Finding Text
Finding 2024-002 Insufficient Documentation of Personnel Expenses
Type of Finding:
Noncompliance and Material Weakness in Internal Control over Compliance
Condition:
The Organization charges a material amount of payroll-related costs to its major federal program. However, it does not maintain sufficient documentation to support the level of effort charged to the award, as required by federal regulations. While staff members are required to complete timesheets, the current format does not capture the level of detail needed to substantiate payroll allocations to federal programs. Additionally, there is no formal process for supervisory review and approval of these timesheets. Although no overcharges or double-dipping were identified, the lack of adequate documentation results in known and likely questioned costs due to noncompliance with documentation requirements.
Criteria:
According to Uniform Guidance 2 CFR §200.430(g), the Organization's charges to federal awards for salaries and wages must be based on records that accurately reflect the work performed. These records must be supported by a system of internal control that provides reasonable assurance that the charges are accurate, allowable, and properly allocated. The records also must reasonably reflect the total activity for which the employee is compensated. The records also must support the distribution of the employee's salary or wages among specific activities or cost objectives if the employee works on more than one Federal award; a Federal award and non-Federal award; an indirect cost activity and a direct cost activity; two or more indirect activities allocated using different allocation bases; or an unallowable activity and a direct or indirect cost activity.
Cause:
This issue appears to stem from two primary causes: (1) the timesheet system in use was not designed to capture the information needed to support federal payroll charges, and (2) there is a lack of formal internal controls around timekeeping, including supervisory review and approval of reported time.
Possible of Known Effect:
As a result, a material amount of salary and payroll taxes charged to the federal program is not adequately supported in accordance with 2 CFR 200.430. This leads to both known and likely questioned costs. The absence of proper documentation increases the risk of misallocated expenses and undermines the Organization’s ability to demonstrate compliance with federal cost principles.
Questioned Costs:
Known questioned costs of $36,262 were identified.
Repeat Finding:
This is not a repeat finding.
Recommendation:
We recommend that the Organization revise its timekeeping system to ensure that staff members record time in a manner that clearly supports the allocation of payroll costs to federal programs. Timesheets should include sufficient detail and be reviewed and approved by supervisors, with documentation of this review retained for audit purposes. For senior leadership, including the CEO, the Organization should implement appropriate methods such as time studies or activity logs to document effort charged to federal awards. Additionally, we recommend the development and documentation of internal controls to oversee the time reporting process and ensure compliance with federal requirements.
Views of Responsible Officials:
The Organization will develop and implement a standardized timesheet template (Gusto) that captures employee name, pay period, hours worked by funding source, and supervisory approval. Provide mandatory training for all staff whose salaries are charged in whole or in part to grants on documentation and time allocation requirements. Require monthly reconciliation of time sheets to payroll records before submission to grants. The Organization will conduct quarterly internal reviews to ensure compliance and adjust as needed.