General Expense Policy

1. The policies of the University are intended to be in compliance with applicable Federal and State laws, including IRS tax regulations. Whenever there is a conflict between policy and law, law shall supersede policy.
   
   
2. All expenses reimbursed by the University must have a clear business purpose, consistent with University policies and prevailing law, and must be properly documented.
   
   
3. No employee may authorize his/her own reimbursements or exceptions to travel policies.  The authorizing employee may not be subordinate to the requesting employee, except in the case of the President, whose reimbursements or exceptions to policies are authorized by the Vice President for Financial Affairs.
   
   
4. The University’s primary mode of payment to employees and students is direct deposit. Except when specifically requested to be paid in the form of a check, reimbursements will be made via direct deposit to the bank account of the student or employee.
   
   
5. When a purchasing card has been issued to an employee for purposes of travel and/or business expense reimbursement, employees will utilize the purchasing card whenever possible. Expenses must still be documented under the IRS accountable plan rules, except that expenses for meals and parking less than $25, which were paid with a purchasing card, do not require a detailed receipt. The use of the purchasing card entails other obligations that can be found in the Purchasing Card Handbook.
   
   
6. In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, a manager may authorize a variance from these policies to accommodate an employee’s special needs. Officer approval and notice to the Controller’s Office is required for these accommodations.