Expanding RPP Activity
We are working to expand the payment selections by providing the ability to send Zelle Payments allowing them to pay for research participant payments directly to their participating bank accounts.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What Do I Need to Get Started with a RPP Study Fund Request?
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- Individuals in the department to have the appropriate RPP Security roles in place
- The Study Team Members responsibilities have been identified
- A valid Chartfield – the funding source responsible for the payment
- IRB Protocol Number and copy of approval letter if using an exempt protocol
- What is a Chartfield?
- A ChartField is a data field that stores accounting information, affects budget and is used for internal and external reporting.
All accounting systems consist of codes used to identify transactions and to track financial activity. ChartFields are the codes in myUFL used to identify these financial functions. ChartFields identify received and expended funds and ensure compliance with the contributor of those funds. This is done with a series of ChartFields called a ChartField combination. When combined correctly, ChartFields identify the impact of a financial transaction.
The department finance individual should know the chartfields of the area and be able to provide that documentation. To learn more about chartfields visit: ChartFields – Finance & Accounting
- What if the RPP System is requiring an active IRB protocol, but my study is exempt?
- Send a copy of the approval letter from the IRB office to RPP team at hsp@admin.ufl.edu. This will allow our office to remove that requirement in the system for you.
- I entered the wrong card/wrong amount in the Payment Log, how can I fix it?
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- Gift Card and Cash payment types: An RPP admin can correct accidental entries. Contact us at hsp@admin.ufl.edu
- Visa Debit card payment type: An RPP admin can assist with correcting an accidental entry IF notified the same day the entry was made.
- If the error is caught after the nightly process, RPP can assist with those corrections, but not directly in the payment log. Contact us at hsp@admin.ufl.edu
- What Payment Options are Available through RPP?
- Physical Gift Cards
- Walmart
- Amazon
- Starbucks
- Publix
- Target
- Winn-Dixie
- CVS
- UF Bookstore
Takes 5 to 7 days for delivery
Electronic Gift Cards
- Walmart
- Amazon
- Starbucks – Must have a 15 card minimum orde
Takes 2 to 3 days for delivery
Visa Debit Cards
- Cards: 2 to 3 days for delivery
- Debit cards expire within 3 years of issuance from the bank.
Cash
- Check made payable to the Custodian only.
- Checks: 5 to 7 days for delivery
- Pre-approval from RPP is required in order to use this payment type.
In addition to approving the study fund requests, this payment type will also require MyUF Marketplace approval by the department. This can cause delays in receiving this payment type.
Zelle Payment Type
This payment type is not currently active but is forthcoming as an option.
- Do Visa Debit Cards or Gift Cards Expire?
- Visa Debit Cards expire within 3 years of issuance from the bank. Gift cards typically have no expiration date.
- What do I need to pay the participants?
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- For studies paying each participant up to and less than $199 in the calendar year, the participant’s name and physical address (P.O Boxes not allowed) will be required to be recorded in the Payment Log.
- For studies paying each participant $200 or more in the calendar year, the participant’s social security number along with their name and physical address, must be required in the payment log.
- Why is a Social Security Number (SSN) required for some studies?
- All payments earned for participation in research studies are considered taxable income by the IRS, with the exception of travel reimbursements. Once a participant has earned $600, UF will generate a 1099 tax form to report that income.
The participant may not have earned $600 from your study but they could be involved in multiple studies, so the Tax Office created the $200 cut off to ensure they are ready to print tax forms at the end of the year and comply with IRS regulations.
- Who Do I contact for 1099 questions?
- Please contact UF Disbursements Services Contacts – Finance & Accounting
- I have anonymous participants; how do I register them to my study?
- If the protocol of the study stipulates that the participants will be paid anonymously, then it is allowed to avoid the typical data collection requirements. The RPP admin team will set the study to allow an alias in the Payment Log in lieu of a name and address.
In addition, the RPP admin team will need to review the request of the IRB Protocol to confirm that it is an approved study to have anonymous participants. If you have that documentation handy, it is recommended to send that portion of the protocol to hsp@admin.ufl.edu when you are getting ready to create a RPP Study Fund Request. That way we can approve your study quickly.
- Can I pay a participant that is not a US Citizen/is a resident of another country?
- Participants that are not US Citizens or that are not residents of the US cannot be paid through RPP. These participants must be paid through the Payroll Office.
Individuals who are determined to be Nonresident Aliens (NRA) for tax purposes and are compensated for their participation in research studies are subject to mandatory 30% tax withholding.
Certain VISA statuses prevent the individual from earning money in the US, especially for students.
Visit https://www.fa.ufl.edu/directives/human-subject-payments-to-foreign-nationals/ to get more information on paying the participant through the Payroll office.
- I have extra gift cards, Visa cards, or Cash that will not be used. What should I do?
- Send an email to the RPP Team at hsp@admin.ufl.edu. In the email indicate your Study Fund Number and what you want to return. Once the team receives the email notice, they will provide further information on how to proceed.
- My study is over. What do I do?
- Send an email to the RPP Team at hsp@admin.ufl.edu. In the email indicate your Study Fund Number, if you have any payment types to return, and that you are ready to close the study. Once the team receives the email notice, they will provide further information on how to proceed.
- Can the same individual be the PI, Department Contact & the custodian of the request?
- No, the same individual cannot be in all three areas of the RPP request.
- How Do I troubleshoot Visa Debit Card Issues? How do I activate cards?
- For general questions regarding visa debit cards, please contact hsp@admin.ufl.edu
For card activation issues, please use Prepaid Debit Card Activiation Steps and Tips
- What are the Security Roles for RPP?
- Security Roles – Finance & Accounting
- I am trying to add my PI into the system, however, it will not accept name or UFID. How can I get this to work?
- To be able to add the PI, the PI must have the viewer role to the RPP System (UF_FI_RPP_VIEWER).
Required Trainings: PRV800 and PRV804
This is an end-user role granting access to the Research Participant payment module’s Study Fund Request (SFR) page and Payment Log data to:
- View access to Research Participants and Payments pages
- Run reports for Study Fund Request (SFR) and Payment Log information
- View SFR, Replenishment and Team Member pages
It is appropriate for people who need to view summary data but not enter or view detail pages, such as faculty or researchers who will not be the custodian of the payments.