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by
Michael DeShazo, CRA, CTS
SRA Catalyst Editor
I hate F&A … but I love Excel!
At some point or other you have been, or will be, asked to calculate Facilities and Administrative (F&A) Costs on a budget. Most of the time this is really straight forward; but every now and again it gets a little more complicated. Here’s how you might deal with a couple of issues using your friendly, neighborhood MS Excel®.
Calculating F&A when all you know is the Total Costs
Starting note: I try to always label my numbers, just like I was taught in school. There are few things more disconcerting than coming back to a spreadsheet I have saved and to have no idea what the numbers were originally meant to represent.
Step 1: Watch the video. (will open in new web browser)
Step 2: Try it on your own
Step 3: Celebrate that you remember basic High School Algebra.
Step 4: Get back to work on that next doozie of a problem.
A Tool for calculating and choosing which F&A rate to use for USDA Statutory Rate
A couple of years ago this little nugget was brought to my attention. While it doesn’t come up often, I didn’t want to have to re-figure it out each time – especially manually. So I created a quick worksheet.
I’ve shared this spreadsheet before on the award winning RESADM listserv; however, if you have never used that resource, I’ve included it as an Excel file you can download from here for your own use. The spreadsheet includes notes; though you might want to ensure that the USDA rate is up-to-date.
Parting bit …
If you ever get stuck on an Excel formula (or even a little Visual Basic programming), I suggest you turn to one of my favorite resources – www.mrexcel.com. I have been using this free resource for more than 10 years and can almost always find an answer to any question I have on Excel. I have even purchased a few of his books.
Michael DeShazo, CRA, CTS
Editor, SRA Catalyst
Budget Analyst, Research Accounting and Analysis
University of Washington, Seattle
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