Reimbursement

Overview

The Institute for Energy Efficiency engages in many activities and programs that require the purchasing of goods and services. When supplies or other University expenses are paid with personal funds, the individual may be reimbursed with a Miscellaneous Disbursement. However, this method of payment is discouraged. Purchases should be made through Gateway or the department’s FlexCard whenever possible, instead of a personal credit card.

The Miscellaneous Disbursement “Form-5” only adds value when no valid invoice or correspondence referencing a valid purchase authorization is available. Use the form to provide explanatory substantiation when an invoice for which the University is liable is not billed directly to the University. Business meeting expenses, entertainment expenses, and memberships must be processed on entertainment and membership payment requests, not as a miscellaneous disbursement.

Requesting a Reimbursement

• The individual will submit requests for reimbursement for miscellaneous expenses by filling out a “Miscellaneous Reimbursement Information Form.” This should be turned into the Financial Coordinator with any accompanying itemized receipts.
• This form must be approved and signed by the PI, and must explain how this purchase relates to University business.  
• After reviewing the completed form and accompanying documentation, the Financial Coordinator creates a Miscellaneous Disbursement Form 5, obtains appropriate signatures of approval, and submits all original documentation to Accounting for final processing.

For questions, ask the Financial Coordinator or check the BFS Website. 

Overview

The Institute for Energy Efficiency engages in many activities and programs that involve both business-related entertainment and social activities in order to further our ultimate mission.

The Institute most often reimburses for Business Meetings. These entertainment expenses are meals or light refreshments and related services (e.g., refreshments, labor charges, room rental, equipment rental, and similar expenditures) incurred in connection with meetings of employees to conduct official University business. At least one University employee or other individual representing the University must be present at any business meeting that includes non-University persons.

In addition, we host and reimburse for Programmatic Activities. These are meetings and events with expenditures for meals or light refreshments incurred in connection with student enrichment, training programs, food provided as a necessary part of a community-support activity (e.g., refreshments provided at a workforce development event), and similar activities.

Maximum Rates for Meals & Light Refreshments (Per Person)

*These amounts include tax, service, and delivery charges.

Requesting a Reimbursement

• The host and/or involved faculty will submit requests for reimbursement for entertainment expenses with the visiting guest(s) by filling out an “Entertainment Reimbursement Form.” This should be turned into the Financial Coordinator with accompanying itemized receipts.
• Please be advised that meals for entertainment purposes are not usually allowed on contracts and grants.
• If any receipts for expenses are unobtainable/lost, please also submit a “Declaration of Missing Evidence” form along with a bank statement outlining the expense.
• Certain situations require additional approvals (e.g. reimbursement for alcohol, expenses that exceed the per person maximum rates, etc.). In these situations, a completed “Prior & Exceptional Approval Form for Entertainment” must be submitted with any accompanying receipts to the Financial Coordinator.
• After reviewing the completed forms and accompanying documentation, the Financial Coordinator creates an Entertainment Form 5, obtains appropriate signatures of approval, and submits all original documentation to Accounting for final processing.

The maximum M&IE rate for the Fiscal Year 2022-2023 is $79.00 and is based on the highest per diem rate available for all UC locations as published by US General Services Administration for Fiscal 2023. For questions, check BUS 79, Appendix A, the BFS Website, or ask the Financial Coordinator. 

IEE uses a travel and reimbursement system called Concur.  You will need to assign a "Delegate" in the system to prepare your travel reimbursements for you.  Please use the email addresses ellamacnamara@iee.ucsb.edu & juliakuhnhausen@iee.ucsb.edu to assign a delegate and include the project code this will be charging to in order to get things started.

Please note that you are going to have to go into the concur system and set up myself as your preparer delegate. 

First add a preparer delegate. Once you do that start an expense report. Please be sure to check all of the boxes to give me full access to submit/edit your report. Please reach out if you need any additional assistance.

While you are on your trip, you may use the phone app to scan any misc receipts for things like Taxi's etc. Meal receipts only need to be scanned and provided if the total per meal is $75 or higher. Otherwise, meal receipts are not required. Please keep track of your meals on the attached worksheet meal log like we have done in the past and you can submit that to me when you are done with your trip.  

When you return from your trip, please fill out and send me the attached worksheet with all of your receipts in one PDF.  Please make sure that all receipts for Hotel, Transportation and Registration show your name, the amount charged and the last four digits of your CC number.  If they do not show all three things then please add a CC statement that shows all three criteria.  

Helpful Links

• BFS Website hat has all of the Concur information on it. 
• Article on how to assign Delegates
• Concur Website

*See attached forms to be filled out and submitted with receipts on your return.  

When a UCSB employee submits a reimbursement report through Concur, the workflow defaults to the Department Expense Approver (DEA) for the employee’s home department. When the funding source is managed by another department, this approver should be changed to that department’s DEA. Before submitting an expense report for review, make sure to update the approval workflow first. 

1) Navigate to the Report Details dropdown and select Report Timeline. 

2) To the right of Approval Flow, select Edit. 

3) Set Department Approval to be the desired DEA. For IEE, this is the Financial Manager. Make sure to select the Save button in the bottom right corner.  

For more detailed instructions, please refer to this document.