Resources
Free federal grant budget template and de minimis calculator
Without a negotiated rate, a federal award can now pay indirect costs of up to 15% of modified total direct costs (MTDC), and equipment means $10,000 or more per unit. This free Excel template lays out a budget in the SF-424A categories and works out MTDC and indirect costs for you. No email needed, no macros.
Published 2026-10-25 · Last updated 2026-10-25
What changed in 2024
The 2024 revision of the Uniform Guidance (2 CFR part 200) applies to awards made on or after October 1, 2024. Many budget templates and calculators still use the old numbers.
| Rule | Now | Before |
|---|---|---|
| De minimis indirect rate | Up to 15% of MTDC | 10% of MTDC |
| Subaward amount in MTDC | First $50,000 of each | First $25,000 of each |
| Equipment threshold (per unit) | $10,000, or your lower capitalization level | $5,000, or your lower capitalization level |
| Single audit threshold | $1,000,000 in federal spending a year | $750,000 |
Sources: 2 CFR 200.414(f) for the de minimis rate and 2 CFR 200.1 for MTDC and equipment, checked on eCFR October 2026. OMB proposed a wider rewrite of the Uniform Guidance in May 2026 (91 FR 32198). It is not final, and its text does not change these numbers.
What counts toward MTDC
Counts
- Salaries and wages
- Fringe benefits
- Materials and supplies
- Services (contracts)
- Travel
- The first $50,000 of each subaward
Left out
- Equipment and capital expenditures
- Rental costs
- Participant support costs
- Tuition remission, scholarships and fellowships
- Patient care
- Each subaward's amount over $50,000
De minimis rate calculator
Enter your federal request by cost type. The numbers filled in are the worked example from the template; replace them with yours. Nothing you type leaves this page.
Result
- Total direct costs
- $222,960.00
- Left out of MTDC
- $75,500.00
- MTDC (indirect cost base)
- $147,460.00
- Indirect costs at 15%
- $22,119.00
- Total federal budget
- $245,079.00
In the example, $30,000 of the $80,000 subaward, the $38,000 van and the $7,500 in participant stipends are left out, so the 15% applies to $147,460.00, not to $222,960.00.
What's in the template
- Budget
- Lines grouped in the SF-424A object classes, a. Personnel to h. Other, with federal request and cost share for each. Pick a cost type for each line and the sheet works out whether it counts toward MTDC, caps each subaward at $50,000, and totals the base. Enter your rate and it fills in indirect costs (j) and the total budget (k). A de minimis rate over 15% turns red.
- Cost types
- The list behind the dropdown: each cost type and whether it counts toward MTDC, from the definition in 2 CFR 200.1.
- Start here
- The rules in plain language and how to use the file. The example rows are made up and marked EXAMPLE.
The template is a planning aid, not legal advice. Your NOFO and award terms come first: some programs cap indirect costs or set their own rules.
After the award, in FundMesa
FundMesa keeps each award's budget by line in the same SF-424A categories, including indirect costs, and tracks spending against every line, so you can see what is left before the funder asks. Reports for funders build from the same numbers.
FundMesa is free for 30 days with no credit card. The live demo needs no signup.
Frequently asked
What is the de minimis indirect cost rate?
Under 2 CFR 200.414(f), an organization without a current negotiated indirect cost rate may charge up to 15% of its modified total direct costs (MTDC) for indirect costs. You choose the rate, up to 15%. It needs no documentation to justify it and can be used indefinitely, but once you elect it, you use it on all your federal awards until you negotiate a rate.
What are modified total direct costs (MTDC)?
MTDC is the base the indirect rate is applied to. It counts salaries and wages, fringe benefits, materials and supplies, services, travel, and up to the first $50,000 of each subaward. It leaves out equipment, capital expenditures, patient care, rental costs, tuition remission, scholarships and fellowships, participant support costs, and the part of each subaward over $50,000 (2 CFR 200.1).
Is the de minimis rate still 10%?
No. The 2024 revision of the Uniform Guidance raised it to up to 15% of MTDC for awards made on or after October 1, 2024. Awards made earlier follow the rules in their terms and conditions. Many templates and calculators online still use 10%.
Can a federal agency make us use a lower rate?
Generally no. Federal agencies and pass-through entities may not require a lower rate than your negotiated rate or the de minimis rate you elected, unless a federal statute or regulation requires it. Some programs do have statutory limits, so check the notice of funding opportunity (NOFO).
How do subawards count in MTDC?
Only the first $50,000 of each subaward counts, regardless of how many years the subaward runs. In a multi-year budget, count each subaward’s first $50,000 once, not once per year. Contracts for services are not subawards and count in full.
What counts as equipment now?
Equipment is tangible property with a useful life of more than one year and a per-unit cost at or above the lesser of your capitalization level or $10,000. Items below that are supplies, which count toward MTDC. Equipment does not.