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Free time and effort certification template
A free Excel template for documenting how staff paid from federal awards actually spent their time, under 2 CFR 200.430(g). It records actual effort by award, checks that it adds up to 100%, has room for signatures, and shows whether each award was charged the right salary. No email needed, no macros.
Published 2026-10-25 · Last updated 2026-10-25
What the rule asks for
Under 2 CFR 200.430(g), salaries and wages charged to a federal award must be based on records that accurately reflect the work performed. Those records must:
- fit your internal controls and be part of your official records;
- cover all of the employee's paid activity, federal and non-federal, and add up to no more than 100%;
- follow your own accounting policies;
- show how pay is split when someone works on more than one award or activity.
Budget estimates made before the work are not enough on their own. You can charge from them in the meantime, as long as you review them afterwards and adjust. Hourly (nonexempt) staff also need records of the hours they worked each day.
Since the 2024 revision, this standard is in paragraph (g). Many older templates still cite (i). This page and the template are a recordkeeping aid, not legal advice; follow your written policies and your award terms.
What's in it
- Certification
- One employee, one period. List every activity (each federal award, other grants, fundraising, administration) with its budgeted and actual percent of effort. The total turns red unless the actual column adds up to 100%. Below it: the certification statement and lines for the employee and a supervisor to sign and date.
- Salary check
- Enter the salary paid in the period and what your books charged each award. It shows what each award should have been charged at the certified percents and turns any difference red, so you know which adjustments to post.
- Start here
- A plain-language summary of the rule and how to use the file. The example rows are made up and marked EXAMPLE.
How to use it
- Make a copy of the Certification tab for each employee paid from a federal award, for each period in your policy.
- List every activity the person was paid for, not only the federal ones, with the percent of their time each one actually took.
- Check the total says OK, then have the employee and a supervisor who knows the work sign and date it.
- On the Salary check tab, compare what each award should have been charged with your books, and post adjustments for any red differences.
- Keep the signed copies with your award records.
Doing this in FundMesa
On FundMesa Team and above, each certification starts pre-filled from the staff allocations you already keep for your grants. The person who certifies gets a reminder when a period is ending, adjusts the percents to the actual effort, and signs. Once signed, a certification is locked and kept as the record.
FundMesa is free for 30 days with no credit card. The live demo needs no signup.
Frequently asked
What is time and effort certification?
It is the record that shows how an employee actually spent their paid time across federal awards and other activities, signed by someone who knows the work. Under 2 CFR 200.430(g), salaries and wages charged to a federal award must be based on records that accurately reflect the work performed.
How often do effort certifications have to be done?
The current Uniform Guidance does not set a frequency. Set one in your written policy (monthly, quarterly and every six months are common), check your award terms, and keep to it.
Who should sign an effort certification?
The rule does not name a signer. Most organizations have the employee sign, or a supervisor or official with first-hand knowledge of the work, or both. Write down who signs in your policy.
Can we use budgeted percentages?
Not on their own. Budget estimates made before the work can be used for interim charges, but you must review them after the fact and adjust so the final amount charged to the award matches the actual effort.
Do hourly employees need timesheets too?
Yes. For nonexempt employees, 2 CFR 200.430(g)(3) also requires records of the total hours worked each day, under the Fair Labor Standards Act.
Is 2 CFR 200.430(i) still the right citation?
Not since the 2024 revision of the Uniform Guidance. The documentation standards for personnel expenses are now in 2 CFR 200.430(g). Many older templates and policies still cite (i).