UNLV Fringe Benefits Rates and Information

Fringe benefits rates for FY25 (pay period beginning 7/1/2024) are listed below and should be used when budgeting salaries:

Employee Type/Job Family Fringe Benefits Rates
FY22 FY23 FY24 FY25
Faculty/ Professional Staff (includes Postdoctoral scholar)1 29.4% 27.2% 30.6% 32.90%
Clinical Faculty (new FY23) N/A 23.3% 24.9% 26.20%
Classified Staff 43.4% 38.1% 41.3% 42.70%
Letter of Appointment 19.0% 23.0% 22.8% 14.70%
Medical Residents 22.0% 24.3% 26.6% 19.90%
Graduate Assistants 10.4% 15.0% 19.2% 13.30%
Student or Other Hourly 4.3% 4.5% 4.6% 2.00%
Non-Retirement Earnings (see below for more details) 2.4% 2.5% 2.5% 2.50%

1 Rates for Academic/Administrative faculty are applied up to the retirement earnings limit, as indicated below:

  • FY22 - up to the first $290,000 of applicable earnings
  • FY23 - up to the first $305,000 of applicable earnings
  • FY24 - up to the first $330,000 of applicable earnings
  • FY25 - up to the first $345,000 of applicable earnings

Earnings in excess of retirement earnings limit are assessed the non-retirement earnings rate.

The following components are included in the above fringe rates where applicable:

  • Retirement: Includes employer contributions to Public Employee Retirement System (PERS) and alternative mandatory retirement programs.
  • Industrial Insurance: Includes employer funded worker’s compensation insurance
  • Health Insurance: Includes employer funded health insurance costs
  • Unemployment Insurance: employer funded state unemployment insurance
  • Social Security (FICA): Includes employer portion of FICA tax
  • Medicare: Includes employer portion of Medicare Tax
  • REGIA: Includes employer funded state assessment against current payroll costs, which funds retired employee group health insurance

Non-retirement earnings components

The following earning components are subject to the non-retirement earning rate of 2.50% when paid within ALL job family groups:

  • Academic Phase-In
  • Activity Pay - Ineligible for Retirement
  • Additional Pay - Supplemental (Position Based)
  • Athletic Endorsements
  • Award (Position Based)
  • Award - Gross Up (Position Based)
  • Bonus (Position Based)
  • Call Back
  • Car Allowance
  • Cell Phone
  • Clothing Allowance (Position Based)
  • Commission (Position Based)
  • Death Benefit
  • Faculty Initial Expense (Position Based)
  • Graduate Research Not Enrolled
  • Hazard Pay
  • Holiday (No PERS)
  • Housing Allowance
  • Incentive Buyout
  • Medical Faculty Clinical/Practice (Position Based)
  • Mobile Equipment (Position Based)
  • Moving Taxable (for Payments) (Position Based)
  • Overtime Pay - FLSA Premium
  • Overtime Pay - Shift Differential Time Worked
  • Overtime Pay - Time Worked
  • PAP Research Overload - Ineligible for Retirement
  • Settlement
  • Severance
  • Special Pay

Fringe Pool vs. Direct Charge

  • Institutions have the option of charging actual fringe costs (direct charge) or using federally approved rates to charge pooled fringe costs. Through June 30, 2019, UNLV has used the direct charge method.
  • Direct charging method allocates each individual’s specific benefits to each salary source.
  • Pooled fringe benefit rates use an average rate (a percentage of salary) for groups of employees.
  • Through June 30, 2019, UNLV has used the direct charge method. Starting July 1, 2019 (fiscal year 2020), UNLV implemented fringe benefit rate.

Fringe Pool Benefits

Increased Efficiency

A fringe benefit rate will simplify the monitoring of fringe benefit charges to accounts and simplify salary re-assignments.

Increased Recovery

With direct charge method, some fringe benefits are paid centrally while pooled rates allow for centrally funded fringes to be included in the fringe rate to more accurately allocate total fringe costs.

Reduced Risk of Non-compliance

Fringe benefit rates are negotiated annually with the institution’s cognizant federal agency.

Easier Budgeting

A fringe benefit rate will result in consistency between budgeting and expense practices; and simplify negotiations with sponsors.

A department can easily calculate the total cost of a new employee at the time of hire rather than after new employees make benefit choices.

Basics of Fringe Rate Development

  • Based on actual compensation and benefits for a base year reconciled to audited financial statements
    • For FY25, UNLV base year is FY23 – most recent complete year available during rate development period
  • Employees classified into groups subject to generally the same compensation structure and benefit plans
    • For UNLV, this is ‘job family group’ – faculty/professional, classified, LOA, graduate assistant, medical resident, hourly worker (students, casual labor)
  • Known/anticipated changes in benefit rates or offerings are factored in
    • FY25 projection included FY23 applicable salary merit and COLA increases, and adjustments for anticipated changes benefit costs.
    • FY25 rate for Academic/Administrative faculty applies to first $345,000 of applicable earnings (retirement earnings limit). Earnings in excess of retirement earnings limit are assessed the non-retirement earnings rate.
  • Above factors taken into consideration – actual salary and fringe costs for base year by pool group + known changes used to calculate fringe benefit rate for employee group
  • At end of year, actual fringe costs vs. fringe recover is analyzed by pool to determine whether over/under recovery occurred, and this is then rolled-into next year’s rate calculation

For questions or concerns, please contact:

Lori Church

702-895-0573
lori.church@unlv.edu

Lisa Bakke

702-895-1394
lisa.bakke@unlv.edu