Expense Reports
Reimburse University Employees
Per university policy, in order to obtain reimbursement for personal funds expended for appropriate and approved university travel, entertainment, courtesy or other expenditures, all expenses must be documented on the NUFinancials Expense Report, including pre-paid and direct-billed expenses. Expense reports should be submitted within 30 days after the completion of travel.
Visit myHR Learn Training to find information processing employee expense reports in NUFinancials, including:
- Employee Expense Report Checklist Job Aid
- Expense Reports in NUFinancials
- Entering an Expense Report Training Guide
- Expenses Entry Quick Reference Job Aid
- Add Proxy Access Job Aid
- Using Per Diem on an Expense Report Job Aid
- Entering Foreign Currency Job Aid
- Documentation & Scanning Tips Job Aid
- Expense Report Attachments Job Aid
- Managing Expense Reports Training Guide
- Common Errors for Expense Transactions Training Guide
Reimburse Non-Employees
It is the policy of Northwestern University to reimburse individuals who are not university faculty or staff, but who have incurred expenses for university-approved, business-related expenses, including transportation, lodging and other travel or non-travel costs. This includes guest lecturers or scientists, consultants, non-employee students, temporary employees and human research subjects.
Departments are responsible for informing visitors of the university's expense reimbursement policies prior to the incurring of expenses, providing them with the Visitor’s Expense Report Form to document expenses and having all visitor forms properly completed and processed. For more information on using the form and the reimbursement process, please refer to the following:
Registering Non-University Employees in NUFinancials
To process reimbursements as payment requests in NUFinancials, non-university employees need to be registered as suppliers. Once approved, a supplier does not need to be re-registered for each payment if they occur within 12 months of their last payment from the university. Please refer to the following documentation from Procurement & Payment Services:
Independent Contractors
Individuals receiving an honorarium or fee with their travel reimbursement need to be registered as independent contractors in NUFinancials. Along with their contact information, additional forms required for supplier registration of independent contractors are:
- IRS Form W-9 (PDF)or Tax ID (FEIN / SSN)
- Conflict of Interest Form (PDF)
- Independent Contractor Questionnaire (PDF)
Refund/Reimbursement
Individuals who only require travel reimbursement can be registered for refund/reimbursement in NUFinancials. In addition to their contact information, the only documentation required for supplier registration for refund/reimbursement is type and proof of payment (e.g., signed Visitor’s Expense Report (PDF) and receipts).
Job aids for supplier registration are available through myHR Learn on:
- Supplier Registration
- Add New Supplier – Independent Contractor Job Aid
- Add New Supplier – Refund/Reimbursement
- Review or Edit a Supplier Request Job Aid
- Submit a Supplier Change Request
Policies & Exceptions
- Travel Policy Process & Procedures
- Travel, Entertainment & Courtesy Policy
- Policies for Sponsored Travel
- Expense Policy Exception Request Form (for transactions that violate policy)
- Using the Expense Policy Exception Request Form
If the expense is over 90 days old and/or requires an expense policy exception request, please complete the applicable justification form and include it with the reimbursement documentation. All 90-day justification and expense policy exception request forms for all types of reimbursements will need school approval from the Dean’s Office before submitting for payment.
Send 90-day memo and expense policy exception request forms for Dean’s Office approval to FinanceandAdministration@northwestern.edu. Include supporting documentation, such as:- 90-Day Justification Form
- Expense report cover pages from NUFinancials or completed Visitor’s Expense Report Form
- Copies of all receipts
- Additional documentation to substantiate expenses, such as proof of attendance, guest speaker itinerary, attendance list, mileage documentation, as applicable