New procedure for submitting expense claim forms

This message was originally sent by the Finance department to individuals requesting reimbursement who are not set up in Concur.

What is happening?

If you require reimbursement for out-of-pocket University business expenses and are not set up in Concur, please consult with your Faculty/Department Financial Officer.

Those not being set up in Concur should submit an electronic Expense Claim Form. This process will replace the current paper submission process. 

What does this mean to me?

Expense reimbursements continue to be guided by; Policy 31 - Travel and the Guidelines for Expenses and apply to all persons traveling on behalf of the University or in connection with funds administered by the University.

Any expense reimbursement claims related to travel cancellations due to COVID-19 must follow previously issued guidance from Finance.

Expense Claim Forms must be submitted electronically and approved using a combination of electronic approvals and Unit4 workflow for Non-PO Invoice approvals.

General Submission Process

Claims should be submitted according to the procedure below:

1. Expense reimbursement claims should be completed electronically using the Expense Claim Form.
2. Claim submissions must include the claimant certification.
3. Obtain the necessary approvals for one-over-one, any department specific approvals, and Research Compliance, as required.
4. Expense Claim Form and all supporting documents are emailed to Finance – Accounts Payable.
5. Original receipts should be retained pending further guidance.

Detailed Submission Requirements

1. Completing the electronic Expense Claim Form

Be sure to include all expense and work order accounts and amounts on the form. Indicate the original currency and any necessary conversion to the currency that the individual should be paid in.

Receipts and supporting documentation

Where possible, receipts should be scanned in the same order as the expense entries on the Expense Claim Form. Multiple receipts can be scanned on the same page, as long as all details are legible, and all receipts meet the eligibility criteria for “What is an Original Receipt?” Illegible receipts will be rejected.

In order to minimize the need for original itemized receipts, use of per diem for meal expenses is encouraged. When using per diem, a completed per diem calculator should be attached to the claim.  

Copies of any OANDA currency exchange rates at the appropriate date should be included as part of the claim.

2. Claimant certification

The submission must include a statement of certification by the Claimant via email in place of a handwritten signature on the form:

I certify that all expenditures in this claim adhere to the University's policies, were incurred by me for University purposes, and have not been/will not be reimbursed from another source.

3. Approval requirements

The completed Expense Claim Form, along with all supporting documentation should then be forwarded by email to the required individuals for review and approval.

Approvals can be obtained via email using an @uwaterloo.ca email address. All claims require approval from their one-over-one or by the individual that authorized the activity. Other approvals described here are “as required,” depending on the specific nature of the claim.

One-over-One

• Please see the Expense Guidelines to determine your one-over-one Approver if you are unsure.
• Email approvals must clearly indicate what is being approved in order to be considered a valid approval. For example, an Approver should indicate in their email that they “approve [Claimant Name]’s expense claim [Claim number] dated [Claim Date], in the amount of [Amount being claimed]”.

Research Compliance

• Additional approvals from the Research Compliance/RFA/Department Research Reviewer are still required for any reimbursement claims coded against research work orders in fund 105.
• Approval from the Research Compliance/RFA/Department Research Reviewer needs to be obtained via compliance review and stamp as per usual procedure.

Graduate Student Research Travel Assistantships

• If funds are required from Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs (GSPA) for an approved Graduate Studies Research Travel Assistantship, record “GSRTA” and the amount required from GSPA on the Expense Claim Form. 
• The claim will be routed through Unit4 account workflow to GSPA for approval.  
• No additional email approval from GSPA is required prior to entry into Unit4.

Claims older than 120 days from the travel end date or receipt date require the relevant Executive Committee member’s approval per Policy 31.  This approval must be obtained prior to sending the completed claim package to Finance for processing.

4. Submitting the claim

The Department Administrator (or, Research Compliance/RFA/Department Research Reviewer, copying Department Administrator) should submit the claim to Finance with a single email for each claim.

1. Expense Claims Forms and supporting documentation (receipts and approvals) should be sent in PDF format
2. Claim packages should be emailed to apinvoices@uwaterloo.ca
3. The subject of the email should be in the following format: “Expense Claim Form XXXXXXXXXXX [Claim number] - XXXX [Org Unit number] – Claimant Name”

Once the claim is entered into Unit4 by Finance - Accounts Payable, the Signing Authority on the work order will be required to approve the claim using the Unit4 workflow.

Please follow the above instructions to ensure efficient processing.

5. Retention of originals

Original receipts should be retained pending further guidance.

What if I have questions?

Please see the detailed, step by step Guidance for Expense Claim Form submission and order of approval for more information. 

If you have additional questions, please contact your Faculty/Department Financial Officer.