Office of
Business and Finance

Office Hours Summary (FY25)

peterson.265@osu.edu | January 11, 2025

To learn more go to Join Office Hours article.

For a summary of previous Office Hours content, select applicable month for FY25.  

DECEMBER 2025

Travel Updates & Reminders

  • Non-Resident Aliens (NRA) Reimbursements.  NRA reimbursements must be processed through a Supplier Invoice Request in Workday.  Refer to the NRA Travel Reimbursement job aid for guidance.
  • Travel Documentation updates for travel to UK effective January 8, 2025.  Refer to Gov.UK for more details.  Travelers should verify travel documentation requirements through Travisa.
  • Reminder for interanion vehicle rental to purchase the university's required insurances that are not included in the rate, along with any regional requirements.  To reduce risk, consider local modes of transportation in lieu of vehicle rental (e.g., rideshare/taxi, train, bus).
  • Reminder that access to a cash advance is limited to Travel Policy eligibility.  Be sure to reconcile the cash advance within 30 days of trip return.

PCard Updates & Reminders

  • Access to the Credit Card Transaction-OSU report in Workday is limited to the Expense Analyst and Expense Data Entry Specialist roles.
  • Reminder to monitor your transactions and PCard statement for fraud.  Dispute eligibility is limited to 60 days from the statement date.

Expense Updates & Reminders

  • Reminder to carefully consider expense item selections for the Spend Authorization and Expense Report that will ensure appropriate attributes/fields will be trigger for entry.  This content is used in downstream reporting.
    • Coming soon, expense item descriptions to assist with selection.
NOVEMBER 2025

Travel Updates & Reminders

  • Van Rental Reservations should be made early (at least 2 weeks for use); allow additional time for peak reservation periods (e.g., Spring break and summer months).
  • Reminder that Blanket Spend Authorizations are limited to transportation expenses ONLY; one per fiscal year per individual.
  • Reminder for ground transportation expense item updates: 
    • Use 'Ride Share/Taxi' (was Ground Transportation)
    • Use 'Other Ground Transportation' for train, ferry, bus, et al (was Ground Transportation)

PCard Updates & Reminders

  • Reminder for PCard Maintenance Request:  The "on behalf of" field is only filled in when the Maintenance Request is being submitted on behalf of the PCardholder.
  • Reminder to plan with PCard Application Requests for new PCards.  After Workday approvals and upon receipt by the PCard Office, a new PCard may take up to 10 business days for arrival.  Plan accordingly for use with travel.

Expense Updates & Reminders

  • Prepare for aged transaction clean-up through EIB - Fall 2024:  (1) Miscellaneous Payments in "draft" or "in progress" status for more than 365 days.  (2) Non-Travel Reimbursement Expense Reports in "draft" or "in progress" status for more than 365 days.   Process to cancel those left in "draft" or "in progress" status for more than 365 days is scheduled for December 1, 2024.
OCTOBER 2025

Travel Updates & Reminders

  • Travel Policy interim changes effective October 1, 2024.
    • Payment of travel expenses for children is permitted when traveling for university business for research 6 months or more.  See Travel Policy and FAQs for eligibility criteria and other processing requirements.
    • Reimbursement of temporary childcare costs is permitted when traveling for university business to a conference for 5 consecutive days (excluding travel days).  See Travel Policy and FAQs for eligibility criteria and other processing requirements.
  • CTP/Concur airfare PCard replaced.  For airfare reimbursement, note that x2864 (replaces x1329) is the university PCard for airfare and is not eligible for reimbursement.
  • Rental Car contract rates with Enterprise, Hertz and National increased on October 19, 2024.  Refer to the Business Rental Summary at Travel Website for details.
  • CONUS rates for per diem were updated in Workday for the period of October 2024 through September 2025.  Refer to the GSA for details.
  • Reminder to refer to the ECM job aid when creating a new External Committee Member (ECM).  Avoid duplication, select the correct membership type and effective/term dates.

PCard Updates & Reminders

  • Notifications updates for PCard Application and Maintenance Requests are issued from Workday when PCard is ordered or maintenance is complete.  A separate notification is issued from PCard@osu.edu for PCard pick-up instructions.
  • Reminder to process PCard transactions on an Expense Report through approval in a timely manner (7 business days from transaction load date). PCards are subject to suspension for delinquent transactions.

Expense Updates & Reminders

  • Prepare for aged transaction clean-up through EIB - Fall 2024:  (1) Miscellaneous Payments in "draft" or "in progress" status for more than 365 days.  (2) Non-Travel Reimbursement Expense Reports in "draft" or "in progress" status for more than 365 days. 
SEPTEMBER 2025

Travel Updates & Reminders

  • Rental Car contract rates with Enterprise, Hertz and National schedule to increase in October 2024.  Refer to the Business Rental Summary at Travel Website for details.
  • New Global Travel Assistance and Insurance available September 15, 2024.  Refer to Office of International Affairs website for more details.
  • Workday Reminders:
    • Spend Authorizations that have been closed or cancelled cannot be restored to previous (active) status.  (1) Cancel occurs before Spend Authorization approval (indicates trip was not approve, no expenses incurred and trip will not be taken.  (2) Close occurs after Spend Authorization has been approved, trip is complete and all related expenses are reconciled/approved on an Expense Report.  
    • Itemization in an Expense Report should only be applied for per diem or split funding.
    • Cost Center Managers approve Expenses Reports when (1) The Expense Report is not linked to a Spend Authorization. (2) The worktags are different than a linked Spend Authorization. (3) The Expense Report is >20% of a linked Spend Authorization. (4) The worktags are used for Health System or OSUP.

PCard Updates & Reminders

  • New reports available for PCard Application and Maintenance Requests:  (1) My Requests returns all of the PCard Application/Maintenance Requests that the user submitted as self. (2) Requests Submitted on My Behalf returns all of the PCard Application/Maintenance Requests submitted on behalf of the user. 
  • Reminder that requests for PCard "holds" are limited 1-2 weeks to prevent fraud or unauthorized use of PCard while the PCardholder is on temporary leave.

Expense Updates & Reminders

  • Prepare for aged transaction clean-up through EIB - Fall 2024:  (1) Miscellaneous Payments in "draft" or "in progress" status for more than 365 days.  (2) Non-Travel Reimbursement Expense Reports in "draft" or "in progress" status for more than 365 days. 
  • Reminder that the Amazon Business Account is limited to business purchases only (personal use is prohibited).  Requisitioner access for making purchases must be established by the unit's Amazon Business Account Administrator.
AUGUST 2025

Travel Updates & Reminders

  • Update to Concur Profile Requirements include mobile phone and Country Calling Code.
  • Southwest Airlines announced upcoming seat assignment in 2025; no open seating
  • Tips to Plan Business Travel (see Travel Website)
  • Reminder to reconcile Cash Advances with 30 days of trip return.  Refer to Travel Policy for eligibility and deadline for reconciliation.  Refer to Cash Advance Process job for reconciliation guidance.

PCard Updates & Reminders

Expense Updates & Reminders

  • Miscellaneous Payment Training Curriculum launched.  Refer to BuckeyeLearn to complete both modules.
  • Refer to the Procuring Goods and Services job aid for procurement options that should be prioritized over the use of personal resources.
JULY 2025

Travel Updates & Reminders

  • Updates to Expense Items and Spend Categories
    • New Travel Expense Item 
      • Ride Share/Taxi (was Ground Transportation)
      • Other Ground Transportation (was Ground Transportation)
      • Agency Service Fee (was Travel Booking Service Fee)
    • Spend Category Inactivation
      • Professional Services - Travel Facilitation (SC10666)
      • Transportation Not Chartered (SC10667)
  • Reminder to secure an approved Spend Authorization before purchasing travel expenses (e.g., airfare on the OSU Airfare Credit Card with contracted agency)

PCard Updates & Reminders

  • PCard Application and Maintenance Forms moving into Workday (coming August 2024)
  • Lost/Stolen PCard must be report to the bank immediately to maintain dispute rights.
    • Dispute Forms must be submitted no later than 60 days from the statement in which the disputed transaction is posted and must be attached to the Expense Report for that transaction.

Expense Updates & Reminders

  • Introducing the Expense Website for Non-Travel Reimbursements and Miscellaneous Payments.
  • Reminder that Header Memo Field content entered on the Miscellaneous Payment Request will not print on check.
Tags: Travel, PCard, Expense