Reimbursement for Business Use of a Personal Cell Phone

Employees may be reimbursed for the business use of a personally owned cell phone or similar device in limited circumstances. The policy does not allow for reimbursement for the entire cost of a personally-owned cell phone or for a percentage of the total plan.

Employees may be reimbursed only when they incur additional charges for business calls over the plan limit on their personal calling plan. The employee may request reimbursement, at the excess minute rate, for up to the number of minutes exceeding the plan limit for the month OR the total number of business-related minutes, whichever is less. (See example situations below.) No reimbursement can be made for business calls made within the plan minutes.

To be reimbursed, the employee must provide a copy of his or her cell phone bill identifying the business calls and noting the person called and the purpose of each business related call. Many cell phone providers no longer routinely distribute detailed cell phone bills to their customers. In many cases, employees can find more detailed information on their calling plans and bills from the provider's website.

An employee who regularly exceeds his or her plan minutes because of business calls should consult with their department to determine whether the University should provide a cell phone for their ongoing business use.

Example Situations