Reimbursements to Employees Frequently Asked Questions
Browse FAQs by Category: Reimbursement Policies - Travel Reimbursements - Direct Deposit for Reimbursements
Reimbursement Policies
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Travel Reimbursements
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Direct Deposit for Reimbursements
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Reimbursement Policies
Q. May I be reimbursed for expenses if I have lost the original paid receipt?
A. You may be reimbursed for the expense if you obtain a duplicate original receipt from the vendor OR complete the Missing Receipts Affidavit Form.
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Q. May I be reimbursed for personal services that I have provided to the University?
A. No. All charges for employee personal services must be forwarded to the Payroll office for the employee's campus.
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Q. Who should approve my reimbursement voucher?
A. Vouchers must be approved by the administrative unit or department head or delegate who has been authorized for such approvals. College deans, heads of departments, and administrative units may not approve their own vouchers.
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Q. Do reimbursements for conference lodging require special documentation?
A. Yes. An official conference may designate a hotel(s) as its official lodging site that charges more for rooms than is normally allowed under lodging allowances. The unit head's approval for employees to attend the conference provides approval for the exception to the lodging maximums. A copy of the official conference brochure or other documentation showing designated conference hotel(s) must be attached to the reimbursement form. If documentation is not available, a Travel Exception Report must be submitted with the reimbursement form.
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Q. May someone in the department business office sign a reimbursement request on behalf of the payee?
A. No. The payee must sign the reimbursement form attesting to the accuracy and completeness of the claim for reimbursement. University Payables cannot process forms signed on behalf of the payee.
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Q. What is the 60-day policy for submission of reimbursements?
A. Under IRS regulations, business expenses are reimbursed as nontaxable income to the employee only when adequate documentation to request a reimbursement is submitted to University Payables within 60 calendar days of (a) the last day of travel (for travel reimbursements) or (b) the date that the business expense was paid or incurred by the employee (for miscellaneous reimbursements). If the request is submitted more than 60 days of these dates, the reimbursement will be considered taxable income to the employee and included on the employee's Form W-2, unless a justification for an exception is submitted with the request and approved by University Payables.
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Q. Who should I contact if I have questions regarding employee reimbursement?
A. The University Payables Customer Service Department can be contacted by phone at 217-333-6583, by fax at 217-239-6840 or e-mail OBFSUPAY@uillinois.edu.
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Q. Can I submit a credit card statement instead of the Missing Receipt Affidavit if I don't have an original receipt?
A. The credit card statement should accompany the Missing Receipt Affidavit, not replace it. Any personal information such as credit card number, personal purchases, etc., should be redacted before submission.
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Q. May a student request reimbursement for travel or expenses related to his/her education?
A. No. These types of requests must go through Student Accounts Receivable due to IRS reporting requirements. Please see Payments to University of Illinois Students, and Section 8.11, Payments to University Students of the Business and Financial Policies and Procedures manual.
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Q. If I am away from my campus headquarters on personal business and am required to return to campus for business reasons, can I be reimbursed for my travel expenses?
A. No, unless an exception has been requested and approved by the University Payable office.
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Travel Reimbursements
Q. Will I be reimbursed for any car insurance I may purchase when renting a car for business travel?
A. Only when renting a car while in business in a foreign country, in which case you will be reimbursed for only the purchase of collision damage waiver. When renting a car for business travel within the United States, do not purchase the optional car insurance. The University is a self-insured institution and the purchase of car insurance is not reimbursable. When you rent a car from the University preferred car rental agency, National Car Rental, the collision damage waiver is included if the corporate id number (5004460) is given to they agency at time of rental.
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Q. Is there a Per Diem Calculator?
A. Yes. The Per Diem Calculator available on the OBFS Travel Web page helps with per diem calculations for travel within the United States and its possessions. A copy of the calculation must be attached to the travel voucher. The travel office will validate the accuracy of the per diem claimed by the traveler.
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Direct Deposit for Reimbursements
Q. What are the employee reimbursement payment options effective November 1, 2005?
| |
Payment by Direct Deposit |
Payment by Check |
Walk-through for Cash |
| Miscellaneous Expense Reimbursement |
√ |
Only for employees who are not signed up for payroll direct deposit or do not have a Paychek Plus!™ card |
Not available |
| Travel Reimbursement |
√ |
Only for employees who are not signed up for payroll direct deposit or do not have a Paychek Plus!™ card |
Not available |
| Travel / Program Advance |
√ |
Only for employees who are not signed up for payroll direct deposit or do not have a Paychek Plus!™ card |
Not available |
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Q. What is the benefit to employees of implementing direct deposit for employee reimbursements?
A. Direct deposit of employee reimbursements has been requested by employees and campus units. The new program adds convenience for employees and ensures safe and expeditious handling of these payments. Employees will benefit from having their reimbursements deposited directly into their bank accounts instead of waiting for a check in the mail.
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Q. Why is the University discontinuing the option to walk-through a voucher for cash payment?
A. An audit of travel voucher processing completed in fiscal year 2002 indicated that during the fiscal year 2001, approximately 11,200 travel vouchers were walked through for payment in cash on the Urbana-Champaign campus and 5,000 on the Chicago campus. The audit recommendation was to reduce the amount of cash activity on each campus by discontinuing the walk-through option when implementing a direct deposit process for reimbursement vouchers.
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Q. I have direct deposit for payroll payments; do I need to do anything to receive reimbursements through direct deposit?
A. No. Since you are already signed up for direct deposit, payment of reimbursements will automatically be deposited in the same bank account you have identified for payroll funds.
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Q. How will reimbursements be paid to employees who don't have payroll direct deposit or a Paychek Plus!™ payroll debit card?
A. These employees will receive the payment by a check mailed to the address designated on the voucher.
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Q. Can I select a different bank account for the direct deposit of my reimbursements?
A. No. Reimbursements will automatically be deposited in the same bank account you have identified for payroll funds.
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Q. Can I sign up for direct deposit of expense reimbursements but keep the option of receiving my payroll funds by check?
A. No. This is not an option.
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Q. When will the money be available in my bank account?
A. If approved, every effort will be made to ensure that accurate, completed and signed documents are processed within five business days of receipt by University Payables and reimbursement will be issued to the employee's bank account established with the OBFS, University Payroll Services.
Note: Processing is handled on a first-in, first-out basis using date of receipt in University Payables as the measure. Please view Payables Processing Status to see what date is currently being processed.
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Q. What information will be included in the e-mail notification?
A. The e-mail notification will include the amount of the deposit, a short description of the payment, the Banner invoice number, and the date the voucher was received in University Payables. The notification will essentially include the same information included in a check stub.
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Q. Will the approver of the reimbursement get any notification?
A. No. Only the employee will receive a notification sent to the employee's university e-mail account.
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Q. How can the department business office know when the deposit is made?
A. The Banner Vendor History form (FAIVNDH) reflects the date the deposit is processed by the University under the "Check Date" field. The deposit is available to the employee the following business day.
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Q. What should I do if there is a problem with my deposit?
A. If you receive a notification that funds were deposited into your account, but you believe that no deposit was actually made, you may contact University Payables Customer Service, via e-mail to OBFSUPAY@uillinois.edu or phone at 217-333-6583. However, before taking this step, please make sure you have confirmed with your bank that no deposit was actually made. If the bank rejects a deposit, you may have to wait at least two (2) business days after the receipt of your original e-mail notification for the funds to be deposited again.
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Q. I don't have payroll direct deposit but would like to sign up, what do I do?
A. If you have already selected a financial institution for the direct deposit, go to the NESSIE Web site, select the Compensation tab, click on the Direct Deposit link, and follow the instructions. If you need to select a financial institution or want to learn more about the Paychek Plus!™ payroll debit card option, refer to the Direct Deposit Guide related to your campus:
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Last Updated: December 22, 2010