Summer Salary Guidance and FAQs
Purpose
The guidelines below are intended to ensure that all 2025 summer salaries being charged to extramural funds are transacted in accordance with federal regulation, funding agency requirements, and internal policy and procedure.
For whom this guidance applies:
All full‐time Faculty with 9‐month academic contracts.
Background
A request for summer salary indicates a commitment to allocate effort on a particular project during the summer period, not the academic year. Consistent with federal regulation and sponsor requirements, salary commitments for sponsored projects conducted during the summer period (i.e., outside the academic year), may be budgeted on externally funded awards. No more than twelve months of total salary support (academic plus summer salary) will be approved in a twelve‐month period. Federal regulation, sponsor policies and any policies related to academic units will determine the number of months of summer salary that can be funded (e.g., some agencies only allow two months of summer salary support). Principal Investigators (PIs) are responsible for knowing and following federal regulation, funding agency policies, terms, and conditions, as well as institutional policies pertaining to summer salary and for initiating the process to pay salaries from external awards. Summer period activities that may not be charged to sponsored programs include, but are not limited to, the following: proposal writing, course preparation, writing letters of recommendation, committee work, and vacation or sick time.
Summer salary requests should be consistent with the scope and timeline of a project, as noted for example, in a final agreement or notice of award. Summer pay is not guaranteed compensation and, as such, should only be requested for work being performed that benefits the sponsored award. If specific work cannot be performed in accordance with the award, summer salary cannot be requested and cannot not be charged to the award.
All summer work performed by faculty will be considered on a case‐by‐case basis and requires written prior approval by the
individual's appointing unit.
FAQs
1. When do my summer salary requests need to be submitted for payment processing during the year?
Faculty should coordinate with the ir department administration and/or business manager to submit their summer salary requests in a complete, accurate and timely manner. Untimely submission of summer salary requests may result in non-compliance with established cost principles and will impact your ability to charge this expense to your grant. Summer salary requests will be processed no earlier than April 21, 2025, to ensure adequate timing and disbursement. All 2025 summer salary requests must be submitted to Sponsored Program Accounting with all supporting documentation no later than August 30, 2025.
2. Can I submit a single summer supplemental salary request for all three summer months combined.
The structure of the supplemental salary submission form and the processing of the requests through the payroll process do not allow for a breakdown of a single request to be paid out over multiple pay periods. Separate requests should be submitted for each summer month in question to ensure the proper timing of the distribution of such a salary.
3. Can I request 100% Effort be charged for the summer period?
Faculty should not request 100% effort during any given month within the summer period, with the recommended maximum effort in any given month capped at 95% to allow for unallowable activities which may include, but are not limited to, the following: proposal writing, course preparation, writing letters of recommendation, committee work, and vacation or sick time. In the rare instance where there is a need to exceed 95% effort, the faculty must document the prior written approval (see item 7 below) from their respective department chair or dean and Vice Provost for Research. No more than twelve months of total salary support (academic plus summer salary) will be approved in a twelve‐month period. Those with minor and/or major administrative appointments are subject to additional requirements as outline below.
4. How is summer salary considered for those faculty that also have a minor and/or major administrative appointment?
- As approved by the provost office on March 8, 2023, the following would apply regardless of whether the individual is a 9‐month or 12‐month appointed faculty. If a faculty member, with a minor and/or major administrative role (e.g., Chair) receives an extramural grant that covers part of their salary, they may request summer salary.
- In consultation with the respective supervisor (e.g., Provost, Vice President, Dean), the faculty member can cover up to 90% of their non‐administrative salary (non-administrative salary = Institutional Base Salary (IBS) less any administrative supplement) during their summer months.
- An exception can be requested to cover 95% of the non‐administrative salary, to be reviewed and approved by the provost’s office (e.g., by the Vice Provost for Research).
- A faculty member with any other non‐research – related responsibilities (e.g., teaching, student training outside of that associated with an extramurally funded grant, or administrative role) cannot commit 100% effort (from a sponsored project) at any time during the academic year or the summer months, as this would create a “conflict of
commitment”, thus 95% over any month is the limit.
5. What is the maximum amount of summer support that can be charged to my National Science Foundation (NSF) awards?
As a general policy, NSF limits the salary compensation requested in the proposal budget for key personnel to no more than two months of their regular salary in any one year. This limit includes salary compensation received from all NSF‐funded grants. If anticipated, compensation of more than two months must be disclosed in the proposal budget and be well justified in the budget justification. If more than two months of salary support is approved by NSF, it must be included in the award budget.
For more information, please visit the NSF Website at the following link: https://new.nsf.gov/policies/pappg/24‐1/ch‐2‐proposal‐preparation#ch2D2fi
6. To what extent does the charging of summer salary expense need to be documented?
Documentation required to justify/support summer salary should consist of the following:
- Evidence that the research or activities being performed were authorized (e.g., as evidenced in the proposal budget and budget justification)
- If the summer salary request is not part of an original proposal, confirmation of agency pre‐approval or prenotification, if required.
- Approval by the individual's appointing unit, including any documented prior approval from their respective department chair, dean and/or Vice Provost for Research or dean for summer salary effort requests exceeding 95%.
- The overall committed effort percentage that is required of the award in question (i.e., what has been budgeted and/or approved by the sponsor) must be documented in the comment section of the completed summer salary request.
- For Lakeside activity, all documentation should be stored in the PTAP System.
7. How often do I need to document prior approval from my chair or dean?
In the event approval of a summer salary request is required from a department chair, dean and/or Vice Provost for Research, this prior approval must be documented each calendar year. This annual acknowledgement will ensure there is no potential conflict of commitment for the faculty member requesting summer salary. A chair or deans’ approval of a proposal in PTAP is not sufficient evidence of the annual approval requirement.
8. What resources are available to assist in considering summer salary (or other expense categories) for my award?
Please visit the Sponsored Program Accounting and Office of Research Services websites for additional information related to various agency guidelines and resources. Additionally, it is recommended that you routinely check with your funding agency to ensure that you have the flexibility and authority to charge certain transactions to your awards. Please contact your Grant Management Specialist or Grant Management Official for your award directly for any necessary clarifications.
Summer Salary Guidance: Posted 04/09/2025; Last Reviewed 04/09/2025
Purpose
The guidelines below are intended to ensure that all 2025 summer salaries being charged to extramural funds are transacted in accordance with federal regulation, funding agency requirements, and internal policy and procedure.
For whom this guidance applies:
All full‐time Faculty with 9‐month academic contracts.
Background
A request for summer salary indicates a commitment to allocate effort on a particular project during the summer period, not the academic year. Consistent with federal regulation and sponsor requirements, salary commitments for sponsored projects conducted during the summer period (i.e., outside the academic year), may be budgeted on externally funded awards. No more than twelve months of total salary support (academic plus summer salary) will be approved in a twelve‐month period. Federal regulation, sponsor policies and any policies related to academic units will determine the number of months of summer salary that can be funded (e.g., some agencies only allow two months of summer salary support). Principal Investigators (PIs) are responsible for knowing and following federal regulation, funding agency policies, terms, and conditions, as well as institutional policies pertaining to summer salary and for initiating the process to pay salaries from external awards. Summer period activities that may not be charged to sponsored programs include, but are not limited to, the following: proposal writing, course preparation, writing letters of recommendation, committee work, and vacation or sick time.
Summer salary requests should be consistent with the scope and timeline of a project, as noted for example, in a final agreement or notice of award. Summer pay is not guaranteed compensation and, as such, should only be requested for work being performed that benefits the sponsored award. If specific work cannot be performed in accordance with the award, summer salary cannot be requested and cannot not be charged to the award.
All summer work performed by faculty will be considered on a case‐by‐case basis and requires written prior approval by the
individual's appointing unit.
FAQs
1. When do my summer salary requests need to be submitted for payment processing during the year?
Faculty should coordinate with the ir department administration and/or business manager to submit their summer salary requests in a complete, accurate and timely manner. Untimely submission of summer salary requests may result in non-compliance with established cost principles and will impact your ability to charge this expense to your grant. Summer salary requests will be processed no earlier than April 21, 2025, to ensure adequate timing and disbursement. All 2025 summer salary requests must be submitted to Sponsored Program Accounting with all supporting documentation no later than August 30, 2025.
2. Can I submit a single summer supplemental salary request for all three summer months combined.
The structure of the supplemental salary submission form and the processing of the requests through the payroll process do not allow for a breakdown of a single request to be paid out over multiple pay periods. Separate requests should be submitted for each summer month in question to ensure the proper timing of the distribution of such a salary.
3. Can I request 100% Effort be charged for the summer period?
Faculty should not request 100% effort during any given month within the summer period, with the recommended maximum effort in any given month capped at 95% to allow for unallowable activities which may include, but are not limited to, the following: proposal writing, course preparation, writing letters of recommendation, committee work, and vacation or sick time. In the rare instance where there is a need to exceed 95% effort, the faculty must document the prior written approval (see item 7 below) from their respective department chair or dean and Vice Provost for Research. No more than twelve months of total salary support (academic plus summer salary) will be approved in a twelve‐month period. Those with minor and/or major administrative appointments are subject to additional requirements as outline below.
4. How is summer salary considered for those faculty that also have a minor and/or major administrative appointment?
- As approved by the provost office on March 8, 2023, the following would apply regardless of whether the individual is a 9‐month or 12‐month appointed faculty. If a faculty member, with a minor and/or major administrative role (e.g., Chair) receives an extramural grant that covers part of their salary, they may request summer salary.
- In consultation with the respective supervisor (e.g., Provost, Vice President, Dean), the faculty member can cover up to 90% of their non‐administrative salary (non-administrative salary = Institutional Base Salary (IBS) less any administrative supplement) during their summer months.
- An exception can be requested to cover 95% of the non‐administrative salary, to be reviewed and approved by the provost’s office (e.g., by the Vice Provost for Research).
- A faculty member with any other non‐research – related responsibilities (e.g., teaching, student training outside of that associated with an extramurally funded grant, or administrative role) cannot commit 100% effort (from a sponsored project) at any time during the academic year or the summer months, as this would create a “conflict of
commitment”, thus 95% over any month is the limit.
5. What is the maximum amount of summer support that can be charged to my National Science Foundation (NSF) awards?
As a general policy, NSF limits the salary compensation requested in the proposal budget for key personnel to no more than two months of their regular salary in any one year. This limit includes salary compensation received from all NSF‐funded grants. If anticipated, compensation of more than two months must be disclosed in the proposal budget and be well justified in the budget justification. If more than two months of salary support is approved by NSF, it must be included in the award budget.
For more information, please visit the NSF Website at the following link: https://new.nsf.gov/policies/pappg/24‐1/ch‐2‐proposal‐preparation#ch2D2fi
6. To what extent does the charging of summer salary expense need to be documented?
Documentation required to justify/support summer salary should consist of the following:
- Evidence that the research or activities being performed were authorized (e.g., as evidenced in the proposal budget and budget justification)
- If the summer salary request is not part of an original proposal, confirmation of agency pre‐approval or prenotification, if required.
- Approval by the individual's appointing unit, including any documented prior approval from their respective department chair, dean and/or Vice Provost for Research or dean for summer salary effort requests exceeding 95%.
- The overall committed effort percentage that is required of the award in question (i.e., what has been budgeted and/or approved by the sponsor) must be documented in the comment section of the completed summer salary request.
- For Lakeside activity, all documentation should be stored in the PTAP System.
7. How often do I need to document prior approval from my chair or dean?
In the event approval of a summer salary request is required from a department chair, dean and/or Vice Provost for Research, this prior approval must be documented each calendar year. This annual acknowledgement will ensure there is no potential conflict of commitment for the faculty member requesting summer salary. A chair or deans’ approval of a proposal in PTAP is not sufficient evidence of the annual approval requirement.
8. What resources are available to assist in considering summer salary (or other expense categories) for my award?
Please visit the Sponsored Program Accounting and Office of Research Services websites for additional information related to various agency guidelines and resources. Additionally, it is recommended that you routinely check with your funding agency to ensure that you have the flexibility and authority to charge certain transactions to your awards. Please contact your Grant Management Specialist or Grant Management Official for your award directly for any necessary clarifications.
Summer Salary Guidance: Posted 04/09/2025; Last Reviewed 04/09/2025