UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA
OFFICE OF RESEARCH

FACULTY PETTY CASH FUND
GUIDELINES

I. INTRODUCTION

The Office of Research maintains a Faculty Petty Cash Fund to relieve the researcher of up-front, out-of-pocket expenditures associated with contract and grant management, in particular, research participant fees and expenses for remote-site research. The Office of Research Faculty Petty Cash Fund has limited funds and is subject to University and State policies and procedures for Purchasing and Accounts Payable. This is a service provided to the researcher and, as such, it is vital for continued operation of the Fund that these guidelines are observed.

II. OPERATING PRINCIPLES

  1. The research grant or contract award, including internal awards funded through the Division of Sponsored Research (Research Proposal Services), must specifically state that human subjects will be used in the research project, that the project has approval of the Institutional Review Board (IRB) for the Protection of Human Subjects, and payment for human subjects must be included in the approved budget.
  2. As mandated by State law, receipts are required for all expenditures.
  3. The amount of petty cash requested, at any one time, by the researcher must be a reasonable amount deliverable under the Faculty Petty Cash account constraints placed on the Office of Research.
  4. A researcher with on-going human-subject projects shall not receive additional funds until receipts are submitted for funds received previously.
  5. No funds will be released to a researcher who is in default of these guidelines.
  6. In the event a researcher is in default of these guidelines, the amount due to the Office of Research must be personally reimbursed by the researcher or his/her chairperson, dean, or director.
  7. All receipts, invoices, and unused cash are to be returned to Sharon Jacobs in the Office of Research within three (3) months of the advancement of the petty cash.

III. PROCEDURES

Researchers obtain Faculty Petty Cash Fund monies as follows:

  1. The researcher or designated representative who is an accountable officer on the related contract or grant shall submit a signed “Petty Cash Request Form,” along with the Grant Budget Release (GBR) form and IRB approval, to Sharon Jacobs in the Office of Research at least one (1) week in advance of the date when the funds are needed. The form may be faxed, sent as an email attachment (PDF), or delivered to Ms. Jacobs’ office. This will allow the Office of Research to ensure that the needed funds will be available, allow for review of the contract/grant budget and guidelines, and allow enough time if the check is to be mailed to the researcher. If the researcher will be conducting research in a foreign country, s/he should inform Ms. Jacobs several months in advance of the departure date in order to ensure that the petty cash funds requested will be available.
  2. The researcher/representative may make an appointment with Ms. Jacobs to pick up a check in the amount of petty cash requested, or the check can be mailed to the researcher. Checks will be made payable only to the Principal Investigator or Co-Principal Investigator, who is then responsible for cashing the check.
  3. The signed “Petty Cash Request Form” will serve as a receipt for the check. The researcher will also sign a Petty Cash Voucher, retaining the pink copy. If the check is to be mailed to the researcher, a photocopy of the voucher is mailed with the check. The photocopy should be signed and dated and returned to Ms. Jacobs via fax or as an email attachment (PDF).
  4. During the project, the researcher will obtain receipts from human subjects to verify payment.
  5. Within five (5) working days following payment to human subjects, the researcher/representative shall turn in the original receipts to Sharon Jacobs in the Office of Research and shall sign a payment request form listing the contract/grant chartfield(s) to be charged for reimbursement of the Faculty Petty Cash Fund. Faculty conducting human subjects research in foreign locales are exempt from this procedure; instead, they shall turn in original receipts to Sharon Jacobs in the Office of Research within five (5) working days following their return to USF.
  6. Sharon Jacobs in the Office of Research shall submit the payment request form and receipts to USF Purchasing and Accounts Payable.
  7. A researcher with on-going human-subject projects shall not receive additional funds until receipts are submitted for funds received previously.

 

History: Eff. 1/89; Rev. 05/05; Rev. 08/07