How to get reimbursed for UW–Madison travel-related and non-travel-related expenses.
UW–Madison employees are reimbursed for out-of-pocket travel-related expenses in accordance with UW–Madison policies.
Employees are responsible for following travel and expense reimbursement policy, retaining required receipts, and submitting expense reports in a timely fashion.
On this page
- Deadline for reimbursements
- How to get and what can be reimbursed
- Receipt and other documentation requirements
- Workday Expenses Business Purposes for Expense Reports
- Reimbursement roles and responsibilities
- Centralized Audit for Expenses
- Using the Shared Liability Card
- Training and Resources
- Tools
- Policies and procedures
Deadlines for reimbursement
For reimbursements to be considered non-taxable income, the University’s travel policies and operational standards must comply with the IRS Accountable Plan Rules. To be considered an “Accountable Plan,” the following conditions must be met and apply to all UW reimbursements:
- Reimbursements and advances provided to travelers under the plan must be for business-related expenses only.
- Advance payments must be reconciled within 30 days of the end of the business trip.
- Expenses must be submitted with the required supporting documentation within 90 days from the date of purchase. Exceptions to this requirement are for the following Expense Items which must be submitted within 90 days from the “arrival date” listed on the expense line of an expense report in Workday:
- Registration Fee
- Airfare
- Group Airfare
- Lodging (Group, Student and Individual)
- Tuition Reimbursement (the arrival date is the course end date)
- Job-Related Training (the arrival date is the course end date)
- If an expense report is sent back to the initiator, the expense report must be resubmitted within 90 days of the send back.
How to get and what can be reimbursed
How to get reimbursed
Employees get reimbursed by submitting an expense report through Workday Expenses. Once submitted, expense reports are reviewed by Expense Partners for policy compliance and the Driver Workday Manager for budget and funding review. Once an expense report has been fully approved, the payment is directly deposited into the employee’s bank account within 5 business days.
Access Workday How to create, modify, and resubmit an expense report
What can be reimbursed
All reimbursable expenses must comply with UW–Madison travel policies and procedures and any other policies applicable to the expenses claimed in the report.
Note: If other payment options are not available, it may be appropriate for an employee to be reimbursed for non-travel-related expenses.
Transportation
Reimbursement for airfare, rental vehicle, personal vehicle mileage, train, bus, taxi, or any other necessary means of transportation.
International Travel
Including visa/passport fees, vaccinations/inoculations, currency exchange fees, and foreign transaction fees.
Receipt and other documentation requirements
All required supporting documentation must be attached electronically to the expense report.
Receipts are required for out-of-pocket expenses and Shared Liability Card transactions greater than $50. Receipts are not required for the reimbursement of a traveler’s per diem allowance.
Electronic receipts must be clear and legible. Efforts must be made to redact any sensitive information from receipts and/or supporting documentation in order to comply with HIPAA and campus privacy policy.
In addition to receipts, it may be necessary to include other documentation to support a reimbursement claim, such as an airfare cost comparison or conference brochure/agenda.
The expense report and its attached documentation must provide enough information for an approver or post-payment auditor to confirm the expenses are valid UW-Madison business expenses without any follow-up.
Workday Expenses Business Purposes for Expense Reports
The Business Purpose field in the header section of an expense report is a drop-down menu for selecting the general purpose of the travel or expenses.
See below for a quick guide to each Business Purpose.
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**Hold - In Progress
Allows the expense report to be worked on without the risk of it being submitted (e.g., an Expense Data Entry Specialist is working on details of the expense report, and it is not yet ready for the reviewer).
A critical (red) error will be received when submitting with this business purpose. Validation Message on Expense Report: Expense report cannot be submitted with a “Hold” business purpose. Change the business purpose prior to submission.
**Hold - Ready for Review
Allows the expense report to be worked on without the risk of it being submitted and indicates the report is ready for review by an Expense Data Entry Specialist specifically assigned to pre-submission review. Must be changed prior to expense report submission.
A critical (red) error will be received when submitting with this business purpose. Validation Message: Expense report cannot be submitted with a “Hold” business purpose. Change the business purpose prior to submission.
90-Day Accountable Plan Expenses (Spend Auth only)
Do not use. A critical (red) error will be received when selecting.
Validation Message: The Business Purpose used on this expense report is only allowed on Spend Authorizations. Change the Business Purpose before submitting.
Business Travel
Expenses for routine business travel, such as mileage or per diem to attend a meeting, not better classified in a category below.
Conference
Expenses incurred to attend or host a conference, such as airfare or registration.
Event
Expenses incurred related to UW-sponsored event (e.g., business meal or hosted reception).
Field Trips/Fieldwork
May be used for student field trips. May also be used for expenses incurred to conduct fieldwork.
Foundation Expenses (Spend Auth Only)
A critical (red) error will be received when selecting.
Validation Message: The Business Purpose used on this expense report is only allowed on Spend Authorizations. Change the Business Purpose before submitting.
Gift Cards (Spend Auth Only)
A critical (red) error will be received when selecting.
Validation Message: The Business Purpose used on this expense report is only allowed on Spend Authorizations. Change the Business Purpose before submitting.
Note: this is not to be confused with the Gift Card Expense item, which CAN be used in expense reports when reconciling a gift card related expense and should include the attached gift card recipient log and preapproval paperwork.
Job Candidate Hosting
Expenses related to hosting a job candidate such as candidate airfare and lodging; alternately, may be used by UW staff who host and pay for business meals for candidate.
Non-Travel
Expenses incurred for purchases made in compliance with UW purchasing policies.
Official Functions
Expenses incurred as part of an Official Function.
Policy Exceptions (Spend Auth Only)
Do not use.
A red error will be received when selecting. “The Business Purpose used on this expense report is only allowed on Spend Authorizations. Change the Business Purpose before submitting.”
Professional Development
Expenses incurred by employees for education or job/professional trainings such as tuition, fees, training, and registration.
Purchasing Card Reconciliation
To be used when reconciling Purchasing Card transactions on an expense report.
Recruiting
Expenses incurred for recruiting employees and students to the University.
Relocation
Do not use.
A critical (red) error will be received when selecting. “All Relocation expenses must be paid either through Miscellaneous Payments or Payroll.”
Note: This business purpose serves as a reminder that relocation stipends are not to be paid in expense reimbursement, but via Payroll or Miscellaneous Payment Request. This business purpose will eventually be phased out of Workday.
Research Travel
Travel in support of research objectives.
Student Travel
Expenses incurred by students for valid UW business expenses (conferences, etc.). Does not include Study Abroad or International Education Programs.
Study Abroad
Expenses incurred by employees for study abroad or other international education programs.
Team Travel
Expenses for UW Athletics team travel such as airfare, hosted meals, lodging.
Expense reimbursement roles and responsibilities
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Travelers/Claimants/Employees seeking reimbursement
Employees are responsible for following all applicable UW policies. An expense report may be created and submitted by an Expense Data Entry Specialist on an employee’s behalf. Any employee expense reports submitted by an Expense Data Entry Specialist will route to the employee-as-self as the first approver to confirm the expenses and attest to the accuracy of the expense report entry.
Expense Data Entry Specialists
Expense Data Entry Specialists are assigned a security role that allows them to create and submit expense reports on behalf of employees and External Committee Members (guests and nonemployee students). Expense Data Entry Specialists also request the creation of new External Committee Members in Workday.
External Committee Members seeking reimbursement
Generally, External Committee Members are subject to the same policies and requirements as employees. Expense reports for External Committee Members are created and submitted by Expense Data Entry Specialists.
Expense Partner
A member of the central audit team in the Division of Business Services responsible for reviewing expense reports for policy compliance.
Driver Worktag Manager
A Driver Worktag Manager is a Divisional/Departmental employee responsible for reviewing Workday Expenses transactions for budget and funding.
Cost Center Manager
A Cost Center Manager may be responsible for ad-hoc approval of an expense report.
Expense Operations Lead
An Expense Operations Lead may be responsible for ad-hoc approval of an expense report.
Division coordinators
Division Coordinators are responsible for attending quarterly Division Coordinator meetings hosted by the Travel and Card team, relaying updates and other communications to their divisions, and serving as a policy reference for employees, Expense Data Entry Specialists, and Cost Center Managers in their respective division. A Division Coordinator may serve as the Expense Operations Lead for a division.
Centralized Audit for Expenses
The policy compliance audit function for Workday Expenses (including purchasing card, shared liability, and personal card transactions) is carried out by the Division of Business Services team of Expense Partners.
Visit Centralized Audit of Expenses at UW-Madison to learn more about centralized policy compliance audit for Workday Expenses at UW-Madison.
Training and Resources
Workday Course Catalog | Workday
Employees will find the following Workday Expenses specific trainings available for self-enrollment:
- Workday for Finance: Expenses for Support Staff (this covers submitting Expenses for others)
- Expense Reports and Credit Cards in Workday Part 1
- Expense Reports and Credit Cards in Workday Part 2
This site is your resource for finding job aids, how-to videos, and more to help you work with Workday.
Search or filter the table to find definitions for common Workday terms, as well as the corresponding pre-Workday terms, where applicable. For Workday Expenses, select “Expenses” from the Functional Area drop-down menu.
Workday ATP Finance Resources and FAQs
General resources such as the FDM Mapping Tool and business process area frequently asked questions are available on this site. Finance FAQs are located at the bottom of the page. For Workday Expenses, select “Expenses” from the Functional Area drop-down menu.
Policies and procedures
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Contact
Travelers and departmental staff should contact their Divisional Business Office for policy or procedural questions.
Divisional Business Offices may email expensereimbursement@bussvc.wisc.edu with questions.