Reasonable rates for Consultants

Consultants with a UW appointment

If a consultant works for the UW, they must be paid through the payroll system and designated as "Key Personnel." Consultants should be paid only for the time that they spend on the grant. If a consultant will spend one day on the project, the grant will need to figure the percentage represented by that one day.

Consultants without a UW appointment

There is no prescribed rate or cap for non-UW consultants who are working outside of their normal duties. There are two guidelines that a grant can use for paying consultants:

1. History - consultants in the past have been paid a set fee $500.
2. Actual hourly rate - The consultants may bill for their services on a regular basis and have an established hourly rate. You may also calculate their hourly rate by dividing their annual salary by 2080 (52 weeks x 40 hours per week.)

If you plan to use the actual hourly rate, please keep the NIH salary cap in mind. The current salary cap can be found at this location. Divide the current by 2080 to determine which hourly rate is appropriate. It is allowable to pay consultants for days that are longer than eight hours. While the cap has not been formally set for consultants, paying in excess of this amount is not considered appropriate by the Office for Sponsored Programs.