Jump to: NIH Guidance  |  Budget Justification  |  Examples and Templates

NIH Guidance:

Generally, you must use the R&R Budget (detailed) format if you are applying for more than $250,000 per budget period in direct costs, and you must use the Modular Budget form at if you are applying for less than $250,000. However, some grant mechanisms or programs (e.g., training grants) may require other budget forms to be used. Refer to your FOA for guidance on which Budget Form to use.

If you are requesting a budget with $500,000 or more in direct costs for any budget period, contact the awarding component to determine whether you must obtain prior approval before submitting the application. Some NIH Institutes/Centers (IC) do not require prior approval. For more information on applications that request $500,000 or more in direct costs, see the NIH Grants Policy Statement, Section 2.3.7.2:Acceptance for Review of Unsolicited Applications Requesting $500,000 or More in Direct Costs

Note on Subawards/Consortiums: If you have a subaward/consortium, you must use the R&R Subaward Budget Attachment(s) Form in conjunction with the R&R Budget Form. The prime must extract the R&R Subaward Budget Attachment(s) from the R&R Subaward Budget Attachment(s) Form and send the extracted file to the subaward/consortium. The consortium should complete the R&R Subaward Budget Attachment, following the instructions here and in G.310 - R&R Subaward Budget Attachment(s) Form

Use the current legislatively imposed salary limitation when calculating salaries.

• NIH Application Guide - R&R Budget (detailed) 
• Write your Application - Developing Your Budget

Budget Justification:

The "Budget Justification" attachment is required. Attach only one file.

There are no page or word limits for this section

• Use the Budget Justification to provide the additional information requested in each budget category identified, and any other information the applicant wishes to submit to support the budget request. If you have a quote(s), you may include it here. In addition to personnel, the following budget categories must be justified, where applicable: equipment, travel, participant/trainee support, and other direct cost categories.
  
  
• Include a justification for any significant increases or decreases from the initial budget period. Justify budgets with more than a standard escalation from the initial to the future year(s) of support. Also use the Budget Justification to explain any exclusions applied to the F&A base calculation (e.g. for capital equipment >$5,000 per item).
  
  
• If your application includes a subaward/consortium, a separate detailed Budget Justification must be submitted for each subaward/consortium. See https://grants.nih.gov/grants/how-to-apply-application-guide/forms-h/general/g.310-r&r-subaward-budget-attachment(s)-form.htm

Examples and Templates:

• Detailed Budget Worksheet (.xlsx) V10-2 Updated Feb 2023
• Template - Detailed Budget Justification (.docx) V1.5 Updated Feb 2023