Employee Compensation Compliance (ECC) Payroll Certification FAQ

GENERAL FAQ

What is the ECC Payroll Certification system?

ECC stands for Employee Compensation Compliance and the ECC system is used by UCF to complete Payroll Certification. The system is pre-populated with employee payroll data (amounts sources, departmental information, etc.) to be verified by the employee or their supervisor. The system provides a breakdown of an individual’s salary (as a dollar value and percentage) for the given period of performance.

What happened to ECRT?

ECRT was an effort-based certification that UCF replaced by using Huron’s Employee Compensation Compliance (ECC) system to be a payroll-based certification system.

What is Payroll Certification?

Payroll Certification is a review of salaries charged to sponsored awards and verification the charges accurately reflect the work performed.

Why is Payroll Certification necessary?

Payroll Certification is necessary to help comply with the provisions of UCFï¿½s Time and Effort policy, federal policy (Uniform Guidance, Subpart E – Cost Principles ï¿½200.430), and other relevant agency policies that govern the need to provide certification of an individual’s salary and effort pursuant to his/her sponsored and non-sponsored program.

Who has to complete Payroll Certification?

Primary Department Coordinators ï¿½ Are responsible for Pre-Review of payroll and employee information prior to certification by Self Certifiers

Faculty, A&P Personnel and Adjunct Faculty ï¿½ Considered Self-Certifiers. Are responsible to certify payroll statements for themselves and their researchers (OPS, USPS, and GRAs

Where do I complete my Payroll Certification?

The ECC system can be accessed using the link listed here:
https://ucf.huronecc.com/ecc/RedirectHome.do.

You will use your Single Sign On (SSO) credentials to log in to the ECC system. Any statements requiring you review will automatically appear on your Homepage, under the Payroll Awaiting Certification tab. The Homepage is the default start page when you log in to the ECC system.

What information is loaded to the ECC Payroll Certification system?

The ECC system receives data feeds that provide employee, department, project and payroll information to be displayed as a Payroll Statement for the given period of performance.

How often is payroll information loaded to the ECC Payroll Certification system?

ECC project and payroll data is uploaded nightly. Salary transfers are reflected in the ECC system on Wednesday and Friday mornings. If there are errors to payroll information, they can be manually adjusted by emailing Daniel.Sierra@ucf.edu and Kim.Descorbeth@ucf.edu.

How often is ECC Payroll Certification required?

Three times a year, Spring, Summer and Fall.

How is my ECC Payroll Certification information used?

ECC Payroll Certification information is used to help comply with the provisions of UCF’s Time and Effort policy, federal policy (Uniform Guidance, Subpart E – Cost Principles §200.430), and other relevant agency policies that govern the need to provide certification of an individual’s effort pursuant to his/her sponsored and non-sponsored programs. Specifically as a means to verify federal reports and satisfy potential audit requests.

What and who are a Self-Certifiers?

Self-Certifiers are PI/Co-PI; Adjunct; Post Doc; Faculty Research Assoc; A&P.

What and who are Non Self-Certifiers?

Non Self-Certifiers are USPS, GRA/GTA/GA; OPS Hourly.

What and who are ECC Department Coordinators?

ECC Department Coordinators is a role filled by a department-selected employee that is responsible for the Pre-Review of sponsored statements, as well as working as the liaison to communicate with department faculty and staff regarding completion of ECC Payroll Certification.

What are the different ECC Payroll Statement statuses and what do they mean?

In Progress – The period is ‘building’ the payroll statement or accuracy while in Progress Payroll Ready for Pre-Review – The statement is ready for Pre-Reviewed by the Department Coordinator Pre-Reviewed – The statement has been Pre-Reviewed by the Department Coordinator Statements Requiring Certification – The certification window is open for statements listed here Recently Completed – Statements that have been Pre-Reviewed and Certified

What are the consequences of incomplete or incorrect ECC Payroll Certifications?

Incomplete or incorrect ECC Payroll Certifications would mean that they are out of compliance with UCFï¿½s Time and Effort policy, federal policy (Uniform Guidance, Subpart E – Cost Principles ï¿½200.430), NIH Salary Limitation on Grants, and other relevant agency policies that govern the need to provide certification of an individual’s effort pursuant to his/her sponsored and non-sponsored programs.

If I have questions regarding ECC Payroll Certification, who can I contact?

For questions about ECC Payroll Certification, contact Daniel Sierra at Daniel.Sierra@ucf.edu, 407-882-2015.

ECC Department Coordinator FAQ

What is Pre-Review?

Pre-Review is a department review of employee payroll statements prior to releasing the ECC payroll statements to faculty for certification. Steps are as follows:

Log into ECC when the Pre-Review period has begun
Review ECC Homepage Associated Certifiers tab for your department employees in Payroll Ready for Pre-Review status
Select individual employees from the ECC Homepage Associated Certifiers tab and review their ECC Payroll statement to verify sponsored and/or non-sponsored direct charges.
If all information is correct, click the Pre-Review button. The statement will be ready to certify by faculty when the Certification Period begins or, if completed post- Certification Period opening, after 24 hours (ECC Department Coordinators are responsible to communicate with faculty regarding the availability of payroll statements to be certified once Pre-Review has been completed.

What is the Pre-Review Period and how long does it last?

The Pre-Review period begins prior to the certification period opening and generally lasts two weeks. ECC Department Coordinators are to log into the ECC system and complete all necessary Pre-Reviews.

What are the ECC Department Coordinators duties and responsibilities?

ECC Department Coordinators are responsible for the following:

Completing ECC Department Coordinator Training with Daniel Sierra or Kim Descorbeth
Understanding of the ECC system
Understanding of UCF’s payroll system, including Human Capital Management (establishing/updating payroll through ePAFs and salary cost transfers)
Timely review and completion of Pre-Review of ECC Statements
Requesting necessary updates to personnel in ECC (payroll updates, department updates, proxies, designees, etc.)

As ECC Department Coordinator, why do I see employees listed from different departments and am I responsible for those ECC Payroll Statements?

If there is any inconsistency with payroll (such as missing projects, payroll distribution different than assumed, salary transfer not reflected, etc.) please contact your department effort coordinator or Daniel Sierra, at Daniel.Sierra@ucf.edu so that proper corrections to the statement may be made.

Faculty / Self-Certifier FAQ

What should I be seeing on my or my researchers ECC Payroll Statements?

All sponsored and/or non-sponsored sources of direct-charged salary for the given period of performance. If an individual’s salary was not direct charged to a given project, that project will not show on the individual’s ECC payroll statement (even as PI or co-PI).

What is a Release Time account and why is it necessary to set up for ECC Payroll Certification if my salary is not direct charged to my sponsored research project(s)?

Certification if my salary is not direct charged to my sponsored research project(s)? A Release Time account represents Research Release Time towards Sponsored Research paid by the employee’s department E&G account. It is used when a PI and/or Co-PI(s) does not/will not have charged salary to a sponsored project so that the PI and/or Co-PI(s) have an opportunity to represent their Research Release Time towards Sponsored Research in the Employee Compensation Compliance (ECC) system.

I believe I have completed all certifications, but I am still receiving notices. What do I do?

What is the Certification Period and how long does it last? Possible Faculty FAQ

All statements that have been Pre-Reviewed by the Dept. Coordinators will move into a Not Certified status and Self Certifiers will be notified that their statements and the statements of their researchers are ready for certification. The Certification Period is 30 days.

I am a PI and I do not see my sponsored research project(s). Why is that?

I am a PI and I did not direct charge my salary to my sponsored research project(s). How do I show my time in the ECC Payroll Certification system?

If you want to show that you worked towards the project(s), you have two options:

Have salary transferred to the project to reflect time spent towards the project as a direct
charge, OR –
Request a Release Time account to be created and added to specific ECC Payroll
Statements to reflect time spent towards the project as E&G Research Release Time

How do I identify the need for a Release Time Account?

Have you direct charged your salary to the project during the period in review?
If the above is answered “No”, and you want to show that you worked towards the project(s), you have two options:

Have salary transferred to the project to reflect time spent towards the project as a direct
charge, OR –
Request a Release Time account to be created and added to specific ECC Payroll
Statements to reflect time spent towards the project as E&G Research Release Time

What are the steps to getting a Release Time account created and loaded to the ECC Payroll Certification system?

The steps to getting a Release Time account created and loaded to the ECC Payroll Certification system:

Department determines the need for a Release Time account for an award.
The department creates an AMR in HRS Grants for a Release Time account.
The Award Management Team creates the Release Time account and notifies the
department and PI.
The department provides Compliance with a listing of Release Time accounts to be added
to ECC (naming Employees and periods to add the Release Time accounts to).
Compliance notifies the departments that the Release Time accounts have been added to
the ECC statements.
Departments can complete the Pre-Review of those statements containing the newly
added Release Time accounts.
PIs and Co-PIs can certify their Release Time in ECC.

Office of Research