Intra-University Consulting Fees

When a consultant is also a current University employee, the consultant fees must be paid through payroll. Any out-of-pocket expenses incurred by the employee-consultant are reimbursed through established employee expense reimbursement procedures.

Other requirements for payment of these employee-consultants:

• The consulting must be allowed by the academic units involved.
• The consulting must be allowed by, and is subject to, any conditions of the sponsoring agency. On federal grants, contracts, and subcontracts, the consulting must be across departmental lines and the fee cannot exceed the consultant's current daily rate of pay.
• A contract for professional services is required if a fee is to be paid (sponsored funds only), regardless of the dollar amount.
• A signed invoice from the consultant is required to verify that the services were performed. The invoice must be retained in grant files for audit purposes.

Budgeting and effort certification:

• Note that fringe benefits will be charged as an added cost, and the payment will have an effect on the consultant's effort certification card.
• Departments who plan to use internal consultants are advised to budget for the fee and associated fringe in the salary and fringe categories of their proposals and to make a footnote or describe in the budget justification that the pay is a consulting cost over and above the individual's current appointment.
• Departments whose faculty provide consulting services will be required to adjust the effort certification and to remove the consulting cost from the payroll and effort distribution columns. Note on the card that this was a consulting payment.

Direct any questions of acceptability on a sponsored project or preparation of the contract for professional services to the grant administrator for the project being charged.

Direct questions on processing payment to Payroll Services.