Accounts Payable & Travel Accounting Update & Important Reminders for September

Sent to AFS-Update on Sept. 21, 2023

Insurance Coverage for Business Rental Cars

Travelers are advised to use rental agencies with systemwide contracts because they include insurance coverage (Enterprise, National, Hertz). Reimbursement for additional insurance will depend on where the rental car is being used:

  • For contract rental vehicles used in the continental United States (CONUS), charges for additional insurance are not allowable, including any charge for a collision damage waiver (CDW).
  • in Alaska, Hawaii, U.S. possessions, and foreign countries, the cost of full collision coverage for rental cars used is allowable.
  • when renting a vehicle outside the U.S., it is recommended that employees purchase supplemental insurance.

We always recommend that you book car rentals for business in ConnexUC for cost savings to your department and the university! The UC Office of the President offers negotiated discounted daily rates that include insurances and a free vehicle upgrade when available. Travelers may book up to a mid/intermediate size vehicle.

UC Policy G-28 Travel Regulations states: The traveler is responsible for obtaining the best available rate commensurate with the requirements of the trip. The discount negotiated with car rental agencies by the University should be requested when available. The University’s ConnexUC website provides the rental agency's University identification number, which should be given to the agency at the time of rental in order to ensure that the vehicle is covered by physical damage insurance.

Travel Reimbursement: Selecting a Trip Type Code

When completing a Travel Reimbursement (TR) eDoc in KFS, you will be asked to select a Trip Type Code. Selecting the correct code requires you to look at where the person being reimbursed is traveling to and from. In the Trip Overview Tab, select from the following options:

  • In-State: when traveler is flying from California to a destination in California.
  • International: when traveler is fly FROM or TO an international city. For example, a visitor from Paris, France, flying to Los Angeles International Airport to visit UCI is International, not In-State.
  • Out of State: When traveler is flying from California to another State or from another state to California.

Selecting the correct object code is also related to departure and arrival locations.

  • Object Code in the Accounting Lines Tab
    • 8350 – Travel Within the U.S and Possessions
    • 8340 – Travel International

Example: A traveler, an invited visitor travels FROM Paris, France, to Irvine, California. The destination is Irvine, considered international travel and the object code is 8340.

Redacting Sensitive Info in TEM/DV Scanned Images

It is your responsibility to be sure documents are properly redacted before uploading them to a Travel Reimbursement (TR), Entertainment Reimbursement (ENT), Move/Relocation eDoc or Disbursement Voucher (DV).

Documents that contain sensitive data classified under Protection Level 3 or 4 in UCI’s Information Security Policies must be redacted. See the UCI Information Security website for details about what must be redacted (scroll down to Protection Levels 3 and 4). Some examples:

  • Personally Identifiable Information (PII) when statutory, where exists an individual’s first name or initial, and last name, in combination with any one or more of the following:
  • Social Security number (SSN)
  • Driver’s license number or State-issued Identification Card number
  • Passport or Visa number
  • Financial account number, credit card number, or debit card number in combination with any required security code, access code, or password
  • Personal health or medical information
  • Credit card information
Upload Receipts & Required Docs to Image Scanning

When it comes to Travel, Entertainment, Move and Disbursement Vouchers documents, please make sure to use the Image Scanning tab for uploading receipts and other backup documents. Do not upload documents in the Notes & Attachment tab. Travel accounting cannot assist with redactions If you upload documents to the Notes & Attachments tab.

image scanning tab in KFS

Reimbursing Employee Classes, Courses, or Tuition

Employees may be approved by their department to be reimbursed for attending classes, courses, or tuition. The process and required documentation are:

  • Create a Disbursement Voucher (DV) using Reason Code P to reimburse the employee – this can be used for tuition reimbursement or class fees when courses or classes are complete.
  • Make sure to include required documentation for reimbursement. The backup documentation required includes:
    • Proof of successful completion of the course or class.
    • Proof of passing grades for accredited courses.
    • Completed and signed Employee Educational Assistance Tax Determination Form when applicable.
    • Proof of payment.
    • Pre-approval from supervisor (email, ad-hoc routed approval, etc.).
Airfare Flight Credits, Miscellaneous Documents, or e-Credits Paid or Partly Paid for UC Business Air Travel

A traveler can be reimbursed for their Actual Total Airfare expense – received from a previous cancelled UC business trip flight – if they were not already reimbursed by UCI for the cancelled flight. The traveler will need to provide:

  • Documentation of the Flight Credit, Miscellaneous Document, eCredit – Ask the traveler to search their email for a confirmation number # from the previous UC business flight that was cancelled and check that the payment method (bank card used and last 4 digits) is included in this document as Proof of Payment and upload to Scanned Images.
  • Include an Explanation in the Notes and Attachments tab and acknowledgement that the traveler was not already reimbursed by UCI for the cancelled flight.
  • Upload the Actual Airfare Flight Itinerary to Scanned Images.
Vendor Onboarding: PaymentWorks Tips

Here are a couple of tips when working on onboarding vendors in PaymentWorks.

  • If a KFS vendor requires an update to their profile and they have already created an account in PaymentWorks, the payee simply needs to log into their account to request the update. To determine if a KFS vendor has created an account in PaymentWorks, look up the vendor in KFS. If there is a PW-xxxxxx number under Search Alias and the PMW connected is marked Yes, the payee has created an account in PaymentWorks:

Search results screenshot. PW number is highlighed in search alias column. PMW Connected column shows Yes.

  • If a payee tells you that they already have a PaymentWorks account, but their account is NOT connected to UCI, please be sure to send a UCI PaymentWorks invitation to the same email address that their PaymentWorks account was originally set up with. For example, if ABC, Inc. has a PaymentWorks account and is connected to UCLA and UCSD, then UCI must send the invitation to the same email address that was used to connect UCLA and UCSD to ensure we are all under the same account.

You can find more information about the vendor onboarding process on our website.