Accounts Payable will be emailing electronic funds transfer (EFT) payment registration information to vendors who receive payments by cheque. Switching from cheques (i.e. paper sent through the post) to EFT will help ensure that our vendors continue to receive timely payments during a Canada Post strike.�� Paying our vendors through EFT also saves the university money!

NOTE:

• This email will only be sent to Canadian vendors who currently receive their payments by cheque. EFT payments are only available for Canadian vendors to be paid in Canadian dollars.
• Vendors must register themselves for EFT payments using the link provided by Accounts Payable. Simply providing banking information on an invoice will not result in an EFT payment.

Payments to vendors outside of Canada will not be impacted by the strike. If you need to make a payment to outside of Canada, please see here for information: /financialservices/business-operations/accounts-payable/intl-payments/.

What you can do:

• If you are engaging with a vendor who currently receives payments by cheque, tell them about EFT payments.
• If a vendor wants to switch to EFT payments, please email Accounts Payable with the vendor’s name, current email contact and, if available, a copy of the invoice. Accounts Payable will email the vendor a link to register for EFT payments.
• For vendors that are paid by cheque:
  • During the Canada Post strike, cheques will be held in the Business Office until the strike is over.
  • You can request to have it sent to you via interoffice mail so you can arrange for courier services. To do this, make sure that you add a note to the ‘Additional information for Accounts Payable’ box when you are completing a cheque requisition or honorarium form in eShop.

The maximum allowable expenditure for both hospitality and working meals is determined by the University’s per diem rates. The University’s per diem rates are updated to match the National Joint Council each year on July 1^st.

Hospitality/Events

• Hospitality/events are for hosting visitors and guests for University business in support of its educational, research or service activities.
• Meals or events such as departmental retreats, staff recognition or retirement celebrations are not considered hospitality/events for the purposes of determining expenditure and reimbursement amounts.
• The per person cost for food, beverage and gratuity shall not exceed double the University’s per diem meal rate. Expenditures above this amount will not be paid by the University.
• Alcohol:
  • Where permitted,
    • one alcoholic beverage, per person, per meal, or
    • for major hospitality events that include the service of alcohol and last more than two hours, not more than two alcoholic beverages per guest.
  • Alcohol is not permitted to be expensed to most externally sponsored research funds.

Working Meals

• A working meal must be for the principal purpose of carrying out University business. If a meal does not meet the above ‘hospitality/events’ definition, then it is considered a working meal for internal attendees.
• Meals or events such as departmental retreats, staff recognition or retirement celebrations are considered working meals for determining expenditure and reimbursement limits.
• The per person cost for food, beverage and gratuity shall not exceed the University’s per diem meal rate. Expenditures above this amount will not be paid by the University.
• Alcohol is not permitted.

You must ensure that expenses are allowable within this policy and/or applicable granting agency requirements.

Starting the week of May 12, Accounts Payable will be emailing electronic funds transfer (EFT) payment registration information to vendors who receive payments by cheque. Switching from cheques (i.e. paper sent through the post) to EFT will help ensure that our vendors continue to receive timely payments during a Canada Post strike.�� Paying our vendors through EFT also saves the university money!

NOTE:

• This email will only be sent to Canadian vendors who currently receive their payments by cheque. EFT payments are only available for Canadian vendors to be paid in Canadian dollars.
• Vendors must register themselves for EFT payments using the link provided by Accounts Payable. Simply providing banking information on an invoice will not result in an EFT payment.
• While vendors can choose to register for EFT payments during a Canada Post strike, doing so now will help ensure that payments are not disrupted.

Payments to vendors outside of Canada will not be impacted by the strike. If you need to make a payment to outside of Canada, please see here for information: /financialservices/business-operations/accounts-payable/intl-payments/.

What you can do:

• If you are engaging with a vendor who currently receives payments by cheque, tell them about EFT payments.
• If a vendor wants to switch to EFT payments, please email Accounts Payable with the vendor’s name, current email contact and, if available, a copy of the invoice. Accounts Payable will email the vendor a link to register for EFT payments.
• For vendors that are paid by cheque:
  • In the event of a Canada Post strike, cheques will be held in the Business Office until the strike is over.
  • You can request to have it sent to you via interoffice mail so you can arrange for courier services. To do this, make sure that you add a note to the ‘Additional information for Accounts Payable’ box when you are completing a cheque requisition or honorarium form in eShop.

1. Bundle Your Expenses
   Group costs into a single “themed” report (e.g., by trip, by month, or by purpose). Remember that you can allocate expenses to multiple funding sources within a single report, so there’s no need to submit separate reports for each. This eliminates redundant reviews, reducing administrative effort and speeding up reimbursements.��

1. Use Pcard or eShop for Non-Travel Purchases
   �Ӱ�ԭ��’s eProcurement system, eShop, offers an extensive range of vendors with preferred pricing. Many goods and services can be purchased directly through eShop, simplifying the process and saving time.��

Thank you for helping us be more efficient and for supporting the responsible use of university resources!����

If you have any questions, please reach out to the Financial Information Systems (FIS) team.��

eShop Invoices

If you receive an invoice from a vendor for a qualifying good that incorrectly contains HST or GST, contact the vendor for a revised invoice before submitting the invoice to Accounts Payable.

SAP Concur Travel & Expense Reimbursement Claims

If you have incorrectly paid tax on a purchase of a qualifying good, you can submit the expense claim as usual (without adjusting the taxes) as long as you have the receipt to verify that tax was paid.

If you are submitting an expense claim for a qualifying good and did not pay HST or GST, you can adjust the taxes to zero when entering the expense.

After you have entered the expense details click “Calculate Tax”.

A field will appear containing the system’s calculation of taxes. Enter “0” as the amount to override the system calculated amount.

Pcard

As usual, when reconciling your pcard, you should ensure the tax recorded matches the tax on the receipt.

The credit card company will estimate the amount of taxes and pre-tax amount (Net) for the transaction based on the location of the merchant. Verify the tax and Net amounts with your receipt, and if there are any discrepancies, update the amounts to match.

The Travel and Related Expense policy has been in place since January 1997. It provides guidance on expenditures incurred for authorized travel and sets out conditions under which these expenditures will be reimbursed.�� As a public institution, the University’s policies must ensure that all expenditures are in accordance with applicable legislation, such as the Broader Public Sector Accountability Act (BPSAA) and Canada Revenue Agency (CRA), as well as funding agency requirements.

Following extensive consultation with internal and external stakeholders, the��Travel and Related Expenses policy was updated on July 1, 2024.

The need to revise this policy was due, in part, to a change in approach by one of the university’s main research funders, the Tri-Council. They have moved away from a prescriptive, rules-based approach to expense eligibility to a principles-based approach that relies heavily on an institution’s own policies. Most of our expense-related policies were drafted with administrative work in mind, so were inadequate when used to address research work. It was also necessary to include specific direction around travel that takes place during a Sabbatical or Research Leave to ensure it follows Canada Revenue Agency rules and does not attract additional tax implications for the traveller.

Summary of changes to the policy

• The purpose of the policy has been expanded to include the guiding principle that reimbursements of expenditures are on a fair and flexible basis that complies with all legal requirements.
• The policy also explicitly states that the university is not obligated to reimburse expenditures that have not been previously approved, for which there is no eligible funding, or if the claim has not been submitted on a timely basis (such as over a year later).
• The Roles and Responsibilities section now includes an explicit mention of an Expense Review Committee that will be responsible for adjudicating expense claims where the policy is silent or open to interpretation, as well as providing the pre-approval required for necessary dependent care costs that exceed the established limits in the policy.
• There are also a number of changes in this policy in an effort to provide new or improved guidance:
  • Airfare
    • More clarity is provided around air travel.
    • Standard fare is the lowest refundable base fare. Where the length of flight is 6 hours or more and to a destination outside of North America, a Premium Economy or Business Class fare will be permitted, if funding is available.
    • Approval of the fund holder must be sought if the traveller is not the fund holder or unit head.
  • Rail
    • Business class is now permitted on the entire Windsor to Quebec City corridor, or where it can be demonstrated that the higher rail fare does not exceed the lowest refundable base airfare.
  • Accommodation
    • More clarity is provided around class of hotel permitted, as well as for non-traditional accommodations, such as AirBnBs.
    • Accommodations within the National Capital Region are permitted if it relates to activities outside the day-to-day scope of the employee’s employment.
    • For private accommodations, a gift or payment of $40/day is permitted, without requiring a receipt.
  • Meals
    • Meals for the traveller will be reimbursed at the per diem rate only. Receipts are not required to be submitted.
    • �Ӱ�ԭ�� University uses per diem rates as prescribed by the��.�� While the National Joint Council may update their per diem rates throughout the year,���Ӱ�ԭ�� updates rates once a year on July 1. While per diem rates are automated in SAP Concur, a searchable PDF is also available.
    • Where the traveller is acting as a host for a business or research related meal, it must comply with the Hospitality and Working Meals Policy.
    • Per diems cannot be claimed when meals are included in the price of another expense, such as a conference or flight, however travellers may request a per diem in place of a provided meal if they provide the reasons for incurring the additional expense (e.g. food intolerance).
  • Dependent Care
    • The policy now provides daily maximums ($80/day with receipt, $45/day without) for additional dependent care that must be incurred due to travel requirements.
    • Recognizing that these limitations may impose restrictions on employees required to travel, additional dependent care costs that exceed these limits may be pre-approved by the Expenditure Review Committee. This committee will include members from the Faculties, Equity and Inclusive Communities, and Financial Services.
  • Sabbatical or Research Leave
    • The policy now outlines the travel costs related to sabbatical or research leave that are eligible under the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA), as well as those that are explicitly ineligible because of CRA and BPSAA rules. Ineligible expenses include living expenses, such as accommodation and meals, when a faculty member establishes a temporary base in a location other than their home. Given that CRA does not define the difference between living and travel expenses, the policy directs claimants to discuss with Research Post Award or Research Financial Services before travel during leave is booked.