PAR Preparation Instructions
Why do we have to do PARs? Per Federal regulation OMB Circular A-21, academic institutions that
receive federal dollars, employees are required to report effort. The percentages are a reflection of the
time spent in the various categories defined by the PAR system.
Who is required to complete a PAR?
1. Any salaried employee of an academic unit.
2. Anyone who is a PI on a sponsored project.
3. Any salaried employee paid from a sponsored project.
4. Anyone from a non-academic unit who reflects cost share or released time.
PAR Timelines.
All PARs should be submitted to Sponsored Programs in the first 30 days following
the end of the pay period. That means that PARs for the time period ending December 31, 2008 should
be submitted to us by January 31, 2009. An additional 30 days is given for those with problems such as
expenditure corrections. Thus, PARs with problems for the time period ending November 30, 2008
should be submitted to us by January 31, 2009. PARs are considered delinquent after 30 days. PAR’s
that are more than 60 days beyond the period of effort must have a delinquent PAR letter attached to
each PAR. A delinquent PAR letter explains why the PAR has not been submitted on time and what
steps you will take to prevent the delinquency reoccurring in the future. The delinquent letter must be
signed by the department head.
Group vs. Individual PARs. Individual PARS must be prepared for:
1. Anyone who is a PI on a sponsored project.
2. Any salaried employee paid from a sponsored project.
3. Anyone who reflects cost share or released time.
All other employees in an academic unit may be on a group PAR. Normally, when an employee moves
from being paid from a sponsored project to being paid from a non sponsored project fund, they will move
to the group PAR. If a PI no longer has a sponsored project, please contact Sponsored Programs to
remove the Individual PAR requirement.
The recommended sequence for entering your PARs online is:
1. Print the incomplete PAR list. The first column of the report shows whether the employee is on
an individual or a group PAR.
2. Enter the effort for those employees needing individual PARs. This includes those employees that
are cost sharing or releasing time for this month.
3. In HRMS, under UW PARs/PAR Reporting/ Actual Effort Report (All). When you run this process,
it gives you individual PAR’s for any employee that has effort entered for the designated period.
4. Enter the effort for the remaining employees needing PARs.
5. Print the group PARs.
6. Compare your signed PARs with your PAR list before you submit them to make sure you have
not overlooked anyone.
Activity categories for effort.
UNIVERSITY FUNDED
I. Instruction & Research
A. Teaching, Course & Curriculum Development, etc.: Effort related to teaching courses such as
lecturing, advising, supervising, grading,
course preparation, developing teaching techniques, etc. For many professors, this will
amount to 100% of their effort.
B. Extension and other Off-Campus Activities: Effort related to conducting off-campus teaching
activities or the processes by which the University’s educational resources are made
available off-campus to the people of the State. (Use of cell phones can be coded here.)
C. Departmental Research, Writing, & Creative Contribution: Effort directed toward creating
and adding to knowledge by advancing theory and principle through research, writing and
creative activities demonstrating a high level of skill. The effort in this section must be
supported by the University budgeted departmental funds.
D. Other University Related Service Activities: Obligations other than teaching, research,
administration, or extension. Included are University committee membership, professional
association leadership, and community and public service closely related to the individual’s
professional expertise. Also included in this category is University employee effort in service
areas such as maintenance, operation, repair, campus police, etc.
II. Department, College and/or General Administration: Supervisory, managerial, or clerical activities
related to a department or division including Deans, Associate Deans, Department Heads, Directors, or
Staff. Included are administering personnel policies, assigning faculty workloads, preparing department
budgets, etc.
E. Related to University Funded Instruction & Research: Administration effort that exclusively
benefits instruction and research activities funded through University budgeted funds. Does
not include direct administrative effort related to courses taught. An example is the effort of a
head and/or a secretary devoted to setting up faculty and staff on the payroll.
F. Related to Sponsored Instruction & Research: Departmental or division administrative effort
that exclusively benefits projects for research or instruction that are sponsored by outside
sources (Federal, State, industry, etc.). Does not include direct administrative effort related
to participation in specific projects. An example is the effort of a head and/or a secretary
devoted to signing and processing IDRs, payroll papers, vouchers, etc. related to sponsored
projects.
G. Proposal Preparation for Sponsored Projects: The effort expended by Principal Investigators,
secretaries, etc. in working on a green-sheeted proposal for potential funding by a nonUniversity source (Federal, State, industry, etc.). Please list the title(s) of the proposal(s)
worked on.
SPONSOR FUNDED
H. Effort Charged to Sponsor: Effort that was paid from (charged to) a specific sponsored
project.
I. Effort for Cost Sharing: Effort expended on the sponsored project which you do not want
charged directly to the project but want the effort recorded to meet the university’s obligations
for contribution to the project.
J. Released Time: A mechanism whereby employees who are receiving their pay from
University budgeted funds but want to charge a specific project for their effort can make the
charge. Any effort charged to this activity must be accompanied by an IDR.
OTHER
X. Vacation: Percent of vacation time taken during the pay period. Should be filled out monthly.
An academic year appointment does not earn vacation.
Y. Sick Leave: Percent of time employee was on sick leave during the pay period.
Released Time. Released Time is a mechanism whereby state supported faculty and staff members can
be released from their duties to work on Sponsored Projects. If an employee performs direct work on a
Sponsored Project, but is paid from state budgeted funds, a charge is made for the time spent on the
project and a transfer made to the department’s Released Time Budget on the basis of a Personnel
Activity Report. An IDR must accompany the Personnel Activity Report to make the transfer to the
department’s Released Time budget. The money that is placed in the Released Time Budget can then
be used to pay other personnel who are performing the released faculty or staff member’s regular duties.
Hourly Non Benefitted Employees. Hourly non benefitted employees are not required to have a PAR
prepared for them because their timesheet serves as their effort report. However, if it is necessary reflect
their time as cost share, then a PAR may be submitted.
Signatures. PARs require only one ORIGINAL signature. This may be the employee, Principal
Investigator, Dept. Head, Dean, or Supervisor. The auditors expect that it be someone with firsthand
knowledge of the employee’s effort. No one else is authorized to sign a PAR. It is a good idea to use
blue ink for signing as it makes it easy to identify that it is original.
Error Messages. When you receive an error message you do not understand in preparing a PAR or an
expenditure correction, call Sponsored Programs (766-3131) and we will help you solve the problem.