Advances

Advances

Staff may request a travel expenses advance by submitting a spend authorisation with cash advance in Workday .  

In requesting an advance, the proposed travel dates and expected costs to be incurred should be detailed on the submission.  The amount payable is limited to 100% of the expected costs of the trip.  When submitting an advance claim, there is no need to submit additional evidence or vouched receipts, but a fully vouched settlement report must be submitted within two weeks of completion of travel. This is done through the Expenses Report.

Staff advances are closely monitored and should be kept to a minimum at all times.  Requests for advances should reflect the likely level of expenditure which will be incurred within the short-term rather than providing a long-term float for a staff member.

Advances will normally be issued up to two months before a trip but requests for longer term advances will be considered in some cases.  On occasion, it may be more appropriate to make a number of smaller advance claims rather than one claim covering a long period.

In cases where an advance is issued but the planned trip does not take place, the funds should immediately be returned to the Finance Office.

On return, having received an advance, staff must submit a balancing expense report even when no further monies are claimed. This must be done within two weeks of the date of return.

After that period additional reports for travel expenses will not be paid until the form has been submitted in respect of a trip for which an advance was claimed. 

The Finance, Remuneration and Asset Management Committee has confirmed that unsettled advances can be recovered as a deduction through the university payroll.  It is expected that this measure will be used as a last resort and that all advances will be settled on a timely basis.