Expense Reimbursement
Last Updated: 5/21/2020
Reimbursement requests for academic and research-related expenses, including travel, are processed in the University’s online financial systems by submitting Expense Reports.
This page contains information to help you receive the full reimbursement for these expenses, including what types of expenses are reimbursable, what documents you will need to collect to create an expense report, and how you will receive your reimbursement.
For quick navigation to your topic of choice, please see Quick Links at right.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the Group’s Program Assistant.
QUICK LINKS
STEP 1
Travel Approval and Arrangements
STEP 2
Required Document Collection
STEP 3
Document Submission
STEP 1
PI Approval and Travel Arrangements
WRITTEN APPROVAL
For reimbursement requests, you should first communicate with and receive written approval from your PI in an email. If you do not receive written approval, you may not be reimbursed. Please remember that generally, reimbursements are paid for from your PI’s accounts.
Your approval request should include (as applicable to your request):
- Conference/event/item name
- Conference/event dates
- Conference/event location
- What you hope to gain from the trip/purchase (e.g. opportunity to present your work, to network with potential collaborators, etc.)
Please cc the Group’s Program Assistant in your approval request email.
TRAVEL ARRANGEMENTS
Note: For non-travel reimbursement, please skip to Step 2 below.
Once approval has been received, you can proceed to make travel arrangements including flights, conference registrations, and hotels.
Please see below for some additional information as you make these arrangements and plan your trip.
Flights and Hotels
Egencia vs. Reimbursement?
While making flight and hotel arrangements, you can consider utilizing Egencia OR requesting reimbursement for flights and hotels you have reserved with personal funds after you have returned from your trip.
Egencia
Egencia is the university’s online travel-booking service that has access to special negotiated rates between Northwestern and various major airlines and hotel chains.
Why would I use Egencia to book my flights and/or hotels?
The major advantage of utilizing Egencia when making flight/hotel arrangements is that it is possible within the system to bill the cost of your flights directly to a chartstring. This means you do not need to use any of your personal funds to secure a flight or hotel room.
If you do not use Egencia and book your own flights and/or hotels, you must first use your personal funds and wait for the cost to be returned to you via reimbursement after your trip has been completed. Depending on when you book your flights, this may mean you are waiting for several months to be reimbursed.
What do I do if I would like to use Egencia to book my flights and/or hotels?
Contact your Group’s Program Assistant. They have the required access to the Egencia system to assist you with this request. It is helpful to inform them of your preferred travel dates and time periods (e.g. late morning departure, early evening return) so that they can send the most accurate options available.
Reimbursement
You have the option to book flights and/or hotels utilizing your personal funds and requesting reimbursement after you complete your trip.
Why would I want to request reimbursement for my flights and/or hotels?
For some, booking your own flights and/or hotels is more convenient. You are able to utilize any booking service you choose and are able to make changes directly to any itineraries as needed. If you book in Egencia and need to make any changes to your itinerary you will need to coordinate with the Group’s Program Assistant since they have the approval to do so within Northwestern’s systems.
Food and Drink
Per Diem vs. Meals?
When planning your trip, you can consider claiming the per diem (“per day”) rate for meals and incidental expenses (M&IE) OR requesting reimbursement for individual meals. If you plan to request reimbursement for individual meals, you must collect receipts for each meal throughout your trip.
Per Diem
Per diem (“per day”) is a flat, daily reimbursement rate for meals and incidental expenses (M&IE). This rate is based on travel destination, taking into account reasonable expenses for three meals a day with tax and tip.
Why would I choose to claim per diem?
The advantage of claiming per diem for M&IE is that you do not need to track and submit receipts for individual meals.
How do I determine my per diem rate?
To determine the daily rate for meals and incidental expenses for your trip, please view the following pages, making sure to check the “M&IE Rate” for your destination:
- For domestic destinations: General Services Administration Per Diem Rates
- For international destinations: U. S. Dept. of State Foreign Per Diem Rates
Please note that the M&IE rate for your first and last days of travel are 75% of the full rate.
Why would I choose NOT to claim per diem?
If claiming per diem for M&IE, you are not eligible for reimbursement above the set rate, even if you spend more than the rate on meals.
- Example: Per diem for M&IE in Evanston is $76. If you spend $100 one day on your meals, you will still only be reimbursed at the set per diem rate for M&IE of $76.
When am I ineligible for per diem?
You are NOT eligible for per diem if your meals are covered in your conference registration fee, by your host, or by any other external organization.
You cannot mix-and-match per diem and individual meal reimbursements:
- If you request reimbursement for any individual meals, you are NOT eligible for reimbursement for per diem.
- If you request reimbursement for M&IE at the per diem rate, you are NOT eligible for reimbursement for any individual meals.
Meals
When traveling for academic purposes, you are eligible to be reimbursed for three meals per day plus reasonable additional food expenses like a snack at the airport, a coffee separate from a meal, etc.
Why would I seek reimbursement for individual meals?
An advantage of seeking reimbursement for individual meals is that you may be reimbursed for the full amount you spent on meals throughout your trip.
Please note that, according to university policy, there is a limit of $65/person (including tax and tip) for a single meal. Any amount above this limit is not eligible for reimbursement.
Additionally, meals deemed inappropriate or unreasonable may be denied reimbursement even if falling within the $65/person limit.
Why would I NOT seek reimbursement for individual meals?
One disadvantage of seeking reimbursement for individual meals, especially for long trips, is that you must collect and submit an itemized receipt for each individual meal. If you do not have the required documentation for an expense, you may not be reimbursed for it.
When am I ineligible to seek reimbursement for individual meals?
You cannot mix-and-match per diem and individual meal reimbursements:
- If you request reimbursement for any individual meals, you are NOT eligible for reimbursement for per diem.
- If you request reimbursement for M&IE at the per diem rate, you are NOT eligible for reimbursement for any individual meals
Once you’ve booked your flights and hotels, please add your out-of-office dates to the Group Calendars including your name and the conference name.
STEP 2
Required Document Collection
Before and during your trip or event, please collect the required documents for your reimbursement request. If you do not have the required documentation, you may not receive full reimbursement. Generally, there are four types of required documents for an expense report.
REQUIRED DOCUMENTATION
1. Trip/Event Justification
You must provide documentation showing where you went, when you went, and why you went on your trip or participated in this event.
Examples:
- Email showing invitation to present/meet at non-Northwestern venue
- Registration for a conference
- Poster advertising Group Recruiting Open House
2. Proof of Trip/Event Completion
You must provide documentation showing you completed your trip/event as stated in your justification.
Examples:
- Conference nametag
- Conference schedule showing your presentation time
- Sign-in sheet for group open house
3. PI Approval
As mentioned in Step 1 above, you should receive PI approval for any reimbursable expenses before the expenses are incurred.
4. Proof of Expenses
You must provide documentation of each individual expense for which you are seeking reimbursement.
See chart below for the required documents for each expense type.
| Expense Type | Documentation Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Airfare |
1. Receipt 2. Boarding Pass |
1. If utilizing electronic boarding pass, submit screenshot or file containing boarding pass. |
| Conference Registration Fee |
1. Receipt 2. Conference Badge, Program |
– |
| Hotel & Accommodations | 1. Receipt | 1. Tax is eligible for reimbursement. |
| Mileage in a Private Vehicle | 1. Screenshot of route driven including length of route driven in miles |
1. Please note that the current rate for mileage reimbursement is $0.575/mile (based on standards from the IRS). This includes gasoline and any wear on your vehicle. 2. Generally, private mileage driven within Evanston and Chicago is NOT eligible for reimbursement. Exceptions include mileage to/from Argonne National Laboratory, Chicago O’Hare/Midway Airports, Chicago Union Station, and major conferences taking place in the Chicagoland Area |
| Meals | 1. Itemized receipt showing individual items purchased and method of payment |
1. Alcoholic beverages and associated taxes and fees are NOT reimbursable. 2. Tax and tip for meals are eligible for reimbursement. 3. According to University policy, the maximum reimbursable amount for a single dinner is $65/person including tax and tip. 4. See above for more information about seeking reimbursement for individual meals vs. per diem |
| Parking | 1. Receipt | – |
| Per Diem for Meals and Incidental Expenses (M&IE) | 1. Screenshot/print out of M&IE rate for your trip destination |
1. For domestic destinations: General Services Administration Per Diem Rates For international destinations: U. S. Dept. of State Foreign Per Diem Rates 2. See above for more information about seeking reimbursement for individual meals vs. per diem |
| Taxi, Ride Share Services | 1. Receipt |
1. Electronic receipts are acceptable 2. Tax and tip for taxis and ride share services are eligible for reimbursement. |
| Tolls | 1. Receipt | – |
| Vehicle Rental | 1. Receipt | 1. According to University policy, rental cars should be limited to: midsize, economy, compact or subcompact vehicles. |
All reimbursement requests are subject to PI and University Accounting approval. PIs and/or Accounting staff may deny requests for any reason, even if the requested expenses are eligible for reimbursement.
Please note that this list is not exhaustive and you may still be eligible for reimbursement for an expense type not listed here.
If you have any questions or concerns about whether or not an expense is reimbursable, contact the Group’s Program Assistant.
STEP 3
Document Submission
After collecting all of the required documents for your reimbursement request, please submit them to the Group’s Program Assistant within one week of returning from your trip or, for non-travel reimbursements, the date of your expense.
For physical receipts, tape to sheets of clean (no markings) white paper with one receipt per side and submit to Group Program Assistant in Ryan 1012. You can also scan or take photos of your receipts and submit them as digital receipts (see below).
For digital receipts, email to Group Program Assistant. Please label each file with a short description and the date of the expense (e.g. Lunch 11.11.2020).
Confirm with the Group Program Assistant that you have submitted all required documents for your expense report. Failure to do so may result in delays in reimbursement.
According to university guidance, expense reports should be submitted within 30 days of the completion of your trip or the date of your expense. Submitting your documents to the Group Program Assistant in a timely manner will ensure that your expense report will follow these guidelines.
STEP 4
Approval, Processing, and Payment
APPROVAL
Within 5 business days of document submission, the Group’s Program Assistant will create and submit an expense report in the online NUFinancials system. This will auto-generate an approval request email from NUFinancials that will be sent to you at your Northwestern email address.
Please double-check to make sure the amounts and expenses submitted in the associated expense report are correct.
If everything is correct, approve the report via the auto-generated email from NUFinancials or by logging into NUFinancials and navigating to your “Approvals” section to approve the report.
If you do not approve, then the report never enters the system and you will not receive your reimbursement.
PROCESSING
Based on records for expense reports submitted by the Farha and Hupp Groups in FY 2019-2020, the average processing time after your approval for an expense report is 11.58 days.
PAYMENT
You will receive an email notification after your expense report has been processed and approved by all necessary parties. Generally, your reimbursement will be deposited in to the same bank account you have set up with the university for your direct deposit on the day your expense report has been fully processed by the university.
Graduate students funded by external fellowships will receive their reimbursement as a paper check in the mail delivered to their home address.
Average Processing Time for an Expense Report
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How will I receive my reimbursement?
You have two options for reimbursement.
1. Most commonly people receive reimbursement as a deposit into the account you have set up with Northwestern University to receive your stipend/salary (direct deposit account).
2. If you have not set up an account for direct deposit with the university, you will receive the reimbursement as a check in the mail to whatever address you have listed with the Northwestern Directory.
Please note: For students funded on a fellowship, you can only receive your reimbursement as a check in the mail as you are not currently funded through Northwestern.
Q: When will I receive my reimbursement?
The current average processing time for expense reports with the Hupp and Farha Groups is: 11.58 days
You will receive a notice once the expense report has been approved by all necessary approvers.
If receiving the reimbursement as a direct deposit, the money will be deposited into your account the same day you have received the final approval notice (please note that some banks may require an extra day of processing before the money appears in your account).
If receiving the reimbursement as a check, you will receive a check in the mail generally two to three weeks after completing and submitting a paper visitor’s expense report.
Please note that your processing time may vary widely depending on the expenses involved and the account being charged for the reimbursement.
Generally, if your reimbursement is being charged to a federal grant, expect the process to take longer as the expense report must be approved by a variety of offices at Northwestern, all related to accounting and auditing.
Q: I lost a required document - can I still get reimbursed?
Generally, Accounting Services will not approve a reimbursement request that is missing required documents.
There are, however, a number of exceptions related to how much the reimbursement request is, what type of document you are missing, and how many documents you are missing. Check with your Group’s Program Assistant for more information. Please note that you may be required to complete additional paperwork to justify your reimbursement request.
Q: My expense report was denied - what should I do?
Do not be alarmed! Expense reports are denied fairly often. The specific reason for denial will be included in the notification email and can be viewed in NUFinancials. The Group Program Assistant will work with you to resubmit the expense report with the requested changes.
Please note that once resubmitted, you must approve the expense report again in order for it to be processed. Failure to approve an expense report will result in no reimbursement.
Q: The Group Program Assistant still has not submitted my expense report - what should I do?
Please double-check in NUFinancials under “Approvals” to ensure that the expense report is not waiting for your approval.
After confirming your expense report is not waiting for your approval, please contact your Group Program Assistant.
There may be any number of reasons for the delay. The Group Program Assistant should be able explain why your reimbursement request is delayed and provide a new timeline for submission.
Q: I forgot to submit my documents and it has already been 30 days since my trip - will I still get reimbursed?
University guidelines state that expense reports for reimbursement requests should be submitted within 30 days of returning from your trip or, for non-travel reimbursement, from your expense. Please do your best to submit your required documents within one week of return in order to ensure an expense report can be submitted within this 30 day limit, budgeting a cushion of time for any potential changes or additional document collection.
Reimbursement requests that are submitted over 90 days after returning from your trip or, for non-travel reimbursement, after your expense require additional paperwork signed by your PI. The Group Program Assistant will assist you with this paperwork in these cases.
Resources
Northwestern University Travel, Entertainment, and Courtesy Policy
Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences Travel, Entertainment, and Courtesy Policy Guide
Domestic Per Diem Rates
International Per Diem Rates
