Effort Calculation & Conversion

Effort Calculation and Conversion to Calendar Months

Effort represents the proportion of an individual’s total institutional activities (instruction, research, service, and administration) dedicated to a specific project or sponsored activity. It is expressed as a percentage of 100% effort, regardless of the number of hours worked.

Converting Percent Effort to Calendar Months

For proposal budgeting and reporting, effort is often expressed in calendar months (CM). This allows for consistent representation of effort across sponsors and project periods.

To convert percent effort to calendar months:

Calendar Months = (Percent Effort ÷ 100) × 12

Examples:

• 10% effort = 1.2 calendar months
• 25% effort = 3.0 calendar months
• 50% effort = 6.0 calendar months

This conversion assumes a 12-month appointment. For individuals on 9-month appointments, effort should still be calculated against their total institutional effort, with any summer effort budgeted separately as appropriate.

Important Considerations

• Total effort across all activities cannot exceed 100%.
• Effort commitments should reflect a reasonable estimate of the work required to complete the proposed project.
• Effort is not based on hours worked, but on the proportion of overall institutional responsibilities.
• The value of an individual’s effort is determined by the individual’s institutional base salary (and fringe benefits).
• Salary charges must align with the committed level of effort. Faculty must certify their sponsored project effort periodically via the university’s effort reporting system.
• Sponsored activities may not result in any employees receiving compensation at a rate in excess of their base salary.
• In general, faculty may receive a grant-funded add-pay only during their non-contract period (i.e. during summer months). Grant-funded academic year effort may result in a course buyout and/or salary savings for the unit but not an add-pay.
• Students, including Graduate Students, may not work more than 20 hours per week when school is in session. This means a “full-time” graduate research assistant can devote at most 4.5 calendar months of effort to a sponsored project during the 9-month academic year. A student can work up to 40 hours per week during summer months, or 3.0 months of effort at most, but the student should be paid at the same academic year rate to ensure consistency of costs.
• Unfunded or cost shared effort: Tenured and tenure-track faculty often have a portion of their academic year effort reserved for research, as specified in their individual work plan. Faculty may devote some of this academic year research effort to a sponsored project. If funding for this effort is not requested in the sponsored project budget, it is considered unfunded or cost shared effort. Unfunded effort should be included when faculty report their effort on current and pending support documents. This effort may also be considered voluntary or mandatory cost share, depending on sponsor guidelines.