Government Department Reimbursement Procedures

Expenditures for research, conference travel, or other allowable expenses may be reimbursable as Georgetown University business expenses. Please pay special attention to the following rules when requesting reimbursements. The rules may appear cumbersome and bureaucratic. But the more you follow the rules, the easier it will be to process your request, and the sooner you will be paid. Full policy disclosures can be found on the Financial Affairs web site:

ALLOWABLE EXPENSES:

  • Typical allowable research expenses are: books, supplies, professional memberships and subscriptions, registration fees, transportation (air, car, train, bus, cabs, subway, parking), lodging (hotel, motel, inn, or hostel), and meals.
  • Not all expenditures are reimbursable.Examples of unallowable expenses include first-class travel, cellular phones and computer purchases. Please ensure that your claims for reimbursement are consistent with the list of allowable university expenditures. This list is not exhaustive and there are allowable expenses not covered in it.
  • Paying directly through Georgetown. Some expenses can be paid directly by Georgetown so you do not need to pay up front and then seek reimbursement.
  • For example, usage of the Georgetown Travel Online (travel.georgetown.edu) system means that you can charge your business travel expenses directly to your funding source (just make sure to forward the itinerary and explanation to the financial administrator for reconciliation purposes) AND receive the automatic benefit of being registered with the International SOS system for emergency medical assistance and security services if traveling abroad.
  • Also, if you intend to use your funds for academic services such as indexing, etc., you can route the payment request through the department as opposed to paying for the services yourself and then seeking reimbursement. Some services may require a contract first, so it is important that you check with staff before making any commitments using Georgetown funds.
  • Reimbursement ofexpenses for spouses, other family members, or friends while accompanying an employee on University travel or at businessmeals are NOT allowed.

MEMORANDUM:

  • All reimbursements must be accompanied by a signed memo indicating the business purpose of the expense(s).
  • BUSINESS PURPOSE: For each receipt, a precise explanation of the activity and its purpose must be included. The explanation must answer the questions of who, what, when, where and why. For example, this may include listing origin and destination for any transportation receipts and including the name of all participants at a business lunch and the subjects discussed.
  • COST BREAKDOWN: Memos must include an itemized list of the costs, broken down by category (lodging, meals, cabs/parking/subway, airfare, registration, books, supplies, memberships, subscriptions).You can use the department’s cost breakdown spreadsheet to list your expenses or include the list in the memo.
  • FUNDING SOURCE: Please indicate if you are seeking reimbursement from a particular account or source of funding.If your reimbursement comes from a non-GOVT funding source, you will need to submit your reimbursement to the appropriate department; we cannot process reimbursements from other department accounts.

RECEIPTS:

  • Georgetown University requires original and detailed receipts. If you lose the original receipts, you must submit copies with an explanatory memorandum.For credit card purchases,you may also submit a copy of your statementlisting the charge if a receipt is not available or lost.
  • All receipts must show the proof of transaction information: payment amount, payment method and date. Payment method is often indicated by the last 4 digits of the credit card used. In some cases, this will result in a double receipt- one with the itemized list, and one proving payment, often with signature. Email confirmations do not constitute as receipts unless the above information is provided.You may be required to submit a copy of your credit card statement if the payment method is not listed on the receipt.
  • All original receipts must be taped on 8.5” x 11” sheets of paper. Receipts that are loose, paper-clipped, or stapled will not be accepted. Please tape receipts to only one side of the page, being careful NOT to tape over writing on the receipt. Please organize the receipts according to the category. For example, do not tape taxi receipts with meal receipts on the same sheet of paper.

RECEIPTS – ADDITIONAL RULES:

  • TRAVEL: Airfare and train reimbursements require that you keep andsubmit all original boarding passes and original purchase receipts as evidence that travel has actually taken place.
  • MEALS: Receipts for meals must be itemized.You must submit both the itemized list of food and drink and the cash or credit card receipt, plus a list of all attendees and statement of the purpose of the meal. Only the ITEMIZED RECEIPT for meals will be accepted, receipts with the total only will not be honored.
  • MILEAGE: If you are seeking reimbursement forbusiness mileage use of your personal vehicle,please note that as of January 1, 2014,reimbursement rate for this cost is 56 cents per mile. You will also need to include aprinted out map evidencing the distance in miles traveled.Please note that this rate is inclusive of gas. Gas expenses are only permitted for rental cars.
  • FOREIGN CURRENCIES AND LANGUAGES: Receipts in non-U.S. currency must indicate the type of currency and date of the transaction. Please list the amounts in theforeign currency on the memo. We will calculate the U.S. currency amounts using the exchange rateon the date of the transaction.If the receipt is not in English, write a brief translation of the item/service on the receipt.
  • SALES TAX: Sales tax will not be reimbursed on purchases if those purchases could have been made through other Georgetown University processes. For example, tax will not be reimbursed on the purchase of personal office supplies at a retail store. We will provide a copy of the University’s Tax Exemption Certificate so that you avoid paying sales taxes on your expenses.

CONFERENCE TRAVEL:

  • All reimbursement requests for Departmental funding of conference travel must be accompanied by theConference Travel Reimbursement Request Form,along with the documentation listed on the form (abstract of Paper or Poster presented and breakdown of costs incurred). Pending continued availability of funds, maximum allowed for the year is $1,200 per faculty member.
  • Please note that the Department can only reimburse for the following types of conference related expenses: transportation, accommodations and registration fees. However you may use your research account to cover any other related business expenses (for example meals) and/or any overages beyond the amount the Department provides.

SUBMISSION: Submit receipts,memos, and other required documentationto Mihaela David, Administrative Coordinator, within 30 days of the expense or return from travel (exceptions may be granted upon request).Mihaela Davidis available to answer questions related to reimbursements.She can be reached at or (202)687-5198.

Reimbursement requests not adhering to above policywill be returned and significant delays may result. Providing that all necessary documentation is submitted properly, please allow 2 weeks from submission for payment to be processed.

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