Accounts Payable & Travel

Expense Account Payment Method
Incomplete Expense Accounts
Signature Requirements
Unallowable Expenditures
Candidate Interviews
Moving Expenses for New Employees
Food Policy (Non Travel)

Expense Account Payment Method

Effective April 12, 2004, all employees who receive payroll funds via direct deposit will also receive expense reimbursements by direct deposit.  A paper remittance notification will not be issued.  Payment status can be monitored on the Comptroller's One Stop Vendor Payment Inquiry System.  Select "One Stop Vendor Payment Inquiry", and follow the registration process.

Incomplete Expense Accounts

Any expense account form submitted to this office for reimbursement with missing documentation, original receipts, etc. will be followed up with a phone call or e-mail indicating the problem. If the problem has not been resolved within 2 work days it will be returned to the person/department requesting the reimbursement. The Incomplete Expense Form will indicate the error(s) and it will be the individual’s responsibility to correct/supply the missing information before any reimbursement will be made. The travel office will maintain a copy of the memo, the expense account form, and receipts if you have questions regarding the error(s). 

Instructions for completing an expense account (PDF)
Expense Account Form (Excel)

Any person that received a travel advance for this particular trip will be required to correct and return the expense account form within 2 working days from the date of the memo or must personally reimburse the Working Fund and wait for their reimbursement from the State Treasurer's Office in Annapolis, MD.

Signature Requirements

Instruction: employee, department chair and dean
Academic Support: employee, budget administrator and dean (if applicable)
Auxiliary/Physical Plant: employee, department head and associate vice-president administrative services
Research: employee, principal investigator/budget administrator and dean or vice-president (if applicable)
Administration/Finance: employee, department supervisor and associate vice-president
Agency Funds: employee, budget administrator and dean or vice-president (if applicable)
   * SGA Appropriations: employee/student, group advisor and appropriation board representative
   * SGA: student, group advisor and SGA president or executive vice-president
   * The Director of Student Activities normally coordinates and verifies paperwork/signatures for all the SGA accounts before forwarding to the Travel Office.

Unallowable Expenditures

As per the General Accounting Manual from the State of Maryland, the following purchases are prohibited:

"Invoices for funeral flowers, special gifts, or other emoluments* will not be paid to any vendor(s) from the State Treasury. These are personal expenses and are chargeable to the individual(s) incurring such expense."

A department head must justify, in writing, to SU's Accounts Payable Office and the State of Maryland the purpose of any questionable expenditure. A decision will be made to determine if the expense is in accordance with state regulations currently in effect. Salisbury University's Accounts Payable Office staff will continue to screen all invoices for unallowable expenditures. A determination will be made upon receipt of the justification as to whether it will be submitted to the State Treasury for payment. Please keep in mind, even though the Accounts Payable Director may approve the item(s) to be submitted for payment, there is no guarantee that the payment will occur. If the request for payment is rejected either by the Accounts Payable Office or the State Treasury in Annapolis, the department incurring the expense must personally pay for the item(s).

We would appreciate that any justification for payment be submitted as an SU memo to the Accounts Payable Director and stapled to the front of the SU requisition.

ProCard (VISA) purchases will also be audited for compliance with state regulations.

*compensation or payment from an office or employment (the purchase of coffee pots, microwaves, food/party items, etc. is also considered an emolument)

Candidate Interviews

All Search Committees are requested to follow this newly revised procedure when a vacancy becomes available. After advertising the position, reviewing and screening candidate applications, the following steps should occur:

1.The Search Committee Chair or designee must complete sections I and II of the Candidate Interview Form and submit a form for each candidate to be interviewed to the Dean's or Vice President's Office;

2.The Search Committee Chair shall complete section III and forward to the Dean's or Vice President's office for final approval;

3.The Dean's/Vice President's Office will then forward a copy of each approved/authorized Candidate Interview Form back to the Search Committee Chair or designee for completion of section IV;

4.The interview is held and;

5.Each applicant and or the Search Committee member(s) will be responsible for filing a State of Maryland Expense Account Form (GAD X3) along with the approved, completed copy of the Candidate Interview Form as well as all other necessary original detail receipts (ie...hotel car rental, etc.) after the interview. If the candidate has traveled by air, the original passenger coupon must also be submitted.  The Dean's/Vice President's Office will then be responsible for submitting this information to the Financial Services--Accounts Payable Office for final review, processing and reimbursement. A candidate will only be reimbursed at USM/SU standard allowance rates for mileage and meals. CANDIDATES ARE NOT ALLOWED TO CHARGE OR DIRECT BILL ANY TYPE OF INTERVIEW EXPENSE TO SALISBURY UNIVERSITY.

Committees should utilize University Dining Services for candidate meals as a first choice or except as approved by the Dean's/Vice President's Office. 

These procedures are intended as a guide to expedite the processing of expense account forms for the Candidate Interview Process. If the above forms/approvals are not validated, the Accounts Payable Office will delay processing any expense account until all pertinent information/receipts have been received. 

Sample Candidate Interview Form (PDF)
Candidate Interview Form (WORD)
 

Moving Expenses for New Employees - SU POLICY

It is the policy of Salisbury University that moving expenses may be reimbursed to a new employee if the following criteria are met:

1.The payment of moving expenses follows the general guidelines as approved by the Board of Regents under policy 202.0 VII – 4.40 (see USM Policy);

2.Reimbursement has been approved by both the Dean and Vice President's office in advance of employment;

3.Moving expenses become a part of the initial faculty employment contract or letter of offering for administrative staff and;

4.A designated fund source is available, indicated and approved (i.e....department account code).

USM POLICY

1.The Chief Executive Officer of a constituent institution or component may authorize the payment of moving expenses for personnel when it is deemed to be in the interest of the institution or component to do so.  The Chancellor many authorize the payment of moving expenses for Chief Executive Officers of constituent institutions and components.

2.The payment may include moving expenses of normal household goods, including reasonable packing and unpacking charges.

3.Moving expenses may be authorized only when the distance between the former residence and the University System location is in excess of 35 miles one way.

4.Exceptions to the 35 mile limitation may be made for payment of relocation expenses when the relocation is for the convenience of the institution or component.

5.Nothing in this Policy requires the payment of moving expenses.

6.Each Chief Executive Officer shall develop procedures implementing this policy.

Procedures for Reimbursement of Moving Expenses (WORD)

Food Policy (Non Travel)

It is the policy of Salisbury University that its food services, in support of University functions, will ordinarily be furnished by our Dining Services Department. Food/meals may only be charged to certain non-budgeted/research/grant account codes (no budgeted departmental accounts). Direct purchases of food and food services by campus departments are appropriate only when required to support the following:

A.off-campus business related activities for which dining services are not available; (ie...Dean's Planning Retreat, August 1-3, 2000, Ocean City, MD)

B.any organized student activity as approved by the Dean of Student Affairs or designee; (ie...SGA Senators working Thursday evening 5-11 p.m. preparing for homecoming activities Friday evening-pizza is ordered for dinner)

C.support any research/grant business activity as identified and approved in the grant/contract approved budget;(ie...authoring team for NSF grant has business dinner meeting; money was budgeted in the grant to cover meals during a business meeting)

D.any intercampus meeting hosted by SU; (ie...statewide meeting for Academic Vice Presidents hosted by SU)

E.any faculty/staff off campus recruiting by designated personnel (any meal); (ie...Academic Dean and School Dean meets with candidate in Baltimore and has business lunch meeting/interview for prospective Perdue Business School vacancy) 

F.conferences, convocations, and other "special events" deemed necessary which are on behalf of or substantially involve non-SU personnel; (ie...President, Academic Vice President and spouses take convocation speaker and prominent guests to lunch after graduation ceremony)

G.provide sustenance where unusual hours or places of work necessitate providing food to university related work groups performing university services as authorized by the appropriate Dean or Vice President; (ie...volunteer SU employees working/chaperoning from 5-11 p.m. for Dining Services' annual Las Vegas Night)

All meal/food reimbursements will be in accordance with the standard State of MD/USM per person per diem meal rates currently in existence.

UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCE WILL ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES BE PAID OR REIMBURSED.

University funds shall not be used to provide or reimburse employees for meals during the course of normal working hours or to obtain food for such meals, office parties, Christmas parties, retirement receptions, etc. 

Procedure

A.Catering and other support from University Dining Services shall be paid by processing an interagency workorder/voucher. The nature of the event shall be noted on the internal work order.

B.Food services and products may be obtained by campus departments after verifying non-availability of UDS and when consistent with the above policies by processing a purchase order.
[When the anticipated cost is in excess of $500, a requisition and a justification must be filed, in advance, with the Procurement Office.]

C.Certain non-perishable food items purchased from a vendor may be processed without UDS clearance if approved by the using department/school dean for any organized student organization. 

D.When normal purchases are made from personal funds, an Expense Account Form along with all original receipt(s), must be submitted for reimbursement.

In all cases, the nature of the event must be described in sufficient detail to allow a reviewer to verify the propriety of the purchase(s). Additionally, all attendees must be documented and the list forwarded to the reviewer (accounts payable office) before any transfer/charges may occur.

Payment requests not conforming to the above policies may be returned without payment by the Accounts Payable Director or the State General Accounting Office. It will then be the responsibility of the issuing department to make the appropriate restitution to the vendor(s) involved.

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