted by the consultant.
Subawards
A subaward is a contract that assigns some of the obligations of an award or contract to another party. Include name of subrecipient organization, letter of intent signed by subrecipient authorized institutional official, scope of work and budget.
Other Direct Expenses
Facilities and Administrative (F&A)Other direct expenses include participant support costs, human subject costs, long distance telephone and other project related direct expenditures.
Funding sources usually indicate whether or not F&A (previously referred to as indirect cost) are allowable. The F&A rate for each institution is determined by prior negotiation agency of the Federal Government. Our rate has been negotiated with the Department of Health and Human Services. The F&A rate covers all expenses incurred by the institution which can not be directly attributable to the contract/grant (such as overhead expenses, supporting services and/or use of facilities). UMassD's negotiated rate (eff. 7/1/05-6/30/08) is 64% and is calculated against the total salaries and wages portion of a project budget. However, because this rate is not allowable for all funding agencies and some indirect rates may be calculated on total cost of the project, it is important to contact the Office of Research Administration to determine the proper rate and budget calculation for a specific agency.
Last Updated On: 3/14/08
