2 C.F.R. § 200.414 – Indirect costs.

(a) Facilities and administration classification. For major Institutions of Higher Education (IHE) and major nonprofit organizations, indirect costs must be classified within two broad categories: “Facilities” and “Administration.” “Facilities” is defined as depreciation on buildings, equipment and capital improvements, interest on debt associated with certain buildings, equipment and capital improvements, and operations and maintenance expenses. “Administration” is defined as general administration and general expenses such as the director's office, accounting, personnel, and all other types of expenditures not listed specifically under one of the subcategories of “Facilities” (including cross allocations from other pools, where applicable). For nonprofit organizations, library expenses are included in the “Administration” category; for IHEs, they are included in the “Facilities” category. Major IHEs are defined as those required to use the Standard Format for Submission as noted in Appendix III. Major nonprofit organizations are those which receive more than $10 million in direct Federal funding.
(b) Diversity of nonprofit organizations. It is not always possible to specify the types of costs that may be classified as indirect costs for nonprofit organizations due to the diversity of their accounting practices. The association of a cost with a Federal award is the determining factor in distinguishing direct from indirect costs. However, typical examples of indirect cost for many nonprofit organizations may include depreciation on buildings and equipment, the costs of operating and maintaining facilities, and general administration and general expenses, such as the salaries and expenses of executive officers, personnel administration, and accounting.
(c) Federal Agency Acceptance of Negotiated Indirect Cost Rates. (See § 200.306.)
1. (1) Negotiated indirect cost rates must be accepted by all Federal agencies. A Federal agency may use a rate different from the negotiated rate for either a class of Federal awards or a single Federal award only when required by Federal statute or regulation, or when approved by the awarding Federal agency in accordance with paragraph (c)(3) of this section.
2. (2) The Federal agency must notify OMB of any approved deviations. The recipient or subrecipient may notify OMB of any disputes with Federal agencies regarding the application of a federally negotiated indirect cost rate.
3. (3) The Federal agency must implement, and make publicly available, the policies, procedures and general decision-making criteria that their programs will follow to seek and justify deviations from negotiated rates.
4. (4) The Federal agency must include, in the notice of funding opportunity, the policies relating to indirect cost rate reimbursement or cost share as approved under paragraph (e). As appropriate, the Federal agency should incorporate discussion of these policies into its outreach activities with applicants before posting a notice of funding opportunity. See § 200.204.
(d) Pass-through entities. Pass-through entities are subject to the requirements in § 200.332(b)(4) and must accept all federally negotiated indirect costs rates for subrecipients.
(e) Appendices. Requirements for development and submission of indirect cost rate proposals and cost allocation plans are contained in the following Appendices:
1. (1) Appendix III to Part 200—Indirect (F&A) Costs Identification and Assignment, and Rate Determination for Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs);
2. (2) Appendix IV to Part 200—Indirect (F&A) Costs Identification and Assignment, and Rate Determination for Nonprofit Organizations;
3. (3) Appendix V to Part 200—State/Local Government-wide Central Service Cost Allocation Plans;
4. (4) Appendix VI to Part 200—Public Assistance Cost Allocation Plans;
5. (5) Appendix VII to Part 200—States and Local Government and Indian Tribe Indirect Cost Proposals; and
6. (6) Appendix IX to Part 200—Hospital Cost Principles.
(f) De minimis rate. Recipients and subrecipients that do not have a current Federal negotiated indirect cost rate (including provisional rate) may elect to charge a de minimis rate of up to 15 percent of modified total direct costs (MTDC). The recipient or subrecipient is authorized to determine the appropriate rate up to this limit. Federal agencies and pass-through entities may not require recipients and subrecipients to use a de minimis rate lower than the negotiated indirect cost rate or the rate elected pursuant to this subsection unless required by Federal statute or regulation. The de minimis rate must not be applied to cost reimbursement contracts issued directly by the Federal Government in accordance with the FAR. Recipients and subrecipients are not required to use the de minimis rate. When applying the de minimis rate, costs must be consistently charged as either direct or indirect costs and may not be double charged or inconsistently charged as both. The de minimis rate does not require documentation to justify its use and may be used indefinitely. Once elected, the recipient or subrecipient must use the de minimis rate for all Federal awards until the recipient or subrecipient chooses to receive a negotiated rate.
(g) One-time extension of indirect rates. A recipient or subrecipient with a current Federal negotiated indirect cost rate may apply for a one-time extension of that agreement for up to four years. This extension will be subject to review and approval by the cognizant agency for indirect costs. If this extension is granted, the recipient or subrecipient may not request a rate review until the extension period ends. The recipient or subrecipient must re-apply to negotiate a new rate when the extension ends. After a new rate has been negotiated, the recipient or subrecipient may again apply for a one-time extension of the new rate in accordance with this paragraph.