A cost transfer form should be completed within 90 days of the expense for any cost transfers that move expenditures onto sponsored project accounts (fund 500 or 510). It is not necessary to complete a form for cost transfers where the first six characters of the University-assigned Grant/Program number remain the same but the sub-component or Budget Reference Field changes. The academic department is required to maintain the support documentation as back-up documentation for the cost transfer being performed.  The completed and signed form should be maintained in the grant files of the academic department, in addition scan and attach the completed form in an email to the appropriate Grant Accountant or grant-accounting@uiowa.edu.

Transfer of salary/fringe expenditures

The preferred method for cost transfers involving salary and fringe transactions is the use of the Change of Status mechanism via the University’s Human Resources Information System. This will update the HR records pertaining to said employee, as well as generate the correction of payroll records for any monthly employee.  The Change of Status requires the questions within the cost transfer form to be answered within the system itself, and does not require use of the paper form.  However, the academic department is still required to maintain the support documentation as back-up documentation for the cost transfer(s) being performed.  For those occasions when the Change of Status is not appropriate, the cost transfer form should be used.  

• For any Change of Status that involves a sponsored project and the original entry had an effective date greater than 90 days in the past, HRIS will automatically request a justification to be completed as part of the Change of Status. The Change of Status will flow through the system's workflow path to be approved by the Grant Accounting Office before it makes its way to the HR system.  Grant Accounting will review the justification for adequacy before approving and submitting to the HR system.  Once it reaches HR, the employee's records will be updated and the cost transfers will be completed centrally.
• For bi-weekly cost transfers, the academic department is expected to correct the payroll expenses themselves via the Pay CV system; if they do not have authority to do so, they must ask either the Grant Accounting Office or Accounting and Financial Reporting for assistance.

Note: Cost transfers that involve payroll charges require special treatment. If such a transfer is made after effort certification for the period in question has been accomplished, a revised effort certification form may need to be completed and signed by the affected employee.

Payroll or Fringe - Request and Justification Form to Transfer Salary_Fringe Expenses to Sponsored Project Funds (500_510)

Transfer of non-salary expenditures

• Cost transfers involving non-salary and fringe expenditures for sponsored project accounts should be performed via the Web CV system. A Web CV will require that the questions within the cost transfer form be answered within the system itself, and does not require use of the paper form.  However, the academic department is still required to maintain the support documentation as back-up documentation for the cost transfer(s) being performed. 
• The GL Journal Entry application should only be used for original entries and should not be used to perform cost transfers.

Note: Distribution of phone, copier or similar type charges do not require a Justification form to be completed, provided that a log or other tracking mechanism is maintained by the academic department to document the charge.

Non-Personnel - Cost Transfer Explanation and Justification Form

Last updated: 12/21/2022