Reimbursement

How to Process an Expense Reimbursement not in Compliance with the University’s Accountable Plan Procedure
Procedure # 320.7
Rev.: 1
Effective Date: May 8, 2017

Related Policy: 320 Expense Reimbursement Policy
Functional Owner: Accounting Services, Division of Business Services
Contact: Expense Reimbursement Program Manager – Graig Brooks (608) 262-8691

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Contents

I. Procedure Statement
II. Who is Affected by this Procedure
III. Procedure
IV. Contact Roles and Responsibilities
V. Definitions
VI. Related References
VII. Revisions

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I. Procedure Statement

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.

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II. Who is Affected by This Procedure

Employees who seek reimbursement for out-of-pocket or Corporate Card expenses; alternates who prepare expense reimbursements in e-Reimbursement; Approvers and Auditors; Divisional Business Officers and others who have approval authority.

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III.   Procedure

A. Expense Report Submission

1. Employees submit non-compliant Expense Reimbursements the same way as compliant Expense Reimbursements.
2. E-Reimbursement requires a note justifying each expense line that is over 90 days old.

 

B. 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 Reimbursements 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.  Reimbursements requests should be denied without documented extenuating circumstances.

1. The Accountable Plan Exception Request form must be signed by the claimant and divisional leadership.
2. The form must be electronically attached to the Expense Reimbursement.

 

C. Accounting Services’ Review

1. Once fully approved, all Expense Reimbursements submitted after 90 days get reviewed by Accounting Services.
2. All non-compliant Expense Reimbursements are reported as taxable income to the recipient unless circumstances surrounding the Expense Reimbursement made timely submission impossible. Extenuating circumstances must be documented to the extent possible.

 

D. Non-Employees – Expense Reimbursements cannot be submitted for non-employees after 90 days. These payments must be processed on Payment to Individual Reports and will be taxable to the recipients.

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IV. Contact Roles and Responsibilities

A. Traveler (employee)/claimant: responsible for submitting Expense Reimbursements in a timely fashion.

B. Dean’s/Divisional Business Office Leadership: responsible for approving or denying non-compliant reimbursement requests.

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V. Definitions

A. e-Reimbursement: the web-based expense reimbursement submission and review tool.

B. Expense Reimbursement: an Expense Report seeking reimbursement for out-of-pocket expenses.

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VI. Related References

• Policy 320 – Expense Reimbursement

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VII.  Revisions

Procedure Number	320.7
Date Approved	May 8, 2017
Revision Dates

How to Update Approver and Auditor Roles in e-Reimbursement Procedure
Procedure # 320.6
Rev.: 1
Effective Date: May 8, 2017

Download 320.6 How to Update Approver and Auditor Roles in e-Reimbursement Procedure (pdf)

Related Policy: 320 Expense Reimbursement Policy
Functional Owner: Accounting Services, Division of Business Services
Contact: Expense Reimbursement Program Manager – Graig Brooks (608) 262-8691

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Contents

I. Procedure Statement
II. Who is Affected by this Procedure
III. Procedure
IV. Contact Roles and Responsibilities
V. Definitions
VI. Related References
VII. Revisions

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I. Procedure Statement

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.

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II. Who is Affected by This Procedure

e-Reimbursement Approvers and Auditors; Division Coordinators

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III.   Procedure

A. Requesting an Approval Matrix: Division Coordinators may 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”).

 

B. Requesting an Update to the Approval Matrix: return 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.

 

C. Guidelines for Approval Roles: Employees serving in any approval role must have taken Expense Reimbursement for Approvers/Auditors – Beginner Level training.

1. Approvers
   1. Approvers are pooled. Multiple Approvers can be added to the same department range and e-Reimbursement will require only one of them to approve an Expense Report.
   2. 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.
2. Auditors: Auditors are not pooled.  If multiple Auditors are setup for the same department, Expense Reimbursements for that department will require all assigned Auditors’ approval.
3. Backup Auditors
   1. Backup Auditors receive no automated workflow. They only receive workflow which has been manually routed.
   2. 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).
   3. The Backup Auditor role can be used for any employee who doesn’t receive automated workflow, but who has taken Expense Reimbursement training and may serve in any approval role on a sporadic basis.

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IV. Contact Roles and Responsibilities

A. Approver: Upon submission, Expense Reimbursements are first reviewed by an Approver. Approvers are responsible for reviewing supporting documentation, reviewing Expense Reimbursements for policy compliance, and reviewing funding being charged.

B. Auditor: Expense Reimbursements are reviewed by an Auditor after the Approver. Auditors are responsible for reviewing Expense Reimbursements for policy compliance.

C. Division Coordinator: responsible for submitting approval matrix update requests.

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V. Definitions

A. Approval Matrix: the full list of all Approvers, Auditors and Backup Auditors for a specified department range.

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VI. Related References

• Policy 320 – Expense Reimbursement

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VII.  Revisions

Procedure Number	320.6
Date Approved	May 8, 2017
Revision Dates

 

 

How to Reimburse Non-Employees Procedure
Procedure # 320.5
Rev.: 1
Effective Date: May 8, 2017

Related Policy: 320 Expense Reimbursement Policy
Functional Owner: Accounting Services, Division of Business Services
Contact: Expense Reimbursement Program Manager – Graig Brooks (608) 262-8691

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Contents

I. Procedure Statement
II. Who is Affected by this Procedure
III. Procedure
IV. Contact Roles and Responsibilities
V. Definitions
VI. Related References
VII. Revisions

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I. Procedure Statement

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.

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II. Who is Affected by This Procedure

Alternates who prepare Expense Reimbursements; Division Coordinators and Dean’s office employees responsible for reviewing and submitting Non-Employee Profile Setup and Change forms.

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III.   Procedure

A. Finding an existing Non-Employee Profile: 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.

1. Sign into e-Reimbursement.  Click the Expenses WorkCenter tile.
2. Expand the Employee Data menu, then select Update Profile.
3. Search by Employee ID (this includes non-employee IDs), Name or Last Name.  Search the Name field using the LastName,FirstName no spaces convention.
4. Review the search results to find the proper profile.  Click one of the blue links to access profile details in a read-only format.
5. The Employee Data tab shows the non-employee’s name and address.
6. The Organizational Data tab shows the Hire Date (ie: 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.

B. Updating Information on an Existing Non-Employee Profile: If the name, address, date of first expense, default funding or Alternates for a non-employee need to be updated, submit a Non-Employee Profile Change Request Form.

C. Creating a New Non-Employee Profile

1. Submit a Non-Employee Profile Setup Form (instructions on the form).
2. Alternates are listed on the form and are notified via email when the profile is setup.
3. Non-Employee payments should be send 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).

D. Reimbursing Non-Employees: Expense Reimbursements for non-employees are submitted through e-Reimbursement. Non-employee reimbursements are created and submitted by employees serving as their Alternate.

E. Requesting Payment via Wire Transfer: Non-employee payments can be made via wire transfer upon request

1. When filling out the Non-Employee Profile Setup 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.
2. If a non-employee profile already exists, submit a Non-Employee Profile Change Request Form to request payment via wire transfer.
3. For each wire payment, fill out an Outgoing Wire/Draft Form and forward it to Cash Management.
4. Upon approval of the Expense Reimbursement, payment will be automatically routed to Cash Management to process the wire transfer.

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IV. Contact Roles and Responsibilities

A. Alternate: responsible for creating and submitting Expense Reimbursements on behalf of others. Employees who seek reimbursement can assign an Alternate to create and modify Expense Reimbursements for them, but the Employee must submit their own.  Expense Reimbursements for Non-Employees or recently-terminated Employees are created and submitted by Alternates.

B. Division Coordinator – responsible for submitting Non-Employee Profile Setup Forms and Non-Employee Profile Change Requests.

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V. Definitions

A. e-Reimbursement: the web-based expense reimbursement submission and review tool.

B. 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.

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VI. Related References

• Policy 310 – University Travel Policy
• Policy 320 – Expense Reimbursement Policy
• Procedure 320.1 – Creating and Submitting an Expense Reimbursement in e-Reimbursement
• New Non-Employee Profile Request Form
• Non-Employee Profile Change Request Form
• Outgoing Wire/Draft Form

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VII.  Revisions

Procedure Number	320.5
Date Approved	May 8, 2017
Revision Dates	12/6/19 – Updated links

 

Working with My Corporate Card and My Wallet Procedure
Procedure # 320.4
Rev.:
Effective Date:

Related Policy: 320 Expense Reimbursement Policy
Functional Owner: Accounting Services, Division of Business Services
Contact: Expense Reimbursement Program Manager – Graig Brooks (608) 262-8691

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Contents

I. Procedure Statement
II. Who is Affected by this Procedure
III. Procedure
IV. Contact Roles and Responsibilities
V. Definitions
VI. Related References
VII. Revisions

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I. Procedure Statement

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.

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II. Who is Affected by This Procedure

Employees who use the My Corporate Card; Alternates who prepare Expense Reimbursements for My Corporate Card holders.

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III. Procedure

A. Viewing your My Corporate Card activity in My Wallet

1. Sign into e-Reimbursement.
2. Click the Expenses tile. Within the Expenses tile, there are three places to access your My Wallet activity:
   1. Add Quick Expense tile
      1. All Corporate Card expenses which have not been accounted for on an Expense Reimbursement are shown.
      2. This is the only place the Expense Type of a Corporate Card expense can be modified.
      3. 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 Reimbursement.
      4. Users can delete My Wallet transactions using the trash can icon.
   2. My Wallet tile – this tile is functionally similar to Add Quick Expense except users cannot modify Expense Types here.
   3. Expense History tile – this tile shows Corporate Card expenses which have been accounted for on previously-created Expense Reimbursements.

 

B. Accounting for Corporate Card expenses in e-Reimbursement

1. See Procedure 320.1 for instructions on creating a new Expense Reimbursement.
2. My Wallet transactions are pulled into the Expense Reimbursement using the Add from My Wallet icon on the General Information page or the wallet icon on the Expense Entry page. These icons will not appear if there are not My Wallet expenses to choose.
3. Users can manually choose “US Bank Corporate Card” as the payment type for any expense.

 

C. Payment

1. All Corporate Card expenses – whether they are pulled into the Expense Reimbursement from My Wallet or they are manually marked as a US Bank Corporate Card transaction – are paid directly to US Bank upon approval of the Expense Reimbursement.
2. To avoid credit balances on the Corporate Card, cardholders must make efforts to avoid duplicate or incorrect payments made to US Bank.

 

D. Corporate Card Reconciliation

1. My Wallet should not be used as the only means of monitoring Corporate Card activity. Expenses can be manually added or deleted from My Wallet; these actions would not be reflected on the Corporate Card activity.
2. See Procedure 301.1 for information on managing your Corporate Card.

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IV. Contact Roles and Responsibilities

A. Traveler/User/Cardholder: responsible for ensuring timely reconciliation and payment of their Corporate Card balance.

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V. Definitions

A. e-Reimbursement: the web-based expense reimbursement submission and review tool.

B. My Corporate Card: individual-liability credit card that can be used for travel and non-travel expenses.

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VI.  Related References

• Policy 301 – My Corporate Card
• Procedure 301.1 – My Corporate Card Application and Account Management
• Procedure 320.1 – Creating and Submitting Expense Reimbursements in e-Reimbursement

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VII. Revisions

Procedure Number	320.4
Date Approved
Revision Dates

 

 

Receiving my Reimbursement Payment Procedure
Procedure # 320.3
Rev.: 1
Effective Date: May 8, 2017

Download 320.3 Receiving my Reimbursement Payment Procedure (pdf)

Related Policy: 320 Expense Reimbursement Policy
Functional Owner: Accounting Services, Division of Business Services
Contact: Expense Reimbursement Program Manager – Graig Brooks (608) 262-8691

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Contents

I. Procedure Statement
II. Who is Affected by this Procedure
III. Procedure
IV. Contact Roles and Responsibilities
V. Definitions
VI. Related References
VII. Revisions

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I. Procedure Statement

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.

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II. Who is Affected by This Procedure

Employees who seek reimbursement for out-of-pocket or Corporate Card expenses; Alternates who prepare Expense Reimbursements; employees who may be contacted by a non-employee regarding their reimbursement.

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III. Procedure

A. How to use e-Reimbursement to Find Information on Reimbursement Payments:

1. Ensure the expense reimbursement has been fully approved.
   1. Sign into e-Reimbursement
   2. Click the Expenses WorkCenter tile.
   3. Expand the View TER’s, TA’s and CA’s menu, then select View Expense Report in the links panel along the left side.
   4. Find the correct Expense Reimbursement 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 Reimbursement.
   5. Check that the status (next to the report ID number in the top middle of the screen) is “Paid”. If it is not paid, view the Approval History at the bottom of the page to see where the Expense Reimbursement is in the approval process.
2. Search for Payment Details.
   1. Expand the Void/Reissue Payment menu, then select the View Payment History link.
   2. Search by employee ID or name. Select the proper Expense Reimbursement from the search results. If there is single search result will automatically take you to the Employee Payment History page.
   3. Employee Payment History
      1. Payment Reference – for check payments, this will be the check number. This is needed when filling out a Check Action Form.
      2. 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 Reimbursements if they were approved on the same day.
      3. Payment Method – will be either “ACH” for direct deposit payments or “System Check” for paper check payments.
      4. Payment Date – payment will be direct deposited or mailed within 3-5 business days of this date.
      5. Payee Address – this link will display the address the check was sent to.
3. 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 be titled “UWMSN_TRVL_ACH” or something similar.

 

B. 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.

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IV. Contact Roles and Responsibilities

A. Traveler (employee)/Claimant/Recipient: the person receiving reimbursement. Employees are responsible for submitting their own Expense Reimbursements in a timely fashion and following all applicable UW travel policies.  An employee may assign an Alternate to create and modify an Expense Reimbursement on their behalf, but the Employee is ultimately responsible for submitting their own Expense Reimbursements.

B. Approver: Upon submission, Expense Reimbursements are first reviewed by an Approver. Approvers are responsible for reviewing supporting documentation, reviewing Expense Reimbursements for policy compliance, and reviewing funding being charged.

C. Auditor: Expense Reimbursements are reviewed by an Auditor after the Approver. Auditors are responsible for reviewing Expense Reimbursements for policy compliance.

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V. Definitions

A. e-Reimbursement: the web-based expense reimbursement submission and review tool.

B. Purchasing Card: University-liability credit card that can be used for travel and non-travel expenses.

C. Corporate Card: individual-liability credit card that can be used for travel and non-travel expenses.

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VI. Related References

• Policy 320 – Expense Reimbursement

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VII.  Revisions

Procedure Number	320.3
Date Approved	May 8, 2017
Revision Dates

 

How to Assign an Alternate Procedure
Procedure # 320.2
Rev.: 1
Effective Date: May 8, 2017

Related Policy: 320 Expense Reimbursement Policy
Functional Owner: Accounting Services, Division of Business Services
Contact: Expense Reimbursement Program Manager – Graig Brooks (608) 262-8691

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Contents

I. Procedure Statement
II. Who is Affected by this Procedure
III. Procedure
IV. Contact Roles and Responsibilities
V. Definitions
VI. Related References
VII. Revisions

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I. Procedure Statement

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.

Current employees are responsible for adding and deleting their own Alternates.  The UW-Madison Travel Office will not assign Alternates for current employees.

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II. Who is Affected by This Procedure

Employees who seek reimbursement for out-of-pocket or Corporate Card expenses; alternates who prepare expense reimbursements in e-Reimbursement.

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III.   Procedure

A. For Employees

1. Sign into e-Reimbursement.
2. Click the Expenses WorkCenter tile.
3. Click the Delegate Entry Authority link in the links panel along the left side.
4. Click the plus sign to add an additional row.
5. 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.
6. The Authorization Level should be “Edit”. If an employee chooses “Edit & Submit”, it will revert to “Edit”.
7. Click Save.

 

B. For Non-Employees

1. Fill out a Non-Employee Profile Change Request Form.
2. The Division Coordinator or other authorized personnel emails the form to the UW-Madison Business Services office, per the instructions on the form.
3. The Alternate is notified via email when setup is complete.

 

C. 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 Reimbursements for recently-terminated employees.

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IV. Contact Roles and Responsibilities

A. Traveler (employee)/Claimant/Recipient: the person receiving reimbursement. Employees are responsible for submitting their own Expense Reimbursements in a timely fashion and following all applicable UW travel policies.  An employee may assign an Alternate to create and modify an Expense Reimbursement on their behalf, but the Employee is ultimately responsible for submitting their own Expense Reimbursements.

B. Alternate: responsible for creating and submitting Expense Reimbursements on behalf of others. Employees who seek reimbursement can assign an Alternate to create and modify Expense Reimbursements for them, but the Employee must submit their own.  Expense Reimbursements for Non-Employees or recently-terminated Employees are created and submitted by Alternates.

C. Division Coordinator – responsible for submitting Non-Employee Profile Setup Forms and Non-Employee Profile Change Requests.

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V. Definitions

1. e-Reimbursement: the web-based expense reimbursement submission and review tool.
2. 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.
3. 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 (link to email).

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VI. Related References

• Policy 320: Expense Reimbursement
• Procedure 320.5 – How to Reimburse Non-Employees
• Working as an Alternate Landing Page

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VII.  Revisions

Procedure Number	320.2
Date Approved	May 8, 2017
Revision Dates

 

Creating and Submitting an Expense Reimbursement in e-Reimbursement Procedure
Procedure # 320.1
Rev.:
Effective Date: 7/1/19

Related Policy: 320 Expense Reimbursement Policy
Functional Owner: Accounting Services, Division of Business Services
Contact: Expense Reimbursement Program Manager – Graig Brooks (608) 262-8691

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Contents

I. Procedure Statement
II. Who is Affected by this Procedure
III. Procedure
IV. Contact Roles and Responsibilities
V. Definitions
VI. Appendix
VII. Related References
VIII. Revisions

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I. Procedure Statement

All payments made to employees and non-employees for reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses must be prepared using e-Reimbursement.  All Expense Reimbursements are reviewed by an Approver and Auditor prior to payment.  Routing is determined by the department code used in the funding string(s).

Employees have the option to delegate an Alternate who can create and modify Expense Reimbursements on their behalf.  Whether or not an Alternate is used, it is the employee’s responsibility to ensure Expense Reimbursements are submitted on time and in compliance with University travel and purchasing policies.

This document details the required procedures for submitting an Expense Reimbursement.  For a complete how-to guide, visit the Expense Reimbursement website.

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II. Who is Affected by This Procedure

Employees who seek reimbursement for out-of-pocket or Corporate Card expenses; Alternates who prepare Expense Reimbursements.

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III.   Procedure

Sign into e-Reimbursement.  Click the Expenses tile, then Create Expense Report.

A. 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 Reimbursement.

1. Business Purpose – Choose the one that best describes the reimbursement.  See Appendix A for definitions and further details on business purposes.
2. Default Location – Primary location of your trip.
   1. Choose your headquarter city for non-travel Expense Reimbursements.
   2. Locations may be listed by city or county.
   3. 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.
3. Reference – Select In-State, Out-of-State, or Foreign.
   1. 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’).
   2. For non-travel Expense Reimbursements, select ‘Not a Travel Related report’.
4. Date of departure/return – Dates of your business Do not include personal vacation days in these dates.
5. Attachments 
   1. Receipts are required to be electronically attached to the Expense Reimbursement.
   2. In addition to receipts, users must attach any additional documentation an Approver or Auditor will need to fully review the Expense Reimbursement. This includes:
      1. Conference agenda (to document conference dates, preferred conference hotels, and provided meals)
      2. Email correspondence related to unusual circumstances
      3. GoogleMaps or Mapquest printout or screenshot to substantiate a mileage claim
   3. Do not attach anything with protected or confidential information.
      1. Redact credit card and social security numbers.
      2. 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.
      3. 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 Reimbursement.
6. Justification (IS MISSING) – Justification Notes are added by the traveler or Alternate to provide the details of the reimbursement.
   1. Every Expense Report must have at least one Note. That note must include a sufficient business purpose to justify the reimbursement. Additional notes may be added as needed.
   2. Spell out all acronyms in the Justification notes.

 

B. Expense Entry: This section is where users enter the details of their expenses.

1. Choose the appropriate Expense Type for the expense. See Appendix B for definitions and further details of expense types.
2. Payment Type
   1. Personal Funds – Out-of-pocket expenses for which the traveler will be reimbursed.
   2. 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.
   3. US Bank Corporate Card – Expenses paid on the Corporate Card. See Procedure 320.4 for more information on using e-Reimbursement for Corporate Card expenses.
3. Amount
   1. It is recommended that travelers manually convert foreign currency amounts and enter only US Dollars in this field.
   2. For rate-based Expense Types (e.g. Meals and Incidental Expense, Mileage), this field cannot be manually modified.
4. Non-Reimbursable
   1. Mark an expense non-reimbursable.
   2. 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).
5. Red Flags– All red flag error messages must be resolved before an Expense Reimbursement can be submitted. Examples include:
   1. An invalid funding string.
   2. Required information is missing.
   3. Airfare ticket number is a duplicate of a previously-created Expense Reimbursement.

 

C. Review and Submit – Alternates and travelers must ensure the accuracy of the Expense Reimbursement prior to submission.

1. 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.
2. Additional Information – If there are Cash Advances or Travel Authorizations available, associate them with the Expense Reimbursement here. For more information on working with Cash Advances, see Policy 321.
3. Submit
   1. Current UW employees must submit their own Expense Reimbursements.
   2. Alternates can submit Expense Reimbursements on behalf of non-employees and recently-terminated employees.

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IV. Contact Roles and Responsibilities

A. Traveler (employee)/Claimant/Recipient: the person receiving reimbursement. Employees are responsible for submitting their own Expense Reimbursements in a timely fashion and following all applicable UW travel policies.  An employee may assign an Alternate to create and modify an Expense Reimbursement on their behalf, but the Employee is ultimately responsible for submitting their own Expense Reimbursements.

B. Alternate: responsible for creating and submitting Expense Reimbursements on behalf of others. Employees who seek reimbursement can assign an Alternate to create and modify Expense Reimbursements for them, but the Employee must submit their own.  Expense Reimbursements for Non-Employees or recently-terminated Employees are created and submitted by Alternates.

C. Approver: Upon submission, Expense Reimbursements are first reviewed by an Approver. Approvers are responsible for reviewing supporting documentation, reviewing Expense Reimbursements for policy compliance, and reviewing funding being charged.

D. Auditor: Expense Reimbursements are reviewed by an Auditor after the Approver. Auditors are responsible for reviewing Expense Reimbursements for policy compliance.

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V. Definitions

A. e-Reimbursement: the web-based Expense Reimbursement submission and review tool.

B. Purchasing Card: University-liability credit card that can be used for travel and non-travel expenses.

C. Corporate Card: individual-liability credit card that can be used for travel and non-travel expenses.

D. 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.

E. 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.

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VI. Appendix

A. Business Purposes

1. Business – Expenses for routine business travel not better classified in another category.
2. Conference – Expenses incurred to attend or host a conference.
3. Fundraising – Expenses incurred for University fundraising.
4. Job Candidate Hosting – Expenses incurred for hosting job candidates.
5. Local Travel – Expenses incurred when traveling within the headquarter city or surrounding area.  Expenses can be accumulated and filed weekly, bi-weekly or monthly.
6. Non-Travel – Expenses incurred on the Corporate Card or out-of-pocket for low-dollar purchases made in compliance with UW purchasing policies.
7. Professional Development – Expenses incurred by employees for education or job/professional trainings.
8. Recruiting – Expenses incurred for recruiting employees and students to the University.
9. Relocation – Expenses incurred for employee relocation.
10. Research – Expenses incurred for research or research-related activities including fieldwork or faculty presentation of papers.
11. 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.
12. Study Abroad – Expenses incurred by travelers (faculty or students) for study abroad or other international education programs.
13. Team travel – Expenses incurred for sport team travel.

 

B. Expense Types

1. Air-Baggage Fees – airline baggage or equipment fees.
   1. Description – if additional baggage beyond the first piece and/or overweight/oversized baggage is claimed, provide justification.
   2. Account Codes 2800, 2801, 2802.
2. Airfare – commercial coach/economy including allowable charges for seat assignments.
   1. Description – if claiming a related fee, provide a justification.
   2. Merchant – select the merchant from the preferred drop-down menu or enter the merchant name in the non-preferred field.
   3. Ticket Number – a unique ticket number is required.
   4. Account codes 2800, 2801, 2802.
3. Airfare Change/Cancel Penalty – Charge imposed by the airline to change, re-issue or cancel tickets.
   1. Description – provide an explanation of the circumstances.
   2. Merchant – select the merchant from the preferred drop-down menu or enter the merchant name in the non-preferred field.
   3. Account codes 2800, 2801, 2802.
4. Athletic Pre/Post Game – for use by Athletics only.
5. Athletics Team Meals – for use by Athletics only.
6. 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.
7. 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.
   1. 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.
   2. It will require a credit reference to be entered (“Estimated tax withholding” is sufficient).
   3. Account code 7060
8. 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.
   1. 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.
   2. Merchant – enter the name of the merchant.
   3. Account code 2894.
9. 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.
   1. 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.
   2. Merchant – enter the name of the merchant.
   3. Number of People – enter the number of attendees.
   4. Add Additional Attendees – enter the names and affiliations of the attendees. For large events, an attendee list can be attached to the Expense Reimbursement instead.
   5. Account code 2893.
10. 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.
    1. 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.
    2. Merchant – enter the name of the merchant.
    3. Account code 2895.
11. Gas for Vehicle Rental/Fleet – purchase of gasoline for rental vehicles or fleet vehicles when State/UW gas card is not accepted.
    1. 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.
    2. Account codes 2810, 2811, and 2812.
12. Lodging-Group – lodging accommodations for multiple business travelers who share a room and the reimbursement is being claimed on one Expense Reimbursement.
    1. Description – provide the names and affiliations of all individuals included in the lodging payment.
    2. Number of Nights – enter the number of nights stayed.
    3. Merchant – select the merchant from the preferred drop-down menu or enter the merchant name in the non-preferred field.
    4. How Many People – the number of UW business travelers included in the amount reported.
    5. Account codes 2850, 2851, and 2852.
13. Lodging-Individual – lodging accommodations for individual lodging expenses, including a shared room for which the traveler is claiming only their portion of the charge.
    1. Number of Nights – enter the number of nights stayed.
    2. Merchant – select the merchant from the preferred drop-down menu or enter the merchant name in the non-preferred field.
    3. Account codes 2850, 2851, and 2852.
14. Meal and Incidental Per Diem – per diem allowance reimbursed to travelers for overnight travel based on location of stay.
    1. Amount – the amount is based on the location, date, and any selected deductions.
    2. 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.
    3. 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).
    4. Account codes 2860, 2861, and 2862.
15. Meals-Hosted – meal purchased for a group and claimed by a single individual.
    1. Description – provide a business purpose for the purchase and indicate which meal was served (breakfast, lunch or dinner).
    2. How Many People – enter the number of attendees.
    3. Add Additional Attendees – enter the names and affiliations of the attendees. For large events, an attendee list can be attached to the Expense Reimbursement instead.
    4. Account codes 2860, 2861, and 2862.
16. Mileage – reimbursement for use of a personal vehicle. Do not use this expense type for vehicle rentals or fleet vehicles.
    1. 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.
    2. Transportation ID – choose the appropriate rate – Standard (300 miles roundtrip or less) or Turndown (more than 300 miles roundtrip)
    3. 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.
    4. Account codes 2830, 2831, and 2832.
17. Misc-Purchases/Supplies – best judgment UW-Madison business-related purchases ($5,000 or less) such as books, copy charges, shipping, etc.
    1. Description – provide a description of the purchase and a UW-Madison business purpose.
18. Parking – parking charges incurred while conducting UW-Madison business.
    1. Description – enter a reason for the expense and, if applicable, the number of days parked at the location.
    2. Account codes 2870, 2871, and 2872.
19. Registration Fee – fee charged to attend an event such as a conference, workshop, seminar, training or meeting.
    1. Description – provide the name of the event and a UW-Madison business purpose and identify what is included (meals, etc.) in the fee.
    2. Account codes 2840, 2841, and 2842.
20. Relocation-Direct Moving Costs – the movement of household goods, transportation of employee and family and additional direct costs associated with the move.
    1. Merchant – select the merchant from the preferred drop-down menu or enter the merchant name in the non-preferred field.
    2. Originating Location – the location the traveler is relocating from.
    3. Expense Location – the location where the expense was incurred.
    4. Account codes 2880 and 2881.
21. Relocation-Stipend – an Employee Relocation Award provided to cover some or all of an employee’s moving expenses.
    1. Originating Location – the location the traveler is relocating from.
    2. Expense Location – the location the traveler is relocating to.
    3. Account code 2884.
22. Relocation-Temporary Lodging – cost of temporary lodging associated with a relocation (up to 45 days).
    1. Number of Nights – enter the number of nights stayed.
    2. Merchant – select the merchant from the preferred drop-down menu or enter the merchant name in the non-preferred field.
    3. Originating Location – the location the traveler is relocating from.
    4. Expense Location – the location where the expense was incurred.
    5. Account code 2883.
23. Taxi/Subway/City Bus, etc. – local transportation charges for taxi, shuttle, city bus, ferry, subway, ride sharing services, etc. including tip.
    1. Description – indicate the type of transportation used, the originating location and destination and a business purpose for the trip.
    2. Account codes 2820, 2821, and 2822.
24. Train/Bus/Other Long Distance – long-distance transportation charges (non-airfare) such as a bus, train, etc. including tip.
    1. Description – indicate the type of transportation used, the originating location and destination and a business purpose for the trip.
    2. Account codes 2820, 2821, and 2822.
25. Training/Dev-Job –reimbursements to employees for costs related to job-related training not classified as tuition.
    1. Description – indicate the name of the course taken.
    2. Non-Preferred Merchant – enter the name of the merchant.
    3. Account code 2184.
26. Travel Agency Service Fee – for use by Athletics only.
27. 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.)
    1. Description – provide a description of the expense and a UW-Madison business purpose.
    2. Account codes 2870, 2871, and 2872.
28. Travel Reduction – reduces the amount of the Expense Reimbursement to a fixed dollar/budget amount for an expense line. Travel reductions cannot be entered by travelers/Alternates; they must be entered by Approvers.
29. 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.
    1. Description – indicate the name of the course taken and whether the course is for graduate or undergraduate credit.
    2. Non-Preferred Merchant – enter the name of the merchant.
    3. Account code 2180.
30. Vehicle Rental – cost of renting a vehicle to conduct UW business.
    1. Description – enter a business purpose for the use of a rental vehicle. Provide a justification if a non-preferred vendor was used.
    2. Merchant – select the merchant from the preferred drop-down menu or enter the merchant name in the non-preferred field.
    3. Account codes 2810, 2811, and 2812.

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VII.  Related References

• Policy 310: Travel
• Policy 311: Air Travel
• Policy 312: Lodging
• Policy 313: Meals & Incidentals
• Policy 314: Vehicle – Personal, Rental and Fleet
• Policy 315: Ground Transportation
• Policy 316: Registration Fees
• Policy 317: International Travel
• Policy 320: Expense Reimbursement
• Policy 321: Cash Advances
• Policy 340: Official Functions
• Policy 341: Hosted Meals
• Policy 342: Relocation
• Policy 343: Job Candidate Expenses
• Policy 350: Tax Exemption While Traveling
• Policy 351: Tax Exemption – Non-Travel
• Policy 360: Non Payable/Reimbursable Expenses

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VIII. Revisions

Procedure Number	320.1
Date Approved	7/1/19
Revision Dates	2/26/2020 – added E-Re Estimated Withholding Expense Type