Effort
Tufts University is required by federal regulations (2 CFR 200.430) to have a salary distribution system that allows for periodic review and confirmation of the reasonableness of salary charges to sponsored awards.
Employee Compensation Compliance, or ECC, is used to report and certify payroll for all sponsored awards.
Tufts University leaves of absence policy is outlined in the Employee Handbook. The employee’s department must work with the Leave of Absence Specialist to report the leave. If an employee is absent for more than 30 calendar days and the employee’s salary, or a portion of salary, is paid from a sponsored award, the salary may only be charged to the sponsored award for 30 calendar days or up to the date at which a replacement is hired for the person, whichever comes first; after which the salary of the person on leave must be allocated to a department account. In cases when the sponsor agency issued guidance regarding the allowability of extended leave costs on the award, the sponsor rules will be followed.
Please refer to Salary and Wage Distribution and Certification Policy for effort certification procedures.
Maximum Effort Threshold
Tufts University policy allows faculty members to charge up to 95% of their annual academic and/or supplemental/summer effort to sponsored awards if their other University responsibilities are less than or equal to 5% of their total time and effort. Non-sponsored activity includes responsibilities related to teaching, grant writing, committee participation, administrative duties, department or other chairmanships, or other administrative responsibilities. While committed sponsored effort is certified at the account level, the effort associated with non-sponsored activities is aggregated.
Research faculty are expected to obtain their full compensation through external funding (policy on Research Faculty Appointments voted by full Board of Trustees May 30, 1981, amended by full Board of Trustees February 24, 1990). For research faculty who are funded only by sponsored projects and do not have duties other than those related to their awards, proposal development work must not be part of the compensated FTE portion. Research faculty whose full FTE was paid 100% from sponsored projects during the preceding fiscal year may be asked to confirm that they had no non-sponsored responsibilities.