Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, a field advance can be requested on behalf of a student or faculty member.  The custodian must be a permanent UW employee and not have any past due field advances.

If you purchase an item normally classified as food but use it for another purpose, it is still treated as food and therefore, not taxable.

Example 1: A department purchases vinegar but uses it for cleaning. The vinegar is not taxable. 

Example 2: A department purchases pumpkins in fall and has students decorate them for display in the office. The pumpkins are still considered food and are not taxable.

What are examples of items which do not apply to this rule? Items sold for medical or hygiene purposes, alcohol, tobacco, candy, bottled water, soft drinks, and prepared foods. 

See: http://app.leg.wa.gov/wac/default.aspx?cite=458-20-244, #2b.

Food or beverages integral to an event is meant to indicate the types of meetings where UW business is conducted, the location is away from the place where the employee normally performs his or her work, where food and refreshments are needed or wanted, and where obtaining meals or refreshments would be disruptive to event continuity. In these cases, a Food Approval form for meeting/trainings can be used.

Generally, the Food Approval form is not for regularly scheduled meetings, such as a department-wide monthly meeting. Refreshments served at these types of meetings would require a discretionary budget. 

No, food purchased for research does not require a food approval form.  Please refer to the Food Approval page for more information.  

Foreign suppliers can sign up for Paymode (ACH payments) if they have a U.S. bank account.

If they do not, then they are not eligible for Paymode at this time.

Paymode does not charge a fee for the exchange rate. However, the supplier's bank might.

Tax treaty information can be found under the "Overview of Payments" link above the question, "Is there a tax treaty?"

UW Procurement Services strongly recommends inside delivery for equipment weighing more than 100 pounds. Inside delivery includes uncrating, setting up the equipment at its intended location and removal of packaging debris. Inside delivery eliminates liability risks and is well worth the minor cost.
Here’s why:

• It’s never a good idea to leave expensive equipment on an unsecured loading dock awaiting its final destination.
• Employee safety: when employees try to install heavy equipment even with correct equipment, departments put themselves at risk for potential injuries to staff and L&I claims.
• Internal delivery gives departments the ability to inspect equipment for hidden damages prior to signing the delivery receipt.
• Inside delivery ensures the proper transfer of “chain of ownership” that makes it clear who is responsible for damage during the shipping or installation process.

For any card that falls under company US01745 (UW Corporate Travel Accounts), the Pin is optional; it may not be requested at the point of sale.  It is up to the merchant whether or not they require the Pin. It is an extra added layer of security.

Cardholders must make sure the outstanding balance is paid in full to the bank and the card is turned in to the department upon separation. Any remaining default is to be charged to the University, the department will then be responsible for any remaining default owed.

All documents related to the UW Travel Card may be fully disclosed as a public record to the extent provided for by the Public Disclosure Laws.

Yes, this payment method is available for Research Subject and ICA payments through Miscellaneous Payments. To assign Zelle for payment in an MP, you will do two things. First, add the phone number or email address of the payee that is associated with their Zelle account to the Contact Information section of the "Miscellaneous Payee." The second is to select Zelle as a payment type in the Miscellaneous Payment (MP). 

ACH is an electronic payment method. ACH stands for Automated Clearing House and is a secure payment transfer (direct deposit) to a US account.

Foreign suppliers can sign up for Paymode (ACH payments) if they have a U.S. bank account.

If they do not, then they are not eligible for Paymode at this time.

Paymode does not charge a fee for the exchange rate. However, the supplier's bank might.

Suppliers should contact Paymode-X Customer Support at 1-877-443-6944 with their Paymode-X Account ID. Suppliers can receive business payments from UW in the same AR file format they are familiar with from other payments. CTX - also known as an EDI 820 format - is a type of file format that Paymode-X can send through to a supplier’s bank account when the supplier has a Paymode-X Premium Membership. Suppliers can pull a file from their bank to load into their AR system, and use the details to post their payments automatically to an open invoice or account number. Choosing both a Paymode-X Premium Membership and CTX also eliminates the need for the supplier to log in to Paymode-X since the remittance data will be sent to their bank.

Departments can purchase gift cards for employee recognition using their ProCard. The gift must be reported to Payroll because the gift is taxable. See the Employee Recognition webpage and the Employee Recognition FAQs.

The department should have a defined, documented and monitored procedure for how recognition works and the gift cards are given.

The gift cards must be treated like cash and managed using Cash Management controls.

The gift cards must be reported to Payroll as income by emailing the amounts of the recognition to pr-tax@uw.edu.

Note: Gift cards should not be purchased with one’s own credit card and then be reimbursed.

You can access your bill by logging onto the vendor’s website. A user login and password was provided to your department head. For further assistance in navigating through the cellular website, you may contact UW Information Technology, Business & Finance at 206-543-1997 or email help@uw.edu. 

Yes, ride sharing services like Uber or Lyft, can be used for UW-related business purposes. Uber provides auto liability insurance for all registered drivers.  The department can pay for ride sharing services with their ProCard. 
To reimburse your guest who paid for Uber with their personal funds, please submit a Travel Expense Report
To reimburse a UW employee who used their personal funds to pay for Uber, also submit a Travel Expense Report

Cell phone orders shall be placed directly with the vendor via any of the wireless carrier’s websites. Our preferred vendors are AT&T and T-Mobile. Your department head has been given access to the wireless carrier’s website and should be able to grant access to you. Only a University of Washington Procurement Card (UW ProCard) may be used to place any orders for cell phones and cellular service. All of the vendor contact information and website links can be found at this link.

You can access your bill by logging onto the vendor’s website. A user login and password was provided to your department head. For further assistance in navigating through the cellular website, you may contact UW Information Technology, Business & Finance at 206-543-1997 or email help@uw.edu.

Contact the supplier and request that they credit the ProCard, and then use your personal credit card for payment.

If the supplier will not credit the ProCard, you will need to follow the steps on the Cash Transmittal form to reimburse your Department’s fund. This will require that you write a personal check payable to the University of Washington.  The Cash Transmittal form can be found here: https://finance.uw.edu/bao/.

The transaction should be documented. Below is the link to guidance for ProCard charges.

https://finance.uw.edu/ps/how-to-buy/procard/reconciling-procard

• No. Use a Travel card or personal card and request department reimbursement
• Contact ProCard or CTS administrator for exemptions

The ProCard office do not retain transaction invoices. Please contact the merchant and request for a copy of the invoice.