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Training Grants

Why has a Termination Notice been returned?

The most common reasons Term Notices are returned by GCA are:

  • Missing electronic validation ("signature")

    • MUST be validated by both the Principal Investigator (PI) and the Trainee for Training Grants

    • For Fellowships: Fellow and Sponsor (PI) validation required.

      • When such situations occur, and the institution has tried unsuccessfully to include the Sponsor in the termination process, the Business Official may assume responsibility for certification and submit the termination notice to the agency via xTrain.

      • From NIH Commons FAQs: In unusual cases, the Sponsor may not be available to certify the information on the termination notice.

  • Incorrect stipend payment listed

    • Actual pay MUST correspond to trainee's stipend amounts listed on the training grant and the UW's proration calculation (see the Proration Calculator to calculate correct stipend amounts).

    • Supplemental/additional compensation on other budgets is not included in GCA's reconciliation.

    • GCA calculates salary transactions that posted in the financial system to the training grant. These can include salary transfers that are not reflected in the OPUS salary distributions.

The trainee's salary distribution is correct. Why has GCA returned the Termination Notice?

GCA calculates salary transactions that posted in the financial system to the training grant. These can include salary transfers which are not reflected in the WORKDAY salary distributions.

Why can't trainees be paid under the 01-20 or 01-40 object codes on the training grant if they have other roles as well?

Using any salary object codes other than the allowable ones will charge the training grant additional benefits which are NOT allowed to be charged (per NIH restrictions).

Stipends are to be coded either 01-50 for post-doctoral trainees or 01-90/08-02 for pre-doctoral trainees.

What do we do if our trainee has moved on and is not responsive to requests to complete the Termination Notice?

Completing the Termination Notice is a condition of accepting the appointment. If the trainee doesn't respond after repeated attempts, contact GCA via gcahelp@uw.edu or via Grant Tracker.

The trainee is being appointed on another award/fellowship. Do they have to prepare a Termination Notice?

Yes.

Our trainee is going to be reappointed on this award. Do they have to prepare a Termination Notice?

No. Trainees prepare Termination Notices only when their final year on the award is completed.

A trainee has terminated early. How do I prorate the stipend amount for a trainee?

NIH prorates by whole months, then days within the month. The UW payroll calculates differently: number of working days in a half-month payroll cycle. When entering the trainee's total stipends use the UW amount.  A Termination Notice Proration Calculator has been developed to assist. Once the prorated amount has been verified, the actual stipend payments in MyFD, and the stipend amount listed on the termination notice must match the calculated proration.

E.g.  trainee was appointed a yearly amount of $22,032 but only trainees from 7/01/13-2/13/14

  • xTrain calculates (22032/12*7)+(22032/12/28*13) on the term notice

  • UW payroll would reflect the final month of payment as 9 of 10 working days multiplied by the half month: (22032/12*7)+(22032/12/2*9/10)

NIH accepts these differences that are within a reasonable amount.

Due to rounding or percentage differences in WORKDAY, our trainee is not being paid precisely according to their Statement of Appointment. Is this OK?

GCA will approve Termination Notices if the difference over the entire training period is less than $20.

Our trainee was paid in salary object codes other than 01-50, 01-90/08-02. Is this OK?

01-50, 01-90, and 08-02 are the only allowable objects codes that denote stipends. Using another salary object code can denote an employee/employer relationship, which is counter to the NIH Grants Policy Statement "stipends for trainees are not “salary” and not provided as a condition of employment..."  Other salary object codes also cause unallowable benefits to be charged to the grant AND can cause tax implications for trainees.

How do fringe benefit payments related to correcting stipend underpayments post?

A correction to an underpayment of a trainee’s salary will post fringe benefits at whatever the rate is at the time of posting.  Please inform GCA of when you expect the charges to post to help us ensure the financial report submitted to the sponsor is accurate.

Tuition

How do I resolve issues with expenditures under 08-05 (tuition)?

Tuition charges are a result of a department processing tuition scholarships or fellowships, through the University’s SDB (Student Data Base).  These charges are coded as 08-05 (please note that this is not the same as 08-02, which is for stipend payments).  Questions regarding tuition charges should be directed to Student Fiscal Services. They can be reached at: sfshelp@uw.edu, or 206-543-4694.

 

Unexpended Balance

Can I keep, or carry forward, an unexpended balance?

An unexpended balance is a result of awarded funds not being spent. That is to say that the total expenditures for a project are less than the amount awarded. If a sponsor has paid for the entire award then there could be cash remaining. If a sponsor is one that we invoice then there could be awarded, but yet to be paid, funds remaining.

There are certain circumstances that allow the University to keep and/or carryforward the remaining, or unspent, funds. Usually OSP (Office of Sponsored Programs) will identify an award as one where the University having the authority to retain unexpended balances. OSP will pass the information onto GCA (Grant and Contract Accounting) through the eFA (electronic funding action) process.

If OSP has not designated whether the University can keep and/or carryforward unexpended balances, approval may need to be obtained from the sponsor. If the project with the unexpended balance has a continuation budget (the continuation of a project under a separate budget number) it is possible to have the unexpended balance moved to the new budget number. If the project with the unexpended balance is a fixed price, or clinical trial, grant or contract, it is possible to move the unexpended funds to a corresponding department surplus account. If the budget with the unexpended balance is neither a fixed price, nor a clinical trial, has no continuation budget, and the University does not have the authority to keep and/or carryforward the balance, GCA will return the funds to the sponsor.