Understanding F&A Costs

DatePresenter NamePresenter Phone

NumberPresenter E-mail

2

A-21 Definition

• A-21 definition of F&A costs• “F&A costs are those that are incurred for

common or joint objectives and therefore cannot be identified readily and specifically with a particular sponsored project, an instructional activity, or any other institutional activity”

3

Definition

• Facilities & Administrative costs is an easy mechanism for charging a sponsored project an added cost for facilities used and administrative costs– Some costs are too difficult or too time

consuming to account for on an individual project basis

– This is a shortcut accounting method for general instead of project-specific costs

– Actual project direct costs multiplied by a predetermined percentage rate

4

Regulatory guidance

• OMB Circular A-21– Direct costs and F&A cost– Identification & assignment of F&A cost

• To determine UT’s F&A rate, the nature of our costs are evaluated and classified in prescribed cost pools for facilities costs and administrative costs

– Determination & application of F&A cost rates

5

Direct versus F&A costs

• Direct costs– Salaries, staff

benefits, supplies, long-distance phone calls, travel, equipment, subcontracts

– Exception to “basic support” costs

• Due to nature of project technical work

• F&A costs– Facilities costs

• Bldgs, equip, electricity, library

– Admin costs• “Basic support”

costs

6

Expenses included in F&A

• Facilities– Buildings– Sidewalks– Electricity / fuel– Equipment– Library– Security– Custodial

• Administrative– Department clerical &

admin staff salaries– Research & business

offices– Basic office supplies &

expenses– Portion of other admin

costs – Dept Head, Dean, system charge, etc.

7

F&A facts

• Federally-approved rate applied to a specified cost base

• Matrix of rates in effect• Reimbursement for expenses already paid by

UT to support research– These are real costs!

• Predetermined F&A rates to be used prospectively

• Fixed rate for the life of the sponsored project– This is really important!

8

Matrix of F&A rates

• Campus• Function

– Instruction– Research– Other sponsored Activities

• Location– On-campus– Off-campus

• Award year– Same rate for life of project

• This is a requirement of OMB Circular A-21

9

Current rates in effect

 FY99

FY00

FY01

FY02

FY03

FY04

FY05

FY06

FY07

FY08 BASE

KNOX INSTRUCT ON-CAMPUS 45.0 45.0 45.0 48.0 48.0 48.0 48.0 48.0 48.0 48.0 MTDC

KNOX INSTRUCT OFF-CAMPUS 26.0 26.0 26.0 26.0 26.0 26.0 26.0 26.0 26.0 26.0  

KNOX RESEARCH ON-CAMPUS 43.0 43.0 43.0 45.0 45.0 45.0 45.0 46.0 46.0 47.0  

KNOX RESEARCH OFF-CAMPUS 23.0 23.0 23.0 24.7 24.7 24.7 24.7 26.0 26.0 26.0  

KNOX OTHER SPONSORED                      

ACTIVITY ON-CAMPUS 39.0 39.0 39.0 40.0 40.0 40.0 40.0 32.0 32.0 32.0  

KNOX OTHER SPONSORED                      

ACTIVITY OFF-CAMPUS 24.5 24.5 24.5 25.0 25.0 25.0 25.0 24.0 24.0 24.0  

KNOX IPA AGREEMENTS               6.2 6.2 6.2  

TULL INSTRUCT ON-CAMPUS 35.0 35.0 35.0 35.0 34.8 34.8 34.8 34.8 34.8 31.7 MTDC

TULL INSTRUCT OFF-CAMPUS 26.0 26.0 26.0 26.0 26.0 26.0 26.0 26.0 26.0 26.0  

TULL RESEARCH ON-CAMPUS 50.5 50.5 50.5 50.5 50.3 50.3 50.3 50.3 50.3 50.0  

TULL RESEARCH OFF-CAMPUS 26.0 26.0 26.0 26.0 26.0 26.0 26.0 26.0 26.0 26.0  

MHD RESEARCH ON-CAMPUS 18.0 18.0 18.0 18.0 18.0 18.0 18.0 18.0 18.0 18.0  

IPA AGREEMENTS             7.0 7.0 7.0 7.0  

CHATTANOOGA ON-CAMPUS 48.0 48.0 48.0 48.0 48.0 47.0 47.0 45.0 45.5 45.5 SAL & WAGES

CHATTANOOGA OFF-CAMPUS 16.8 16.8 16.8 16.8 16.8 16.8 16.8 16.8 13.1 13.1  

MARTIN ON-CAMPUS 39.0 39.0 39.0 39.0 39.0 39.0 39.0 39.0 44.0 44.0 SAL & WAGES

MARTIN OFF-CAMPUS 14.1 14.1 14.1 14.1 14.1 14.1 14.1 14.1 16.0 16.0  

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Current rates in effectMEMPHIS INSTRUCT ON-CAMPUS 36.0 36.0 36.0 36.1 36.1 37.0 37.0 37.0 37.0   MTDC

MEMPHIS INSTRUCT OFF-CAMPUS 30.0 30.0 30.0 29.0 29.0 26.0 26.0 26.0 26.0    

MEMPHIS RESEARCH ON-CAMPUS 42.5 42.0 42.0 43.0 43.0 46.0 46.0 46.0 46.0    

MEMPHIS RESEARCH OFF-CAMPUS 23.6 23.6 23.6 24.4 24.4 26.0 26.0 26.0 26.0    

MEMPHIS OTHER SPONSORED                      

ACTIVITY ON-CAMPUS 30.0 30.0 30.0 28.2 28.2 39.0 39.0 39.0 39.0    

MEMPHIS OTHER SPONSORED                      

ACTIVITY OFF-CAMPUS 22.0 22.0 22.0 23.8 23.8 23.9 23.9 23.9 23.9    

MEMORIAL RES CTR ON-CAMPUS 37.0 37.0 37.0 37.0 36.8 36.8 36.8 36.8 36.8   MTDC

MEMORIAL RES CTR OFF-CAMPUS         26.0 26.0 26.0 26.0 26.0    

AG EXPERIMENT STATION-ON-CAMPUS 31.5 31.5 31.5 30.5 30.5 30.5 30.5 35.0 35.0 35.0 MTDC

AG EXPERIMENT STATION-OFF-CAMPUS 31.5 31.5 31.5 30.5 30.5 30.5 30.5 22.0 22.0 22.0

AG EXPERIMENT STATION-IPA AGREEMENTS               3.0 3.0 3.0  

AG EXTENSION SERVICE-ON CAMPUS 14.0 14.0 14.0 14.0 14.0 14.0 14.0 15.0 15.0 15.0 MTDC

AG EXTENSION SERVICE-OFF CAMPUS 14.0 14.0 14.0 14.0 14.0 14.0 14.0 12.6 12.6 12.6

AG EXTENSION SERVICE-IPA AGREEMENTS               2.0 2.0 2.0  

IPS ON-CAMPUS 29.0 29.0 29.0 29.0 28.8 28.8 28.8 28.8 28.8 28.0 MTDC

IPS OFF-CAMPUS 21.0 21.0 21.0 21.0 21.0 21.0 21.0 21.0 21.0 22.0  

VET MED INSTR ON-CAMPUS 35.0 35.0 34.8 34.8 34.8 34.8 34.8 * * * MTDC

VET MED INSTR OFF-CAMPUS     26.0 26.0 26.0 26.0 26.0 * * * *Beginning FY 06

VET MED RES ON-CAMPUS 45.0 45.0 44.8 44.8 44.8 44.8 44.8 45.0 45.0 45.0 instruction should

VET MED RES OFF-CAMPUS     26.0 26.0 26.0 26.0 26.0 26.0 26.0 26.0use Knoxville rates

VET MED IPA AGREEMENTS               4.0 4.0 4.0  

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Frequency of computation

• Computer program is executed monthly during the month-end closing process– This normally occurs on the 3rd or 4th

business day of the following month

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Basis of computation

• Expenditures that posted to the WBS Element for the month

• Attributes present on CJ20N for the WBS Element– Control tab - Costing sheet and

Overhead key– Cust enhancement tab - F&A box of 5

attributes

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CJ20N Control tab• Costing sheet

– Budget entity• 01 is Knoxville

– Source of funds• F is Federal

– Base• M is MTDC

• Overhead key– Budget entity

• 01 is Knoxville– Function

• R is Research– Location

• N is on-campus– Rate agreement year

• 02 is 2002

These attributes are critical because

they actually control the F&A

postings

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CJ20N Customerenhancement tab

• These attributes are for informational purposes only – they don’t actually control the F&A and F&A cost sharing postings– Audited base– Audited rate %– Allowed base– Allowed rate %– Location

15

Audited versus allowed

• The audited rate and base are predetermined based on UT’s F&A rate agreement with the Federal government

• The allowed rate and base are those specified in the individual award document or sponsor rules

• For most sponsored projects, the sponsor allows us to charge our audited rate– If not, it’s called F&A cost sharing

16

Cost bases

• Modified Total Direct Costs (MTDC) base

• Salaries & Wages (S&W) base• Total Direct Costs (TDC)• Other

– Participant support costs

17

MTDC base

• MTDC is Modified Total Direct Costs• Definition:

– Total direct costs minus certain modifying cost elements

– Modifiers mandated by Federal government• MTDC is the most common audited base

and is specified by the Federal government in F&A rate agreements with large research institutions– All of UT except for Chattanooga and Martin

which use Salaries & Wages base

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Modifiers

• Memorize these cost elements– 461000 Equipment– All of 444000 Grants & Subsidies

(includes 444100 Student Fees)– 482100 Subcontracts > $25,000– 441300 Real Estate Rental– Patient Care costs (Memphis)

• Several different cost elements

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Subcontracts modifier(These rules apply to each subcontractor

for the life of the project)

• Cost element 481100– Subcontracts up

to $25,000• Does incur F&A

costs

• Cost element 482100– Subcontracts

greater than $25,000

• Does NOT incur F&A costs

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MTDC computation example

CostElement Description Expenditures410000 Salaries $50,000420000 Benefits 15,000431000 Travel 3,000439000 Supplies 2,000444100 Student Fees 4,000461200 Equipment 10,000481100 Subcnt < $25,000 28,000

Total direct costs $112,000

Less modifiers:444100 Student fees ($4,000)461200 Equipment (10,000)

Total modifiers ($14,000)

MTDC base $98,000

Multiply by F&A rate * 45%

F&A costs $44,100

Total costs $156,100

21

S&W base

• S&W is Salaries and Wages• Definition:

– Just salary cost elements make up the base

• S&W is the audited base specified by the Federal government in F&A rate agreements with small educational institutions– UT’s Chattanooga and Martin campuses

22

S&W computation example

CostElement Description Expenditures410000 Salaries $50,000420000 Benefits 15,000431000 Travel 3,000439000 Supplies 2,000444100 Student Fees 4,000461200 Equipment 10,000481100 Subcnt < $25,000 28,000

Total direct costs $112,000

F&A computation410000 Salaries 50,000

S&W base $50,000

Multiply by F&A rate * 50%

F&A costs $25,000

Total costs $137,000

23

TDC base

• TDC is Total Direct Costs• Definition:

– All direct costs are included in this base

• TDC is never an audited rate specified by the Federal government in F&A rate agreements with educational institutions– But it is a common allowed base

• State of Tennessee agencies use it

24

TDC computation example

CostElement Description Expenditures410000 Salaries $50,000420000 Benefits 15,000431000 Travel 3,000439000 Supplies 2,000444100 Student Fees 4,000461200 Equipment 10,000481100 Subcnt < $25,000 28,000

Total direct costs $112,000

F&A computationTotal direct costs 112,000

Multiply by F&A rate * 15%

F&A costs $16,800

Total costs $128,800

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Other bases

• Other bases may be defined and used by specific sponsors

• Other bases are never an audited rate specified by the Federal government in F&A rate agreements with educational institutions

• Example – participant support costs

26

Participant support costs

• This F&A base is sometimes an allowable base used by Federal agencies for that portion of the award costs directly supporting participants– May include various types of costs such as

housing, motor pool, supplies, etc.– These costs must be collected separately in

a WBS Element so that the correct F&A costs can be computed and posted

27

Participant support costs computation example

MTDC base Participant Support CostsCost WBS Element #1 WBS Element #2 Total

Element Description Expenditures Expenditures Expenditures410000 Salaries $35,000 $15,000 $50,000420000 Benefits 10,500 4,500 15,000431000 Travel 0 3,000 3,000439000 Supplies 500 1,500 2,000444100 Student Fees 0 4,000 4,000461200 Equipment 10,000 0 10,000481100 Subcnt < $25,000 28,000 0 28,000

Total direct costs $84,000 $28,000 $112,000

Less modifiers:461200 Equipment (10,000)

Total modifiers ($10,000)

F&A Base $74,000 $28,000

Multiply by F&A rate * 45% * 8%

F&A costs $44,100 $2,240 $46,340

Total costs $128,100 $30,240 $158,340

28

F&A posting

• Audited F&A costs are debited to the sponsored project WBS Element using cost element 501000

29

F&A cost sharing

• Definition:– The difference between our audited rate and what

the sponsor will allow

• Must be negotiated & approved in advance by campus / unit research office

• Most sponsors will pay our audited rate• F&A cost sharing should be minimized

– A portion of collected F&A is returned to college / unit that generated it

– This is reimbursement for actual costs that UT has already spent

30

F&A cost sharing attributes

• Attributes are located in IRIS on CJ20N– Cust enhancement tab– Settlement rule and settlement parameters

• Can be complicated to set up correctly

31

Allowable F&A attributes

• If there is a difference between the audited rate and base and the allowed rate and base, then F&A cost sharing is indicated

• These attributes are for informational purposes only – they don’t actually control the F&A and F&A cost sharing postings

32

Settlementrequired attribute

• In IRIS, cost sharing is accomplished by a process known as “settlement”

• The “settlement req” attribute must indicate whether or not there is an active settlement rule on the WBS Element

33

Menu path to settlement

• The settlement parameters and settlement rule are attached to the WBS Element

34

Settlement rule

• The settlement rule shows the percentage of F&A costs to be cost shared

• In this example, 92.89% of the F&A costs must be cost shared to get to the allowed rate of 3.2%– 45% * .9289 = 41.8– 45% - 41.8% = 3.2%

35

Settlement parameters

• The settlement parameters control the type of settlement to be done

• Get here via menu path Goto > Settlement parameters

36

F&A cost sharing posting

• F&A cost sharing is credited using cost element 501990 in an amount sufficient so that the net F&A charge is equal to the amount or % allowed by the sponsor

37

Importance of postinggross amounts

• UT records the gross amounts for F&A costs and for F&A cost sharing in separate cost elements– Fully cost the project– Monitor cost sharing for management

purposes– Easily report cost sharing to sponsors– Cost sharing must be quantified for

F&A rate proposals

38

F&A costs and F&A costsharing posting example

CostElement Description Expenditures410000 Salaries $50,000420000 Benefits 15,000431000 Travel 3,000439000 Supplies 2,000444100 Student Fees 4,000461200 Equipment 10,000481100 Subcnt < $25,000 28,000

Total direct costs $112,000

501000 F&A costs $44,100501990 F&A cost sharing (22,050)

Net F&A costs $22,050

Total costs $134,050

Gross F&A costs

Gross F&A cost sharing

Net F&A costs allowable

39

Posting exceptionfor TDC base

• IRIS is unable to charge the audited base and net down to a TDC base

• Solution:– Charge the allowable rate using TDC base

• Implications:– Overstates F&A costs– Overstates F&A cost sharing– Net F&A amount is correct

40

TDC posting example

CostElement Description Expenditures410000 Salaries $50,000420000 Benefits 15,000431000 Travel 3,000439000 Supplies 2,000444100 Student Fees 4,000461200 Equipment 10,000481100 Subcnt < $25,000 28,000

Total direct costs $112,000

45% MTDC Audited F&A costs $44,100 correctplug F&A cost sharing (27,300) correct

15% TDC Net F&A costs $16,800 correct

501000 Audited F&A costs $50,400 overstated501990 F&A cost sharing (33,600) overstated

Net F&A costs $16,800 correct

Total costs $128,800

Here’s how we wish we could

post it

Here’s how we actually post it

41

F&A overspending

• Sometimes, a PI may over or under spend a project because only the direct cost budget variance was reviewed– Spending differently than the budget may

cause this if differences are between F&A and non-F&A bearing cost elements

– See the example on the next slide– IRIS reports ZFM_WBS_SUMMARY and

ZFWBS012 calculate amount left to spend taking this situation into account

42

F&A overspending example

Cost Budget ActualElement Description Amount Expenditures410000 Salaries 50,000$ 52,583$ 420000 Benefits 15,000 14,125 431000 Travel 3,000 2,865 439000 Supplies 2,000 5,983 444100 Student fees 4,000 2,844 461200 Equipment 10,000 6,252 481100 Subcnt < $25,000 28,000 26,488

Total direct costs 112,000$ 111,140$

Less modifiers:444100 Student fees (4,000)$ (2,844)$ 461200 Equipment (10,000) (6,252)

Total modifiers (14,000)$ (9,096)$

MTDC base 98,000$ 102,044$

Multiply by F&A rate * 45% * 45%

F&A costs 44,100$ 45,920$

Total costs 156,100$ 157,060$

Underspent direct costs by $860, but OVERSPENToverall by $960 due to spending out-of-category

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Training classes• 1 Overview of Accounting for Sponsored Projects• 2 OMB Circulars & Cost Accounting Standards• 3 Understanding F&A Costs• 4 Direct Costing• 5 Cost Transfers & Closeout• 6 Cost Sharing• 7 Subcontract Monitoring• 8 Advanced Topics• 9 Invoicing, Reporting & Cash Receipts• 10 Sponsored Projects Reports in IRIS

• Other – IRIS reporting for sponsored projects