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Non-Standard Budget Periods
Overview: Sponsors sometimes require specific budget period start and end dates that are not aligned with standard 12-month project year start and end dates. Kuali has great flexibility when setting up non- standard budget periods (i.e. shorter or longer than 12 month periods). However, there are some key steps to take to be sure that budgets calculate as expected.
STEP 1 - Enter the overall start and end dates in Kuali under Basics > Proposal Details.
STEP 2 - Create a summary or detailed budget as needed. Click Periods & Totals to see the Period Start and End Dates that Kuali automatically creates. Note that the default is that all periods are for one year.
STEP 3 - Adjust all period dates before adding any costs. Adjust the dates in chronological order to avoid gaps in time. Save before adding additional budget periods. Kuali will warn you if the periods are not set up correctly. Click Save or Save and Continue. Below you can see that we now have a shorter first and last period.
STEP 4 - For a summary budget, just enter amounts for direct costs, indirect costs, and any cost sharing. For a detailed budget, enter Personnel and Non-Personnel Costs to each period. Do not use AUTOCALCULATE PERIODS.
Manually Assign Personnel to each period. To avoid over- or under-budgeting, keep in mind that Kuali will calculate the percent effort you enter over the entire period entered in each entry in Assign Personnel to Period. Use multiple lines for each person if the period is broken into academic or summer. Be sure to account for all months in the project period.
For Faculty and Staff on Month-Based Appointments (9 or 12 months):
- Whenever the period length is greater or less than the standard amount, you will need to adjust the percent effort calculations using this formula:
months effort budgeted / months available for effort = % effort to enter in Kuali
- AY Salary Example: Let’s say you want to budget one academic month effort for a PI’s Salary but the budget period only includes five academic months available. Normally we would use 1 month/9 months to come up with 11.11% effort. However, due to the shortened period we will calculate 1 month/5 months and use 20% effort.
- Summer Salary Example: If you are trying to apply summer effort on a shortened summer period you would use the same logic as above. Again, let’s budget one summer month effort. Normally we would use 1/3 or 33.33%. Now let’s say you only have two available summer months. Therefore, you would budget one summer month as 50%.
- Calendar Year Example: On a calendar year appointment the project period is seven months instead of 12 months. Again, let’s budget one month effort for simplicity sake. In a normal 12 month period we would calculate effort as 1/12 or 8.33%. With the shortened period, we will calculate effort again as 1/7 or 14.29%
For Graduate and Undergraduate Employees on Week-Based Appointments:
- In order to accurately enter the effort percentage for graduate students in Kuali, you must calculate based on hours/week during the time frame in question. The easiest way to do this is:
Hours per week effort budgeted /40-hour week = % effort to enter in Kuali
- What if the student is working seven hours per week during the summer, but you only have one summer month available in one budget period and two summer months in another budget period? 7/40 = 17.5%, so enter 17.5% for each time frame regardless of length.
- What if the PI asks to budget a student at less than 38 AY weeks or less than 14 summer weeks? Just figure out the total number of hours that will be worked and divide by the number of hours available during that time frame. For example:
10 hours x 8 weeks = 80 hours = 25%
40 hours x 8 weeks = 320 hours
- Alternatively, you can also use the Kuali Salary Guide’s Graduate Student Calculator and adjust the number of weeks in the boxes highlighted in a peach color.
- Please note that the weeks highlighted in green should NEVER exceed those that are highlighted in peach. In fact, you should only change the numbers highlighted in peach when you have a period that is less than 12 months.
- Once you have changed the weeks column that is highlighted in peach to represent the proper number of academic weeks and summer weeks in your shortened period, you can then move forward and use the graduate student calculator as it was originally intended.
STEP 5 - Entering Effort under Key Personnel: Once you are done with your budget, you will need to include effort for each Key Person.
Navigate to Personnel > Key Personnel > Arrow next to Key Person’s Name > Organization. At the bottom of this screen, you will see Effort. Below that are four boxes – Total Effort, Calendar Effort, Academic Year Effort, and Summer Effort. For each UMass Key Person, add the total percent effort for the entire first year of the project to the appropriate boxes. Only enter information into the boxes where effort is actually requested, otherwise leave the box blank. Use only Calendar Year Effort for faculty on 12 month appointments. For 9 month appointees, use Academic Year Effort and/or Summer Effort, as applicable. ALWAYS, leave the Total Effort box blank.
Remember to enter the effort for the entire first year of the project, not just the first budget period if less than 12 months. If the first period is more than 12 months, you will also need to adjust the percentage used to indicate effort in the Key Personnel screen.
Calendar Year Example: On a calendar year appointment the project period is seven months instead of 12 months. Let’s budget one month effort for simplicity sake. Enter the Key Person Calendar Effort as 8.33% (which is 1/12) rather than the amount we entered into the budget in Kuali, which as you might remember, would have been 1/7 or 14.29%.
- Months Calendar Effort as Calculated by Kuali = % Effort for Calendar Effort 12 months
AY Salary Example: If you want to budget one academic month effort for a PI’s Salary but the budget period only includes five academic months available. Enter the Key Person AY Effort as 11.11% (which is 1/9) rather than the amount we entered into the budget in Kuali, which as you might remember, would have been 1/5 or 20%.
- Months Academic Effort as Calculated by Kuali = % Effort for Academic Year Effort 9 months
Summer Salary Example: If you are trying to apply summer effort on a shortened summer period you would use the same logic as above. Again, let’s budget one summer month effort. Now let’s you only have two available summer months. Enter the Key Person Summer Effort as or 33.33% (which is 1/3) rather than the amount we entered into the budget in Kuali, which as you might remember, would have been 1/2 or 50%.
- Months Summer Effort as Calculated by Kuali = % Effort for Calendar Effort 3 months
Example with a Longer Budget Period: If you want to budget eight academic months effort for a PI’s Salary and the budget period is 15 months. When we entered into the budget in Kuali, we would have used 8/15 or 53.33%. Because the rate is the same rate throughout the 12 month period, we would enter the Key Person AY Effort as 53.33%.
Please feel free to reach out to the R&E Help Desk with questions.