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Employee Reimbursements

Employee Reimbursements Frequently Asked Questions

Browse FAQs by Category: Reimbursement Policies - Travel Reimbursements - Direct Deposit for Reimbursements


Reimbursement Policies


Travel Reimbursements


Direct Deposit for Reimbursements


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 provide an explanation when prompted in the expense report and provide proof of payment.

Q. Who should approve my reimbursement voucher?

A. Expense reports 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 expense reports.

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 expense report.

Q. May someone in the department business office sign a reimbursement request on behalf of the payee?

A. No. The payee must approve the reimbursement form attesting to the accuracy and completeness of the claim for reimbursement. 

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 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 after these dates, the reimbursement may be considered taxable income to the employee and included on a subsequent employee's Form W-2.

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, service desk at https://www.obfs.uillinois.edu/request-support, or email at OBFSUPAY@uillinois.edu.

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, Payments and Reimbursements of the Business and Financial Policies and Procedures manual

Q. If I am away from my university headquarters on personal business and am required to return to the university 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.

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 of Illinois System is a self-insured institution, and the purchase of car insurance is not reimbursable. When you rent a car for system business purposes, from the system preferred car rental agency, National Car Rental, the collision damage waiver is included if the corporate id number (5004460) is given to the agency at the time of rental.

Q. Is there a Per Diem Calculator?

A. Yes. The Chrome River System automatically calculates the correct per diem using the dates and information entered in the expense report.

Direct Deposit for Reimbursements

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 the direct deposit, payment of reimbursements will automatically be deposited in the same bank account you have identified for payroll funds.

Q. How will reimbursements be paid to employees who don't have payroll direct deposit.

A. These employees will receive the payment by a check mailed to the address they have entered in MyUI.

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.

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.

Q. When will the money be available in my bank account?

A. Processing is handled on a first-in, first-out basis using the submitted date of receipt in University Payables as the measure. Please view Payables Processing Status to see what date is currently being processed.

Q. What information will be included in the email notification?

A. The email notification will include the amount of the deposit, the Banner invoice number, and the date the expense report was received in University Payables. The notification will essentially include the same information included in a check stub.

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 email account.

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 of Illinois under the "Check Date" field. The deposit is available to the employee the following business day.

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 email 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 email notification for the funds to be deposited again.

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 My UI Info website, click on the Direct Deposit & Pay Card link under My Pay, and follow the instructions.

Last Updated: July 19, 2022

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