Miscellaneous Reimbursements
Cash Purchases
Cash purchases made on behalf of the University by individual staff members or other authorized individuals must conform to the restrictions placed on purchases for University and State employees (See Policy Section 7.2, Purchase of Goods and Services) and must not exceed $499.00 for a single transaction. "Stringing" (making successive small purchases or payments) to bypass the $499.00 limitation is not permissible.
In addition, these purchases must also conform to the prohibitions and restrictions placed on certain commodities and services procured when using the departmental purchase order (DPO) or P-card programs. Restrictions of this nature would include alcoholic beverages, firearms and ammunition, furniture, animals, and chemicals. For a complete listing of such restrictions, please refer to Policy Section 7.6, The University P-Card, of the OBFS Policies and Procedures Manual.
Sales Tax
The University is a tax-exempt institution and is not obligated to pay Illinois sales tax. The University is also exempt from sales tax in some other states. See OBFS Policies and Procedures Manual; Section 18.6, Sales and Use Tax. Individuals making cash purchases for approved University business purposes should present a copy of the University's tax exempt letter (PDF) to the merchant and request that sales tax not be charged. The University reserves the right to deduct the amount of sales tax paid when reimbursing individuals for cash purchases.
Reimbursement
A Travel / Employee Expense Reimbursement Form will be used to reimburse staff members or authorized individuals for purchases made using personal funds. These reimbursements are subject to the $499.00 limit and must be accompanied by supporting documentation. Alternatively, employees of the Chicago and Urbana-Champaign campuses may be reimbursed from an authorized departmental petty cash fund when using personal funds for purchases of $100 or less.