Home / Resources / Time and effort certification template
Updated August 2026
Three templates you can copy, and the short version of what the rule actually asks for — including the paragraph that moved in 2024.
A time and effort certification is a short signed statement that the time charged to a grant matches the work actually done. The federal rules don't prescribe a form — which is why so many organizations either invent something elaborate or have nothing at all.
Under 2 CFR 200.430(g), charges for salaries must be based on records that accurately reflect the work performed, supported by an internal control system, incorporated into your official records, and covering the employee's total activity — not only the grant-funded slice.
Certification is the piece that turns a record into evidence: someone with firsthand knowledge of the work confirms the distribution is right, and dates it.
Two things worth knowing before you build one:
One person, one month, percentages that add to 100. Signed by the employee and by a supervisor with firsthand knowledge.
Employee: [Name]
Position: [Title]
Period covered: [Month, Year]
Distribution of total activity for the period:
Total: 100%
I certify that the distribution above is a reasonable representation of the total activity for which I was compensated during this period, and that the work was performed as described.
Employee signature ____________________ Date __________
I have firsthand knowledge of the work performed and confirm the distribution above.
Supervisor signature ____________________ Print name ____________________ Date __________
Retain with payroll records for the period required by your award terms.
Notice what isn't there: no hours, no task narrative, no project codes. Those may live in your timekeeping records; the certification is the attestation layer on top.
If an employee works solely on a single federal award and their effort genuinely doesn't vary, a less frequent certification is often acceptable. Confirm it against your award terms before relying on it — a pass-through agreement can be stricter than the federal minimum.
Employee: [Name]
Position: [Title]
Period covered: [Start date] to [End date]
I certify that during the period above I worked 100% on [award name and number], and that the salary charged to that award reflects the work actually performed.
Employee signature ____________________ Date __________
I have firsthand knowledge of the work performed and confirm the statement above.
Supervisor signature ____________________ Print name ____________________ Date __________
If you charge interim amounts using budgeted percentages, the rule is explicit that budget estimates alone don't support a charge: they have to be compared to actual activity and adjusted. The comparison is the step most organizations skip, and it's the recognizable audit finding.
Employee: [Name] Award: [Name and number] Period: [Quarter/Year]
Budgeted effort: ____% Certified actual effort: ____% Variance: ____ points
Adjustment required under our policy threshold of ____ points: [ ] Yes [ ] No
If yes — journal entry reference: ____________ Amount: $__________ Date posted: __________
Prepared by ____________________ Date __________
Reviewed by ____________________ Date __________
All of someone's time, not just the grant share. A record showing 40% on a grant with no account of the other 60% doesn't demonstrate anything.
Signed close to the period it covers. A stack of certifications all signed in one sitting at year-end carries far less weight, and looks exactly like what it is.
Not the bookkeeper, not the ED by default — whoever actually knows what the person did.
What the grant was charged and what the person was paid have to agree.
One page: who records, how often, who certifies, what variance triggers an adjustment. "What's your process?" is one of the first questions in an audit and the answer should be a document.
A short signed statement confirming that the salary charged to a federal grant matches the work actually performed. It records how an employee's total activity was distributed across grants, programs, administration and fundraising, and is signed by someone with firsthand knowledge of the work.
Monthly is the common practice for staff splitting time across several funders. Where someone works solely on one award and effort doesn't vary, a semi-annual certification is often acceptable — but check your specific award and any pass-through agreement, which can be stricter than the federal minimum.
No. It sets an outcome — records that reasonably reflect actual work, supported by internal controls — not a prescribed format. Any consistently applied method producing defensible records can satisfy it.
The employee, and a supervisor with firsthand knowledge of the work performed. Both signatures should be dated close to the period covered.
Budget estimates may be used for interim charging, but the rule states that budget estimates alone do not qualify as support for charges. They must be compared to actual activity and adjusted where the difference is material — that comparison is what auditors look for.
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Sources: 2 CFR 200.430 (eCFR) — compensation for personal services, §(g) documentation standards. Verified 17 August 2026.