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eGrants Indirect Cost Rate (IDCR) User Instructions

eGrants contains a feature that allows users to input Indirect Cost Rate information into their eGrants account. 

Recipients that will be claiming or budgeting for indirect costs on CNCS awards are required to enter the

following indirect cost rates in eGrants: federally negotiated rates, state negotiated rates, and the use of de 

minimis rate of 10% of modified total direct costs (MTDC). Recipients of AmeriCorps State and National 

awards may only charge 5% of their negotiated rate to the federal share of the award, with the remaining 

balance being charged to match (See 45 CFR §§ 2521.95 and 2540.110). 

Once a rate is entered and saved in eGrants, it cannot be edited. If users inadvertently enter incorrect 

information, a new entry must be submitted with the correct information.

Entry for the IDCR screen can be accessed using the following steps:

1) From the eGrants Home screen, in the lower panel under Managing My Account, click on My Account

2) From the My Account screen, under Edit My Organization Info, click on Add and View Indirect Cost 

Rate
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3) From the Add and View Indirect Cost Rate screen, select add a new to add a rate or cancel to back out 

of the screen.

Field by field instructions can be found by clicking the “?” located next to Indirect Cost Rate or Indirect Cost 

Rate Record.

If add a new is selected, the screen below will pop up.
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4) Do you have an Indirect Cost Rate to record? Respond Yes or No. If NO is selected, users cannot go 

any further and nothing will be recorded. If Yes is selected, users can continue on.

If your organization will be claiming or budgeting with a current, approved indirect cost rate on any 

CNCS awards, it must be reported on this page. The rate information you record will be used in all 

award negotiation and reviews until it is superseded by a new approved rate, or until it expires. 

Applicants will have an opportunity to identify, in applications, if they will be using a lesser percentage 

of an approved rate, if you so choose. 

5) Rate Type: If your rate type is not one of the following options, contact your Portfolio Manager or 

Competition contact person from the applicable Notice for guidance:

Federally Negotiated – select if your rate has been negotiated by your cognizant federal agency. 

Cognizance is determined by the agency which provides the highest amount of direct federal funding

(see Uniform Guidance Appendices III, IV, V, and VII);

State Negotiated – select if your rate has been negotiated by a state agency or other pass through 

entity; or

10% of MTDC – select if your organization qualifies for and elects to use the 10% de minimis rate of 

Modified Total Direct Costs (MTDC). Organizations qualify for this rate if they have NEVER had a 

federally negotiated rate. State entities must also not receive more than $35 million in direct federal 

funding to be eligible for this rate. 

Rates must be used consistently across ALL federal awards. 

6) Issuing Agency. Respond by selecting the federal agency that approved your rate, or if the federal 

agency who issued your rate is not listed, select Other, or if your rate is issued by a state agency select 

Other. 

Identify federal agencies using the drop-down list. If your rate is approved by a federal agency other 

than the ones listed, notify your Portfolio Manager or Competition contact person from the applicable 

Notice. Other federal agencies may be added as needed.

7) Acceptance Date. Enter a valid date. 

The acceptance date is usually identified where the rate was signed by the issuing state or federal 

agency. 

8) Rate Status. Select one of the following options: Final, Provisional, Predetermined, Fixed, Other, or 

Other – 10%.

Rates issued by federal agencies will almost always be final or provisional. However, if your 

organization has formally notified a federal or state agency of your eligibility and intent to use the 10-

percent of MTDC rate, select Other – 10%. If your organization has a predetermined or fixed rate, 

select those options accordingly. If a state rate indicates a term that is not listed here, select Other

and notify your Portfolio Manager or Competition contact person from the applicable Notice. 

Additional rate status options may be added as needed.

9) Effective From. Enter a valid date. 
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The effective from date is found on your indirect cost rate document. If using the 10-percent of MTDC 

rate, enter today’s date or the date your organization formally started charging costs under the 10-

percent of MTDC rate. 

10) Effective To. Enter a valid date. 

The effective to date is found on your indirect cost rate document. If your organization has received 

approval to extend your rate, enter the end date of the extension.

11) No Expiration. Check or leave unchecked. 

If your rate does not have an expiration date, as is the case with the use of the 10-percent of MTDC 

rate, check this box. Otherwise, leave this box unchecked.

12) Extended? Respond Yes or No. 

If the rate “effective to” date has been extended with approval of the federal cognizant agency under 

authority of the Uniform Guidance, respond Yes. If it is not an extended rate effective to date, 

respond No.

13) Rate Base. Enter up to 500 characters including spaces. 

Enter the text as found on your indirect cost rate approval document. For rates issued by state 

agencies, enter either the rate base used to determine the indirect cost pool as stated on your indirect 

cost rate approval document or “State Rate N/A.” If you need more than 500 characters, indicate 

“Summary” and record the most important content.

14) Treatment of Fringe Benefits. Enter up to 500 characters including spaces. 

Enter the text as found on your indirect cost rate approval document. For rates issued by state 

agencies, enter either how fringe benefits were treated in determining the indirect cost rate as stated 

on your indirect cost rate approval document or “State Rate N/A.” If you need more than 500 

characters, indicate “Summary” and record the most important content.

15) Treatment of Paid Absences. Enter up to 500 characters including spaces.

Enter the text as found on your indirect cost rate approval document. For rates issued by state 

agencies, enter either how paid absences were treated in determining the indirect cost rate as stated 

on your indirect cost rate approval document or “State Rate N/A.” If you need more than 500 

characters, indicate “Summary” and record the most important content.

16) When you have completed all of the above entries, click the “save & close” button at the bottom of 

the page. 

• If you would like to cancel your entry, click the “cancel” button and the entry will be cancelled. All 

entry information will be lost, and no entry will be shown. 

• Once a rate is saved it cannot be modified. 

• If users inadvertently enter incorrect information, a new entry must be submitted with the correct 

information.
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17) Order of Rates - Once an entry is saved, users will be able to see the rates they have entered. Rates 

will display in the order of entry. Entry of rates will provide users and CNCS with a historical record 

which can be used to clarify indirect cost rate inquiries for monitoring, consistent record maintenance, 

and audits.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact your Portfolio Manager or Competition contact 

person from the applicable Notice.