SBIR / STTR Budget Builder: Percentage-of-Work and Fee Checks

Build your SBIR or STTR budget and see if the subawards break the rules

Type your people, subawards and rates. The tool builds the SF424 R&R-style budget lines, applies fringe, indirect and fee, and checks the share of work your company keeps, the STTR research-institution share, the fee ceiling and the solicitation maximum.

Arithmetic on assumptions you type. Not legal, accounting or grant-writing advice. The example figures are placeholders, not a real proposal; the solicitation sets the real limits.

1. Program and rules

Program and phase

Project length (months)

Minimum small business share of work (%)

Minimum research institution share (%)

Fee ceiling (% of costs, 0 = no check)

Solicitation maximum ($, 0 = no check)

2. People and subawards

Personnel, one per line: name, role, annual salary, % effort

Subawards and consultants, one per line: name, university|company|consultant, amount

Fringe rate on salaries (%)

Salary cap per person ($, 0 = none)

3. Other costs, indirect and fee

Equipment ($)

Materials and supplies ($)

Travel ($)

Other direct costs ($)

Indirect rate applies to

Indirect rate (%)

Fee / profit (% of costs)

Questions people ask

What is an SBIR or STTR budget?

The cost section of a Small Business Innovation Research or Technology Transfer proposal: personnel and fringe, equipment, materials, travel, subawards and consultants, indirect costs and a fee. Agencies use the SF424 R&R budget form or their own template, and the solicitation sets the limits.

How much of the work must the small business do?

Under the SBA policy directive the small business must perform at least two thirds (66.67%) of the work in SBIR Phase I and half in Phase II. For STTR the small business must perform at least 40% and the partnering research institution at least 30%. The solicitation controls; every figure here is an editable input.

How much fee or profit can I charge?

Most agencies allow a fee of up to about 7% of total costs. Some agencies and some topics allow less or none, so read the solicitation. The tool warns when the fee you enter is over the ceiling you enter.

What is modified total direct cost (MTDC)?

A common indirect cost base that excludes equipment and the part of each subaward above $25,000. Your negotiated or provisional indirect rate applies to the base your rate agreement names; pick the base that matches it.

Does this submit or store my proposal?

No. Everything runs in your browser and nothing is uploaded. You can download the budget as a CSV to paste into the agency's form.

Is this grant-writing or legal advice?

No. It is arithmetic on figures you type. Eligibility, cost allowability, rates and the final budget are decided by your solicitation, your accountant and the agency.

Not decided

Whether your company is eligible, whether a cost is allowable, your negotiated indirect rate, the agency's own template and page limits, cost-sharing, human-subjects or animal costs, and how an agency counts "percentage of work" for a particular topic. Rules and award ceilings change; the solicitation controls.