Accounts Payable & Travel Accounting Update for May
Sent to the AFS-Update mailing list on May 16, 2024
Reminder: Purchase Orders and Fiscal Year End
With fiscal year end approaching quickly, be mindful that invoices for product and services that are provided prior to June 30, 2024, must have a valid purchase order for the invoice to be paid. The purchase order must have the following:
- PO must be open and not expired.
- PO must be fully approved and finalized.
- PO must have enough funds to pay all open invoices through June 30, 2024.
- PO must be amended and finalized prior to June 30, 2024.
Please Note: Notify AP once your PO has been approved and finalized so AP can process your invoices prior to the June 30 deadline. Send all invoices/payment inquiries to accounts-payable@uci.edu.
Honorarium – On-Boarding Payee Process
When onboarding a payee for Honoraria, please be sure the payee understands they are being onboarded as an individual. Per the Honoraria policy if they wish to have the Honoraria paid to another entity, this must be a documented request before the event:
If an individual being offered an honorarium requests that the honorarium be paid to another individual or entity or refuses an honorarium payment, such a request must be documented in correspondence before the event.
More Information: https://www.policies.uci.edu/specialtopics/honoraria.php
More Reminders for Fiscal Year End
Fiscal year end can be a busy time around campus. Keep these tips in mind to help get things done faster.
- Payment Works Communications
When you send an email to vendor-coordinator@uci.edu to inquire about a vendor you are onboarding, please include the REQ ID, email used to send invitation, and payee name so we can easily locate the registration. - Check Process
The cashiering office is now handling all incoming checks being paid to UCI. If you want to verify if a check, made payable to UCI, has been received, please contact cashiers@uci.edu. - Disbursement Voucher (DV) – Reason Code B
When reimbursing students for supplies/materials on a DV reason code B, please be sure to upload a signed payee certification, signed by the student. We are unable to ad hoc route an approval to a student; therefore, the PDF of the payee certification must be signed by the payee when the payee is a student.
New Travel Accounting Team Member!
Please welcome our newest employee, Jolene Peng! Jolene has auditing experience and is a graduate of UC Davis. She joined the team in April 2024 and is in training. We’re thrilled have her join our team!
Travel Policy Revised: Nightly Lodging Rate Increased
The University of California’s primary travel policy – G-28: Travel Regulations – limits lodging nightly rates. It was recently updated to increase the maximum to $333/night when traveling in lower 48 states for less than 30 days. The new rate can be found in the revised UC Policy G-28 Travel Regulations and is effective from Jan. 1, 2024.
Reminders: Employee Non-Cash Awards and Other Gifts
Below are a few reminders about UC policy as it relates to non-cash awards and other gifts for employees:
Employee Recognition – Per Person Limit up to $75.00
An item of tangible personal property may be awarded to an employee in recognition of his or her noteworthy work-related accomplishments. Such awards should be of minimal value. Examples include, but are not limited to, flowers, fruit, a book, a plaque, or similar item. In addition, a ticket to a sporting or cultural event (excluding a season ticket) or a one-month parking permit or transit pass may be provided to an employee as a recognition award. The cost of an employee recognition award is limited to the per-person amount set forth in UC Policy G-41, section III.A.
Gift Certificates and Cards
Only nonnegotiable gift certificates and gift cards (i.e., stored-value bank, department store, and other retail cards) qualify as non-cash awards. Such gift certificates and cards must confer only the right to receive tangible personal property, not cash or cash for the difference between the purchase price and the value of the gift certificate or card. Under these rules, a gift certificate or card will qualify as tangible personal property if it is:
- Not transferable, and
- Cannot be redeemed for cash or used to reduce the balance due on the recipient’s account with the merchant.
If an employee gift exceeds the $75 limit under I.R.C. Section 132(e), the entire amount is taxable to the recipient.
Employee Length of Service – Per Person Limit up to $400
An item of tangible personal property may be presented to an employee for meritorious length of service to the University.- The award must be given for a length of service achievement,
- The recipient must have completed at least five years of service, and
- The recipient must not have received a similar length of service gift in any of the prior four years.
If the cost (or value) of a length of service award that is tangible personal property exceeds $400, only the amount more than $400 is taxable to the employee. Note that gift cards of any value that are provided for a length of service are not considered tangible personal property and are subject to withholding as wage income.
Employee Retirement – Per Person Limit up to $400
An item of tangible personal property may be presented to an employee upon their retirement from the University. A non-negotiable gift certificate for tangible personal property may be presented to the employee under the retirement award category.
If the cost (or value) of a length of the employee retirement award exceeds $400, only the amount more than $400 is taxable to the employee.
Unallowable Employee Awards and Gifts
Examples of unallowable awards and gifts include the following:- Gifts provided to employees in connection with birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, holidays, graduations, and other occasions of a personal nature
- Farewells
- Season tickets to sporting or cultural events,
- Recreation memberships
- Gift certificates and cards for services,
- Negotiable gift certificates and cards,
- Gifts of cash, except donations to a charity as an expression of sympathy
Tips for Reimbursing Move and Relocations
To avoid confusion and delays it is important for departments to follow proper relocation procedures and to communicate these procedures accurately to applicable employees. There are multiple policies for Move & Relocation trips based on the employee’s title. For the details, please visit our Move/Relocation website: https://accounting.uci.edu/moving/
General Guidelines for Academic Appointees
Removal expenses may be provided for certain new academic appointees (see APM-560-14) to academic positions.
- Allows for 50% reimbursement of moving expenses.
- More than 50% reimbursement requires written exceptional approval from the dean.
- Allows for 100% reimbursement of a personal library belonging to a newly hired faculty member if such library is to be made generally available to faculty. A separate invoice/quote from the moving company is required.
- Deans have the authority to approve payments for moving expenses that are in accordance with university and campus policy. The following policies may apply for academics. Refer to policy for additional information.
- Academic titles not listed in the APM-560-14 will require exceptional approval from the Vice Provost for Academic Personnel. Examples: postdoc, clinical positions.
- Academic moves do not allow storage or temporary housing expenses.
General Guidelines for MSP and PSS
Managers & Senior Professionals (MSP), or Professional and Support (PSS) personnel may also be eligible for a relocation allowance. Refer to the UC G-13 policy for additional information.
Lab, Library or Office Move
Shipping a new faculty member's library and/or laboratory equipment to the Irvine campus is not taxable/reportable to the employee and considered a business expense.
- The moving company must quote and invoice separately from household goods.
Find Links to UC Policies on ZotPortal
Not sure what can be reimbursed or what documentation is required? University of California policy is the primary source for this type of information. You can access these policies from ZotPortal. To find them, do the following:
- Go to ZotPortal: https://portal.uci.edu/
- Click on the Finances/KFS tab.
- Look for the Travel & Event Management portlet.
- Expand the Policies section by clicking the [+] button.
Travel Accounting Courses Available on UCLC
TEM Travel Policy Training Guide & Corporate Travel Card Overview
Training sessions are available online, go to UC Learning Center. These training sessions review travel policies and best practices and information on the UCI Corporate travel card program. Search by title using the Find a Course function with the keywords “travel policy" or "corporate card".
Accounts Payable Remote Business Hours
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