Published July 7, 2021
As previously announced, the fringe calculation methodology required by Workday and updated F&A Rates are scheduled to be released in RMS on July 19, 2021. The new fringe calculation is a flat rate based on job/appointment type and funding source (federal/state/local or other). An updated Fringe Calculation Spreadsheet tool will be released that allows departments to evaluate the new fringe rates outside of RMS.
Please continue to use the current rates in RMS until the system is updated on July 19.
To prepare for this release in RMS, users will not be allowed to access RMS after 5 p.m. on Friday, July 16, 2021. All RMS activity required for applications that are due July 16-18 must be completed by 5:00 p.m. on July 16.
On July 19, you will be able to access RMS with the updated fringes and F&A rates.
Important Information About S2S Submissions That Are Due July 16:
- These must be submitted to the agency and error free before 5 p.m. on Friday, July 16
- Proposals not submitted and/or error free will not be able to be submitted until Monday, July 19, at which time the agency would consider them late
- Please route for Partial and Full reviews before 5 p.m. on Tuesday, July 13
- Please route for Final review before 5 p.m. on Thursday, July 15
Fringe Changes
- Effective July 1, 2021, fringes will be charged as a flat rate based on job/appointment type (academic, staff, postdoc, clinical fellow, etc.) and funding source (federal/state/local or other). Dependent tuition will not be charged to state and local sponsors, as has been the case with federal sponsors.
- RMS will automatically apply the correct fringe rate based on HR and sponsor information. This can be changed if necessary.
- Fringes will be charged only on the first $200,000 of base salary per calendar year. This is the fringe cap.
- Once the fringe cap is reached by total base pay during a calendar year, fringes can no longer be charged to a grant even if there are remaining months of allowable salary. Note: Charging of fringe benefits will restart at the beginning of new calendar year.
In-Flight Budgets (proposals created prior to July 19, but submitted on or after July 19)
All budgets, including revised budgets, submitted on and after July 19, should use the new fringe calculation rates. Workday began charging using the new methodology on July 1, 2021, regardless of when the proposal was submitted or awarded.
If you must use the old fringe rates, complete the budget tab by July 16. Once the new rates are released, this cannot be updated without triggering the new rates. Actions that will trigger the new rates are reapplying the F&A, adding new personnel and refreshing appointments or updating effort for existing personnel.
Fringes for Personnel with Salaries over $200,000 (primarily Danforth)
Fringe amounts for personnel earning over the fringe cap of $200,000 who have effort only in academic or summer months are not being calculated correctly in RMS. The University is working with the vendor to implement a fix.
Until the issue can be resolved, fringe amounts should be manually calculated and entered in RMS using the fringe calculation spreadsheet (to be released on July 19). A demo of how to complete this spreadsheet is available beginning at 38:20 of this STAR session recording. To receive STAR credit for viewing the full recording, see below.
Resources
- Watch the recording of the STAR Hot Topic: New Fringe Methodology for STAR credit
- Fringe Calculation Spreadsheet tool for manual fringe calculation and entry (Available on July 19)
- A quick guide to completing the spreadsheet tool will be available on July 19.
Workday Refactoring Changes
- New personnel hired after June 1 will not be available in RMS until July 19. If needed, add these individuals as a To Be Named (TBN). See the RMS User Guide “Add a To Be Named (TBN, TBD)” section beginning on page 119.
- Until July 18, RMS will contain salary data as of June 26.
- During proposal development, on the WU Setup Questions tab in the Award Cost Center field, enter the Cost Center where the award line (fund/account) should be setup in Workday. This must be formatted as CC followed by 7 numbers. (e.g. CC0000000) This is sent to Workday by SPA at the time of award. Make sure the correct cost center is entered in the proper format.
- The degree format will change to align with Workday. (e.g. BA will display as B)
Questions?
Contact Teri Medley at medleyt@wustl.edu.