Reimbursement of expenses

When an employee travels outside of the city limits of Ottawa and Gatineau, the associated expenses are considered travel expenses. Eligible travel expenses are reimbursed through Concur for all employees with an active employment contract. For any travel reimbursement request, a pre-approval must be attached to the Concur claim (except for APUO members).

You can refer to the following cheat sheet to help you navigate the Concur system. User guides, by stages and topics, are also available under the "Traveler user guides" menu.

 

Professional expense reimbursement

As per section 40.9 of the APUO Collective Agreement, APUO members may request a professional expense reimbursement (PER) when they incur expenses through work or acquire work-related supplies and equipment. Note that in order for a reimbursement to be admissible, the item or the service purchased must be received or rendered. Also, the original receipt for each purchase must be included in the SAP Concur reimbursement claim.

How the PER works

Every year, at the beginning of May, the University of Ottawa deposits $2,200 into your account (you can check your account by logging into the FAST leave management system (on-campus access only). You can spend that amount as you go or accumulate it over a period of up to three years. The maximum for the next three years will be as followed:
2022-2023 maximum: 6450$ (2200$ + 1625$ + 1625$ + 1000$)
2023-2024 maximum: 6025$ (2200$ + 2200$ + 1625$)

2024-2025 maximum: 6600$ (2200$ + 2200$ + 2200$)

Eligible PER expenses

Eligible expenses can include items such as:

• Fees for membership in professional societies
• Registration fees and travel expenses for conferences
• Cellphone and Internet fees -  *** Only the work related portion of these services is admissible for reimbursement. Make sure to indicate this percentage (in the “Comment” field) in your Concur claim. In the field “Amount”, enter only the amount you are claiming. (i.e. if 50% of your usage is work related and your monthly bill equals 80 $, the amount admissible for reimbursement would be 40 $)
• Publication costs and purchase of instructional and research material such as:
  • Books, manuals and professional publications
  • Office equipment
  • Software and online subscriptions
  • Computers and tablets
  • Computer accessories
  • Professional trainings
  • Teaching, research and laboratory material

Additional important information

• For online orders, it is important to include the delivery confirmation in your Concur claim. This can be an email confirmation from the company shipping the item, or a simple attestation from the buyer that the item has been received.
• Pursuant to article 40.9.5 of the APUO collective agreement, if your expenses exceed the reimbursement limit, the outstanding amount can be carried forward for a maximum period of three years, after which you can no longer claim it. It is also important to note that an expense is admissible for reimbursement with your PER funds for a maximum of 3 years after its purchase.
• Section 40.9.3 of the collective agreement clearly states that the funds allocated for PER are not intended to replace existing faculty allocations for travel. You cannot transfer funds between the PER and research accounts.
• As outlined in article 40.9.6 of the collective agreement, equipment you purchase with funds from the PER account remains the property of the University. If you wish, you can purchase such items from the University, pursuant to Policy 65.

How to claim the PER and log in to Concur

All professional expense reimbursement (PER) claims are processed in Concur, so that you can easily submit and track your claims. Here, you will find a few short and easy to read mini-guides to help you efficiently fill out your Concur PER claims.

 

Log in to Concur. 

Guides

• First time Concur user - PER
• Submit a Concur claim - PER
• Add a delegate
• Frequently asked questions - PER

 

If you have any questions, please email us at reimbursement@uOttawa.ca.

The Financial Resources Expense Reimbursement Team has added a new claim type in Concur under Expense > Create a new claim type > Claim Type > 3 – Other Expenses. A total of 30 expenses have been permanently added to facilitate quick, efficient, end-to-end electronic reimbursement of up to $1,000 (Policy 36 – Procurement) for regular employees. The Frequently Asked Questions section below explains this addition.

 

Choosing the right claim type in Concur

What to consider before claiming “Other expenses” in Concur

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Frequently Asked Questions

1. What types of expenses have been added?
2. What about the 13 COVID-19 expense types that were found under the “Voyage/Travel” section of Concur?
3. Under what circumstances can I use this new section?
4. What is the advantage of using Concur to request reimbursement for these expenses?
5. What is the approval process for these expenses in Concur?
6. Is it mandatory to use Concur to request reimbursement for these expenses?
7. What about other purchasing methods, practices, and policies?
8. Who can access Concur to request a reimbursement of these expenses?
9. What information should I enter in the “City of Purchase” field?

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1. What types of expenses have been added?

A total of 30 types of expenses have been added under Expense > Create a new claim type > Claim Type > 3 – Other Expenses.

The document Choosing the right claim type in Concur lists all of the expenses added under this new claim type.

2. What about the 13 COVID-19 expense types that were found under the “Voyage/Travel” section of Concur?

These 13 expense types, which were added in April to accommodate urgent COVID-19 pandemic-related expenses, are now found under Expense > Create a new claim type > Claim Type > 3 – Other Expenses.

3. Under what circumstances can I use this new section?

You can use this new section for claims that are not travel-related. We have prepared the document Choosing the right claim type in Concur to help you choose the right claim type.

4. What is the advantage of using Concur to request reimbursement for these expenses?

Concur allows for quick, efficient, end-to-end electronic reimbursement of up to $1,000 (Policy 36 – Procurement), as is already the case for the reimbursement of travel and hospitality expenses. It also ensures better visibility of such expenses and facilitates accountability.

5. What is the approval process for these expenses in Concur?

The approval process can be the same as the one currently in place in Concur for your faculty or service to reimburse travel expenses and hospitality costs, or it can be modified as required.

6. Is it mandatory to use Concur to request reimbursement for these expenses?

No, it is not mandatory. This tool adds to the measures already put in place by Financial Resources, and by faculties and services.

The decision on whether to use Concur is up to authorized approvers. You must also comply with other purchasing methods, practices, and policies.

7. What about other purchasing methods, practices, and policies?

Other purchasing methods, practices, and policies take precedence.

Policy 36 – Procurement applies to these types of expenses. University catalogs (SciQuest), purchasing cards (pCard), purchase orders, or any other method used by your faculty or service, are still the preferred purchasing methods. As always, restricted commodities (such as chemical or dangerous substances) cannot be purchased on pCards.

For example:

• Certain items, including office supplies, paper, and IT and lab equipment, should be purchased through a catalog even if they cost less than $1,000.
• IT equipment purchases, cell phone costs, and Internet costs should be approved by Information Technology beforehand, regardless of the amount. The approval process can be managed in SciQuest.
• Some faculties do not reimburse certain types of lab equipment, so users should check with their procurement authorities before purchasing such equipment.

We have created the document What to consider before claiming “Other expenses” in Concur to help you and your users identify the preferred purchasing method.

8. Who can access Concur to request a reimbursement of these expenses?

Access to Concur has not changed: only regular employees can use Concur.

Persons who are not employees of the University of Ottawa (such as temporary employees without a contract, retired employees, students, or guests) do not have access to the Concur expense management system. These people will need to contact their faculty or service to determine how to proceed to obtain reimbursement.

9. What information should I enter in the “City of Purchase” field?

For goods purchased online and delivered at home or at work, you must choose the city of delivery of the goods. For other scenarios, the city of purchase applies.

User's guide

Guide for relocation fees

 

FAQ – Concur Relocation Reimbursement

1. Who can submit a relocation reimbursement claim?

New employees with relocation reimbursement agreement in their hiring contract can use the relocation claim type in Concur.  In most cases, relocation reimbursements are for new APUO members moving to Ottawa to start their uOttawa career.

2. Is there a guide that exists to assist new employees in their Concur relocation claim?

Yes. Here is the Guide for relocation fees.

3. Which policies are applicable to relocation expenses?

Policy 7 - Relocation Expenses

Policy 21 - Reimbursement to Individuals for University Business Expenses

Procedure 16-11 - Reimbursement of Travel Expenses

Procedure 16-13 - Reimbursement of Other Business-Related Expenses

Procedure 16-14 - Approved Reimbursement Rates

4. Which expenses are admissible in my relocation reimbursement?

The admissible expenses are listed the Policy 7. Here is a quick glance of the list:

• Packing, crating, moving, and unpacking of household goods and personal effects, as well as insurance and storage for a period not to exceed one month. Two tenders must be submitted, and the lower one will be used for calculating the reimbursement;
• Transfer of family by the most economical means of transportation, according to the rates and procedures outlined in Policy No. 21. Reasonable living expenses incurred during the moving trip;
• One advance visit for the purpose of securing suitable housing. The spouse may accompany the new employee in this instance.

5. Who will be approving the reimbursements once submitted?

The Reimbursement team at Financial Resources will be administering the approval process of the relocation expenses. The Faculty will not be included in the approval process.

6. Who should I contact for more information?

You can email the Reimbursement Team at reimbursement@uottawa.ca.

• Choosing the right claim type in Concur
• What to consider before claiming “Other expenses” in Concur

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• Acting as a delegate
• Add a delegate
• Establishing the default approvers and FOAP
• Guidelines – E-receipts (paperless claims)
• Customizing your profile settings
• SAP Concur for your mobile device
• Logging into Concur expenses management system

• Add a Credit Card Charge to a report (TCard and personal credit card)
• Adding attendees to an expense
• Adding a cash advance to an expense report
• Allocating expenses to a different FOAP
• Attaching a missing receipt affidavit
• Attaching receipts
• Calculating personal car mileage
• Creating an Itinerary for per diem allowances
• Reconciling a Pcard advance
• Reimbursement of Relocation fees

• Concur expense management cheat sheet
• Processor audit guide

• Cash advance administrator quick guide
• Compliance officer checklist
• How to approve expense reports
• Processor (compliance officer) quick guide

• Arts: Lise Rhéaume, ext. 1131
• Civil Law: Helga Dumontier, ext. 5298
• Common Law: CML-FIN
• Education: Mireille Séguin
• Engineering: Annie Trottier
• Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies: Anne-Marie Boivin, ext. 2613
• Health Sciences: Financial Operations and Administration
• Medicine: MED-TRAVEL
• Sciences:
  • Dean's Office: Josée Rouleau, ext. 6174
  • Department of Biology: Baghavadgita Kanags, ext. 5718
  • Department of Chemistry and Biomolecular Sciences: Carine Rakotondrafara, ext. 5728
  • Department of Earth and Environmental Science: Caroline Bisson, ext. 5773
  • Department of Mathematics and Statistics: Carolynne Roy, ext. 3497
  • Department of Physics: Magali Jacquel
• Social Sciences: Arthur Nsabimbona, ext. 1709
• Telfer: Maggie Dumas, Camille Lupien and Marielle Brabant

• Animal Care and Veterinary Services: Wendy Ip, ext. 5412
• Community Life Service: Nadine Mineault, ext. 3376
• Co-operative Education Programs: Catherine Welsh, ext. 4378
• External Relations: Stéphanie Bigras-Charette, ext. 8825
• Facilities: Gilbert Daoura, ext. 6625
• Financial Resources: Financial Operations and Administration
• Housing Service: Marie-Line Breton, ext. 6136
• Human Resources: Financial Operations and Administration
• Information Technology: Nancy Gauthier, ext. 3705 and Dominique Denis, ext. 2646
• International Office: Diane Marois, ext. 4406
• Library: Nancy Leroux, ext. 3996
• Office of the President and Vice-Presidents: Sylvie Gareau
• Parking and Sustainable Transportation: vacant
• Protection: Sylvie Ricard, ext. 3049
• Refugee Hub: Akjemal Gujikova, ext. 1405
• Research Management Services: Enjolie Provost, ext. 1936
• Risk Management: Isabelle Matte, ext. 6862
• Sports Services: Martine Lafleur, ext. 4576
• Enrolment Management: Sébastien Lepage, ext. 2483
• Student Academic Success Service (SASS): Francine D'Amour, ext. 6616
• Student Services (various): Karine Boivin, ext. 3033
• Technology Transfer and Business Enterprise: Sylvie Gareau

The University of Ottawa extends hospitality to advance our interests, for example, for community and public relations purposes or events recognizing the excellence of University staff and students.

To request reimbursement of hospitality expenses, complete the hospitality fees reimbursement form.

Objectives

The central compliance service aims to:

• Define the accountability, roles and responsibilities of the parties involved
• Present the new service offered by Financial Resources
• Confirm the responsibilities of the services affected by this change

Benefits

By deploying a central compliance service, Financial Resources expects the following benefits:

• Improved user experience with faster turnaround times and access to claims specialists
• Better use of resources, allowing faculties and departments to focus on other administrative tasks
• Better use of the Concur expense management system
• Greater data transparency for reporting purposes

Financial Resources ensure travel expenses are compliant with Policy 21 for the following faculties and services:

• Faculty of Arts
• Faculty of Education
• Faculty of Health Sciences
• Faculty of Engineering
• Faculty of Social Sciences
• Faculty of Law - Civil Law
• Faculty of Law - Common Law
• Library
• Graduate and postdoctoral studies
• Vice-President, Finance and Administration
• Vice-President, Academic Affairs
• Vice-President, Internation and Francophonie
• Vice-President, Research and Innovation

There are plans to expand this central service to other faculties and services in the coming months.

If you have any questions or comments about the central compliance service, send an email to the Expense Reimbursement Team.