Summer Salary

Overview

During the summer service period, faculty members may receive compensation in excess of their academic-year salary. Summer salary calculations for faculty whose summer salary is paid from a sponsored project (grant/contract) AND other non‐sponsored activity such as teaching, university service, or public service, should use a percentage of effort to determine the amount of summer compensation earned from each source.

Appointment Maximum Summer Salary Maximum Summer Salary on Sponsored Projects
9-month 33.33% 30.00%
9.5-month 26.32% 23.67
10-month 20.00% 18.00%
10.5-month 14.28% 12.85%
11-month 9.09% 8.18%
11.5-month 4.34% 3.91%
12-month INELIGIBLE FOR SUMMER SALARY

 

Additional points to keep in mind as you process summer salary payments:

  • Summer salary charged to a sponsored project must be for activities related to the award.
    Non-related activities include:
    • Preparing/submitting competitive proposals
    • Non-sponsor related research
    • Vacation
    • Attending department/faculty meetings
    • Teaching and teaching preparation
    • Administrative work
  • Comments to Approver – In the “Comments to Approver” box in Oracle’s RIT Employee/Adjunct Payment Entry System, please include the project number(s) and the percentage of effort for each as a descriptive note. The information is necessary for the PI and SPA approval process.
  • Leave of Absence – If the faculty member was on leave of absence during the academic year at a reduced salary, the Oracle RIT Employee/Adjunct Payment Entry System will not be able to validate that the summer salary payment(s) does not exceed the appropriate caps. In these cases, you can use a paper version of the Summer Salary Charged to Grants and Contracts EAF.
  • Advance/Lump sum payments (unallowable) – Summer salary is paid during each pay period over the time span that the employee actually works. Payments for faculty who work on summer contracts cannot be paid in a lump sum, nor can they be made in advance of the work actually being performed. For faculty working the entire summer session, the total summer salary will be paid over six (6) pay periods, the first on May 31st and the last on August 15th.
  • Modifying Payments Already Entered and Approved in Oracle - If you are adding to a payment, it may be processed online. If you are reducing a future payment which was already submitted, an email and modified form needs to be sent to SPA and hreaf@rit.edu, and HR will adjust going forward.
  • Flat Rate Payments – Federal regulations require that faculty time spent on sponsored activity be expressed as a percentage of effort. Faculty whose summer salary is paid from a federally sponsored project (grants/contract) and other non-sponsored activity such as teaching, should use a percentage of effort to calculate the amount of summer compensation earned from each source. Receiving a flat rate payment can cause a dilution in effort which would require going back to the sponsor for approval.

If you require any assistance with the summer salary process, please contact your SPA representative or Julie Hawk, Assc. Director for HR Relations at jehpsn@rit.edu. Click HERE for specific SPA Rep departmental assignments.

EAF Worksheet Instructions

The Summer Salary Employee Action Form (EAF) is used to calculate summer salary payments for faculty members who are receiving summer salary charged to grants/contracts during the summer session. The worksheet will automatically calculate the payment amount based on the faculty member’s AY contract for the current academic year, the percentage of effort, and the period of time the work will be performed.

  1. Download the 2024 Summer Salary EAF.
  2. Complete all fields shaded in orange that pertain to the faculty member receiving summer salary.
    • AY Contract choose the appropriate faculty appointment.
    • AY Salary input the faculty member's AY salary.
    • Max Summer Salary calculates the maximum amount the faculty member may receive during the summer.
    • Max Summer Salary (Sponsored Projects) calculates the maximum amount the faculty member may receive if receiving summer salary from sponsored project sources (90% of max summer salary).
    • Has this faculty member submitted additional summer salary payments for Summer? If yes, please include the amount previously submitted.
  3. Oracle Account Number – Complete the full 24 digit Oracle account number for the sponsored project or departmental account with allocated effort. The Oracle RIT Employee/Adjunct Payment Entry System cross-validates account numbers, so it is important the information is accurate prior to entering online.
    • Summer salary is charged to object code 70550: Faculty Summer Salaries.
  4. Start/End Dates – Select the appropriate start/end dates that the time of work to be performed falls between.
    • Start/End Date corresponds to the semi-monthly pay period start/end dates during the summer session.
    • If the dates in which the work is to be performed do not match the given start/end date choices, select the start/end dates the work will fall within.
  5. Percent (%) Effort – Complete the percentage of effort to be allocated to each sponsored project and/or departmental account within the start/end dates you selected in the step above.
    • The actual amount paid is based on the percentage of effort expended by the faculty member during the summer session.
    • A faculty member working on sponsored projects may receive a maximum of 90% of their maximum summer salary.
      • RIT faculty charging more than 90% effort to sponsored projects must complete the Plan of Work form. The form must be approved by the faculty member's department head, dean, the VP of Research, and the Sponsored Programs Accounting Executive Director.
        • This is required as a result of the federal government becoming increasingly more stringent enforcing requirements regarding summer salary for faculty working on federally sponsored projects. Federal audit activity at other research institutions has prompted us to evaluate the current practice of allowing faculty to charge 100% summer salary to sponsored projects. RIT’s policies and procedures are designed to ensure the university and faculty members are safeguarded from potential non-compliance and reputational risks. Note: this is not typical as most individuals would have responsibilities other than research during the summer session.
      • NSF Awards Only – NSF limits salary compensation for senior project personnel to no more than two months of regular salary in one year, including salary compensation received from all NSF-funded grants. Please see below for additional information.
  6. Contract Amount – This represents the payment amount to be allocated to the specific sponsored project or departmental account. This will be the amount you will enter in the Oracle RIT Employee/Adjunct Payment Entry System. Note: This is an automatically calculated field on the EAF.
  7. PI Signature/Approval – The PI on the sponsored project MUST approve the information, without PI approval SPA will not approve the summer salary payment. Note: If the PI or department head is the one receiving the summer salary payment, their supervisor must approve as well.
    • Online - You do not need to obtain the PI’s signature on the paper form. The online summer salary EAF will be routed electronically for PI and SPA approval.
    • Paper - Please collect appropriate signatures for each account. All sponsored projects must have PI approval for each award and be forwarded to SPA for approval. SPA will forward to HR for processing.
  8. ​​The form will automatically calculate the maximum allowable amounts per summer month (May 16.67%, June 33.33%, July 33.33%, August 16.67%% of max Summer Salary). An error will be generated if this amount is exceeded.
  9. The faculty member's home department should prepare all summer salary payments, regardless of the source of funding.
  10. Send completed form to SPA Rep for approval.

Summer Salary Examples

Faculty members who work on sponsored projects commit to a range of effort over the summer session. These examples are to assist in calculating summer salary amounts, effort, and payment period. An image of the SPA Worksheet is included below. Numbers 1-4 in each example can be entered in the corresponding fields (1-4) on the form.

Salary Examples

Scenario 1

9-month faculty member charging an award and discretionary account for 2 weeks' work during the summer.

  1. Base academic year contract: $50,000
  2. Maximum summer salary allowed: $50,000 x 33.33% = $16,666.67
    1. Maximum summer salary on sponsored projects: $50,000 x 30% = $15,000*
      *only applies when taking full summer
  3. Time of work to be performed: June 1st through June 15th
  4. Effort:
    1. Grant #1: 80% ($16,666.67/6 payments = 2,777.78 * 80% = 2,222.22)
    2. Discretionary Account: 20% ($16,666.67/6 payments = 2,777.78 * 20% = $555.56 )

Scenario 2

9-month faculty member working on one project for the entire summer.

  1. Base academic year contract: $50,000
  2. Maximum summer salary allowed: $50,000 x 33.33% = $16,666.67
    1. Maximum summer salary on sponsored projects: $50,000 x 30% = $15,000*
      *only applies when taking full summer
  3. Time of work to be performed: May 16th – August 15th
  4. Effort:
    1. Grant #1: 90% ($16,666.67 * 90% = $15,000)

Scenario 3

9-month faculty member working on multiple projects for the entire summer.

  1. Base academic year contract: $50,000
  2. Maximum summer salary allowed: $50,000 x 33.33% = $16,666.67
    1. Maximum summer salary on sponsored projects: $50,000 x 30% = $15,000*
      *only applies when taking full summer
  3. Time of work to be performed: May 16th - August 15th
  4. Effort:
    1. Grant #1: 50% (16,666.67 * 50% = $8,333.33)
    2. Grant #2: 20% (16,666.67 * 20% = $3,333.33)
    3. Grant #3: 20% (16,666.67 * 20% = $3,333.33)

Scenario 4

10-month faculty member charging one award and discretionary account for work during  the entire summer.

  1. Base academic year contract: $50,000
  2. Maximum summer salary allowed: $50,000 x 20% = $10,000
    1. Maximum summer salary on sponsored projects: $50,000 x 18% = $9,000*
      *only applies when taking full summer
  3. Time of work to be performed: June 1st - July 31st 
  4. Effort:
    1. Grant #1: 90% (10,000 * 90% = 9,000)
    2. Discretionary: 10% (10,000 * 10% = 1,000)

Summer Salary FAQ

Below are several Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) regarding Summer Salary Payments. For other questions, please contact your SPA Representative.

Summer salary is defined as any compensation paid during the summer service period to an RIT faculty member in excess of his or her academic year salary. The summer service period is defined to be the period outside the base salary period of the academic year appointment.

Federal regulations stipulate that summer salary supported by sponsored programs must be "computed and paid at a percent effort rate not in excess of the faculty member's official annual base salary divided by the number of months in the period for which that base salary is paid." Therefore, the summer salary for full-time 9-month faculty members working in the summer cannot be more than 33.3% of the annual base salary of the previous academic year for the 3 month summer period.

Federal audit activity at other research institutions has prompted us to evaluate the current practice of allowing faculty to charge 100% summer salary to sponsored projects. A few years ago, Yale University announced a $7.6 million settlement with the Justice Department for, among other issues, allegations that 100% summer salary was charged to federal awards when actual effort was spent during the academic year and/or on activities unrelated to the grants. RIT’s policies and procedures are designed to ensure the University and faculty members are safeguarded from potential non-compliance and reputational risks.

Each college or department has local conditions that may allow certain solutions to this issue. Consult with your Department Head or Dean's office about how you might earn the 10% on other sources of funds prior to expending the additional 10% effort.

Yes, exception beyond 90% effort committed must be approved in advance, (i.e. prior to expending the additional 10% effort) by the Department Head, Dean, and Vice President of Research. Any amount paid in excess of 90% per pay period requires the Department/College to maintain a written management plan. If a faculty member commits 100% effort to a sponsored project in any of the summer pay periods, the Department Head or Dean must make it clear to the faculty member that he or she cannot take time off or work on any other University activities other than the projects from which they are paid in the period.

Confirmation that salary received during the summer term reflected only sponsored project activity will be obtained at the end of the summer term via the effort reporting process.

The payment of summer salary obligates the faculty member to provide the proposed percentage of effort work on the sponsored program for the full period for which compensation is paid. For example, a faculty member who requests summer salary for 100% effort on sponsored program activities for all 3 months of the summer must forego vacation entirely during the 3 month summer period.

The University and federal agencies consider effort, not time. If an investigator's effort on University activities is typically more than 40 hours per week, or includes evening and/or weekends, then "all hours worked" constitutes 100% effort. Thus, one cannot use time above 40 hours per week for tasks unrelated to the sponsored project paying the summer salary.

A faculty member may work on more than one sponsored program and receive summer salary from each one, provided that the total amount received does not push the faculty member's total summer compensation over the 30% (33.3% x 90%) limit set by the University.

Yes. Certain agencies place caps on summer salary that can be paid to faculty members working on sponsored programs. For example, the National Science Foundation (NSF) limits salary compensation for senior project personnel to no more than two months of regular salary in any one year, including salary compensation received from all NSF-funded grants. RIT defines the one year period as the academic year beginning with the Fall semester and ending with the Summer period. When a faculty member expends 90% summer effort on an NSF-funded award(s) only, and if he/she has not charged any effort to NSF awards and/or corresponding cost shares during the current academic year, the maximum amount of summer salary he/she is eligible to receive is limited to 20% of his/her 9 month salary for the current academic year. Additional information about NSF salary policy is available on the Sponsored Programs Accounting website.

Your regular salary amount is used for the calculation of summer salary payment.

Faculty are generally expected to be at the University for the period of the summer salary support, with exceptions for travel to conferences, meetings with collaborators, or off-campus work (say at a data collection site or research institute elsewhere) that are directly related to the sponsored project that is providing summer salary support.

Summer salary payments may be processed in the month for which a faculty member is expending effort during the summer term, from May 17th to August 16th. Summer salary paid should be as closely matched as possible to the month the effort is expended. For instance, if an investigator has 1 month of summer salary support from each of two sponsored project for a total of 2 months, the investigator would be expected to spend a total of four to five weeks of work on each sponsored project over the summer (2 months total). This leaves 1 month for administrative work unrelated to sponsored projects, research unrelated to the grants charged for summer salary, vacations, and writing proposals. The funded research weeks can be distributed throughout the summer, with the caveat that it would not be appropriate to take a two-week vacation in July if summer salary is paid for the entire month of July.

Summer Salary/Add Pay Instruction Sheet

Objective: 

Step-by-Step guidance for personnel responsible for processing summer salary/add pay requests through ORACLE

Instructions:

  1. From the home screen in Oracle, select the RIT Employee / Adjunct Payment Entry responsibility. Then select the Payment Entry function.
  2. On the search screen, search for the employee by using last name then clicking Go or hitting Enter
  3. Find the employee from the listing and click the Action icon to the right of their name
  4. One the Overview screen click Award New Compensation
  5. Select the compensation type from the dropdown
  6. Select the option from the dropdown. Do not use the same option as any existing options on the person’s record where effective dates overlap. However, options may be reused when the effective dates do not overlap.
  7. Enter the details of the transactions. Different attributes will be displayed for different payment type and option combinations. Complete as many fields as possible.
  8. If the effective dates are not defaulted from the type and option combination selected, enter the appropriate start date, the date work begins, uncheck the Ongoing box and enter the appropriate end date, the date work is expected to end, ensuring at least one pay period end date is between the start and end dates.
  9. Click Apply
  10. After being returned to the Overview screen click Next 
  11. Review transaction details and click Submit.
  12. On the confirmation page, click Home.

The transaction will then appear in your worklist on the home screen showing it has been submitted for approval.

Summer Salary Memo from the Provost

The categories described below are to be used as guidance for setting faculty compensation for work performed during the summer term (sessions, short courses, etc.). Please distribute to others in your areas responsible for summer hiring.  

During the summer, a 9‐month faculty member may be paid by RIT no more than a total of 33.33% (pro‐rated for appointments greater than 9 months but less than 12 months) of the faculty member’s current 2018‐2019 academic year salary through a combination of teaching, scholarship, or other activities.  All activities conducted by a faculty member on behalf of the university over the summer term will be considered summer salary and charged to summer salary lines.  Due to the variety of work activities and the multiple sources of funding both within and outside the faculty member’s college (including grants or other revenue generating sources), HR will continue to monitor the total summer pay to ensure that the combination of all payments does not exceed the 33.33% cap.   In the rare case where a faculty member’s pay will exceed the 33.33% cap, HR will work with the appropriate college dean(s) to determine the appropriate course of action, which can include granting an exception, if warranted.  It is my expectation that exceptions will be rare and that each college will be take proactive measures to ensure that the faculty member’s total summer salary is kept within the cap.  In addition, exceptions to exceed the 33.33% cap cannot be granted if any portion of the summer salary is charged to sponsored projects.  For further guidance on this topic, please contact Julie Hawk (jehpsn@rit.edu x5‐2427) or Christine (Tina) Ross (ccrpsn@rit.edu x5‐7649).  

During the upcoming summer academic term, summer salary calculations for faculty whose summer salary is paid from a sponsored project (grant/contract) AND other non-sponsored activity such as teaching, university service, or public service, should use a percentage of effort to determine the amount of summer compensation earned from each source.

During the 2018‐2019 summer term, 9‐month faculty are limited to 90% of the summer salary maximum (90% of 33.33% = 30% of the current 2018‐2019 salary) from sponsored project sources. This limit also applies to the percentage that is pro‐rated for faculty members with appointments greater than 9 months but less than 12 months. The 90% limit reserves time during the summer term for activities such as teaching, service or administrative duties, development of grant proposals, or time off for personal activities.  The rationale for exceptions beyond 90% (but below 100%) of total summer effort on sponsored projects must be approved by the faculty member’s department chair, dean, and vice president of Research prior to the effort being expended and must be in accordance with any additional terms and conditions from the project sponsor. 

A 9‐month faculty member’s allowable summer salary from sponsored projects is calculated on the summer salary maximum, which is 33.33% of a faculty member’s current 2018‐2019 salary.  As previously stated, exceptions to exceed the 33.33% cannot be granted if any portion of the summer salary is charged to sponsored projects.  

If you have questions related to summer salary charged to grants or contracts, please contact your SPA representative. 

Adjunct faculty will be paid according to the 2018‐2019 schedule (attached).   All adjunct faculty contracts are dependent on whether there is sufficient enrollment in a course to warrant course offerings.  Please note that the pay schedule will be reviewed and updated as necessary for the 2019‐2020 academic year.   

Forms and Resources

2024 Summer Salary EAF
Plan of Work: Summer (to be completed if charging >90% to sponsored projects)

2024 Presentation

Zoom Recording

2024 Summer Salary PPT Slides