Cash Advance requests are submitted through the Shared Financial System (SFS). Employees must first be approved by their Dean’s/Divisional Business Office to receive Cash Advances. Employees’ profiles must be activated for Cash Advances by Business Services before they can create and submit Cash Advances. Employees must fully reconcile Cash Advances within 30 days of the end of the trip.
Pre-Approval: Prior to advancement, a Cash Advance Activation Request Form must be submitted to Business Services. This form must be approved by the Department and Division. Once the form has been submitted and the traveler’s profile has been activated, the traveler can request a cash advance. Once activated, the traveler’s profile is permanently activated unless the Department or Division specifically requests a traveler to be deactivated.
Cash Advance Approval: Cash advances are approved by an approver and auditor. They appear in approver/auditor queues with expense reports. The level of detail required in a cash advance is determined by the department and division.
Reconciliation: Cash advances must be fully reconciled within 30 days of the end of the trip.
Traveler submits expense report: Travelers must submit an expense report to account for the use of advanced funds. Expenses post to the general ledger after the expense report is approved; expenses do not post when the cash advance is approved.
Refund of excess advanced funds: Travelers must promptly refund any unused advanced funds to the University. Deposits must be made to the funding used in the cash advance.
Identify the funding string used on the cash advance:
Navigate to Main Menu > Other > Transaction Search.
Complete the search criteria as follows:
Select the Fiscal Year and Accounting Period in which the Cash Advance was paid.
Change the Dept drop-down menu to starts with and enter the traveler’s Division code (e.g. 48 for L&S).
Change the Account drop-down menu to is exactly and enter account code 6166.
Change the Description drop-down menu to is exactly and enter the traveler’s Employee ID.
Check the Show Balance Account
Click Submit.
Find the original cash advance payment by locating the Cash Advance ID in the Jrnl Line Ref column and the total sum of the cash advance in the Monetary Amt column. Use this funding string to deposit the refund payment.
Note: Jrnl Line Ref is not a default column in WISER for the Transaction Search and must be manually added. To do this, click the “More Options” when icon next to “Pin to Dashboard.” From the menu that pops up, select “Customize…” Under “Available Columns” menu, select “Jrnl Line Ref” and click the right arrow button to move the field to your “Custom View.” If desired, rearrange “Custom View” by selecting the field you’d like to move, and clicking the up or down arrows. Once complete, click “Save.” The custom layout including Jrnl Ln Ref should now be visible.
Submit a Check Deposit Form utilizing the funding string identified in the step above.
Auditor Reconciliation: The Auditor of the Cash Advance request must reconcile the deposit in e-Reimbursement to fully close the Cash Advance. The refund check must have been deposited prior to the auditor’s reconciliation.
Travelers – Travelers are responsible for reconciling cash advances within 30 days of the end of the trip. Travelers must not seek excessive cash advances and must refund any excess advancements promptly. Advanced funds must be used prudently and in accordance with UW travel and purchasing policies. Travelers are responsible for submitting cash advance requests in a timely enough fashion to allow for approvals and payment.
Approver – Upon submission, cash advance requests are first reviewed by an approver. Approvers are responsible for reviewing supporting documentation, for reviewing cash advances for policy compliance, and for reviewing the funding being charged.
Auditor – All cash advances are reviewed by an auditor after the approver. Auditors are responsible for reviewing cash advances for policy compliance. Auditors are responsible for reconciling refunded payments related to cash advances.
Cash Advance – a request for monetary advancement prior to a trip.
Expense reports – An expense report contains a categorized and itemized list of expenses that were made on behalf of University of Wisconsin–Madison. This report helps the employer or finance team determine what money was spent, what was purchased, and how much of the expenditure is approved for reimbursement.
Cash Advance requests are submitted through the Shared Financial System (SFS). Employees must first be approved by their Dean’s/Divisional Business Office and their profiles must be activated by Business Services before requesting cash advances. This process should be initiated at least 7 – 10 business days prior to the travel start date. ACH deposit for approved cash advances may take up to 5 business days. Employees must fully reconcile cash advances within 30 days of the end of the trip.
Pre-Approval: Submit a Cash Advance Activation Request Form to Business Services. These forms must be routed through the Dean’s/Divisional Business Office. Once the form has been submitted and the traveler’s profile has been activated, the traveler can request a cash advance.
Select Create/Modify Cash Advance from the cash advance submenu.
Click Add. If you are an alternate requesting a cash advance for a different traveler, enter their employee ID before clicking Add. If you receive an error message, ensure your travel profile has been properly activated (see above).
Enter header information, justification, and add any attachments to the cash advance.
In the descriptions area, enter expense descriptions or select from pre-existing expense types. The amount of expense line detail required will vary by department and division.
Click “Save For Later” to save the cash advance. Note you must click “Save for Later” in order to check the box next to the attestation statement and submit the report.
Check the box next to the attestation statement.
Click “Submit” to submit the cash advance.
Reconciliation: Cash advances must be fully reconciled within 30 days of the end of the trip.
Submit an expense report: Account for the use of advanced funds by submitting an expense report. On the Review and Submit page, there will be a menu showing your available Cash Advances. Apply either the full amount of the expense reimbursement or the full amount of the cash advance, whichever is lower. You will receive a notification if an amount is due back to the University.
Refund Excess Advanced Funds: Any advanced funds not utilized must be promptly refunded to the University. Travelers must submit a check to their departmental or divisional business office for deposit. Once the check has been deposited, the Divisional auditor must reconcile the remainder of the cash advance in the Shared Financial System (SFS) to ensure the cash advance is reconciled in full.
Travelers – Travelers are responsible for reconciling Cash Advances within 30 days of the end of the trip. Travelers must not seek excessive cash advances and must refund any excess advancements promptly. Advanced funds must be used prudently and in accordance with UW travel and purchasing policies. Travelers are responsible for submitting cash advance requests in a timely enough fashion to allow for approvals and payment.
Cash Advance –a request for monetary advancement prior to a trip
Expense Reimbursement – An expense report contains a categorized and itemized list of expenses that were made on behalf of University of Wisconsin–Madison. This report helps the employer or finance team determine what money was spent, what was purchased, and how much of the expenditure is approved for reimbursement.
This form is to be used on rare occasions when vendor documentation is lost or unavailable. Frequent use of this form will be considered non-compliant with Purchasing Card Program policies and procedures.
All Expense Reimbursements must be submitted within 90 days. Divisional approving authorities can approve payments submitted after 90 days by attaching a signed approval form to the Expense Reimbursement. Upon approval, these Expense Reimbursements are reviewed by Accounting Services and reported as taxable income to the recipient unless the documented circumstances surrounding the Expense Reimbursement made timely submission impossible.
Procedure #3024.7; Rev.: 1 (Effective May 8, 2017) Related Policy:UW-3024 Expense Reimbursement Policy Functional Owner: Accounting Services, Division of Business Services Contact: Expense Reimbursement Program Manager – Allie Watters, expensereimbursement@bussvc.wisc.edu, (608) 263-3525
All expense reports must be submitted within 90 days. Divisional approving authorities can approve payments submitted after 90 days by attaching a signed approval form to the expense report. Upon approval, these expense reports are reviewed by Accounting Services and reported as taxable income to the recipient, unless the documented circumstances surrounding the expense report made timely submission impossible.
Employees who seek reimbursement for out-of-pocket or Corporate Card expenses; alternates who prepare expense reports in the Shared Financial System (SFS)/e-Reimbursement; Approvers and Auditors; Divisional Business Officers and others who have approval authority.
Employees submit non-compliant expense reports in the same way as compliant expense reports.
SFS/e-Reimbursement requires a note justifying each expense line that is over 90 days old.
Accountable plan exception request form
For extenuating circumstances, Deans, Divisional Dean’s Office Directors, or Divisional Business Office Leadership have the authority to grant exceptions for employees to allow for expense reimbursement, under the Accountable Plan, if expense reports are submitted later than 90 days. Extenuating circumstances for employees may be defined as a serious illness or other unforeseen emergency out of the control of the employee. Employee negligence is not considered an extenuating circumstance. Employees are not entitled to reimbursement after 90 days. Reimbursement requests should be denied without documented extenuating circumstances.
The Accountable Plan Exception Request form must be signed by the claimant and divisional leadership.
The form must be electronically attached to the expense reports.
Accounting Services’ review
Once fully approved, all expense reports submitted after 90 days get reviewed by Accounting Services.
All non-compliant expense reports are reported as taxable income to the recipient, unless circumstances surrounding the expense report made timely submission impossible. Extenuating circumstances must be documented to the extent possible.
Non-employees
Expense reports cannot be submitted for non-employees after 90 days. These payments must be processed on Payment to Individual Reports (PIR) and will be taxable to the recipients.
e-Reimbursement: the Expenses module of the Shared Financial System (SFS), used to create, submit, and approve expense report claims.
Expense report: An expense report contains a categorized and itemized list of expenses that were made on behalf of University of Wisconsin-Madison. This report helps the employer or finance team determine what money was spent, what was purchased, and how much of the expenditure is approved for reimbursement.
Expense Reimbursements are routed for approval based on the department code used in the funding string(s). Division Coordinators request updates to the approval matrix as needed.
Procedure # 3024.6; Rev.: 1 (Effective May 8, 2017) Related Policy:UW-3024 Expense Reimbursement Policy Functional Owner: Accounting Services, Division of Business Services Contact: Expense Reimbursement Program Manager – Allie Watters, expensereimbursement@bussvc.wisc.edu, (608) 263-3525
Expense reports are routed for approval based on the department code used in the funding string(s). Division Coordinators request updates to the approval matrix as needed.
II. Who is affected by this procedure
e-Reimbursement approvers and auditors; Division Coordinators.
III. Procedure
Reviewing an Approval Matrix
To view your division’s current approver matrix, log into the Shared Financial System (SFS) and click on the Requester/Approver tile. Under Business Unit and Dept, enter full or partial department ID (minimum of two characters) in the Department field, and click Fill Grid. This will return a list of results for all SFS approval processes; the results can be downloaded as an Excel spreadsheet and irrelevant results filtered out.
Division Coordinators may also request a complete listing of the approvers, auditors and backup auditors from Accounting Services by emailing expensereimbursement@bussvc.wisc.edu. Include all six-digit department code ranges for those you are requesting (e.g. “Please send me an updated approval matrix for 48xxxx”).
Requesting an update to the Approval Matrix
Log into the Shared Financial System (SFS) and click on the Expenses tile. Within the Expenses tile, click the EX Approver Changes tile, then click Add an EX Approvers eForm. Fill out the required fields and once completed, submit the form. The submitter of the form will receive an email confirming successful submission. Once the approver change(s) has been updated, the submitter will receive another email stating that it has been approved. Requests are typically addressed within three business days. All requests must be made by a Division Coordinator.
Alternatively, a Division Coordinator may request changes by returning a copy of the approval matrix spreadsheet to expensereimbursement@bussvc.wisc.edu noting which changes are to be made. All requests must be made by a Division Coordinator.
Approvers are pooled. Multiple approvers can be added to the same department range and the Shared Financial System (SFS)/e-Reimbursement will require only one of them to approve an expense report.
There is no backup approver role. Employees may serve as a backup approver functionally, but their approval assignment will be no different than a primary approver.
Auditors
Auditors are not pooled. If multiple auditors are setup for the same department, expense reports for that department will require all assigned auditors’ approval.
Backup Auditors
Backup auditors receive no automated workflow. They only receive workflow which has been manually routed.
The backup auditor matrix serves as a guide for Accounting Services to route expense reports for which the primary auditor cannot serve (e.g. the primary auditor served as the alternate on the expense report).
The backup auditor role can be used for any employee who doesn’t receive automated workflow, but who has taken expense report training and may serve in any approval role on a sporadic basis.
Approver: Upon submission, expense reports are first reviewed by an approver. Approvers are responsible for reviewing supporting documentation, reviewing expense reports for policy compliance, and reviewing funding being charged.
Auditor: Expense reports are reviewed by an auditor after the approver. Auditors are responsible for reviewing expense reports for policy compliance.
Backup Auditor: Backup auditors receive no automated workflow, but may serve in any assigned approval role on an ad hoc basis. They only receive workflow which has been manually routed.
Division Coordinator: responsible for submitting approval matrix update requests.
Jan. 19, 2021 – Updated Procedure Number to 3024.6 from 320.6
April 26, 2023 – Additional methods added for reviewing the approval matrix and requesting updates to the approval matrix.
Non-employees are reimbursed for out-of-pocket travel expenses through e-Reimbursement. Expense Reimbursements for non-employees must be created and submitted by Alternates. Non-employees are paid via paper check unless they are setup to receive a wire transfer.Non-employee Profile Setup Forms are routed through the Dean’s Office or Divisional Business Office to the UW-Madison Travel Office. Alternates are notified via email when the non-employee profile is complete and they can being preparing Expense Reimbursements.Non-employees are subject to the same travel and reimbursement policies as employees.
Procedure # 3024.5; Rev.: 1 (Effective May 8, 2017) Related Policy:UW-3024 Expense Reimbursement Policy Functional Owner: Accounting Services, Division of Business Services Contact: Expense Reimbursement Program Manager – Allie Watters, expensereimbursement@bussvc.wisc.edu, (608) 263-3525
Non-employees are reimbursed for out-of-pocket travel expenses through e-Reimbursement. Expense reports for non-employees must be created and submitted by Alternates. Non-employees are paid via paper check unless they are setup to receive a wire transfer.
Non-employee Profile Setup Forms are created in SFS/e-Reimbursement and routed to the UW–Madison Travel Office. Alternates are notified via email when the non-employee profile is complete and they can begin preparing expense reports.
Generally, non-employees are subject to the same travel and reimbursement policies as employees.
Before requesting a new non-employee profile, check if one already exists for the recipient. If one does exist, use this search to find the non-employee ID and ensure the recipient’s address is correct.
Expand the Employee Data menu, then select Update Profile.
Search by employee ID (this includes non-employee IDs), name or last name. Search the “Name” field using the convention “LastName,FirstName” with no spaces.
Review the search results to find the proper profile. Click one of the blue links to access profile details in a read-only format.
The Employee Data tab shows the non-employee’s name and address.
The Organizational Data tab shows the hire date (i.e., first date expenses were incurred) and the default funding.
Non-employee profiles do not expire. The same non-employee profile should be used for the same recipient, even if it was originally setup by a different department. Avoid creating duplicate non-employee profiles for the same person. The default funding for an existing nonemployee may be updated by utilizing the Request Non-employee EmpIid tile and form, choosing the option to Update an Existing Emplid.
Creating a new non-employee profile or updating information on an existing non-employee profile
Sign into the Shared Financial System (SFS) and choose the Expenses tile. Then click on the Request Non-employee Emplid tile.
Choose either Add a new non-employee or Update an Existing Emplid and fill in all the required fields (marked by an asterisk).
Please note additional requirements are necessary for Non-Resident Aliens (NRAs). The initiating department/division is responsible for obtaining, reviewing and retaining additional documents for Non-Resident Aliens prior to submitting a non-employee profile creation request and/or filing reimbursements. Documentation must be complete, accurate, legibly copied and kept on file in the initiating department/Division. Learn about the necessary documents
Submit the form once it is completed. The submitter of the form will receive an email confirming successful submission. Once the Non-employee ID has been created or updated, the submitter and alternates will receive another email stating it has been approved.
Alternates are listed on the form and are notified via email when the profile is setup.
Non-employee payments should be sent to a home address, not a campus address. If the recipient plans to pick up the check from the Business Services office, enter “Hold for Pickup” in the address field. If a different individual is picking up the check on behalf of the recipient, follow the Check Custody Agreement instructions (check custody agreements are not guaranteed to be approved).
Reimbursing non-employees: Expense reports for non-employees are submitted through e-Reimbursement. Non-employee expense reports are created and submitted by employees serving as their alternate.
Requesting payment via wire transfer
Non-employee payments must be made via wire transfer when the address is outside of the United State or Canada.
When filling out the Non-employee Profile Setup Form or the Non-employee Change Request Form, indicate payments are to be made by wire transfer by entering “Wire Transfer, ATTN: Cash Management” in the address field. Once activated for wire transfers, all reimbursement payments will be paid via wire transfer.
For each wire payment, fill out an Outgoing Wire Form and upload it as an attachment to the expense report.
Upon approval of the expense report, payment will be automatically routed to Cash Management to process the wire transfer.
Alternate – responsible for creating and submitting expense reports on behalf of others. Employees who seek reimbursement can assign an alternate to create and modify expense reports for them, but the employee must submit their own. Expense reports for non-employees or recently-terminated employees are created and submitted by alternates.
e-Reimbursement: the Expenses module of the Shared Financial System (SFS), used to create, submit, and approve expense reimbursement claims.
Expense report: contains a categorized and itemized list of expenses that were made on behalf of University of Wisconsin–Madison. This report helps the employer or finance team determine what money was spent, what was purchased, and how much of the expenditure is approved for reimbursement.
Non-employee: an individual who does not have an active appointment at the University. Non-employees can be reimbursed for travel-related expenses through e-Reimbursement.
The My Corporate Card is a personal-liability credit card that can be used to pay for UW business-related expenses. Purchases made using My Corporate Card appear in the user’s My Wallet in e-Reimbursement. This procedure details how to use e-Reimbursement to account for your My Corporate Card activity.
The My Corporate Card is a personal-liability credit card that can be used to pay for UW business-related expenses. Purchases made using My Corporate Card appear in the user’s My Wallet in e-Reimbursement. This procedure details how to use e-Reimbursement to account for your My Corporate Card activity.
Click the Expenses tile. Within the Expenses tile, there are three places to access your My Wallet activity:
Add Quick Expense tile
All My Corporate Card expenses which have not been accounted for on an expense report are shown.
This is the only place the Expense Type of a Corporate Card expense can be modified.
Users can add additional expenses to My Wallet using the plus sign icon. Users can manually add Corporate Card, P-Card, or Personal Fund charges to My Wallet which can be accessed when creating an expense report.
Users can delete My Wallet transactions using the trash can icon.
My Wallet tile – this tile is functionally similar to Add Quick Expense except users cannot modify Expense Types here.
Expense History tile – this tile shows Corporate Card expenses which have been accounted for on previously-created expense reports.
Accounting for Corporate Card expenses in e-Reimbursement
My Wallet transactions are imported into the expense report using the Add from My Wallet option on the dropdown list (Option i below) on the General Information page or the wallet icon on the Expense Entry page (Option ii below); click images to enlarge:
Users may also manually enter My Corporate Card transactions in an expense report by selecting “US Bank Corporate Card” as the payment type.
Payment
My Corporate Card expenses – whether imported into an expense report from My Wallet or manually entered – are paid directly to U.S. Bank upon approval of the associated expense report.
To avoid credit balances on the Corporate Card, cardholders must make efforts to avoid duplicate or incorrect payments made to US Bank.
Expense report – contains a categorized and itemized list of expenses that were made on behalf of University of Wisconsin–Madison. This report helps the employer or finance team determine what money was spent, what was purchased, and how much of the expenditure is approved for reimbursement
e-Reimbursement – the Expenses module of the Shared Financial System (SFS), used to create, submit, and approve expense reimbursement claims.
My Corporate Card – individual-liability credit card that can be used for travel and non-travel expenses.
Payments are processed within 3-5 business days of an Expense Reimbursement’s final approval. Employees who receive their paychecks via direct deposit will receive their reimbursement payments via direct deposit as well. The payment will be a separate deposit from the employee’s regular paycheck. Non-employees and employees who do not have direct deposit will receive a check in the mail.
Procedure #3024.3; Rev.: 1 (Effective May 8, 2017) Related Policy:UW-3024 Expense Reimbursement Policy Functional Owner: Accounting Services, Division of Business Services Contact: Expense Reimbursement Program Manager – Allie Watters, expensereimbursement@bussvc.wisc.edu, (608) 263-3525
Payments are processed within 3-5 business days of an expense report’s final approval. Employees who receive their paychecks via direct deposit will receive their reimbursement payments via direct deposit as well. The payment will be a separate deposit from the employee’s regular paycheck. Non-employees and employees who do not have direct deposit will receive a check in the mail.
Expand the View TER’s, TA’s and CA’s menu, then select View Expense Report in the links panel along the left side.
Find the correct expense report by entering the report ID, description, employee ID, or employee name (name searches in e-Reimbursement follow the LastName,FirstName convention, no spaces). This search will provide a read-only view of an expense report.
Check that the status (next to the report ID number in the top middle of the screen) is Paid. If not paid, view the Approval History at the bottom of the page to see where the expense report is in the approval process.
Search for Payment Details:
Using the same navigation links on the left side of the page, expand the Void/Reissue Payment menu, then select the View Payment History link.
Search by employee ID or name. Select the proper expense report from the search results. If there is single search result will automatically take you to the Employee Payment History page.
Payment Reference – for check payments, this will be the check number. This is needed when filling out a Check Action Form.
Payment Amount – the amount the traveler was reimbursed. This may differ from the amount seen elsewhere in e-Reimbursement, which may include items paid on the Purchasing Card or Corporate Card. This amount may include multiple expense reports if they were approved on the same day.
Payment Method – will be either “ACH” for direct deposit payments or “System Check” for paper check payments.
Payment Date – payment will be direct deposited or mailed within 3-5 business days of this date.
Payee Address – this link will display the address the check was sent to.
If payment was made by ACH, the traveler should review their bank history for a deposit that matches the information shown in the Employee Payment History search. Reimbursement payments will post from UWMSN_TRVL_ACH.
Note: If multiple expense reports are paid on the same date, a cumulative ACH will be sent. The traveler should look for the cumulative total of the expense reports paid in their bank history. Individual payments for each report will not be visible.
Reissuing Payment
Payments made via check can be cancelled and reissued by filling out a Check Action Form. To allow time for the check to arrive, Check Action Forms can only be submitted at least 30 days after the payment date.
Traveler (employee)/Claimant/Recipient – the person receiving reimbursement. Employees are responsible for submitting their own expense reports and following all applicable UW travel policies. An employee may assign an alternate to create and modify an expense report on their behalf, but the employee is ultimately responsible for submitting their own expense reports.
Approver: Upon submission, expense report are first reviewed by an approver. Approvers are responsible for reviewing supporting documentation, reviewing expense report for policy compliance, and reviewing funding being charged.
Auditor: Expense reports are reviewed by an auditor after the approver. Auditors are responsible for reviewing expense reports for policy compliance.
Alternates can create Expense Reimbursements on behalf of employees and non-employees and can submit Expense Reimbursements on behalf of non-employees and recently-terminated employees. Current employees must submit their own Expense Reimbursements, even if they were created by an Alternate.
Procedure #3024.2; Rev.: 1 (Effective May 8, 2017) Related Policy:UW-3024 Expense Reimbursement Policy Functional Owner: Accounting Services, Division of Business Services Contact: Expense Reimbursement Program Manager – Allie Watters, expensereimbursement@bussvc.wisc.edu, (608) 263-3525
Alternates can create expense reports on behalf of employees and non-employees and can submit expense reports on behalf of non-employees and recently-terminated employees. Current employees must submit their own expense reports, even if they were created by an alternate.
Current employees are responsible for adding and deleting their own alternates. The UW–Madison Travel Office will not assign alternates for current employees.
Employees who seek reimbursement for out-of-pocket or Corporate Card expenses; alternates who prepare expense reports in the Shared Financial Systems (SFS).
Click the Delegate Entry Authority link in the links panel along the lower right-hand side of the page.
Click the plus sign to add an additional row.
Enter the alternate’s employee ID number in the Authorized User ID field. If you do not know the employee ID, click the magnifying glass next to the blank field, then click on Advanced Lookup. Enter the alternate’s last name in the Description field. Locate the alternate and click on their name.
The Authorization Level should be “Edit.” If an employee chooses “Edit & Submit”, it will revert to “Edit.”
For recently terminated employees: Terminated employees can be reimbursed using their employee ID for up to 365 days after their termination date. Alternates must contact the UW-Madison Travel Office to be granted access to submit expense reports for recently-terminated employees.
Traveler (employee)/Claimant/Recipient – the person receiving reimbursement. Employees are responsible for submitting their own expense reports in a timely fashion and following all applicable UW travel policies. An employee may assign an alternate to create and modify an expense report on their behalf, but the employee is ultimately responsible for submitting their own expense reports.
Alternate – responsible for creating and submitting expense reports on behalf of others. Employees who seek reimbursement can assign an alternate to create and modify expense reports for them, but the employee must submit their own. Expense reports for non-employees or recently-terminated employees are created and submitted by alternates.
e-Reimbursement – the Expenses module of the Shared Financial System (SFS), used to create, submit, and approve expense report claims.
Non-employee – an individual who does not have an active appointment at the University. Non-employees can be reimbursed for travel-related expenses through e-Reimbursement.
Recently-terminated employee – an employee whose last active appointment ended less than 365 days ago. Expense reports for recently-terminated employees can be submitted using their employee ID for up to 365 days after termination. To add an alternate for a recently-terminated employee, contact Accounting Services.
All payments made to employees and non-employees for reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses are initiated in e-Reimbursement, the Expenses module of the Shared Financial System (SFS). Expense reports are reviewed by an approver and an auditor prior to payment. Approval routing is based on the Department ID referenced in the funding allocation for each expense line.
Employees may delegate an alternate to create and modify expense reports on their behalf. It is the employee’s responsibility to ensure expense reports are submitted on time and in compliance with policy.
This document details the required procedures for submitting an expense report. For a complete how-to guide, visit the Expense Reimbursement website.
To get started, employees/alternates must sign into the Shared Financial System (SFS), click the Expenses tile, then click Create Expense Report. If acting as an alternate for another traveler, click the drop-down arrow next to the employee’s name in the upper left corner of the screen, then select Change Employee. Select the appropriate employee from the resulting list and proceed to the next step.
General Information: The first page is the General Information page, also commonly referred to as the header information. Information entered here applies to the entire expense report.
Business Purpose – Choose the one that best describes the reimbursement. See Appendix A below for definitions and further details on business purposes.
Default Location – Primary location of your trip.
Choose your headquarter city for non-travel expense report.
Locations may be listed by city or county.
For international locations not listed by city or county, select ‘COUNTRY NAME, OTHER LOCATIONS’. Do not select the nearest big city if the trip was not actually to that city.
Reference – Select In-State, Out-of-State, or Foreign.
This is based on where the destination is in relation to the traveler’s headquarter city (for example, if someone headquartered in Atlanta, GA, traveled to Madison, the Reference would be ‘Out-of-State’).
For non-travel expense report, select ‘Not a Travel Related report’.
Date of departure/return – Dates of UW business travel. Do not include personal vacation days in these dates.
Attachments
Receipts are required to be electronically attached to the expense report.
In addition, travelers/alternates must attach additional documentation required for an approver/auditor to fully review each claim (e.g., conference agenda, email correspondence explaining unusual circumstances, map to support mileage claim).
Do not attach anything with protected or confidential information.
Redact credit card and social security numbers.
When reimbursing research subjects, it may be necessary to redact anything with details of the research being done. Map printouts for research subjects may use a nearby location instead of the research subject’s home address.
If no other options are available, hard copies may be saved instead of electronic attachments in order to protect a recipient’s confidentiality. This must be noted in the expense report.
Justification – Notes are added by the traveler or alternate to provide the details of the reimbursement.
Every expense report must have at least one note. That note must include a sufficient business purpose to justify the reimbursement. Any personal time added to the trip must be clearly indicated in the business purpose to validate that only appropriate UW–Madison business expenses are being claimed.
Spell out all acronyms.
Additional notes may be added as needed.
Expense details: This section is where users enter the details of their expenses.
Choose Add expense lines from the Expense Report Action drop-down menu. Users may also choose to add lines from My Wallet or to copy an existing expense report.
Choose the appropriate Expense Type for the expense. See Appendix B below for definitions and further details of expense types.
Payment Type: Choose the appropriate payment type for each expense line:
Personal Funds – Out-of-pocket expenses for which the traveler will be reimbursed.
Prepaid Purchasing Card – Expenses paid on the Purchasing Card. The traveler will not be reimbursed for these expenses. It is not required to include expense lines for prepaid items.
It is recommended that travelers manually convert foreign currency amounts and enter only US Dollars in this field.
For rate-based Expense Types (e.g. Meals and Incidental Expense, Mileage), this field cannot be manually modified.
Non-Reimbursable
Mark an expense non-reimbursable.
This can be used for non-business-related expenses and for expenses that were paid via an outside source (e.g. airfare paid by the host conference).
Red Flags– All red flag error messages must be resolved before an expense report can be submitted. Examples include:
An invalid funding string.
Required information is missing.
Airfare ticket number is a duplicate of a previously-created expense report.
Review and Submit – Alternates and travelers must ensure the accuracy of the expense report prior to submission.
Expense Report Summary – ensure the breakdown between reimbursable, non-reimbursable, Corporate Card, and Prepaid Expenses is accurate. Modify the payment types on individual expense lines if necessary.
Additional Information – If there are Cash Advances or Travel Authorizations available, associate them with the expense report here. For more information on working with Cash Advances, see UW-3025 Cash Advances.
Submit
Current UW employees must submit their own expense reports.
Alternates can submit expense report on behalf of non-employees and recently-terminated employees.
Traveler (employee)/Claimant/Recipient: the person receiving reimbursement. Employees are responsible for submitting their own expense report and following all applicable UW travel policies. An employee may assign an alternate to create and modify an expense report on their behalf, but the employee is ultimately responsible for submitting their own expense reports.
Alternate: responsible for creating and submitting expense report on behalf of others. Employees who seek reimbursement can assign an alternate to create and modify expense report for them, but the employee must submit their own. Expense reports for non-employees or recently-terminated employees are created and submitted by alternates.
Approver: Upon submission, expense report are first reviewed by an approver. Approvers are responsible for reviewing supporting documentation, reviewing expense report for policy compliance, and reviewing funding being charged.
Auditor: Expense reports are reviewed by an auditor after the approver. Auditors are responsible for reviewing expense reports for policy compliance.
e-Reimbursement: the Expenses module of the Shared Financial System (SFS), used to create, submit, and approve expense report/reimbursement claims.
Purchasing Card: University-liability credit card that can be used for travel and non-travel expenses.
Corporate Card: individual-liability credit card that can be used for travel and non-travel expenses.
Business Purpose: When using University funds or requesting a reimbursement from University funds, documentation of a clear business purpose is required so an approver, auditor, site manager, and/or post-payment auditor may reasonably conclude and agree the expenditure is an appropriate business expense. The business purpose, which is defined as one that supports or advances the goals, objectives and mission of the University, adequately describes the expense as a necessary, reasonable, and appropriate business expense for the University. All expenses must support a University business purpose.
Non-employee: an individual who does not have an active appointment at the University. Non-employees can be reimbursed for travel-related expenses through e-Reimbursement.
Business – Expenses for routine business travel not better classified in another category.
Conference – Expenses incurred to attend or host a conference.
Fundraising – Expenses incurred for University fundraising.
Job candidate hosting – Expenses incurred for hosting job candidates.
Local travel – Expenses incurred when traveling within the headquarter city or surrounding area. Expenses can be accumulated and filed weekly, bi-weekly or monthly.
Non-Travel – Expenses incurred on the Corporate Card or out-of-pocket for low-dollar purchases made in compliance with UW purchasing policies.
Professional development – Expenses incurred by employees for education or job/professional trainings.
Recruiting – Expenses incurred for recruiting employees and students to the University.
Relocation – Expenses incurred for employee relocation.
Research – Expenses incurred for research or research-related activities including fieldwork or faculty presentation of papers.
Student travel – Expenses incurred by students for business or educational travel. Does not include study abroad or International Education programs. Employee expenses to accompany students select from other business purposes.
Study abroad – Expenses incurred by travelers (faculty or students) for study abroad or other international education programs.
Team travel – Expenses incurred for sport team travel.
Expense types
Air – Baggage Fees – airline baggage or equipment fees.
Description – if additional baggage beyond the first piece and/or overweight/oversized baggage is claimed, provide justification.
Account codes 2800, 2801, 2802.
Airfare – commercial coach/economy including allowable charges for seat assignments.
Description – if claiming a related fee, provide a justification.
Merchant – select the merchant from the preferred drop-down menu or enter the merchant name in the non-preferred field.
Ticket Number – a unique ticket number is required.
Account codes 2800, 2801, 2802.
Airfare Change/Cancel Penalty – Charge imposed by the airline to change, re-issue or cancel tickets.
Description – provide an explanation of the circumstances.
Merchant – select the merchant from the preferred drop-down menu or enter the merchant name in the non-preferred field.
Account codes 2800, 2801, 2802.
Athletic Pre/Post Game – for use by Athletics only.
Athletics Team Meals – for use by Athletics only.
Day Trip Meal Allowance – meal costs including tax and tip in connection with travel that does not include an overnight stay. The amount is based on the per diem rate and cannot be manually modified.
Account codes 2863 and 2864.
E-Re Estimated Withholding – withholding of estimated taxes. It is required to be used with any Relocation expenses. It must be entered as a negative number and will reduce the net reimbursement.
It can also be used for withholding of taxes for expense reports submitted over 90 days and for tuition reimbursement in excess of allowable limits.
It will require a credit reference to be entered (“Estimated tax withholding” is sufficient).
Account code 7060
Event – Audio Visual Equipment – costs for the rental of audio visual equipment or related technologies for the purpose of hosting a University-sponsored event, Official Function, or educational program such as a conference, reception, workshop, etc., with multiple attendees from both inside and outside the University.
Description – provide a business justification for expenses incurred and specify what type of event was held. Indicate whether or not a fee was collected from attendees.
Merchant – enter the name of the merchant.
Account code 2894.
Event – Catering – cost of food/beverage, service fees, gratuities and/or delivery fees related to hosting a University sponsored event, Official Function, or educational program such as a conference, reception, workshop, etc., with multiple attendees from both inside and outside the University.
Description – provide a business justification for event expenses incurred and specify what type of event was held (reception, conference, etc.) If a meal was served, indicate breakfast, lunch or dinner. Indicate whether or not a fee was collected from attendees.
Merchant – enter the name of the merchant.
Number of People – enter the number of attendees.
Add Additional Attendees – enter the names and affiliations of the attendees. For large events, an attendee list can be attached to the expense report instead.
Account code 2893.
Event – Meeting Space – costs for meeting space or room rental for the purpose of hosting a University sponsored event, Official Function, or educational program such as a conference, reception, workshop, etc., with multiple attendees from both inside and outside the University.
Description – provide a business justification for event expenses incurred and specify what type of event was held (reception, conference, etc.) If a meal was served, indicate breakfast, lunch or dinner. Indicate whether or not a fee was collected from attendees.
Merchant – enter the name of the merchant.
Account code 2895.
Gas for Vehicle Rental/Fleet – purchase of gasoline for rental vehicles or fleet vehicles when State/UW gas card is not accepted.
Description – provide a purpose for the gasoline purchase and indicate the type of vehicle that was used (rental or fleet). For Fleet, explain why the provided fuel card was not used.
Account codes 2810, 2811, and 2812.
Lodging – Group – lodging accommodations for multiple business travelers who share a room and the reimbursement is being claimed on one expense report.
Description – provide the names and affiliations of all individuals included in the lodging payment.
Number of Nights – enter the number of nights stayed.
Merchant – select the merchant from the preferred drop-down menu or enter the merchant name in the non-preferred field.
How Many People – the number of UW business travelers included in the amount reported.
Account codes 2850, 2851, and 2852.
Lodging – Individual – lodging accommodations for individual lodging expenses, including a shared room for which the traveler is claiming only their portion of the charge.
Number of nights – enter the number of nights stayed.
Merchant – select the merchant from the preferred drop-down menu or enter the merchant name in the non-preferred field.
Account codes 2850, 2851, and 2852.
Lodging – Student – track any student lodging expenses for compliance with the Clery Act. This new accounting code should make Clery Act reporting much more efficient.
Description – enter the address of the lodging property.
Number of nights – enter the number of nights stayed.
Merchant – type the name of the lodging property.
How many people – enter the number of students staying in the room.
Expense location – enter the location of the lodging property.
Account codes 2853, 2854, 2855. SFS will automatically select the proper account code (in-state, out-of-state, foreign) based on the REFERENCE selection in the header of the expense report (in-state, out-of-state, foreign).
Meal and Incidental Per Diem – per diem allowance reimbursed to travelers for overnight travel based on location of stay.
Amount – the amount is based on the location, date, and any selected deductions.
Location – enter the location the expense was incurred. When traveling to the destination, this is the location the traveler stayed that night. When returning from the destination, this is the location the traveler stayed the night before.
Per Diem Deductions – select first/last day for first and last day of travel and indicate any meals provided to the traveler (ex: as part of a registration fee).
Account codes 2860, 2861, and 2862.
Meals – Hosted – meal purchased for a group and claimed by a single individual.
Description – provide a business purpose for the purchase and indicate which meal was served (breakfast, lunch or dinner).
How Many People – enter the number of attendees.
Add Additional Attendees – enter the names and affiliations of the attendees. For large events, an attendee list can be attached to the expense report instead.
Account codes 2860, 2861, and 2862.
Mileage – reimbursement for use of a personal vehicle. Do not use this expense type for vehicle rentals or fleet vehicles.
Description – enter information used to determine Transportation ID. Include addresses of originating/destination locations and any additional stops. For situations where privacy is a concern, the exact address is not required.
Transportation ID – choose the appropriate rate – Standard (300 miles roundtrip or less) or Turndown (more than 300 miles roundtrip)
Mileage – enter the roundtrip mileage. The amount is automatically calculated based on the rate and the number of miles. The amount cannot be manually modified.
Account codes 2830, 2831, and 2832.
Misc. – Purchases/Supplies – best judgment UW-Madison business-related purchases ($5,000 or less) such as books, copy charges, shipping, etc.
Description – provide a description of the purchase and a UW-Madison business purpose.
Parking – parking charges incurred while conducting UW-Madison business.
Description – enter a reason for the expense and, if applicable, the number of days parked at the location.
Account codes 2870, 2871, and 2872.
Registration Fee – fee charged to attend an event such as a conference, workshop, seminar, training or meeting.
Description – provide the name of the event and a UW-Madison business purpose and identify what is included (meals, etc.) in the fee.
Account codes 2840, 2841, and 2842.
Relocation – Stipend – an Employee Relocation Award provided to cover some or all of an employee’s moving expenses.
Originating Location – the location the traveler is relocating from.
Expense Location – the location the traveler is relocating to.
Account code 2884.
Taxi/Subway/City Bus, etc. – local transportation charges for taxi, shuttle, city bus, ferry, subway, ride sharing services, etc. including tip.
Description – indicate the type of transportation used, the originating location and destination and a business purpose for the trip.
Account codes 2820, 2821, and 2822.
Train/Bus/Other Long Distance – long-distance transportation charges (non-airfare) such as a bus, train, etc. including tip.
Description – indicate the type of transportation used, the originating location and destination and a business purpose for the trip.
Account codes 2820, 2821, and 2822.
Training/Dev-Job –reimbursements to employees for costs related to job-related training not classified as tuition.
Description – indicate the name of the course taken.
Non-Preferred Merchant – enter the name of the merchant.
Account code 2184.
Travel Agency Service Fee – for use by Athletics only.
Travel miscellaneous – allowable travel-related expenses not identified by our specific expense type or included as part of M&IE per diem (tolls, internet, visa fees, currency conversion fees, etc.)
Description – provide a description of the expense and a UW-Madison business purpose.
Account codes 2870, 2871, and 2872.
Travel reduction – reduces the amount of the expense report to a fixed dollar/budget amount for an expense line. Travel reductions cannot be entered by travelers/Alternates; they must be entered by Approvers.
Tuition/Training-Career – tuition and training fees related to taking a class or course, on a UW campus or other accredited University for the purpose of meeting the minimal educational requirements for a job or will qualify the employee for a new trade or business.
Description – indicate the name of the course taken and whether the course is for graduate or undergraduate credit.
Non-Preferred Merchant – enter the name of the merchant.
Account code 2180.
Vehicle rental – cost of renting a vehicle to conduct UW business.
Description – enter a business purpose for the use of a rental vehicle. Provide a justification if a non-preferred vendor was used.
Merchant – select the merchant from the preferred drop-down menu or enter the merchant name in the non-preferred field.
Feb. 26, 2020 – added E-Re Estimated Withholding Expense Type.
Jan. 19, 2021 – Updated Procedure Number to 3024.1 from 320.1.
Oct. 4, 2023 – Added Lodging – Student section. Removed Relocation – Direct Moving Costs and Relocation – Temporary Lodging sections.
March 15, 2024 – Clarification added that justification note must indicate any personal time added, to validate only business expenses are being claimed.
