Non-employee Policies
Overview
A nonemployee is defined as an individual who is not employed by IU. Examples include prospective faculty members, job candidates, and guest speakers.
The Nonemployee Travel Start Guide for Travel Arrangers provides an overview of the travel booking process.
When working with nonemployees, IU may pay for travel expenses via the prepayment programs outlined below. Alternatively, a nonemployee may pay for travel using their own funds and request reimbursement from IU by submitting receipts to your department. Regardless of how the travel is purchased, these expenses must meet the IRS Accountable Plan guidelines.
Examples of allowable nonemployee travel:
- Travel Expenses for an invited guest speaker.
- Travel Expenses associated with a job candidate.
- Spouse or other family members traveling with a job candidate.
Examples of unallowable nonemployee travel that fall outside the Accountable Plan include:
- Spouse or other family members traveling with an invited guest speaker.
- Seat upgrades on domestic flights.
Before agreeing to cover travel expense, review the following information to ensure the expenses are allowable:
- FIN-TRV-1.0: Travel Policy - Provides guidance to departments related to which travel expenses are and are not allowable.
- FIN-ACC-620: Reimbursement Under the Accountable Plan– Defines the requirements an expense must meet in order for the IRS Accountable Plan to apply.
- Payments to International Visitors quick guide – Review these steps provided by University Tax Services when working with nonemployee travelers from outside the U.S.
Establish a Traveler
A BUY.IU supplier record must be established for the nonemployee traveler before travel reservations can be booked or reimbursements submitted. Establish a supplier record using the Chrome River supplier request form in BUY.IU.
Use the Nonemployee Travel Worksheet to collect the traveler’s basic information and travel preferences. You will use this information to establish their supplier record and book travel on their behalf.
Review the Add a Nonemployee Traveler in Chrome River page to learn how to establish a nonemployee in BUY.IU for use in Chrome River.
Prepayment Programs
A BUY.IU supplier record must be established for the nonemployee traveler before travel reservations can be booked. Review the Establish a Traveler section above for more information.
The following prepayment programs may be used to book travel related expenses on behalf of nonemployee travelers:
- Airfare using a Designated travel Agency
- Airfare and Lodging using Egencia
- Lodging using a Direct Bill hotel vendor
- Airport transportation using a Direct Bill Limo Vendor
Prepaid travel appears in Chrome River in the eWallet of the IU employee who made the reservation.
Airfare, Egencia lodging and Classic Touch limo charges will be presented in the ewallet in Chrome River of the IU employee who made the reservation. Use the Nonemployee/Nonstudent Travel report type to reconcile nonemployee travel expenses. The supplier number of the nonemployee will be available in Chrome River.
Review this step by step guide to learn how to reconcile prepaid charges in Chrome River
Non-employee Reimbursement
Out of pocket travel expenditures for non-employee travelers must be submitted through Chrome River using the Non-employee/Non-student Travel report type by an IU employee. Nonemployees do not have access to Chrome River.
Expense reports must be submitted within 120 days of the end of the trip in order to avoid tax penalties. Expenses submitted 365 days or more after the end of the trip end date will not be reimbursed. Review Policy FIN-ACC-620 for additional information regarding reimbursement deadlines. For questions related to allowability, review policy FIN-TRV-01.
Reimbursements must be supported with appropriate receipts or other supporting documents. Review this requirement list to ensure the proper details are present on the supporting documents prior to submission.
This short video demonstrates how to submit a nonemployee reimbursement using Chrome River.
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