Paying for Award Costs

Travel expenses are the expenses for transportation, lodging, subsistence, and related items incurred by employees who are in travel status on official business of SSU. Travel expenses for sponsored programs administered by SSU are subject to CSU/SSU Travel Policies and Procedures. Prior to travel, travelers should review these policies and procedures.

Travel expenses charged to sponsored awards may be charged on an actual cost basis, on a per diem basis or mileage basis in lieu of actual costs incurred, or on a combination of the two, provided the method used is aplied to an entire trip and not to selected days of the trip, and results in charges are consistent with those normally allowed in like circumstances in SSU's non-sponsored award activities and in accordance with SSU's travel reimbursement policies.

Travel should be a budget item in an award agreement for it to be an allowable cost. If a Principal Investigator (PI/PD) determines travel is necessary on an award where travel is not a budgeted item, the PI/PD should work with ORSP to determine if sponsor approval is required.

Claims for travel reimbursement should be submitted directly through SAP Concur or the Travel Expense Claim Worksheet, with required receipts, and required approvals/signatures. For first-time or infrequent travelers, ORSP may assist you in completing the required forms. However, the traveler is responsible for obtaining all pre-approvals, retaining required receipts, obtaining form approvals/signatures, and submitting reimbursement claims.

Most importantly, the traveler is responsible for complying with CSU/SSU travel policies and procedures and complying with travel restrictions outlined in the terms and conditions of any sponsored award agreement.

For questions, please see Travel FAQs or reach out to ORSP.

Hospitality expenses charged to sponsored awards are subject to CSU/SSU policies and procedures for hospitality. Please review the Hospitality Policy and Form Training Guide prior to incurring hospitality expenses. Employee-only hospitality expenses are not allowed for sponsored awards unless the terms and conditions of an award expressly state that such expenses are allowed. The following FAQ summarizes some of the key points of the Hospitality Expenses Policy as they relate to sponsored awards:

Does the Hospitality Policy apply to sponsored programs?

Yes. The policy in its entirety applies to sponsored programs. However, certain parts of the policy apply to specific funding sources. The tables at the end of the policy provide summary requirements for sponsored programs and other funding sources.

Are sponsored programs required to complete the hospitality form?

Yes. All hospitality events and related expenses must be documented on the hospitality form. Any hospitality expenses submitted for payment must be accompanied by a completed hospitality form.

Do hospitality events and related expenses require prior approval before the hospitality event occurs?

Pre-approval is not required for hospitality events where official guests (generally, non-employees) are present. However, if you request payment before an event through the Procurement Office, the form must be completed, signed and included with the EREQ submitted to the Procurement Office. Rarely is it appropriate to use sponsored program funds for employee-only hospitality events.

Can I use blanket hospitality forms for frequently recurring hospitality events?

No, hospitality forms for events are event-specific, and a new one must be submitted for each one.

Who can sign/approve the hospitality form?

For hospitality events with official guests, individuals with signature authority for the sponsored program may sign/approve the hospitality form. However, an individual may not approve a hospitality form for which the individual is seeking reimbursement.

What are the account codes I should use for hospitality?

There are four accounts that can be used for hospitality. They are noted on the form: 660922, 660923, 622901, and 622902 – 622901 and 622902 are specifically for sponsored programs with program participant hospitality expenses. Care should be taken to ensure the correct account code is used. Hospitality expenses submitted for payment that are not coded to one of these four accounts will be returned for correct coding.

How will the revised policy affect travel for program participants led by SSU employees?

The policy itself will not affect travel for program participants led by SSU employees. However, it should be noted that travel-related costs covered by your project for participants is considered hospitality. This includes lodging, food, snacks, cultural/sporting event tickets, and other items purchased for the participants using project funds. All of these items are subject to the policy and the form requirements.

There is a change to the administrative process of settling travel reimbursement claims for participant travel led by an SSU employee. The SSU employee settling the claims (i.e. completing the Travel Expense Claim form – “claimant”) must separate her/his personal travel expenses from those being claimed for participants and, if applicable, other SSU employees. The claimant’s expenses must be recorded as if they are for individual travel – not included in the lump sum under BUSINESS EXPENSE.

If expenses are being settled for other SSU employees, a memo from the other employees must be attached to the claim specifically stating the employee will not seek reimbursement for any expenses included on the claimant’s reimbursement form and that expenses incurred on behalf of the employee comply with the SSU travel policy.

Please see SSU's Procurement and Contract Services website for more information on procuring goods and services.

Please note that all contracts must be reviewed by Contracts and Procurement prior to signature.  University contracts can only be signed by the President, CFO, Purchasing Department Buyers, and AVP for Financial Services.

Gift Card Limits and Process

Additional Notes

Students: If the pool of recipients includes both SSU students and non-students, cards given to SSU students do not need to be reported to Financial Aid, as the payment is presumed unrelated to their educational activities. However, if a student receives a payment solely because they are a student, the amount must be processed through Financial Aid.

Research/Survey Participants: Gift cards must be detailed in an approved IRB application in advance. The content of a research project/survey may remain confidential; however, gift card forms must be maintained by Principal Investigator (PI) for internal records. The PI must maintain a log of who received a gift card, the amount and date.  The gift cards must be kept in a secure location and accounted for the same as cash.  Please refer to Cash Handling Procedures for details.

Step By Step

ProCard

• PI/Designee can purchase gift cards via Procard for under $50 per participant
• Hospitality Form required: https://web.sonoma.edu/finance/forms-policies/accounts-payable/hospitality_form_new.pdf
• Attach Hospitality Form to Procard Report as back-up. *Names of gift card recipient(s) is(are) not required on form, however, a separate list of recipients must be kept for internal records by the PI
• Click on Hospitality Policy FAQ’s for additional info:  https://web.sonoma.edu/finance/forms-policies/

EREQ

• For $50 and above, an EREQ must be completed through Procurement.
• Additional forms required:
  • Gift Card Form – Requires name
  • 204 Form – Requires name
  • Hospitality Form
• A separate list of recipients must be kept for internal records by the PI
• For required forms can be found here: https://web.sonoma.edu/finance/forms-policies/

WolfBucks

• Complete a Hospitality Form and include the quantity of gift cards desired and the specific amounts.
• Once the Hospitality Form is approved by the appropriate signer, scan and email to: wolfbuck@sonoma.edu.
• When the Hospitality Form is received, gift cards will be sent to the person who completed the hospitality form.
• Once gift cards are received by the person who submitted the Hospitality Form, they must send an email to wolfbuck@sonoma.edu and include that the cards were received as well as the number on the cards (located on the back of the cards; starts with 999). An email confirmation is required before funds can be added.
• An email will be sent within 1-3 business days when funds have been added to the WolfBucks gift cards.