(a) General provisions. (1) Allowable costs for developing and administering a Head Start program may not exceed 15 percent of the total approved costs of the program, unless the responsible HHS official grants a waiver approving a higher percentage for a specific period of time not to exceed twelve months.

(2) The limit of 15 percent for development and administrative costs is a maximum. In cases where the costs for development and administration are at or below 15 percent, but are judged by the responsible HHS official to be excessive, the grantee must eliminate excessive development and administrative costs.

(b) Development and administrative costs. (1) Costs classified as development and administrative costs are those costs related to the overall management of the program. These costs can be in both the personnel and non-personnel categories.

(2) Grantees must charge the costs of organization-wide management functions as development and administrative costs. These functions include planning, coordination and direction; budgeting, accounting, and auditing; and management of purchasing, property, payroll and personnel.

(3) Development and administrative costs include, but are not limited to, the salaries of the executive director, personnel officer, fiscal officer/bookkeeper, purchasing officer, payroll/insurance/property clerk, janitor for administrative office space, and costs associated with volunteers carrying out administrative functions.

(4) Other development and administrative costs include expenses related to administrative staff functions such as the costs allocated to fringe benefits, travel, per diem, transportation and training.

(5) Development and administrative costs include expenses related to bookkeeping and payroll services, audits, and bonding; and, to the extent they support development and administrative functions and activities, the costs of insurance, supplies, copy machines, postage, and utilities, and occupying, operating and maintaining space.

(c) Program costs. Program costs include, but are not limited to:

(1) Personnel and non-personnel costs directly related to the provision of program component services and component training and transportation for staff, parents and volunteers;

(2) Costs of functions directly associated with the delivery of program component services through the direction, coordination or implementation of a specific component;

(3) Costs of the salaries of program component coordinators and component staff, janitorial and transportation staff involved in program component efforts, and the costs associated with parent involvement and component volunteer services; and

(4) Expenses related to program staff functions, such as the allocable costs of fringe benefits, travel, per diem and transportation, training, food, center/classroom supplies and equipment, parent activities funds, insurance, and the occupation, operation and maintenance of program component space, including utilities.

(d) Dual benefit costs. (1) Some costs benefit both the program components as well as development and administrative functions within the Head Start program. In such cases, grantees must identify and allocate appropriately the portion of the costs that are for development and administration.

(2) Dual benefit costs include, but are not limited to, salaries, benefits and other costs (such as travel, per diem, and training costs) of staff who perform both program and development and administrative functions. Grantees must determine and allocate appropriately the part of these costs dedicated to development and administration.

(3) Space costs, and costs related to space, such as utilities, are frequently dual benefit costs. The grantee must determine and allocate appropriately the amount or percentage of space dedicated to development and administration.

(e) Relationship between development and administrative costs and indirect costs. (1) Grantees must categorize costs in a Head Start program as development and administrative or program costs. These categorizations are separate from the decision to charge such costs directly or indirectly.

(2) Grantees must charge all costs, whether program or development and administrative, either directly to the project or as part of an indirect cost pool.

(f) Requirements for compliance. (1) Head Start grantees must calculate the percentage of their total approved costs allocated to development and administration as a part of their budget submission for initial funding, refunding or for a request for supplemental assistance in connection with a Head Start program. These costs may be a part of the direct or the indirect cost pool.

(2) The Head Start grant applicant shall delineate all development and administrative costs in its application.

(3) Indirect costs which are categorized as program costs must be fully explained in the application.

(g) Waiver. (1) The responsible HHS official may grant a waiver of the 15 percent limitation on development and administrative costs and approve a higher percentage for a specific period of time not to exceed twelve months. The conditions under which a waiver will be considered are listed below and encompass those situations under which development and administrative costs are being incurred, but the provision of actual services has not begun or has been suspended. A waiver may be granted when:

(i) A new Head Start grantee or delegate agency is being established or services are being expanded by an existing Head Start grantee or delegate agency, and the delivery of component services to children and families is delayed until all program development and planning is well underway or completed; or

(ii) Component services are disrupted in an existing Head Start program due to circumstances not under the control of the grantee.

(2) A Head Start grantee that estimates that the cost of development and administration will exceed 15 percent of total approved costs must submit a request for a waiver that explains the reasons for exceeding the limitation. This must be done as soon as the grantee determines that it cannot comply with the 15 percent limit, regardless of where the grantee is within the grant funding cycle.

(3) The request for the waiver must include the period of time for which the waiver is requested. It must also describe the action the grantee will take to reduce its development and administrative costs so that the grantee will be able to assure that these costs will not exceed 15 percent of the total approved costs of the program after the completion of the waiver period.

(4) If granted, the waiver and the period of time for which it will be granted will be indicated on the Financial Assistance Award.

(5) If a waiver requested as a part of a grant application for funding or refunding is not approved, no Financial Assistance Award will be awarded to the Head Start program until the grantee resubmits a revised budget that complies with the 15 percent limitation.