Employees fill out an expense report form to recuperate all of the expenses they have paid out of their own pocket for work purposes. All expense reports and requests for reimbursements must be accompanied by original invoices and receipts. Also, and before incurring any personal expenses, please make sure that they are approved by your supervisor.

 

How to get reimbursed for expenses

  1. Download the expense report form and complete it using one line per expense.
  2. Always ask for an invoice for each expense incurred and attach the original invoice to the expense report form. Requests for reimbursements must be accompanied by original invoices; copies of invoices and credit card slips are not accepted.
  3. Please make sure that the invoices are in numerical order corresponding to the expense line item on the report.
  4. Make sure to always indicate the cost center and sub-cost center.
  5. If the expense is for an event, trip, party or conference please also indicate the date and place.
  6. Specify how you would like to be reimbursed:
    Option A) by check: make sure you indicate the address where you would like to receive the check. You can also let us know if you prefer to come to the accounting office to pick it up.
    Option B) by wire transfer: please include your bank information in the form of a RIB.
  7. Cost center manager signature is required in order to process any reimbursement.
  8. Submit your expense report no later than 30 days (45 days for international travel) from the date of the expenses.
 
Additional steps for trips, meals, and taxis

In addition to the aforementioned steps, you must supply extra information for:

  • Business trips. Please attach a copy of the mandatory ordre de mission signed by human resources.
  • Restaurant meals. Indicate the names of the people with whom you had the meal.
  • Taxi rides. Indicate date as well as place of departure and destination

 

Step-by-step guide to completing an expense report form

After you download your expense report form, it is important that you fill out your expense report form in as much detail as possible. Also, please use one expense report form per currency.

  1. Travel or conference period from/to: enter the start date and end date of the trip or conference
  2. AUP employee Yes/No: Any physical person paid by AUP, or who has signed an employee agreement, or received a payslip must select yes *
  3. Cost center: enter primary cost center (check the cost center lists to find your cost center)
  4. Sub cost center: enter sub cost center (check the cost center lists to find your sub cost center)
  5. Currency used: currency used for expense
  6. Rate euro/currency: If the receipts are in euros, leave the "1" in the cell. If the receipts are in any other currency, please put the weekly currency rate of the expenses (see Oanda for rates)
  7. Date: enter the exact date of the expense
  8. Expenses explanation: provide a short explanation for each expense
  9. Restaurant expenses: indicate meal participants on the receipt
  10. Taxi expenses: indicate date, place of departure, and destination on the receipt
  11. Observation: this cell can be used to put the type of payment, the address where the payment should be sent for non AUP employees, or any miscellaneous comment.
  12. Please put the amount of the corresponsing nature of expenses
  13. Sub total by category: these cells are automatically caluclated and provide a sub total for each category of expense (for example, the sub total for meals)
  14. Total by category: this cell is the total of the 4 category of expenses; this cell must be equal to the "total spent cell". They are automatically calculated
  15. Total in currency (automatic fields - do not enter data)
  16. Total in euros (automatic fields - do not enter data)
  17. Please use commas (and not full stops!) for amounts in decimals
  18. Advance received: If you received an advance for the expenses you must include the amount received

 

* If you are a future employee and the reimbursement is for expenses incurred prior to the date of employment, you should mention it and provide the date when you will become an AUP employee.

 

AUP expense reimbursement policy

General reporting and reimbursement policies
  • An AUP expense report form must be used to report and request reimbursement for reasonable expenses incurred by employees during authorized AUP business activities.
  • If you are traveling on behalf of the University, you must complete an ordre de mission and send it to HR for approbation prior to your departure. When submitting your expense report form, you must attach the ordre de mission to your expenses. No reimbursement can be made without an official and signed ordre de mission.
  • All expense reports must be signed by the employee as well as by his/her supervisor. Signature authority cannot be delegated to non-management employees.
  • All expense reports are subject to review by the accounting department.
  • Expense reports must be submitted to the accounting department no later than 30 days (45 days for international travel) from the date of the expenses.
  • The employee must keep a copy of the expense report as well as of all all receipts and documentation for reference.
  • Responsibility for ensuring that expenses submitted for reimbursement are in compliance with this policy rests jointly with the employee and management staff approving the expense report. Deviations from this policy must be resolved with employees before an expense report is approved.
  • The accounting office only processes properly approved and documented expense reports.
  • Employees are encouraged to make currency exchanges in banks rather than hotels to ensure a more favorable exchange rate. Currency exchange service charges are reimbursable but should not be included in the average exchange rate computation.
  • Requests for exceptions to any part of this policy must be submitted to the VP Finance.
 
Meals and entertainment
  • All meals must be supported by receipts including the names of the participants and the purpose of the event.
  • Business meals including AUP employees are only allowed when management considers the meeting a necessary but infrequent event (e.g. a group works through lunch).
  • When a business meal includes one or more members of AUP management, the most senior member of management must pay for the meal.
  • Employees are not reimbursed for alcoholic beverages unless the beverage is included as part of a business meal or entertainment expense. Such amounts must be reasonable.
 
Permitted expenses
  • Pre-approval air transportation paid for by the employee
  • Hotel/lodging
  • Ground transportation (taxis, train)
  • Employee meals when traveling
  • Business meals/entertainment
  • Reasonable laundry and cleaning expenses if trip is longer than 5 days
  • Reasonable tips and gratuities that are not included elsewhere
  • Personal long distance calls (within a reasonable amount)
  • Currency exchange service charges
 
Air transportation
  • All travel must be pre-approved by management and AUP pays for coach class air travel only.
  • In order to best use University resources, always purchase airline tickets at the lowest available rate.
 
Ground transportation
  • Always use the least expensive reasonable form of ground transportation available (e.g. personal vehicle, hotel courtesy van, bus, taxi).
 
Hotel/lodging
  • The itemized hotel bill is the hotel receipt that must be submitted with the expense report.
  • The following information must be shown for each day of stay: itemized room charge, taxes, other charges, such as telephone calls, room services and laundry.
  • AUP will not reimburse in-room movies, mini-bar, or other personal hotel expenses.

 

You can find the list of allowed supporting documentation in the list of expense receipts table. Please note that booking/order confirmation are not sufficient receipts (a booking or an order can be cancelled).

 

Get in touch with your questions

If you have any questions about expense reports forms, invoices, or policies, please do not hesitate to get in touch with the accounting office. We would be delighted to help you and ensure that your professional expenses are fully reimbursed. We look forward to hearing from you!