BUSINESS AND ENTERTAINMENT EXPENSE VOUCHER

Saint Louis University will reimburse its faculty and staff, as well as other authorized individuals who incur such expenses on behalf of the University, for expenses incurred while conducting official university business that are properly authorized, reasonable, and appropriately documented. A Business and Entertainment Expense Voucher should be completed to request reimbursement of the following types of expenses:

Please refer to the following policies and procedures for other types of expense reimbursements and disbursements:

Policy and Procedures Index:

Date/Description of Expense/Place/Location/Guests

Expense Parameters/Limitations

Mileage Reimbursement

Pre-Payment of Local Conference / Seminar Registration Fees

Per Diem Deductions

Supporting Documentation

Grants and Sponsored Programs

Object Codes

Report Due Dates

Date/Description of Expense/Place/Location/Guests

Using as many lines as necessary on the Business and Entertainment Expense Voucher, please complete the following:

1. Date - The date the expense was incurred.
   
2. Description of Expense - A full description of the expense indicating the business purpose of the expenditure.
   
3. Place/Location - Include the name of the facility, city, and state.
   
4. Name of each guest, business affiliation, company - List the name of each guest, their company name, and business relationship to the University.
   
5. Amount - Include the dollar amount of each expenditure.
   

Faculty and staff providing Business Entertainment while in Travel Status (more than 50 miles from the customary work location) must adjust expenses for travel per diems, as explained below.

Expense Parameters/Limitations

It is expected that all Saint Louis University faculty and staff will exercise appropriate care in incurring such expenses. Due to the University’s tax status as a non-profit charitable and educational institution, business and entertainment expenses should be moderate both in frequency and in amount. Internal Revenue Service Regulations consider all payments made to or on behalf of employees to be taxable income, subject to withholding, unless there is a specific IRS exemption for the type of payment being made. Only non-taxable payments, as identified herein, can be processed through the Business and Entertainment Expense Voucher.

Only actual expenses incurred will be reimbursed. Individuals requesting reimbursement should neither gain nor lose personal funds as a result.

Expenditure Limits

Gifts and Memorials: $25 limit for gifts and memorials (e.g. flowers on the occasion of birth, death, illness) to employees or their families. University departments should be encouraged to continue maintaining employee funded “flower funds” to pay for these gifts. University funds can supplement these gifts.

Staff Appreciation Events: $11 limit per employee for the following events: Christmas Parties, Retirement Parties, and Recognition for tasks beyond normal job duties (e.g. participation on a special task force).

Prohibited University Expenditures

· Payments for employees to attend University sponsored social events will not be paid for or reimbursed by the University.

· Meals and/or entertainment solely between or among employees will not be paid for or reimbursed by the University except in unusual circumstances and with the specific approval of either the respective Dean, Vice President or Vice Provost.

· Mileage reimbursement for personal vehicles used for travel within and between campuses, including the Parks airport, will not be paid by the University.

Mileage Reimbursement

Reimbursement Rate: .36 per mile effective January 1, 2003 (previously 0.365)

Non-Reimbursable Automobile Expenses:

• Parking/Driving Violation
• Gasoline
• Repairs and Towing
• Insurance Deductible

Please see the Mileage Reimbursement Policy and Procedure for additional information.

Pre-payment of local conference and local seminar registration fees directly to the association sponsoring the event may be requested on a Direct Payment Voucher. Advance payments made directly by the Faculty/Staff member will not be reimbursed until after the conference or seminar, by presentation of a Business and Entertainment Expense Voucher with the original receipt.

Per Diem Deductions

If reimbursable Business Entertainment occurs while in Travel Status, a deduction must be made from the Business Entertainment Expense Voucher for the per diem paid via the Travel Expense Reimbursement Voucher. The University assigns the following percentage of the per diem rate to each meal:

Click here to access SLU Per Diem Rates by location for the applicable rates.

If no per diem was claimed for a trip, and the meal location occurred more than 50 miles from the customary work location, please provide an explanation on the face of the Business and Entertainment Expense Voucher.

Supporting Documentation

Required Documentation: Original receipts, such as an itemized bill, credit card receipt, or cash register receipt.

Restaurant Tear Tabs: Every effort should be made to obtain an itemized receipt or credit card bill from restaurant establishments. However, for expenditures under $25, a restaurant tear tab may be submitted as supporting documentation of the expense when an itemized receipt is not available. The tear tab must contain: The name of the restaurant, date, total amount, and the signature of the claimant (faculty/staff member).

Photocopies of receipts are not permitted.

This policy and its related procedures are applicable to all University faculty and staff regardless of the source of funds supporting the business expenses. If such expenses are to be charged to a sponsored program, the terms of the grant or contract will take precedence if they are more restrictive than University policy.

Object Codes

The standard object code for Business and Entertainment Expenses is 3680. See the appropriate listing for additional and user-defined Object Codes - University or Object Codes - UMG.

Report Due Dates

Reports are due within 30 days after the expense was incurred.