Overview of RPP

Directive Statement

Anyone who pays research participants, other than in-kind, will need to use the University of Florida Research Participant Payments system, a myUFL module that enables researchers or their study team members to request payments for research participants. Payments can be made with various payment types. The UF Research Participant Payment (RPP) system provides a secure method of recording those payments.

Overview

The Research Participant Payment (RPP) system is a myUFL module that enables researchers or their study team members to request payments for research participants (such as prepaid VISA debit cards) and provides a secure method of recording those payments.

Benefits of the RPP system include:

• A central location for obtaining all payment types for research participants
• A secure database to house payment and participant information, reducing or eliminating data that departments must store
• Elimination of the need to accumulate and transmit payment information to Disbursements (Accounts Payable) at the calendar year-end
• Quick turnaround on payment requests
• Improved University compliance for required reporting
• In certain circumstances, the ability to return unused cards to Banking & Merchant Services for a refund

Reason for Directive

The UF RPP system provides a secure database to house payment and participant information and improved compliance by the University of Florida for required reporting. The University of Florida reports tax information to the IRS and other information to granting agencies.

Who Must Comply?

All University departments.

Procedures

1. Ensure the study has been granted Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval
2. Ensure that the appropriate people have the proper security roles and have completed the necessary associated training
3. Complete the Study Fund Request (SFR) page under the UF Research Participant Payments module in myUFL
4. Click the submit button to route the SFR to the department or college approver
5. The approver will review the SFR to see if there is enough available balance in the cost center to charge the payments
6. If there is not sufficient available balance, you will need to charge another, unrestricted source initially and change the cost center later as is appropriate (you can easily modify an existing approved SFR to change the funding source)
7. Collect the participants’ names and addresses per IRS requirements unless you meet one of the criteria below:
   • The study is anonymous (the identify of the participants is not known to the researcher); contact hsp@admin.ufl.edu for more information
8. You must collect the Social Security Number (SSN) unless the study will pay participants $200 or less in a calendar year

Definitions

Custodian

The Custodian serves as the primary administrator for the study and the Principal Investigator (PI).  They must be a current UF employee, complete the required trainings, and obtain the proper security roles.  They must sign the Custodian Agreement & Acknowledgement, accepting responsibility for:

• Securing payments
• Managing and recording payments
• Maintaining appropriate records
• Reconciling RPP reports to departmental study records

The Study Fund Custodian is expected to:

• Be knowledgeable about the study protocol, funding levels, ChartFields, Contracts & Grants and IRB rules
• Follow all UF policies/procedures regarding cash handling and disbursements
• Adhere to RPP record keeping requirements
• Handle distributions of payments to study participants
• Reconcile payment tender types to RPP reports
• Handle requests for SFR modifications and gift/debit card replenishment process
• Request to close out the study when the research protocol has expired

Last Reviewed

03/31/2023: Reviewed content

Resources

Cash Fund Management

Institutional Review Boards (IRB)

Division of Sponsored Programs (DSP)

Contracts & Grants (C&G)

Training

PRV800 – HIPAA General Awareness

PRV804 – Protecting Social Security Numbers

RSH320 – Research Participant Payments for Fiscal Administrators

Contacts

Cost Analysis: (352) 392-5778

hsp@admin.ufl.edu

Disbursements: (352) 392-1241

Contracts & Grants: (352) 392-1235

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