Reimbursements are payments made to employees for purchases for official business use (teaching, research, public service, patient care).

Reimbursements Should Not Be Common

Reimbursements should be the exception, not the rule; best purchasing practices (in order of preference) are AggieBuy, Procurement Card, or KFS Requisition. Following the correct and appropriate purchasing practices ensures that the university receives the best contract pricing, warranty, payment terms, etc. It also ensures that the purchased items are compatible with other existing items/equipment.

Read more about unauthorized purchases and authorized purchasing methods.

All reimbursement requests must include proof of purchase and proof of payment by cash or cash equivalents (credit card, check, etc.).

Reimbursements will not normally be allowed for purchases made by gift card, reward points, prepaid vendor-specific cards (copy card, phone cards, etc.),  or gift certificates. If proof of payment of the non-cash method can be provided, such as the receipt for a gift card purchase, that can be included in the request to supplement the other receipts.

Reimbursements Are Not Refunds

Reimbursements are NOT the same thing as refunds. A refund takes place when money PREVIOUSLY paid to the university by an individual is now being returned to the individual. An example of a refund would be a department returning money to an individual for a department-sponsored class the individual previously paid for that has now been canceled. With a reimbursement, the individual is being paid for something for which money was not previously paid to the university.

Definitions

On this page, the following groups are discussed:

• Employees: Individuals who are on active payroll status at UC Davis.
• Student Employees: Individuals who are on active payroll status at UC Davis AND are actively enrolled in classes at UC Davis.
• Students: Individuals who are actively enrolled in classes at UC Davis but are NOT on active payroll status at UC Davis.
• Non-Employees and Non-Students: Individuals who are NOT on active payroll status at UC Davis AND are NOT actively enrolled in classes at UC Davis.

Exceptions

Reimbursements to Employees and Student Employees

Most employee reimbursements are now processed as Professional Expense reimbursements in AggieExpense.

Reimbursements to Students (NOT Student Employees)

This option should be rarely used and should generally only be used for reimbursement of supplies (not for memberships, fees, or other types of reimbursements). The dollar limit for student reimbursements is $500.

1. On the KFS Disbursement Voucher document, select the Student Reimbursement Payment Reason Code.
2. Use the Student Reimbursement vendor # 1000058-0. This vendor record will allow you to manually enter the name and address of the student in the remit to name and address fields. Be sure that you have entered the name and address to the correct values.

If the student reimbursement exceeds $500, they will need to be set up as a vendor and Requisition document created. Follow the instructions below under "Reimbursements to Non-Employees and Non-Students."

Reimbursements to Non-Employees and Non-Students

A Reimbursement to a Non-Employee or Non-Student is considered an "after-the-fact" transaction and requires the individual be set up as a vendor and paid on a Requisition/Payment Request in KFS.

1. Create KFS Vendor document for the individual. The vendor should be created as Vendor Type of Purchase Order.
2. Once the Vendor document is fully approved, complete a KFS Requisition.
3. Attach approvals from the Department Head and Dean/Vice-Chancellor or secure electronic approvals.
4. The Requisition will route to Procurement & Contracting Services for approval.
5. Once the Purchase Order is created, you should process a KFS Payment Request document against the PO to pay the individual.