Fiscal Officer Responsibilities - Sponsored Projects

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Last Updated: Apr 16, 2026, 08:33 AM

Fiscal officers play a critical role in ensuring sponsored projects at SIUC are managed in compliance with sponsor, federal and university requirements. Proper fiscal oversight protects both the principal investigator (PI) and the university while ensuring that funds are used appropriately to advance the project’s goals.

By agreeing to serve as a fiscal officer, you are agreeing to the Fiscal Officer Attestation Statement which outlines your responsibilities and commitments. 

Primary Role of the Fiscal Officer

The fiscal officer is responsible for the financial stewardship of sponsored project funds for a specific project or in some cases their unit. This includes ensuring that:

  • Expenditures are allowable, allocable, reasonable and consistently treated.

  • Charges align with the approved award budget.

  • Transactions are processed accurately and on time.

  • The project remains in good financial standing through closeout.

Fiscal officers, whether serving as the PI or separate from the PI, work in partnership with the principal investigator and the Office of Sponsored Projects Administration (OSPA) to maintain compliance throughout the award lifecycle.

Fiscal Officer Post-Award Responsibilities

Post-Award Setup Responsibilities

Once an award is received, fiscal officers must:

  • Review the award notice and approved budget.
  • Ensure the project is set up correctly in the financial system.
  • Verify start and end dates, budget categories and restrictions.
  • Communicate any special terms or sponsor conditions to the PI.
  • Ensure subaward budgets are properly established, if applicable.

Financial Monitoring and Compliance

Fiscal officers are responsible for ongoing financial oversight, including:

Allowable and Appropriate Charges
All costs must be allowable under sponsor and federal rules, allocable to the project, reasonable, necessary and consistently treated with similar costs.

Budget Management
Fiscal officers must monitor expenditures against the approved budget, identify potential over- or under-spending, work with the PI to process budget revisions when needed, and ensure spending aligns with the project timeline.

Effort and Payroll Oversight
Fiscal officers verify that salary charges reflect actual effort, ensure payroll is charged to the correct grant, and support effort reporting and certification.

Fiscal Officer Reports and Payroll Certifications

Fiscal officers will receive notifications from AIS when fiscal officer reports for the prior month become available. In addition, fiscal officers will receive payroll certification notifications for each pay period.

Fiscal officers are responsible for reviewing all fiscal officer reports and payroll certifications. This review must be documented and retained in accordance with the university’s record retention requirements.

The most commonly used fiscal officer reports for sponsored projects include:

Documentation and Recordkeeping

Fiscal officers ensure that:

  • All expenses have adequate supporting documentation.
  • Justifications are provided for unusual or high-risk charges.
  • Records are retained in accordance with sponsor and SIUC policies.
  • Files are audit-ready at all times.

This includes invoices, receipts, payroll records, subaward documentation and cost share tracking.

Financial Reporting & Invoicing Responsibilities

Throughout the life of the award, fiscal officers must:

  • Understand sponsor financial reporting and invoicing requirements, including frequency and deadlines.

  • Monitor expenditures to ensure costs are allowable, allocable and accurately recorded.

  • Identify and resolve discrepancies, overdrafts or unusual transactions prior to reporting periods.

  • Coordinate with the principal investigator and OSPA to address financial reporting or invoicing issues.

  • Provide supporting documentation or justification as requested.

  • Review financial reports prepared by OSPA for accuracy and completeness.

  • Approve and sign off on the final financial report.

Important notes:

  • All sponsor financial reports and invoices are prepared and submitted by OSPA unless otherwise instructed.

  • Fiscal officers do not submit invoices to sponsors but are responsible for ensuring the underlying financial data is accurate and complete.

Subaward and Vendor Oversight

If a project includes subrecipients, fiscal officers assist by:

  • Monitoring subaward spending.
  • Reviewing invoices for allowability and accuracy.
  • Ensuring payments match the approved subaward budget.
  • Confirming required technical and financial reports are received.

Closeout Responsibilities

At the end of the award, fiscal officers must:

  • Review all charges for accuracy and allowability.
  • Ensure all expenses are posted before the deadline.
  • Clear overdrafts or unallowable costs.
  • Assist OSPA with final financial reports.
  • Confirm all subaward invoices have been received and paid.

Important note:
The fiscal officer is required to sign the final closeout confirmation, certifying that:

  • All expenses have posted,

  • Charges are accurate, allowable and allocable, and

  • The award is financially complete and ready for closeout.

Timely closeout is required to avoid audit findings, funding delays and sponsor penalties. 

Support from OSPA

The Office of Sponsored Projects Administration (OSPA) provides policy guidance, budget approvals and modifications, financial reporting, sponsor communication, training and compliance support.

Fiscal officers should contact OSPA whenever:

  • A cost is unclear or unusual.
  • A budget revision is needed.
  • Corrections and Expense Approval is needed.
  • Revisions that require sponsor approval.
  • There are concerns about compliance.