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Implementing Effort Certification in Workday
With the assistance of Information Technology Services (ITS), ORSP will be initiating Effort Certification in Workday. Effort Certification is a requirement of Uniform Guidance 2 CFR 200.430 which contains the federal regulatory requirements for internal controls over certifying time expended on externally funded sponsored projects. The University's practice is to utilize after-the-fact effort reporting to certify that salaries charged, or cost shared to sponsored awards, are reasonable and consistent with the work performed.
It requires that each employee whose salary (or portion of salary) is charged to an externally sponsored project certify that the amount that the Government is billed for his/her work is reasonable in relation to the work that the employee performed. All individuals involved with the administration and conduct of externally sponsored award activities, including central and departmental sponsored project administrators, principal investigators, and other research personnel must comply.
The labor provided by an employee often is called his/her "effort." The method by which an employee certifies his/her effort depends on whether the employee is "non-exempt" (also called "hourly" i.e., that he/she is paid by the hour and fills in bi-weekly time sheets), "exempt," (also called "monthly," i.e., that his/her salary is stated by the month, semester, or year, he/she does not fill in bi-weekly time sheets), faculty, (9-month, 12-month, or out-of-unit) or student (including OPS salary who also fills in bi-weekly time sheets with the hours worked on each project they are assigned.)
Effort Certification will be initiated by ORSP in Workday within 60 days after the end of each semester, fall, spring, and summer. The effort certification will be routed for approval and review at the college level grant/budget manager, then to the employee, then to ORSP. Student/OPS effort will be certified by the principal investigator for the project, not the student/OPS worker. Once you log into Workday, the effort will show under notifications. There you will review the effort and decide whether it is the amount committed and hit approved. If the amount is not what you expect to see, you must hit "send back" with a comment on what the issue is, so the effort can be checked and adjusted, if necessary.
We ask that you not hit the "Change Effort" button. The changing of effort requires ORSP to review the budgeted amount and compare with the effort shown in Workday. Once confirmed, the department will enter any salary adjustments, if needed.
The following is an expected schedule for the Effort Certification to be initiated in Workday:
- Fall – ORSP will send notifications to grant/budget managers review in mid Jan – Feb will run Fall effort - Should have all effort certified by March/April.
- Spring – ORSP will send notifications to grant/budget managers review in late May will run Spring effort in June - Should have all effort certified by July/Aug.
- Summer –ORSP will send notifications to grant/budget managers in September and will run Summer in Oct. Should have all effort certified by Nov/ Dec.
ORSP will be announcing training sessions for grant/budget managers, principal investigators and employees that include handouts with instructions regarding effort certification prior to the release.
One can also sign up for a training on the Workday Open-Lab Sessons when they are announced. It is scheduled for April 4, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. In the meantime, please reach out to ORSP with questions.
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