PERSONNEL

• The budget category, personnel refers to the employees of the applicant organization.  Therefore, only BSU employees (faculty members, librarians, and staff) should be listed under this category. 

• Colleagues or assistants from other institutions working on your project will appear elsewhere in your budget as consultants; participants; or other personnel.

• If a substantial portion of the work is to be done by people from other organizations (e.g., by a faculty member from another university), then a sub-award may be needed. See the sections below on consultants and sub-awards. 

 

Salaries and Wages for Faculty

Charges for work performed on grants by faculty members must be reasonable, allocable, allowable, and consistently treated (i.e., based upon employment practices already in place on campus).  Here are a few considerations:

• Compensation is based on current annual salary

• Compensation may be pro-rated (e.g., on a monthly basis)

• Compensation for specific activities such as developing a course must be consistently treated and based upon institutional polices

 

Please check with OGSP to determine which method to use in calculating faculty compensation, as the proper approach varies depending upon the kind of project, the timing of the work, BSU policies, and the funder’s guidelines.

 

Faculty Salaries (Summer): Work performed by faculty during summer is typically based upon one-ninth (1/9) of the annual, nine-month, base salary. Thus to figure the amount to charge for one month of full-time work, divide your academic year salary by nine.

 

Release Time/Course Release:  If a faculty member elects to take a course release in lieu of compensation thereby allowing more time to do the proposed work, it’s important to consider the course (e.g., number of credits, undergraduate or graduate level) as well as the level of the instructor.  Course releases are budgeted based on a formula established by BSU, which OGSP can provide.  Course releases require the approval of the faculty member's Chair, Dean, and Provost.

 

Consultants

Consultants perform highly skilled, specialized tasks without close supervision for short periods.  They are not BSU employees.  Compensation for a consultant is listed on a budget in terms of days or hours to be worked multiplied by the daily or hourly rate to be paid.

(5 days x $375 per day = $1,875)

You must have documentation of the consultant’s terms and conditions and be able to demonstrate that this rate is reasonable and appropriate to your field.

 

BSU will not pay university employees for any services on a consultant basis. Services to be obtained from BSU employees (staff or faculty) should be shown in the "Personnel" category, usually with compensation shown as a percentage of their regular salaries and always with fringe benefits included. This requirement holds even for small commitments. Sometimes when the work to be performed is not highly specialized or requires a good deal of supervision, BSU Human Resources Department will prefer that these non-BSU personnel be hired as hourly, part-time employees.

 

Salaries and Wages for Administrators and Administrative Staff

Administrators and Administrative Staff: Grants can sometimes be used to compensate the university for staff working on grant-funded projects.  Compensation is based upon their regular salary or wage and shown as either an hourly rate or as a percentage of overall work time

(10 hours x $20 per hour = $200).

Sometimes staff are limited in the number of hours they can work without violating state labor laws.  Check with the OGSP before entering into any new agreements with staff.

 

Salaries and Job Descriptions for Other Staff: Hiring individuals for a project must be done according to standard BSU procedures and they must be paid according to standard BSU job titles and descriptions. These restrictions apply to full time employees (e. g., 37.5 hours/week) for any length of time, but are also recommended for part-time employees.

 

If none of the titles and job descriptions in the existing personnel system fits your needs, then you may identify an appropriate title, job description and salary range based on similar work required in the professional field.  If no similar job description can be located, please contact OGSP to explore alternate procedures.

 

Salaries and Wages for Students

Undergraduate Student Assistants: The use of student assistants on your project is strongly encouraged because it provides students with research and work experience that will be beneficial to them as part of their educational experience.

Here are a few considerations if you plan to budget for undergraduate student assistants:

• There are established hourly rates for student pay

• Be sure to determine the proper hourly rate for the kind of work being performed

• Students are not permitted to work more than 20 hours per week on campus during the academic year

 

Graduate Research Assistants and Graduate Assistants: Similar to undergraduate students, the use of graduate students on your project is strongly encouraged because it provides them with research and work experience that will be beneficial to them as part of their educational experience.

Here are a few considerations if you plan to budget for graduate student assistants:

• Graduate students typically are hired to work for a full academic year on a part-time basis

• The number of hours and rate of pay varies according to the title (GRA or GA)

• Please consult the pay rates and working hours for Graduate Research Assistants and Graduate Assistants

 

 

Last Modified: October 18, 2011