Reimbursement for expenses paid while conducting UVic business

UVic faculty, staff and students may spend personal funds and need to seek reimbursement for expenses incurred to conduct university business. Expenses may relate a wide variety of transactions including professional development, supplies purchased for the office, or for travel-related expenses.

Financial Services has two main methods to receive reimbursement claims. The Chrome River expense management system is recommended - additional information on Chrome River can be found on the expense management system webpage. Alternatively, PDF forms and supporting documentation can be submitted using the form submission portal (this generates a ticket). For more information on our ticketing system, refer to the ticketing system webpage.

Which form do I use?

If choosing to use PDF forms, most expenses are claimed for reimbursement using the business expense reimbursement claim form unless the expenses are related to travel, in which case, the travel expense reimbursement form is used. Reimbursement forms can be saved, along with approvals and supporting information, and submitted electronically using the form submission portal (this creates a ticket within the ticketing system).

Alternatively, paper copies of forms and other supporting information can be submitted through campus mail to Financial Services or by drop-off to reception desk located on the 1^st floor, B wing of Michael Williams building.

What information do I need to support the transaction?

Receipts that support the purchase need to be provided for audit compliance. The receipt should itemize the total amount paid and indicate any taxes included in the cost. In cases where it does not show confirmation of payment, such as a flight itinerary or hotel folio, AP may request additional information to confirm proof of purchase, such as a redacted credit card statement.

If submitting electronically (via Chrome River or the form submission portal), scanned copies of the receipts can be attached. If submitting a paper reimbursement claim, original receipts are to be attached to the reimbursement form.

Depending on the type of reimbursement, other supporting information may need to be completed and attached:

Gift cards – use the gift card distribution and tracking form if claiming reimbursement for the purchase and distribution of gift cards – refer to the gift cards quick guide for procedures on how to purchase, distribute and track gift cards – be aware that any gift card given to faculty staff members are considered to be taxable income by CRA, regardless of the reason
Pro-D for Faculty and Librarians – use the professional expense pre-approval for faculty and librarian form to indicate that expenses being claimed as professional development have been pre-approved, benefit UVic and relate to the faculty or librarian’s work or area of study – refer to the section on Professional Development for more information
Home internet for Faculty and Librarians – use the faculty home internet service reimbursement form when claiming reimbursement for home internet and to attest that the amounts represent the portion attributable to UVic activities – refer to the guidelines for reimbursement of home internet service expenses for more information
Cell phone – use the mobile phone reimbursement form to itemize the timeframes and amounts associated with UVic business allocation of charges

If the receipt is lost or unavailable, attach the missing receipt declaration form.

Who needs to approve the form?

Reimbursement forms require three types of approvals:

Claimant signature or submission of the absentee claimant form
Accountholder or delegate who is eligible to approval transactions for the specific FAST account being used
Claimant’s One-over-one supervisor – this may be the same person authorized to sign as the accountholder or delegate

For more information on approval authority and the purpose of each type of approval, refer to the Approval Authority webpage.

What if I don’t have personal funds available to cover the purchase until I am reimbursed?

If UVic purchases are frequently made from personal funds by a faculty or staff member, they may be eligible for a UVic commercial card. For more information, refer to the commercial card program (C Card) webpage.

If an advance is required to facilitate payment of UVic-related travel expenses, refer to the information in the accountable advance webpage. Accountable advances can be issued for other eligible uses, such as field schools, programs or team travel.

Expenses for future-dated travel that has already been paid for can be now be claimed by creating a travel expense report in Chrome River or by using the travel expense reimbursement claim form instead of itemizing it separately on the prepaid travel form.

How do I make purchases that relate to my professional development funds?

For information on claiming expenses against professional development (Pro-D) funds, refer to the information in the professional development expenses webpage.

For more information, refer to the Travel and Business Expenses policy and procedures.

Forms:

*Submit these forms using the form submission portal

Travel expense reimbursement claim - travel from May 1, 2024 onwards
Travel expense reimbursement claim - travel up to April 30, 2024
Business expense reimbursement claim - for all other expenses including professional development
Supplementary business expense reimbursement claim – for submission with a BER form if more space is required for receipts
Absentee claimant – to be submitted only if the payee is not able to approve the reimbursement form
Missing receipt declaration – to be submitted only if not all original receipts are attached to the reimbursement form
Gift card distribution and tracking – to be submitted only if claiming reimbursement for the purchase of gift cards
Faculty home internet service reimbursement – used to provide supporting information when claiming reimbursement for home internet and to attest that the amounts represent the portion attributable for UVic activities
Mobile phone reimbursement – used to attest to the work-related portion of a personal mobile phone and to get approval for the allocation claimed

Resources:

Quick Guide – Gift Cards – procedures for purchasing, distributing and tracking gift cards
BER instructions – full instructions on how to complete each field on a Business Expense Reimbursement form
TER instructions – full instructions on how to completed each field on a Travel Expense Reimbursement form

Useful links:

Travel and Business Expenses policy and procedures
Guidelines for Reimbursement of Home Internet Service Expenses