Advances Expenses

Travel advances can be requested where an individual may otherwise be significantly disadvantaged by using the expenses process. Wherever possible, direct payments by the University should be made (e.g. via a purchase order and/or invoice) before considering an advance request.

Circumstances where advance requests are allowed are:

• the recipient will be travelling on business away from their normal place of work for at least one night; and
• the recipient would otherwise be required to submit an expenses claim in excess of £300; and
• it has not been possible for the University to pay directly.

Advance requests that do not satisfy all these conditions may not be authorised and the recipient would then be required to use the expenses claim process.

All advance payments are limited to 75% of anticipated expenditure and departments must not inflate estimates to cover full anticipated costs.

Spend in a foreign currency is not a valid reason for requesting an advance. Standard procedures for Expense Claims, Supplier Payments, etc., should be used together with the specific guidance provided on foreign currency payments.
 

Advances may be paid in a number of ways depending on the purpose and value of request, insurance cover provided, and risk assessments undertaken.

Following expenditure, a full reconciliation of actual costs against advanced funds must be made on the appropriate AP Advance Request Form (XLS) or the Cash or Pre-Paid Card Advance Request Form (XLS), supported by receipts. Any ‘non-qualifying’ purchases or amounts not reconciled need to be repaid to the University, or it may be classed as a taxable benefit that is subject to tax and National Insurance via Form P11D.

Funds provided in advance should only be used for the purposes outlined on the Advances Request Form and must conform to the principles. Only one advance may be provided at a time, which must be fully reconciled and closed before a new advance may be requested.
 

Full details of all expenditure against the advance must be reported on the Advance Reconciliation and Actual Details Forms (provided as additional tabs on the Advance Request Form). Both forms should be submitted, together with supporting receipts, to the Finance Division Payments Team, or Cashiers Office in the case of cash or pre-paid cards. The rules on authorisation and submission are the same as an expenses claim.

Any balance owed to the individual will be paid by the University in reimbursement. If a balance is owed to the University from a Cash Advance, it can be made by any of the following ways:

• bank transfer; or
• the University Online Store.

For further details on paying the balance owed, contact the Cashiers’ Office.

In all cases, the retention of unused cash in departments (apart from agreed petty cash floats) is expressly forbidden. Unused cash should be returned to the Cashiers’ Office with the Advance Reconciliation Form.

It is the responsibility of departments to review all advances made on a regular basis and identify opportunities where direct methods of payment might be used as an alternative.

Any balance remaining on a Prepaid Card should be left on the card for Cashiers to remove. The reconciliation should be completed as per the Advance Reconciliation instructions above.