SPA Website Update: Composite Benefit Rates (CBRs)

Dear Colleagues: 

As a follow-up to the October 29, 2018 communication from Provost Lavernia regarding Composite Benefit Rate (CBR), we are writing to inform you that the Employee Fringe Benefit webpage on the Sponsored Projects website has been updated to reflect the new CBR rates. 

UCI will transition from its long-standing practice of using actual or composite benefit rates in proposal budgets to the use of a federally negotiated Composite Benefit Rate.  This change is required because of the implementation of UCPATH at UCI, projected for March of 2019.  

Effective immediately but no later than November 15, 2018, fringe benefit costs for salaries and wages included in extramural proposal budgets should be calculated by multiplying the salary by the applicable CBR listed on our website.    Because there is approximately a six month span between proposal submission and the actual funding, including the CBR in proposal budgets now will help ensure that projects that are funded in the near future include sufficient funding to cover the costs of the fringe benefits (CBR) that will be charged to the project. 

To help ease this transition, the UCI Budget Office has also created a UC Path Composite Benefit Rate website, which provides additional guidance and resources.  The Budget Office is also working to develop a mitigation plan to offset increased costs to existing sponsored awards, due to the implementation of CBRs.  Details on this mitigation plan can be found on their website.  The site will be updated periodically as more information becomes available, so please check back often. 

Feel free to contact your Assigned Contracts and Grants Officer, if you have questions or concerns regarding the inclusion of CBR in proposal budgets. 

Questions regarding the implementation of the UCPath Composite Benefit Rates, the CBR structure or determination of applicable employee group, should be directed to Nancy Im in the UCI Budget Office at 949-824-1506 or by email at nancyim@uci.edu

Please forward this message to your faculty, researchers and staff as appropriate. 

Sandra M. Stevens

Associate Director, Sponsored Projects

 

Sponsored Projects Administration

Office of Research

University of California, Irvine

141 Innovation, Suite 250
Irvine, CA 92617-3213

PH:  (949) 824-4928

Fax: (949) 824-2094

E-mail: sandrams@uci.edu    

http://www.research.uci.edu/

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