UPbeat

News for and about University of Portland faculty and staff.

Lori Watson

Controller’s Office: New Mileage Reimbursement Rate for 2021

Effective January 1, 2021, the University’s mileage reimbursement rate is decreasing to $.56/mile for any travel incurred as of thatdate. Miles driven in 2020 will be reimbursed at the then-effective rate of $.575/mile.  Reimbursements for miles driven in 2020 need to be submitted to the Controller’s Office by the end of February 2021.

For more information contact Lori Watson, interim controller, at duax@up.edu.

Fiscal Year-End Reminders

The University’s fiscal year ends on Thursday, June 30, and there are some important dates and reminders to note:

  • Expenses submitted prior to June 30 which are for travel or events occurring in fiscal year 2021 will be accrued, and paid against the fiscal year 2021 budget.
  • Reimbursement and Payment Request forms to be paid against the fiscal year 2020 budget need to be submitted to the Controller’s Office no later than Friday, July 17th.
  • All goods and services purchased must be received by June 30. Any deliveries received after June 30 will be charged to the fiscal year 2021 budget.

For more information on all fiscal year-end procedures see the Fiscal Year-End Policy on the Controller’s Office webpage, or contact Lori Watson at x7393 or duax@up.edu.

Controller’s Office: Electronic Submission of Payment Requests

The Controller’s Office will temporarily accept electronic submission of payment requests while the University is closed due to COVID-19, according to Lori Watson. Please combine all documents into one PDF file and submit to accounts_payable@up.edu.  Payments will continue to be processed but please note there may be some delays.  Thank you for your cooperation during this difficult time.

Money Matters:  60-Day Rule for Expense Reimbursements

There have been a number of questions recently about expense reimbursements, so it appears to be a good time for some policy/tax law reminders, according to Lori Watson, controller’s office.

  • As a general rule, all purchases should be made with a University purchasing card (or “p-card”).  Expense reimbursements are for non-p-card transactions such as mileage and cash tips.
  • Expense reimbursements requests must be submitted within 60 days of expenditure (this is a tax law requirement).  Requests received after 60 days may not be paid.
  • The 60-day rule applies to mileage payments.  Best practice is to report mileage on a monthly basis especially for those who do a lot of driving.

Please contact the controller’s office at x7393 or up_controller@up.edu if you have questions.

Fiscal Year Ends June 30: Important Dates, Reminders

The University’s fiscal year ends on Thursday, June 30, and there are some important dates and reminders to note:

  • Expenses submitted prior to June 30 which are for travel or events occurring in fiscal year 2020 will be accrued, and paid against the fiscal year 2020 budget.
  • Reimbursement and Payment Request forms to be paid against the fiscal year 2019 budget need to be submitted to the controller’s office no later than Friday, July 12.
  • All goods and services purchased must be received by June 30. Any deliveries received after June 30 will be charged to the fiscal year 2020 budget.

For more information on all fiscal year-end procedures see “Fiscal Year-End Procedures” on the Controller’s Office webpage, or contact Lori Watson at x7393 or duax@up.edu.

Paperless P-Card Statements Are Here!

The controller’s office is pleased to introduce paperless P-card statement submissions to Wells Fargo beginning this month.  Starting Monday, March 18, the feature will be available to all cardholders. Submission can be done from any computer, phone (Android or Apple) or mobile device (Android or Apple).

Using the new receipt-imaging feature means no more lost receipts. Cardholders will be able to easily keep track of receipts by attaching them to their statements from either a desktop or a mobile device. The process of reviewing receipts will be streamlined, which means that cardholders and approvers will not have to deal with submitting paper receipts, documentation or envelopes. Receipt imaging goes far beyond just making life easier. Going paperless will reduce business expenses and it advances the University’s efforts toward sustainability.

In the next week the controller’s office will be sending out more information on training materials to upload documentation from a computer or mobile device via the Wells Fargo CEO app, what users should attach as proper documentation, and a receipt imaging implementation timeline.

If you have any questions please contact Theresa Knott, Lori Watson, or Eric Barger at pcard@up.edu.

Your Feel-Good Story For Today: Kitten Rescue!

A report from Heidi Keller, financial aid: “Today when Janet Turner and I went out for our walk, we bumped into another University of Portland employee (I wish I knew his name), and he said “Hey, look at that kitten under the car.” When we looked the kitten had climbed up into the engine compartment. Janet and I walked into the Beauchamp Center to write a note to the owner of the car and let them know about the kitten. On the main drive we ran into Lori Watson from the controller’s office and asked if she was going to the Beauchamp Center, and she said yes, so we told her about the kitten. When I got to my office I ran into Manu Jauregui, one of our wonderful public safety officers, and I asked him if he could save the kitten. He located the student, asked her to come to her car, had her pop the hood, then reached in and rescued this little gem. The happy ending is that Lori decided to adopt the kitten and took it home with her!” Thanks for caring, Heidi and Janet and Manu and Lori, we do indeed have a remarkably wonderful crew here.