Budget Justification - Template

Sep 13, 2026

Uploaded by Sarah

Budget justification guidance for requesting SSHRC funds, including Stream A and Stream B ranges, personnel costs with detailed student salary and RA hour assumptions, and example calculations by fiscal year. Covers non-student salary support such as postdoctoral fellows, eligibility and itemization of travel and subsistence (transportation, accommodation rates, per diem, conferences and field work), plus requirements for justifying professional/technical services and research-related supplies. Includes budgeting tables to structure totals across multiple years.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryForms

FormatPDF

Pages4

Reading Time2 min

AccessFree to download

Budget Justification

Personnel Costs

Student Salaries and Benefits/Stipends

Non-student Salaries and Benefits/Stipends

Travel and Subsistence Costs

Other Expenses

Professional/Technical Services

Supplies

BUDGET JUSTIFICATION (maximum two pages) Remove the explanations Funds requested from SSHRC: $000,000 CAD Stream A: $7,000 to $100,000 Stream B: $100,001 to $400,000 (total yearly maximum $100,000) Personnel Costs $00,000 (% of total budget) (refer to student salaries) Student Salaries and benefits/stipends: Detail how many undergraduate and graduate students (mastersand PhD) will be working on the project with the number of hours if it is an RA. The cost per student and a one-line description of the work to be completed is also required to explain the requested work. Projected Student Salaries RA positions and stipends are based on University of Ottawa rates and include 9.4% benefits and 4% vacation. Most assistantship contracts are for 130 h per session (average of 10 h per week) . We suggest estimating a 2% salary increase per year until the new student collective agreement is renewed. Year 1 (2023-2024): 1 graduate student $52.58 x 130 h = $6,835 – Assist PI in the collection of documents, the creation of the survey, etc. Year 2 (2024-2025): 1 MA stipend = $7,000 – Engage in interviews, participant observation to collect data towards their thesis, etc. 1 undergraduate student $33 .31 x 130 h = $4,330 – Coding of data using NVivo. Year 3 (2025-2026): 1 graduate student $54 .70 x 130 h = $7, 111 – Assist PI in survey response analysis using NVivo. Non-student salaries and benefits/stipends A Postdoctoral Fellows salary is at least $40,000 per year (max of 2 years) . For your salaries calculations consult the budgeting tool. Here is an example of a job description for a Research Coordinator – and salary scales for nonunionized contractual research staff paid from grants and external contracts. | Summary-Personnel costs | | | | | | | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Personnel | Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | Year 4 | Year 5 | Total | | Student salaries and benefits | $ | $ | $ | $ | $ | $ | | Postdoctoral fellow | $ | $ | $ | $ | $ | $ | | Non-student salaries | $ | $ | $ | $ | $ | $ | | Sub-total | $ | $ | $ | $ | $ | $ | Travel and subsistence costs $0,000 (% of total budget) (Policy 21 and Procedure 16-11) Eligible Expenses: Travel and subsistence costs (meals and accommodation) include reasonable out-ofpocket expenses for field work, research conferences, collaborative trips, and historical research, for the grantee, co-researchers, collaborators, research personnel and students working with the grantee, and visiting researchers. Enter, by budget year, the total amounts requested for travel abroad and within Canada for both the research team and the students. Each field trip or travel related to conferences should be detailed and the following expenses should be included: • Purpose of travel • Transportation: must be lowest economy fare for flight, economy travel for train and mileage should only be claimed if it is the most economical. Car rental is an eligible expense only if it is essential to the research. • Accommodation: While hotel rates will vary according to destination and time of year, a general rule of thumb is to use $150/night for Canadian hotels and $200/night for international hotels. o Reduced rates are available through CAUBO. Use the following phrases to justify your costs: “Government personnel prices” or “CAUBO prices.” o Websites such as hotwire.com and [expedia.ca](expedia.ca) also offer discounted prices (double-check their cancellation and refund policies.) o Nb. If you are planning a long-term stay (three weeks or longer), it is preferable to book an apartment or to use a service such as Airbnb. • Per Diem: Procedure 16-14 Approved Reimbursement Rates • For foreign travel, see International rates for meals. Travel | Travel – Data Collection/Field Work (Travel to: ) | | | | | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Travellers | Transportation | Hotel x Nights | Meals x Days | Total | | Principal investigator | $ | $ | $ | $ | |

FAQs

What personnel cost details are required for student salaries and stipends?

Provide how many undergraduate and graduate students will work on the project, the number of hours if the work is an RA, the cost per student, and a one-line description of the work to be completed.

How should travel and accommodation costs be justified and itemized?

Detail totals by budget year for travel abroad and within Canada, and include purpose, transportation (lowest economy fare rules), accommodation using suggested nightly rates, and per diem using approved reimbursement rates.

When are professional/technical services eligible expenses?

They are allowable only if expert advice need is demonstrated in the budget justification; if consultants are planned, consult the referenced policy and procedure and clarify why the service is necessary (e.g., translation, transcription, web development, specialized interviewers).

Sep 13, 2026

Uploaded by Sarah