The university has three (3) effort reporting periods: fall, spring, and summer. This complies with the federal regulation 2 CFR 200.430(i) requirement that a system of internal controls be in place, which provide reasonable assurance that charges accurately reflect work performed.
All exempt SHRA, EHRA non faculty, faculty, and graduate students not completing a timesheet reflecting 40-hour work week worked are required to certify effort reports.
Effort Certifications reflect 100% of the employee’s paid effort; and includes instruction, scholarly, administrative, grant cost share, and that directly paid by grant or contract. Effort certification is required of all paid employees that have Sponsored Program awards but the certification is only applicable towards the sponsored effort section of the report, not the other non-sponsored effort section.
Employees requiring effort certification will be identified through the effort certification system. Certify My Effort percentages of effort are based on actual payroll expenditures posted in Banner HR and Finance. HR salary allocation and labor redistribution documents are approved based upon sponsored project award approved budget.
Effort Certificate reports will become available as close to the first day after the end of each period (January, May, and September). An email will be sent to individuals required to complete certification. It is preferred that all faculty, non-faculty EHRA and SHRA employees certify their own effort. When that it is not possible the Principal Investigator (PI), chair or dean will be required to certify for them.
All graduate student effort must be certified by the PI, chair or dean.
The university requires only a certifier; either the employee or someone with direct knowledge of the subject employee’s effort, for completing the certification process.
Effort reports are required to be certified within approximately 30 days after the effort reports are released for certification. Two weeks after the reports are released, weekly notices will be emailed out to the subject individual’s supervisor (i.e., PI, Chair or Dean) and Director of Sponsored Programs and Research Compliance, as well as Associate Provost of Research and Innovation.If an effort report is still not certified at the end of the 30 days, the grant fund(s) applicable to that employee will be frozen by the university. At that time, any current HR actions will be moved to a state or trust fund designated by the Associate Provost of Research and Innovation.