Topics Covered

 

Access:

  • Users will need an Expense Data Entry Specialist role to complete an Expense Report in Workday.

Training:

In UW Connect Finance Portal:

Reimbursing UW Employees

Expense Reports are a tool in Workday used to reimburse UW employees only for travel and non-travel related expenses made on behalf of UW business.

Non-Travel Related Expense Reports (formerly eReimbursements)

This is for reimbursement of goods that have been purchased on behalf of UW. They are for rare occasions when other procurement methods are not an option. This should be done as a last resort.  As with other procurement methods, you must have department approval.  

In Workday, your task options are:

  • Create Expense Report (for self)
  • Create Expense Report for Worker (on behalf of employee)

Reimbursing Non-UW Employees 

Non-UW employees can be reimbursed for travel and non-travel expenses through Miscellaneous Payments in Workday. 

  • For non-travel reimbursement, review this page below for what is not allowed and documentation. For more Misc Payment entry guidance review the Miscellaneous Payments page.
  • For travel, review the Travel website for policy

Not allowed on Non-Travel Reimbursements

All individuals seeking or approving reimbursements should be familiar with the below.

Reimbursement Type Instead
Payments to Vendors Visit our How to Buy page for paying suppliers directly
Payments for personal services Visit our How to Pay page for guidance on the best payment method
Refunds from revenue budgets TBD
Prizes and Awards for UW employees or UW students Contact the Integrated Service Center for prizes/awards for UW employees. See the Tax Office webpage for more information on prizes/awards for UW students
Gift Certificates for Employee Recognition Gift certificates given to UW employees should be reported to Integrated Service Center
Travel for UW employees Travel related reimbursement should be on a separate Expense Report for business related travel. See UW Travel Office webpage.
Housing Payment to landlords are considered vendor and should be paid on a PO, Non-PO Invoice or ProCard. See the Real Estate webpage for more information on leases. Reimbursements to individuals for rent must have the appropriate approvals and be submitted through the Travel Office.
UW Tuition See the UW Student Fiscal Services webpage
Reimbursement of Parking Reimbursement of parking goes through Travel Office. Local parking charges (within 50 miles of the employee's official duty station) can go on ProCard for UW business purposes only when the individual is not on travel status.

Amazon Mechanical Turk

Use a department ProCard. Check the Quick Links on the ProCard page for the policy. 
Prolific Use a department ProCard. Check the Quick Links on the ProCard page for the policy. 
Expenses purchased using any personal rewards program This includes Amazon, Costco Executive memberships (due to annual rebate) and other personal rewards programs.

 Documentation

  • Documentation is required for every expense made on behalf of the University of Washington. Examples include receipts and invoices. These documents support accounting and reconciliation best practice.
  • A receipt is a written acknowledgment of having received, or taken into one's possession, a specified amount of money, goods, etc. A receipt is not a confirmation notice or quote.
  • Receipts should be itemized to show exactly what was purchased. For example, if a meal is being reimbursed, include the itemized receipt showing the food and beverages being purchased at that meal. 
  • If the purchase is food related, include a list of attendee names. This list will demonstrate adherence to the per diem limit.
  • Make every attempt to retrieve a receipt from the supplier for the purchase. If a receipt cannot be collected, have supporting documentation available such as a bank statement, confirmation email of purchase, packing slip etc and an itemized list of what was purchased.
  • For destruction of receipts after scanning, each department must create a scanning policy that is in compliance with Records Management

To read more about the UW receipt policy, click on the link below:

UW Receipt Policy Information


Approval Process

Expense Reports will be reviewed in their department by:

  • SE Requisition Specialist
  • Funding Approver (Grant Manager, Cost Center Manager etc) if it is not applied to a spend authorization.

If the Expense Report is over $3,500 it will also route to:

  • AP Data Entry Specialist

Payment Method

UW Employees:

  • Employees who currently receive their payroll by direct deposit to their bank account will be able to choose to receive their reimbursement by direct deposit to the same account, or a different bank account.  The banking information from Payroll does not default.
  • New employees will need to set up their banking information for Travel and E-Reimbursement in Workday.
  • You should check the ‘Pay' section in Workday and verify that your account is set properly for Travel and E-Reimbursement under “Payment Elections."
  • If a bank account is not set up, the reimbursement will default to check and be mailed to a designated campus box number.

Non-UW Employees:

Payment options in Miscellaneous Payments are below. Refer to job aid AP-J-01 How to Perform Miscellaneous Payments in Workday for guidance on entry for these various payment options. 

  • Check
  • Zelle
  • ACH 
  • Wire