Recipient guide for reimbursements and advances

3.1 Completeness check

Before a claim is processed, a dedicated PO reviewing the claim will ensure that the submitted claim and Quarterly Progress Report /Final Report have been completed correctly. The claim documents must include all necessary information such as dates, invoice numbers and descriptions for expenses claimed otherwise the PO will contact the organization seeking further information.

3.2 Submission of supporting documents

A sample of supporting documents of amounts claimed (invoices, timesheets, etc.) may be requested at any time. The recipient is responsible for providing evidence of costs incurred and claimed. The nature and extent of the sample will be based on the programs risk framework.

Upon request, the recipient must provide supporting documents to support amounts claimed for each claim as per the terms under Article 5 of the CA. Examples of acceptable supporting documents are included below, in Section 4.3 Direct Costs and Acceptable Supporting Documents.

3.3 Verification of claims documents

The eligibility of costs and their corresponding supporting documents will be assessed against the terms of conditions outlined in the CA.

In addition, a Quarterly Progress Report (QPR) as outlined in Schedule C of the CA must be submitted with the claim. The QPR will be assessed against the appropriateness of costs claimed and against the milestones and deliverables set out in Schedule A of the CA.

The PO will recommend that a payment be made to the recipient once the claim has been fully reviewed and any outstanding issues related to the claim, or the accompanying Quarterly Progress Report, have been addressed to the satisfaction of the Minister.

4.1 Frequency

Recipients can submit all claim forms and supporting documents electronically.

Claims are to be submitted on a quarterly basis and not more frequently (i.e., April 1 to June 30, July 1 to September 30, October 1 to December 31 and January 1 to March 31).

4.2 Document requirements

The following documents are to be submitted in accordance with the deadlines outlined in the CA (the recipient must complete all the tabs in the Detailed Claim and Advance Form when submitting a claim):

• Detailed Claim and Advance Form (Excel workbook) (further details in Section 4.4)
• Quarterly Progress Report (submit with quarterly claims)
• Annual Report
• Final Implementation Report (submit 45 business days after the project completion date or supplied with final claim)
• Annual Financial Statement
• Attestation Letter to Final Claim for Expenses Incurred and for Other Sources of Funding- (submit with final claim, further details in Section 4.7)

4.3 Direct costs and acceptable supporting documents

Claims are based on direct costs as outlined in Schedule B: Eligible Activities and Costing Memorandum of Eligible Project Costs of the CanCode Contribution Agreement.

Direct cost categories

• Salary and labour costs, meaning the recipient may claim only the time worked directly on the Project by its employees and may not claim for indirect time, non-project related time, holidays, vacation, paid sickness, etc. Paid overtime, where considered reasonable in the opinion of the Minister, may be claimed. Time off in lieu of payment is not eligible. Time claimed will normally be expressed in hours.

  The payroll rate is the actual gross pay rate for each employee (normal periodic remuneration before deductions). The payroll rate excludes all premiums (e.g., overtime), shift differentials and any reimbursement or benefit conferred in lieu of salaries or wages except as noted in the last paragraph.

  Costs claimed in lieu of employment benefits (CPP, EI, holidays, and vacation, etc.) must be consistent with the current level of benefits paid in your province or territory.

  Employers are required by law to pay the Mandatory Employment Related Costs (MERCs) for their employees. These costs include Employment Insurance premiums, Canada or Quebec Pension Plan contributions, vacation pay, Workers' Compensation premiums or equivalent liability insurance (if applicable). Payroll deductions tables can be found on the CRA website.

  Acceptable supporting documents:

  • Project time recording system / process / method used to track, cost, record and claim Direct Labour and Salaries Costs, particularly where recipients manage multiple projects and employee time is charged to multiple projects.
  • Employee time sheets or time logs clearly demonstrating the number of hours / days worked on projects.
  • Employee pay stubs or other related documents to support salary rates used and demonstrate payments of salary to employees.

• Sub-contractors/consultant costs, meaning those applicable costs that contribute to the delivery and completion of the Project. Contracts $5,000 and over that are for the delivery of project activities are to be provided to the Minister. It is important to note that any third party is not bonded to the contribution agreement and it is up to the Recipient to ensure that its own agreement with the third party is in line with the CA to enable the recipient to fulfill its obligations to the Minister.

  Acceptable supporting documents:

  • Copies of agreements with subcontractors and other third parties. The agreement must show details of how costs were determined and are to be charged to projects.
  • Documented evidence of tendering, contractor selection process, or sole source justification if the process is not competitive to support the reasonableness of amounts claimed where they could be perceived as high.
  • Contractor Labour – Supported by contractor invoices, and documentation to demonstrate that labour costs / rates are reasonable.
  • Contractor Travel – Supported by contractor invoices, and documentation to demonstrate that travel costs are reasonable and in line with the National Joint Council Directive.

• Technological equipment and material costs, meaning phones, laptops, computers, tablets, programmable robots, hardware upgrades, coding software, rental of equipment, assistive devices and any other equipment which can be specifically identified and measured as having been used or to be used in the performance of the Project, as set out in Schedule A. Costs associated with purchase or repair of technological equipment and materials may not exceed 20% of the Contribution amount.

  The Recipient shall preserve and maintain the assets acquired with the Contribution and shall not sell, transfer or dispose of them until the expiration or early termination of the agreement with ISED unless the recipient has obtained prior written consent (please see Article 17.3 Disposition of Project Assets in the CA).

  Acceptable supporting documents:

  • Copies of receipts, invoices, cheques made out to the vendor/supplier, financial bank/ credit card statements and any other evidence to demonstrate that the costs have been rendered. The evidence must include suppliers name and date of purchase.

• Direct administration costs, meaning Eligible Costs incurred by the recipient for administration of the Project including travel costs not related to the direct delivery of Project activities will be limited to a maximum of 10% of the Contribution Amount. Exceptions for Recipient organizations headquartered in Canada's North (YT, NT, NU) will be given up to a maximum of 30% of the Contribution Amount. Exceptions shall be negotiated at the time of signing the contribution agreement (refer to Schedule B of the CA).

  Acceptable supporting documents:

  • For purchases made during the project period for direct use in projects, copies of receipts, invoices, cheques made out to the vendor/supplier, financial bank statements and any other evidence to demonstrate that the costs have been rendered. The evidence must include vendor/suppliers name and date of purchase.
  • Supporting documents and minimum requirements for travel related costs can be found in Annex A – Travel Costs.

• Other costs, meaning those applicable costs, not falling within the categories of salary and labour, technological equipment and material, subcontractors /consultant costs or administrative costs, which can be specifically identified and measured as having been incurred or to be incurred in the performance of the direct delivery of the Project. This includes travel costs resulting from the direct delivery of Project activities.

  All direct costs must be detailed when submitting a claim for reimbursement.

  Note: The Recipient shall obtain prior approval from the CanCode Program for all Hospitality and Entertainment expenses. Hospitality is only for participants and not for the recipients' staff. The reason for the event, the number of participants and all associated costs must be provided for consideration.

  These expenses must be in line with the Directive on Travel, Hospitality, Conference and Event Expenditures.

  Acceptable supporting documents:

  • For purchases made during the project period for direct use in projects, copies of receipts, invoices, financial bank statements and any other evidence to demonstrate that the costs have been rendered. Evidence should include suppliers name and date of purchase. Supporting documents and minimum requirements for travel related costs can be found in Annex A – Travel Costs.

Items applicable to more than one cost category

For costs that apply to more than one of the above six cost categories, recipients should consider the following information:

• Invoices where a portion of items are being claimed

  Where an invoice includes some items that are being claimed for a project, and others that are not, the items and related amounts being claimed should be clearly identified on invoices.

• Purchases from non-Canadian suppliers

  Goods purchased from suppliers from a country other than Canada must be reported and converted in Canadian dollars when processing a claim using an appropriate exchange rate, please see the Bank of Canada rate as the benchmark.

4.4 Detailed Claim and Advance Form (Excel workbook)

Recipients must implement a project cost accounting system to track, record and report on eligible costs incurred related to their CanCode project in an accurate, detailed and complete manner. The Detailed Claim and Advance Form (Excel workbook) is a tool provided to help recipients calculate eligible costs according to the program's Eligible Cost Categories as identified in Schedule B of the CA.

Recipients are to complete all data entry fields highlighted in yellow in each worksheet. Data entry requirements are described in column headings in the worksheets and further explanations are provided where appropriate. Grey highlighted fields are automatically calculated. Only those eligible costs incurred for the purpose of carrying out projects that meet requirements set out in Schedules A (Annex A1 and A2) and Schedule B of the CA should be entered.

As noted in Section 3 of this guide, the PO will be requesting supporting documents for a sample of project expenditures claimed.

The CanCode Detailed Claim and Advance Form (Excel workbook) contains the following worksheets (denoted by tabs located at the bottom of each worksheet) that must be completed:

• Instructions

• Worksheet #1: Recipient Information: Contains overall claim information, including Recipient Name, Project Number, applicable Claim Period start and end dates, and/or the Advance period start and end dates. The information on this worksheet shall be filled at all times as it auto populates the information on other worksheets within the workbook.

• Worksheet #2: Recipient Claim Summary and/or Advance Claim Form: For each claim for reimbursement or advance request the Program claim summary and/or Advance claim form must be completed, signed electronically (electronic signature and not an image) and submitted in a PDF format.

  • Yellow shaded areas are to be completed by recipient.
  • Grey shaded areas are for Departmental use only.
  • Purple shaded areas are brought forward from other worksheets automatically.

  The Recipient's Claim and/or Advance Summary form is for the Recipient's delegated signing authority to certify that costs described in the claim are considered eligible and incurred or are to be incurred under the agreement.

  Once the entire claim has been completed, the authorized official of the recipient is to sign the Claim Certification using an electronic signature system or print the form, sign and submit electronically in PDF format with the remaining claim package.

• Worksheet #3: Summary of Request: This is a summary of costs incurred to be reimbursed or to account for any outstanding advances. The summary also includes the total requested amount for a new advance request. Results from worksheets 4 through 12 are automatically calculated and populated on this worksheet.

  Note: Recipients are to enter the $ amounts for the sections entitled, "Portion allocated to Students" and "Portion allocated to Teachers". These amounts should equal the "Total Claimed" being claimed for reimbursement and, in the event of an audit, must be supported by the recipient's own records.

• Worksheet #4: Salary and Labour – Direct: Enter salary and wage costs directly related to the delivery of the project (e.g. coding instructors, program coordinators, etc.).

• Worksheet #5: Salary and Labour – Administration: Enter salary and wage costs that are not directly related to the delivery of the project and where the primary benefit is to the organization (e.g., CEO/Executive Director, Finance Manager, Executive Assistant, etc.)

  Note: These costs will be automatically added and calculated into the Administration Costs on Worksheet #3: Summary of Request.

• Worksheet #6: Subcontractor and Consultant Costs: Enter costs incurred related to subcontractors, consultants and other third parties.

  The amounts claimed by consultants, subcontractors and other third parties must be included under the Subcontractor and Consultant Cost Category of the Detailed Claim and Advance (Excel Workbook) with the exception of costs incurred for technological equipment and material, and costs incurred for travel.

  Consultants, subcontractors and other third party partners are not bound by the contribution agreement and it is up to the Recipient to ensure that its own agreement with the third party is in line with the CA to enable the recipient to fulfill its obligations to the Minister.

  Full accounting of all expenses incurred should be maintained by the third party and shall be made available to the Minister upon request.

• Worksheet #7: Technological Equipment and Material Costs: Enter costs associated with the purchase of technological equipment for the delivery of the project. Examples of eligible costs: phones, laptops, computers, tablets, programmable robots, hardware upgrades, coding software, rental of equipment, assistive devices and any other equipment which can be specifically identified and measured as having been used or to be used in the performance of the Project. Costs for Technological Equipment and Material claimed in this tab may not exceed 20% of the Contribution Amount.

  Note: Equipment costs incurred by a third party must be included under this cost category. One line item per third party delivery is acceptable. Include the name of the Third Party, and a description of the item, in the Item/Description field.

• Worksheet #8: Administration Costs: Enter costs incurred for the administration of the project that may include rental of accommodation, accounting expenses, IT maintenance, stationary and office supplies, utilities, telecommunication and other administrative costs related to the project.

  Note: On the Tab 3: Summary of Request worksheet, Administration Costs includes Administration related salaries and travel costs. Total Administration Costs cannot exceed 10% of ISED's contribution amount. Exceptions for recipient organizations headquartered in Canada's North (YT, NT, NU) will be given up to a maximum of 30% of the Contribution Amount.

• Worksheet #9: Travel Costs – Administrative: Enter admin travel costs where it is not directly related to the delivery of the project but it is related to the project initiative. Claimed Amounts must not exceed the travel rates and allowances designated under the National Joint Council Travel Directive for the period of travel.

  Admin – Travel Costs will be automatically added to Administration Costs on the Worksheet #3: Summary of Request.

  Note: Travel costs incurred by a third party must be included under this cost category. One line item per third party delivery is acceptable. Include the name of the third party, and a description of the item, in the Item/Description field. Costs for travelling outside Canada are not eligible.

  For further details on claiming travel related costs, refer to Annex A – Travel Costs.

• Worksheet #10: Travel Costs – Direct Delivery: Enter travel costs directly related to the delivery of the project. Claimed Amounts must not exceed the travel rates and allowances designated under the National Joint Council Travel Directive for the period of travel.

  Direct – Travel Costs will be auto populated to Other Direct Costs on the Worksheet #3: Summary of Request.

  Note: Direct Travel Costs are not considered administrative and does not effect the maximum of 10% Administration costs or 30% for Canada's North.

  Travel costs incurred by a third party must be included under this cost category. One line item per third party delivery is acceptable. Include the name of the third party, and a description of the item, in the Item/Description field. Costs for travelling outside Canada are not eligible.

• Worksheet #11: Other Direct Costs: Enter costs that do not fall within the other categories that can be specifically identified and measured as having been incurred or to be incurred in the performance of the direct delivery of the project.
• Worksheet #12: Advance Requests: Advance requests must be received by the program within 15 days from the start of the first quarter being requested. Complete request for no more than 3 consecutive months at a time, including a detailed justification as to why an advance is required, how the funds will be spent and how it aligns with projects deliverables and timelines. For further details, refer below to Section 4.5 Submitting Requests for Advances.
• Worksheet #13: Revised Budget: Contains information related to any revisions to the project budget. This table is intended to reallocate funds between cost categories and to obtain approval from ISED. Provide a justification for each requested change.

• Worksheet #14: Cash Flow Forecast: This worksheet contains information related to the estimated Cash Flow forecast tool. A Cash Flow forecast is requested at the commencement of the project and subsequently at the beginning of each fiscal year (April 1^st). The Cash Flow Forecast is a tool used by the program to understand the organization's projected spending plan in order to better track the possibility of lapses in funding. Should there be a variance between the "Forecast" and the "Actual" expenditures in a given quarter, the forecast must be updated accordingly to reflect the revised planned expenditures up to the end of the fiscal year.

  Variances of more than 10% should include an explanation in the comments box at the bottom of the page.
  Requested advance amounts should be calculated based on the estimated forecasted amount for the upcoming quarter.

• Worksheet #15 Sampling: For internal use only. This is where the PO will request a sample of invoices for costs claimed for reimbursement. The sampling of invoices is to verify expenditures claimed in relation to the project. Its up to the recipient to keep a record of all receipts in case of a sampling of invoices is being performed.

4.5 Submitting requests for advances

According to the Treasury Board of Canada Policy on Transfer Payments, advance payments have to be essential to the achievement of projects and based on the recipient's cash flow requirements in order to be issued. To request advance payments to meet immediate cash flow requirements for the project, information must be entered in Worksheet #12: Advance Requests in the Detailed Claims and Advance Form (Excel workbook), see section 4.4. This information will auto populate on Worksheet #2: Recipient's Claim and/or Advance Summary form.

Advance requests shall include:

• Monthly forecasts of eligible project costs for up to three months for each of the Eligible Project Cost categories, where applicable; and
• A detailed justification as to why an advance is required and how it aligns with project deliverables and timelines as set out in Schedule A of the CA.

A request for an Advance shall be submitted no later than 15 days from the commencement of the advance period in order to receive a timely advance payment. Recipients must provide accounting for advances, both expended and unspent, within 30 days of the end of each advance period through the submission of a report detailing the actual amounts of eligible costs incurred during the advance period.

At no time shall more than one advance period be unaccounted for. An advance must be fully accounted for prior to a subsequent advance payment.

Each advance payment shall not exceed the immediate cash requirements of the Recipient for that period and shall take into account any holdback that may be applied.

The ISED fiscal year begins on April 1^st and ends on March 31^st. Advances must be spent in the fiscal year the advance was made. Any unspent amounts may not be carried over between fiscal years. Amounts unspent by March 31 will be considered an overpayment and the recipient will be required to reimburse the Minister.

Exceptions to outstanding advances

If an advance request is submitted and there is an outstanding balance that is not accounted for from the previous advance, the unspent balance will be deducted from the subsequent advance request.

If a claim cannot be submitted at the time of a subsequent advance request, evidence must be provided to demonstrate that the previous advance was spent. Evidence includes:

• Worksheet #2: Claim Summary and/ or Advance Claim Form is completed including the total amount of costs incurred at the time of the request, and signed by an authorised officer of the organization attesting that the amount has been expended.
• Worksheet #3: Summary of Request is completed with the costs incurred by cost category at the time of the request.

In order for the Summary worksheet to be auto populated, enter the total amount spent under each cost category it applies to. No further details are required at that time until the claim is submitted.

4.6 Final claim

The final payment of a contribution is made after the project is completed and final claims have been received and approved for reimbursement. The amount of the final contribution is calculated based on actual total eligible costs incurred for a project up to the project completion date and is subject to the provisions of the CA. The final contribution payment is limited to the maximum allowable program funding share of eligible costs or the maximum amount, whichever is lower (refer to Article 5.3 and Schedule C of the CA).

4.7 Attestation letter to final claim for expenses incurred and other sources of funding received

The attestation letter provided by the program, must be submitted with the final claim including the final implementation report, certifying that all eligible costs are incurred and paid and all obligations as set out in the CA have been met. The letter must also include the amounts received towards the project by other levels of government.

Final payments of contributions are made after projects are completed and final claims have been received and approved. Subject to the provisions of the CA, the amount of final contributions are calculated based on actual total eligible costs incurred and paid for projects up to the completion date. Final contribution payments are limited to the maximum allowable program funding share of eligible costs or the maximum amount, whichever is lower.

4.8 Project budget

Throughout the life of the project, should a transfer of funds between cost categories be required, the program should be informed to ensure the scope of the project has not changed or if it requires a formal amendment to the contribution agreement. The Worksheet #13: Revised Budget must be completed and submitted to the designated PO of the Program.

When revising the budget, include the amounts under each fiscal year of the project even though the revision pertains to only one of the fiscal years.

Ensure that budgeted amounts in previous fiscal years reflect actual expenditures.

Ensure that the total budgeted amounts do not exceed the total project authorised assistance (refer to the signed CA).

The CanCode terms and conditions limit administration costs to a maximum of 10% of total ISED funding. Exceptions for recipients headquartered in Canada's North (YT, NT, NU) will be given up to a maximum of 30%. The terms and conditions also limit technical equipment and material costs to a maximum of 20% of total ISED funding. This shall be taken into consideration when the budget needs to be revised. Any eligible costs that exceed these maximum thresholds shall be absorbed and paid for by the recipient.

The recipient will be in an overpayment situation when an advance is provided to the recipient and the recipient exceeds the maximum threshold. The recipient will need to repay any amounts owing to the Minister (refer to Overpayments clause 5.8 in the CA).

4.9 Holdbacks

At the sole discretion of the program, a holdback may be taken from any claim at any time during the life of the project. The amount to holdback shall be determined by the Program.

Not more than ninety percent (90%) of the total contribution shall be paid prior to the approval of the final claim. The holdback amount will be released once all the required documentation are provided at the end of the project, including (the final report, attestation letter, etc.).

4.10 Sales taxes

Only the portion of HST, GST, PST and/or QST that is not refundable / recoverable by the Canada Revenue Agency or provincial tax authority can be claimed as an eligible cost. Note that the HST, GST, PST and/or QST are to be entered separately for each purchase in the cost schedules.

The treatment of HST, GST, PST and QST is complex, and rules vary among provinces and territories. It is encouraged that recipients seek advice either from a tax advisor or their Program Officer in advance of submitting their first claim, if there is any uncertainty.

4.11 Retroactive costs

The Program will not contribute to any Eligible Costs that are incurred prior to the Eligibility Date or after the Project Completion Date of the Project in accordance with the contribution agreement. All costs prior to the Eligibility Date will be considered ineligible.