Time and Effort Reporting for Federal Grants: A Guide to Careful Documentation

The headlines often read like this-- “Auditors Question Grant Costs: Local Grantee May Have to Repay Federal Funds Because of Poor Documentation.” Even without the public relations damage, the potential financial consequences can be…challenging.

Employee compensation is one of the biggest line items in most federal grant budgets. And, it’s one of the few where there is a specific set of federal standards for what the documentary support for those charges should look like. But, it’s also an area where recipients and subrecipients have to fashion their own systems, and all too often, grantee organizations and their staff members are careless about their procedures and practices for making sure that sufficient support is available to justify these costs. That’s true whether the grantee is a governmental entity, an educational institution or a nonprofit group. If you need proof, check out the websites of the federal inspectors general. The list of organizations that have recently sustained hits on effort reporting is long and distinguished.  

Avoiding problems with this key activity will go a long way toward assuring that your federal grants are not vulnerable to questioned or disallowed costs.

This audio conference will review the nuances of time and effort reporting—what’s required by the Office of Management and Budget circulars that establish what costs are allowable, which ones are not and how the costs are to be documented.

Program Highlights:
 

• What are the policies for documentation of employee compensation for each major set of grant performers (state and local governments, colleges and universities, and nonprofit organizations)?
• Why are budgeted amounts unacceptable for salary and wage support?
• What are the rules concerning full disclosure of all time worked?
• Who completes the documentation or certifies that it's accurate?
• What increments of time and effort must be kept?
• How often do time sheets need to be prepared?
• What is the relationship between grant time and effort reporting and requirements of the federal wage and hour law?

Attendees Who Will Benefit From This Audio Conference Include:
 

• Grants administrators
• Grant program staff
• Financial officers and staff
• Audit liaisons
• Independent auditors

Robert M. Lloyd is a respected authority on policies affecting the acquisition, administration and audit of federal grants and contracts. The former executive director of the Grants Management Advisory Service, Mr. Lloyd has more than 35 years of experience in federal award implementation and oversight. After extensive work with two large federally funded organizations and a national firm, he formed his own management consulting practice in Washington, DC, in 1982. Since then, he has been a trainer, consultant and advisor to management and audit units in fifteen major federal grant making agencies and with grantee, subgrantees and independent audit organizations located in all fifty states, the District of Columbia and 17 foreign countries. In addition, he has served recipient and independent audit organizations located throughout the United States and eight foreign countries. Among his diverse clients are governmental units, colleges and universities, nonprofit organizations, associations and professional and commercial firms.