Over the years, the practice of grossing up cash awards has become a source of confusion and controversy for managers and personnelists. To bring our readers up to date, this article provides some background and current observations on grossing up awards.
Grossing up is a term used to describe raising the total amount of funds to be authorized as a cash award so that the net amount after required tax withholding will be an exact amount—usually an even dollar amount— that the employee is intended to receive.
Why was grossing up allowed in the first place?
The original reason grossing up was allowed was for administrative convenience. When small awards were provided in currency out of an imprest fund (e.g., a $25 on-the-spot award), it was easier to give the employee the full amount of $25. The alternative was to give the smaller, odd-change amount left after the required tax withholding was subtracted. Grossing up was never meant to be an option when granting a cash award over a nominal amount that would not be given to the employee as actual currency.
Do the reasons for grossing up award amounts still exist?
The original "no loose change for administrative convenience" rationale is largely being overtaken by events. First, agencies' use of imprest funds in general—and to pay awards in the form of currency in particular—has decreased substantially in recent years. Second, agencies likely will be required to pay all awards by electronic fund transfer (EFT). Grossing up under these conditions no longer offers an administrative convenience.
Are there disadvantages to grossing up award amounts?
Our experiences observing how awards programs operate in the agencies and answering questions about grossing up have surfaced several problems and dilemmas:
Federal income tax 28.00%
Medicare tax 1.45%
Social Security tax 6.20%
State income tax 6.00%
Under a grossing up policy, a $1,000 net cash award would actually cost the agency $1,713.80. Such increased costs can quickly deplete an agency's awards budget.
For more information about awards, please contact the Performance Management and Incentive Awards Division at 202-606-2720. For information about tax withholding on awards, contact your local IRS office.
Originally published in December 1998.