Faqs - Effort Certification

How often is the data in an effort report updated?
Once a distribution is posted in Banner it will be visible in the effort certification module.

Why can’t I see my current effort?
Online Effort Certification is a post-review process. The past quarter’s effort is what is being certified.

I noticed the report wasn’t correct. When I click request change, am I done?
No, you will still need to have the paperwork or EPAF initiated to perform the request for the redistribution. When you click on the request change icon this simply flags the effort reporting module to note that changes are being requested. Also, please provide a note in the ‘Comment’ section of the Effort Report when a change request is made.

Example: Pay #14 does not reflect the correct dates; redistribution is needed.
Example: I should have been paid off of a different index – 2xxxxx for the period of 7/1/2015 to 8/10/2015.

How does the change request get made?
Please direct the automatic email to your budget manager asking them to initiate the PA form with the correct distribution, and cc: effortchangereq@utoledo.edu.

How will I know when change request is done?
Once the Personnel Action Form is initiated, routed, approved, and the redistribution is posted in Banner, then the Effort Report will reflect the change. There will be an ‘Update Button’ on the Effort Report Information Panel and when clicked changes will be pulled into the report. In addition, an email notification will be sent to the Certifier.

How do the graduate students know what index number they working on?
The report displays the description of the fund, but this information will need to be communicated from the PI/budget manager to the graduate students.

How do I know what dates are included in the period that is being certified?
Please see the schedule of dates. On the right hand side within the module, there are pay dates that are included.

How do I see how my pay was broken down for each pay?
On the right hand side in the Effort Certification Module, Pay period summary you can click into the distributions.

Why doesn’t my effort certification report match the pay period summary report?
The Effort Reporting Module calculates the effort percentages based on the total effort for the entire time period.

How do I know I have reports to certify?
An automatic email will be sent to your University of Toledo email address when there is action that is needed.

How do I request a change or redistribution to a period that has already been certified?
In the rare instance this may occur. Please fill out the form, located on the Grants Accounting website, to open the period and initiate the associated labor redistribution request to the appropriate change. This will require you obtain signatures from the Dean/Chair of the Department, The Office of Research and The Director of Grants Accounting.

How do I set someone up to act as a proxy on my behalf?
This is done through the effort certification module proxy or super-user page. Add a proxy, type their name, save. If the individual you wish to add as a proxy is not listed please contact EffortReport@utoledo.edu asking to add the individual’s name, UTAD ID and rocket number. Please be advised, by setting someone up as a proxy on your behalf, you are assuming responsibility for the actions they make on your behalf.

How long does the proxy assignment stay assigned?
This proxy assignment remains active until you inactivate.

What if I am working on two different projects with different PI’s?
If you need to add a second PI as the reviewer or certifier, please follow these steps:

Select the routing queue
Select Add member
Add the Additional PI name for the post-reviewer role

The system will take into account the current status of the report and will only allow you to assign roles based on the current phase (Preview, certify or post-review).

What about insurance, fees etc. that are paid by the award?
Fees should be allocated based on the percentage of effort an individual works on an award. Therefore, these costs are already included in the allocation percentage. If a non-sponsored award source is responsible for these fees and you are utilizing these fees as cost share please alert the grants analyst assigned to the award.

I do not work on any Federal awards; do I still need to certify my effort?
Our procedure at the University is to certify all sponsor related effort.

My award assignment ended on June 30th. Why did I receive an effort report for the 3rd Quarter Review?
Data in the effort reporting module includes information from the payroll calendar. Although we are certifying quarterly, effort reporting is based on two-week pay periods. If a quarter ends during a pay period the effort certification module includes work that was performed in the prior quarter, in which the pay period extended into the new quarter. Hence the last week of June was included in the 3rd Quarter review. Please see
the Pay Date Schedule below for Effort Certification:

I am currently not assigned to this award; do I still need to certify effort?
If you worked on the award during the Effort Certification Quarter under review, then you still need to certify your effort. Effort Certification is a post review process. Effort is certified for the previous calendar year quarter.

		Pre-Review	Certification	Post-Review
Quarter #1	January 1st – March 31st	April	May	June
Quarter #2	April 1st – June 30th	July	August	September
Quarter #3	July 1st - September 30th	October	November	December
Quarter #4	October 1st – December 31st	January	February	March

I, John Jones, am a PI on an award. I received an email notification that included this information. What does this mean?

“The following have effort reports that need to be certified for 2015 third Quarter and must be certified before 12/13/15:

John Jones (SELF) - Certifier.
Lucille Smith - Alternate Certifier, Pre-reviewer.

You have received this email to notify you that the Effort Certification period is now open.”

You have received this email to notify you the Effort Certification period is open and the certification period has begun.
Each individual working on a sponsored project will receive an email notification based on the awards they are associated with. That notification will have (SELF) next to the name if they need to certify their own effort, report.
The notification may include a list of names if you are a Budget Manger or a PI, along with the role (i.e. Prereviewer, Alternate Certifier) you serve as in the Effort Certification process.
In this case John Jones is the ‘Certifier’ for his own report and John Jones is also the ‘Alternate Certifier’ and ‘Pre-reviewer’ for Lucille Smith.
Each individual is responsible for certifying their own effort. If an individual is not available to certify their own effort, then an Alternate Certifier with first-hand knowledge of the work performed may certify the effort

If I make no commitment of effort on my proposal, yet I included a percentage of effort on the internal budget form; does this constitute cost share for this project?
If you included effort on the internal budget but not in the proposal, it is considered voluntary cost share and is included in the effort certification. This is denoted with the last character of the activity code with a “V.”

Can I claim three months of summer compensation and still have other summer activities or vacation time?
No. If a 12-month academic year faculty member has administrative or other non-research responsibilities (including vacations) during the summer period, he/she is precluded from devoting 100% effort to sponsored projects, and thus from requesting 3 months of salary from a sponsored project.

If an award receives a no-cost extension, do the levels of effort committed in the proposal extend into the no-cost extension period?
If the request for a no-cost extension is made without an accompanying request to decrease the effort commitments made in the proposal, then the levels of effort committed in the proposal will extend into the nocost extension period. A decrease in effort greater than 25% should request approval from the Department Chair, Office of Research and Sponsored Projects and the sponsoring agency.

When I log into the effort certification module and review/certify reports. The individuals listed on my email do not appear.
There are a couple of ways to access the individuals.

Click on the Review or certify reports on the Right hand side.
If you know the individual’s rocket #, you can search by ID in the “Search by ID” function; or
You may use the Advanced Search option to enter the attributes. You may select a variety of search attributes but we suggest always using ‘Chart of Accounts’ = ‘T’ with any additional search attributes. Click the down arrow for Select Attribute. Choose an option. Click on the three dots to the right for available options. Select the appropriate criteria you would like to search. For example:
- Chart of Accounts: “T” and
- Effort Period Code: 2015-4Q.

Once you have entered the desired attributes, click go and the records you are responsible for should appear in the search results.

What do I need to do if I am the PI, but am no longer an employee?
Ideally, the PI would assign a proxy before leaving the University. If there is a Co-PI assigned to the award, the Co-PI can certify and review the records. If you are listed as the PI on an award, but are no longer an employee please follow the instructions below. The Department Chair will need to email effortreport@utoledo.edu with the following statement appointing who should be assigned as your proxy to act on your behalf.

“Grants Accounting,

Please assign _____ to act as a proxy on Dr. Smith’s behalf.

Thank you”

Please note if you have not gone through Effort Report training online training modules are available at http://www.utoledo.edu/offices/controller/grants_accounting/effort-training.html