Reimbursement (Non-Travel) Process: Tips and Tricks

Reimbursement to employees for purchases made with personal resources is not a standard purchasing method but may be permitted in rare circumstances.

Refer to the Procuring Goods and Services job aid in the ARC for procurement options that should be prioritized over use of personal resources when possible.

Reimbursement for business-related expenses is governed by university policies and procedures to ensure fiscal responsibility, compliance with procurement guidelines, and accurate financial reporting. Refer to the following links for related resources:

Process

Following this process should only occur when other purchasing options are not available.

* Purchases made with personal resources without consideration of the university’s approved procurement methods and policies may be denied reimbursement.

** Expense Reports submitted in Workday route for approval based on worktag hierarchy and when applicable, by defined criteria, such as special approval categories or high‑risk dollar thresholds.

Frequently Asked Questions

See Expense FAQ.

Roles

Business Role	Business Responsibilities	Security Roles
Payee (Employee)	Submit the applicable Expense Report in a timely manner. This responsibility may be completed by the Expense Data Entry Specialist, as applicable. Ensure that the justification in the Expense Report clearly describes the business purpose and is supported by itemized receipts and required documentation. Monitor Expense Report through approval and payment. Comply with all applicable University policies, procedures, and guidelines.	Employee as self
Expense Data Entry Specialist (EDES)	Submit the applicable Expense Report on behalf of the payee in a timely manner. Ensure that the justification in the Expense Report clearly describes the business purpose and is supported by itemized receipts and required documentation. Monitor Expense Report through approval and payment. Comply with all applicable University policies, procedures, and guidelines.	Expense Data Entry Specialist – if initiating an Expense Report on behalf of someone else Expense Analyst
Cost Center Manager	Approve all Expense Reports (non‑grant funded) that are not linked to a Spend Authorization. Ensure that Expense Reports have an appropriate business purpose, are within budget, and comply with the parameters of all applicable policies.	Cost Center Manager
Grant Manager	Approve all grant funded Expense Reports that are not linked to a Spend Authorization. Ensure that Expense Reports have an appropriate business purpose, are within budget, and comply with the parameters of all applicable policies.	Grant Manger
Travel, PCard & Expense Team	Monitor Expense Reports through approval.	As applicable
Special or Ad Hoc Approver	Approve applicable Expense Reports as required by specific expense items or when routed ad hoc by other business process approvers. Ensure that Expense Reports have an appropriate business purpose, are within budget, and comply with the parameters of all applicable policies.	As applicable
Executive Approver	Approve applicable Expense Reports as required based on the Expense Report payee’s title. Ensure that all Expense Reports have an appropriate business purpose, are within budget, and comply with the parameters of all applicable University policies.	As applicable
Service Center Rep & Lead (UNIV/OSP)	Business/Grant Service Center Rep approves Expense Reports for accuracy and compliance with university policies and take appropriate action, including approval, editing, or sending the Expense Report back for revision (not applicable to Health System Expense Reports). This responsibility will be completed by the Business/Grant Service Center Lead when the Expense Report total is >$2,000 or high risk.	Business Operations Center Rep Business Operations Center Lead Grant Operations Center Rep Grant Operations Center Lead

Reports

The following reports can be used to provide oversight and perform analytics on Expense Reports. Reports can be scheduled to automatically run within Workday and notifications can be set to alert users that the report is available in Workday.

Key Reports	Description	Supports Process Steps
Find Expense Report Summary – OSU	This report provides Expense Report summary information such as Payee, Business Purpose, Reimbursement Amount, and Business Process information. This report returns one line per unique Expense Report.	Workday Expense Reports
Find Expense Report Details – OSU	This report provides detailed Expense Report information from Expense Report lines and itemizations including funding details and expense item. This report returns one line for each unique Expense Report line or itemization. Expense Reports with no lines entered will not populate on this report.	Workday Expense Reports
Expense Report Exceptions	This report returns approved Expense Reports that include either a Workday Validation Error or Warning (Policy Alert) or have a comment in the “Exception Reason (policy exception comments only)” field.	Workday Expense Reports

Full Inventory of Operational Reports - view the Expenses/Travel reports tab

Training and Practice Aides

Resource Type	Resource Name	Resource Description
Job Aid (ARC)	Procuring Goods and Services	This job aid is intended to inform users of standard methods used to procure goods and services.
Job Aid (ARC)	Create an Expense Report (Non-Travel)	This job aid contains instructions on creating an Expense Report to reimburse non-travel expenses.
Office Hours	Travel, PCard and Expense Office Hours	News and Updates Stay informed on system enhancements, policy changes, and supplier‑related updates. Workday Process Demonstrations Learn how to complete key Travel, PCard, and Expense processes in Workday through guided demonstrations. Live Support and Guidance Chat directly with the Travel, PCard, and Expense team to ask questions and receive support with policy interpretation or system navigation. Offered the 2^nd Tuesday of every month from 10-11:30 a.m. Visit Expense Website to join from the News Article.

Resource Type

Resource Name

Resource Description

Job Aid (ARC)

Procuring Goods and Services

This job aid is intended to inform users of standard methods used to procure goods and services.

Job Aid (ARC)

Create an Expense Report (Non-Travel)

This job aid contains instructions on creating an Expense Report to reimburse non-travel expenses.

Office Hours

Travel, PCard and Expense Office Hours

News and Updates
Stay informed on system enhancements, policy changes, and supplier‑related updates.
Workday Process Demonstrations
Learn how to complete key Travel, PCard, and Expense processes in Workday through guided demonstrations.
Live Support and Guidance
Chat directly with the Travel, PCard, and Expense team to ask questions and receive support with policy interpretation or system navigation.

Offered the 2^nd Tuesday of every month from 10-11:30 a.m. Visit Expense Website to join from the News Article.

Contacts

For general support, please contact your college or department administrative support team, Service Center support team, and/or your Fiscal support team.

For additional assistance and inquiries, please contact the Travel, PCard & Expense Team at 614.292.9290 or expense@osu.edu.