Update
Effective March 6, 2023, students may use the UC Berkeley's online Reimbursement System to request reimbursement for travel, entertainment, and other expenses.
Reimbursement System Overview
The Reimbursement System is a password-protected website that allows you to upload digital copies of your receipts and gather approval signatures electronically.
Types of Reimbursement Reports
There are three different types of reimbursement reports:
- Travel
- Entertainment
- Other Expenses
Reimbursement Report Process and Workflow
Each reimbursement report will be divided into individual steps of the report process, and each step of the process will have it's own page.
Reimbursement Report Steps and Pages
- Payee Info
- Expenses
- Totals
- Confirm and Submit
Each step and page will be identified and highlighted as the current step and page.
'Help for This Page' Link
Each page will also have a 'Help for this page' link. Clicking this link will open up a new window with additional information specific to the current step and page.
Workflow Intentions
The intentions for this workflow are to always inform you of the following:
- What page you are on
- Where you are in the process
- How to get help
Receipt Requirements
Travel
For Travel expenses reimbursements, please submit itemized receipts for all airfare, car rentals, domestic U.S. lodging, and conference registration, regardless of dollar amount or any other single expense of $75 or more.
Entertainment
For Entertainment expenses reimbursements, expenses of $75 or more per event must be supported by itemized receipts.
Other Expenses
For Other expenses reimbursements, receipts are required regardless of the expense amount.
Additional Restrictions
For guidance on additional restrictions, please contact your research administrator or department business officer. Some fund sources may require receipts regardless of dollar amount.
Initial Steps to Begin a Reimbursement Report
The initial steps to begin an expense reimbursement report are the same, regardless of whether you are requesting reimbursement for travel, entertainment, or other expenses, so we will first cover those initial steps.
Then, we will give you the information you need for each type of reimbursement report.
The following steps apply for all types of expense reimbursement reports.
Step 1. Log In to the Reimbursement System
Go to the Reimbursement System website.
From the Reimbursement System home page, click the 'Go to website >>' button.
Log in with your CalNet ID.
This will take you to the Expense Reimbursement Home page.
On the Expense Reimbursement Home page, there are three sections for each type of reimbursement:
- Travel
- Entertainment
- Other Expenses
Step 2. Create a New Report
Each section has a list of links related to that type of reimbursement, including a Create New Report link for each type of reimbursement.
Click one of the following links, depending on whether you are seeking reimbursement for Travel, Entertainment, or Other expenses:
Travel
- Create New Travel Report
Entertainment
- Create New Entertainment Report
Other Expenses
- Create New Expense Report
Step 3. Review the Information
After clicking any one of the Create New Report links, the system will present a page of necessary information and steps to complete the report.
Step 4. Click 'Let's Begin'
Review the information then click the 'Let's Begin' link at the end.
After clicking the 'Let's Begin' link, the inital steps will be completed and you will then be directed to the first step and first page of the report process, Payee Info.
Submitting a Reimbursement Report for Other Expenses
After completing the initial steps to begin an expense reimbursement report, the first step and first page of the report process will be the Payee Info page.
The following steps begin with the Other Expenses Reimbursement report opened to the Payee Info page (after clicking the 'Create New Expense Report' link and then the 'Let's Begin' link).
Step 1. Payee Info
The Payee Info page consists of two sections:
- Payee Information
- Approver Info
The Payee Information section lists your Vendor ID number, Name, Payment Method, and Email Address. This information is not editable and should already be filled in for you.
The Approver Info section consists of a drop-down list to select your Home Department.
Select Your Home Department
Select your home department from the 'Home Department' drop-down list.
If you are not certain about what home department to select, click the 'this home department names resource' link.
Save and Continue
After selecting your home deparment, click the 'Save and Continue' button to continue to the next step and page.
Required Fields
If at any point, on any page, you click the 'Save and Continue' button and a required field has not been entered on that page, the system will display a message at the beginning of the page explaining what field or fields must be completed before continuing to the next step and page.
Step 2. Expenses
The Expenses page consists of the required information for the expense, including the Business Purpose and the Expense Date, Type, Amount, and Remarks.
The generated Report ID for the current report will be identified at the beginning of the page.
Add an Expense
To add an expense, make an entry for each required input field as follows:
Business Purpose
- Briefly explain the business purpose for the expense or expenses
- How will the item or items be used for the benefit of the university
- This input field allows up to 200 characters
Expense Date
- Click the calendar button
- Select the date that the expense was made using the calendar menu
- You can navigate backwards in time by the day, month, or year
- You must select a date before closing the calendar menu window
Type
- Select the expense type from the drop-down list
Amount
- Enter the amount that was spent on the expense
Remarks
- Enter your remarks to further explain the details regarding the expense
- This input field allows up to 75 characters
Click the 'Add Expense' button to add the expense.
Adding Multipe Expenses
You may add multiple expenses to the same report, as long as they fall under the same business purpose. Only one business purpose should be entered per expense report.
To add multiple expense, fill out the form again and click the 'Add Expense' button.
Save and Continue
When you are finished adding expenses, click the 'Save and Continue' button to continue to the next step and page.
Step 3. Totals
The Totals page is used to enter the chartstring information to correctly code the expense in the general ledger, and consists of the following input fields:
- Choose Account Type
- Enter an Amount
- Enter a Chartstring:
- BU or Business Unit
- Account
- Fund
- Department
- Function
Enter the Expense Distribution
If you know your chartstring, enter the chartstring information in the chartstring input fields and click the 'Enter Expense Distrubution' button.
If you do not know your chartstring, leave the chartstring input fields empty and click the 'Save and Continue' button. You will be able to submit your report on the next page without entering the chartstring information on this page. Someone from Regional Services will contact you if additional information is required.
Save and Continue
When you have entered the expense distribution, or have left the chartstring input fields empty if you do not know the chartstring, click the 'Save and Continue' button continue to the next step and page.
If you have left the chartstring input fields empty and clicked the 'Save and Continue' button, the following message will appear in a pop-up window:
- Uncharged Expenses
- You have not charged all of the expenses to chart strings.
- To charge more, click 'Cancel' to return to the Totals page.
- To continue to the next page, click 'OK'. The report cannot be submitted for approval until all expenses are charged. On the next page, you can upload receipts or save this report.
Click the 'OK' button to continue to the next step and page.
Step 4. Confirm and Submit
The Confirm and Submit page is used to upload your receipts and submit the reimbursement report to Regional Services for review. This page consists of two sections:
- Next Steps
- Submit for Review
The 'Next Steps' section is where you can upload your receipts or save the current report for later.
You can also click the 'See Instructions' link for more information on Documentation and Receipts, including Required Documentation and How to Prepare Documentation and Receipts.
The 'View Receipts and Documents Already Uploaded' link is available if you have any digital receipt files already uploaded. Clicking this link will open a new tab or window with a CalNet ID login page.
Upload Your Receipts
To upload your receipts, click the 'Upload receipts and backup' button in the Next Steps section.
This will take you to the Upload Receipts page.
From the Upload Receipts page, select the files you would like to upload by clicking the 'Choose Files' button.
Please remember to mask or remove any bank account numbers or other private information that may be shown on your digital receipt files.
This will open up a local file explorer window, where you can navigate to and select digital files of your reciepts.
Click the 'Upload' button after selecting your digital receipt files.
After clicking the 'Upload' button, the Upload Receipts page will update with a message saying "File(s) successfully uploaded."
Click the 'Click here' link at the bottom of the page to return to the Confirm and Submit page.
Submit for Review
From the Confirm and Submit page, read and certify the following information in the Submit for Review section:
- By submitting this report for review I certify that:
- The information in this report is a true statement
- The expenses claimed were incurred by me for official university business
- I have not otherwise received reimbursement for these expenses
- Confidential or personal information has been removed from all required receipts before attaching to this expense report
- I have attached all receipts
After reading and certifying the information, click the 'Submit these expenses for Review' button.
Your submission will be sent to BRS and you will also receive a confirmation email.
Submitting a Reimbursement Report for Travel Expenses
To submit a reimbursement report for travel expenses, please refer to the following instructions:
There is one exception to these instructions:
- You do not need to select a preferred approver on the Payee Info page
- You will just need to select your home department from the 'Home Department' drop-down list
- If you are not certain about what home department to select, click the 'this home department names resource' link
Submitting a Reimbursement Report for Entertainment Expenses
To submit a reimbursement report for entertainment expenses, please refer to the following instructions:
There is one exception to these instructions:
- You do not need to select a preferred approver on the Payee Info page
- You will just need to select your home department from the 'Home Department' drop-down list
- If you are not certain about what home department to select, click the 'this home department names resource' link