Payments

UCorp’s policy for gifts conforms to ICSUAM Section 1300.01. Gifts allowed under the Hospitality policy have a separate set of guidelines. Generally, gifts are presented when tradition, commonly accepted institutional practice, or social custom dictates gift giving.  To prevent the appearance of favoritism, gifts presented to a particular individual or entity shall be given infrequently, based on objective criteria.  Furthermore, no officer or employee should present a gift that appears to be offered because of the position held by the recipient.

Non-cash gifts may be allowed when a benefit to SF State or UCorp can be demonstrated, or if it helps UCorp meet its goal as a good community citizen.

Allowable Gifts and Gift Recipients

Gifts

• Promotional gifts, including tangible personal property bearing the logo of SF State, not exceeding $50 in value
• Gifts for appreciation or recognition of service to SF State or UCorp, including tickets to cultural event, non-negotiable gift certificates, mementos (such as plaques, watches, or items bearing the SF State logo), not exceeding $250 in value
• Incentives offered to study participants, not exceeding $75 per/participant, per/study.  Per/participant total cannot exceed $599 during any one calendar year
• Gifts to donors offered as an expression of sympathy, including flowers, candy, books, not exceeding $100 in value

Recipients

• Donors and potential donors
• Visiting dignitaries and scholars
• Volunteers (including students)
• Study participants
• Members of the local community
• SF State employees (see “Non-Cash Awards to Employees” below for specific criteria)

Disallowed Gifts and Gift Recipients

Disallowed Gifts

Awards that are considered taxable by the IRS are not allowed.  This list includes, but is not limited to:

• Gifts of cash
• Negotiable gift certificates
• Parking permits in excess of $175
• Transit passes in excess of $65
• Recreation memberships
• Season tickets to cultural or sporting events
• Work-related awards in excess of $400
• Tobacco or tobacco-related products

Disallowed Recipents

Gifts may NOT be given to:

• Any individual or organization associated either directly or indirectly with a political party, campaign, or candidate
• Any group engaged in an attempt to influence legislation, elections, or referenda
• Any person with whom a presenter has an outside business relationship, where a conflict of interest exists

Non-Cash Awards to Employees

Non-cash awards with a cost not exceeding $250 may be given to SF State’s academic and staff employees marking the following occasions:

• Length of Service: For service 5 years or greater, award may be given once every five years.  Award must be given at a meaningful ceremony, and not be determined by classification
• Work accomplishment: For “Employee of the Month (or Year)”, Distinguished Faculty Awards

Other Considerations:

• Awards must be occasional and infrequent, and selection must be made in accordance with an established process.
• No employee award may exceed $400 in value, under any circumstances.

Exceptions to the Hospitality Policy

• One-time exceptions to standard hospitality policies and rates may be addressed on page 3 of the hospitality form, “Authorization for Exception to the Hospitality Policy”.
• Exceptions include amounts that exceed the normal allowable rates, receipts submitted after 90 days, or any other exception that might have occurred.  All original (or certified) receipts must be attached to the package, and a justification for the exception must be clearly stated.
• The completed form must be submitted to the appropriate VP for approval.  (Note: the Provost also requires the Dean’s signature on the claim form.)   The form is then submitted to UCorp for further processing, including obtaining the signature of the CFO.  UCorp will only issue payment after all appropriate signatures are obtained.

Completing the Hospitality Form

• Chartfield: The Account Number for Hospitality is 660950. 
• Make Check Payable To: Complete as indicated
• Description of Activity: Be sure to complete all fields in this section, including the Business Purpose.
• Participants: If the event included 25 gift/award recipients or fewer, each recipient must be listed on the form.  The first three (3) may be listed on page 1 or 2, and the remaining participants can be listed on page 2 of the form.  If there are more than 25 recipients, state the exact number of participants on page 1- this is required information and the payment will not be processed without it.  If participants are part of a confidential study, see Study Participants policy.
• Certifications: The payee will sign as “Claimant”.  This signature is not required for direct payments to vendors; it is only required for reimbursements.  The Authorized Signature cannot be the same as, or a subordinate of, the Claimant.  This means that reimbursements to the Project Director must be signed by the Dean, and reimbursements to the Dean must be signed by the appropriate VP.
• Exceptions: See above.

This page was last updated on August 23, 2016.

The Check Request Form should be used for:

1. Direct payments to suppliers,
2. Reimbursements to individual for supplies and materials, or
3. Direct payments to companies for services when a purchase order is not required. Examples include but are not limited to utilities, photography, and space rental.

Check Requests cannot be used for hospitality, travel, or compensation for individuals.

For specific information about payments and reimbursements, please refer to UCorp’s Procurement Policy and General Payments Policy.

The Check Request form can be downloaded here.

Compensating Individuals

From time-to-time, or on a continuing basis, a Project Director may need to pay an individual to perform work for his or her program or project. The type of work the individual performs, the amount of direct supervision he or she receives, where the work is performed, and other factors will determine the method and the timetable for payment. UCorp follows IRS and California State regulations when making the determination if individual should be paid as an employee or independent contractor.

All work performed by an individual, whether an employee or an independent contractor, must be approved by UCorp- in writing- prior to commencement of work.

Recent changes in California’s employment guidelines have necessitated changes in which form of compensation will be used for each individual. If you are considering compensating an individual for time, expertise, or deliverables, you are urged to contact one of the UCorp staff below to discuss the options that are available.

The new guidelines will likely result in fewer individuals being deemed independent contractors and more individuals deemed employees. To address what UCorp anticipates will be an uptick in the number of individuals on the payroll, an abbreviated process has been established for employees who will be working one month or less. Please see “Limited Employment Agreement”.

Independent Contractors

An Independent Contractor (IC) is engaged in a distinct occupation, profession, business or trade not regularly part of UCorp's business; agrees to do a specific piece of work for an agreed upon fee; provides services to non-Ucorp clients; and supplies their own tools and work space. ICs are not eligible to participate directly or indirectly in UCorp benefit programs and the UCorp is not required to verify immigration status under Immigration Reform and Control Act provisions.

Once all documents are received and approved, the UCorp project will receive a confirmation email from UCorp. Typically, the approval process can take up to 2 weeks (10 business days) after complete and accurate documentation have been submitted to UCorp HR. Incomplete forms or waiver requests will result in delays.

After the UCorp receives the confirmation email, they must submit a requisition if necessary and work can commence.

Independent Contractor Status Determination Statement The ABC Test is used to help determine whether the individual who is performing the services is an Independent Contractor:

• a) The worker is free from the control and direction of the hiring entity in connection with the performance of the work and in fact; and
• b) The worker performs work that is outside the usual course of the hiring entity's business; and
• c) The worker is customarily engaged in an independently established trade, occupation, or business of the same nature as that involved in the work performed.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Do independent contractors have to resubmit the required forms every fiscal year?
  Yes. If UCorp intends to contract with the IC again in a different fiscal year, the IC must go through the approval process again
   
• Can the IC submit their homeowner's, renter's and/or personal medical insurance to meet the insurance requirements?
  No. An IC's homeowner's, renter's and/or personal medical insurance will not respond to a claim arising out of the IC's negligence. UCorp should not be collecting documents related to these types of personal insurance policies.
   
• When can service begin?
  Service can begin when the agreement has been fully executed.

Documentation Required for an Independent Contractor

• W-9 Form – This officially records the individual’s tax identification number.
• Evidence of insurance or an approved waiver of insurance.
• Scope of Work
• Resume, curriculum vitae, bio, or other documentation that provides evidence of payee’s qualifications to perform the contracted assignment.
• Fully approved agreement: Independent contractor agreement OR Short Term Service Agreement

Documentation Required for an Employee

• I-9 – This establishes the employee’s eligibility to work.
• W-4 – This records the employee’s tax identification number and number of withholding allowances.
• Fully approved hiring document: Special Consultant Request for Payment OR Employment Form and Position Description OR Limited Employment Agreement

UCorp Contacts

UCorp HR
ucorphr@sfsu.edu

Ricardo Angeles
Associate Director, Program Services
415-338-7141
angelesr@sfsu.edu

From time-to-time, the University Corporation will need to make payments to individuals who are not legal U.S. Residents or companies that are outside the United States.  When necessary, payments can be made via wire transfer.  All payments to non-U.S. residents and companies outside the United States must be approved by SF State’s Tax Specialist before payment can be released.There are no exceptions. 

UCorp should be contacted before a payment request is submitted for processing. The individual’s country of origin and visa status, or the company’s location, will determine what kind of documentation will be required.  As the requirements are subject to change, verify ahead-of-time with UCorp for all requests.

If you have further questions, please contact Ricardo Angeles at (415) 338-7141.

Scholarships and stipends both forms of non-employment student support. They differ from each other in important ways.

Scholarships

Scholarships are the most common type of student support processed at UCorp.  While completing the paperwork is relatively simple, the behind-the-scenes process is a little more complicated and may take several weeks to complete.  Scholarships are not issued to the students from UCorp directly; instead, SF State issues the payments to students, and UCorp is then invoiced by the University.

Scholarship forms should be submitted to UCorp as soon as the awardee is determined.  UCorp will review the form, approve the scholarship, and forward it to Financial Aid for processing if adequate funding is in place.  UCorp will contact the department if there are issues with funding.

Other terms of the scholarship, such as the required number of units or the minimum GPA, are reviewed by Financial Aid.  The department will be contacted by Financial Aid if the student does not qualify for the scholarship.  The department will be responsible for contacting UCorp to void the original submission if Financial Aid finds scholarship terms are not properly met.

Stipends

Stipends are payments issued to SF State students for class participation or general support to serve as aid in the pursuit of their studies.  Stipends are not compensation, and must not be used in lieu of wages.

Conditions

Stipends are not performance-based, and may not be adjusted or withdrawn as a result of performance.  However, stipends may be accompanied by certain terms and conditions which must be met.  Terms and conditions may include enrollment in a particular degree program or completion of a particular course.  These conditions must be outlined on the “Stipend Award” form.  It is the responsibility of the Project Director to contact UCorp if any of the terms and conditions of the stipend are not met, and if subsequent payments should be suspended.

In certain instances, the stipend recipient may be required to attend a course or perform certain activities as a condition of receiving the stipend.  These activities must have an educational benefit to the student, and SF State must not derive any benefits from the activities.

Procedure- Project Director

The Project Director or other authorized signer must complete a Stipend Appointment Form.  It is the Project Director’s responsibility to obtain the student’s signature.  Once the form has been signed by the student and an authorized signer, it should be forwarded to UCorp for processing.

Note:  A W-9 form must back up the Stipend Appointment Form if a stipend has not previously been awarded to the student through UCorp.  Recipients who are not legal US Residents must have their stipends approved by SF State’s Tax Specialist.  In those cases, additional documentation will be required.

Procedure- UCorp

When UCorp receives the signed Stipend Agreement Form, it is forwarded to Financial Aid for signature. Once all approvals are in place, the form is reviewed for cost allowability.

Stipends are issued monthly, approximately around the 15th of every month.  Students may pick their checks up at the Disbursement Desk located in Administration Building- ADM 358, or they may opt to have their checks mailed to them.

Reporting to the IRS

Stipends are considered taxable income, and will be reported to the IRS on an IRS Form 1099-MISC. 

Payments or Incentives Related to Participants in a Study

It is acceptable to offer small financial payments or other types of incentives (e.g., small toys, money orders, gift certificates or entry into a drawing) to research participants for participation in a study if the individual payments to participants will not exceed $75, and any recurring payments to individuals will not exceed $599 in any one year.

• The PI should request a cash advance by submitting a check request form that is approved with an attached memo indicating the name of the study, the amount to be given to each participant, the number of participants and the total amount requested.

• The form must also be accompanied by SFSU's Committee for the Protection of Human Subjects (CPHS) approval letter.

• PI's will not be held to the exact number of participants originally planned because the number may vary over the course of the study but if significant changes to the same size or a new sample population be necessary, the PI must receive approval by the CPHS for the study modification before proceeding further.

Participation incentives may be issued under the following guidelines:

• Participation incentives should not be less than $10^* and not exceed $75.

• Use of promotional items such as a key chain, coffee mug, calendar, or clothing as an incentive is encouraged.

• Alternatively, gift cards or certificates redeemable for a specific item of property or merchandise, may be used.

• The incentives will not be considered taxable income to the non-employee recipient if:

  • The value of promotional items does not exceed $50; and

  • It is infrequently provided to the individual.

• Active employees may not receive gift cards as a participation incentive.

Participant incentive payments, regardless of amount, awarded to students must be reported to Financial Aid per California Code of Regulations Title 5 §42500 (d). Additionally, participants that accrue $600 or more of incentive payments or other income must be reported to the IRS.

^*Gift certificates under $10 should not be purchased because under California law, gift cards or certificates with a face value of less than $10 is redeemable in cash (Civil Code §1749.5).

After the advance is approved and processed, a check would be made out to the PI who then cashes it and disburses the incentives to individual participants. In the event that the cash or gift cards are lost or stolen, the PI will be required to reimburse University Corporation for the loss.

The PI is responsible for maintaining a receipt system in order to reconcile the cash advance with payments made to participants. The PI must also maintain a tracking system of the individuals to ensure that no one individual receives a total of $599 or more in any one year.

These databases will need to be kept secure and indefinitely to allow for an audit of expenditures if required.

To settle the cash advance:

For a NON-CONFIDENTIAL study, a hospitality form will need to be completed that clearly indicates it is a cash advance settlement. The following documents will need to accompany this hospitality form:

• If the incentive was a gift card, the original receipt for the purchase of gift cards will also need to be submitted to University Corporation

• The Participant Incentive form that includes:

  • The participant's name

  • Participant's signature indicating receipt of the incentive

  • Date of the interview

  • Amount paid to the participant

For a Confidential study, a hospitality form will need to be completed that clearly indicates it is a cash advance settlement. The following documents will need to accompany the hospitality form:

• If the incentive was a gift card, the original receipt for the purchase of gift cards will also need to be submitted to University Corporation

• The Participant Incentive form that includes:

  • The participant's coded ID numbers, rather than the name and signature of the participant.
  • The amount paid to the participant
  • The date of the interview and the signatures of the person conducting the interview
  • An individual designated to provide program oversight that authorizes the disbursement of the incentive for completion of the survey.
    • This person can be the project director, research study manager or another individual which certifies that the incentive was given to the participant for completing the survey.
    • If the person, who receives the cash advance, is also monitoring the survey and/or is the project director, then the Dean will need to approve the list of participants by signing the certification clause at the top of the list.

If individual payments will exceed $75 or any recurring payments to individuals exceed a total of $599, the individual will need to submit a W-9 and be paid via University Corporation check.

Even though these incentives may be non-cash they are still considered a form of compensation. As such, each PI should consider if a research subject would feasibly receive more than $599 in compensation annually during a study or combination of studies.

If this is the case, then the PI would need to submit an Honorarium form to the University Corporation with the documents that accompanied the cash advance request, as well as the Participant Incentive form that documents their participation in the study. This needs to be accompanied by the individual's W-9 form. At the end of the year, the University Corporation will issue a 1099 or 1042-S to the individual.

Sometimes subcontracted services may be necessary for programs and projects.  Services can range from something as small as a few hours of consulting to something as large as a project lasting many months.  In any case, committing UCorp funds to subcontracted services requires UCorp’s signature on the contract.  There are no exceptions.  Contracts signed by anyone other than authorized UCorp personnel are not considered legally binding.

Contracts between UCorp and another entity should be forwarded to Ricardo Angeles for review. If adequate funding and/or insurance is in place, the contract will be forwarded to authorized UCorp personnel for review and approval.  UCorp will notify the department when the contract has been signed.

Purchase orders are required for contracts totaling $10,000 or more.  The signed contract is required as backup for the requisition, and should be uploaded in the “Edit Comments” section.  When the requisition is approved, the purchase order will be dispatched.

Revolving Petty Cash Funds

REVOLVING PETTY CASH: Petty Cash is kept permanently within the department and is replenished when those funds run low

NON-REVOLVING PETTY CASH (Short-Term): Petty Cash is requested on as-needed basis. After purchases are made, receipts and any unused cash is turned in to settle the outstanding advance.

Revolving Petty Cash Funds

Revolving Petty Cash Funds are established for the purpose of allowing purchases of small amounts to be made with the least inconvenience.  These funds are the responsibility of their custodian, who must keep the funds in a locked and secured location.  Expenditures must benefit the program or project being charged, and must comply with all other UCorp policies.  Petty Cash Funds are not to be used to circumvent the regular purchasing process.  The petty cash custodian must advise others in his/her area of petty cash restrictions and regulations prior to authorizing any individual to make a purchase.

Short-Term Petty Cash Advances

Short-Term Petty Cash Advances may also be utilized for other purposes including: 1) special events when change must be available, or 2) when an employee needs to make a purchase and does not have a procurement card. 

How to Request a Petty Cash Advance

Petty Cash Advances up to $100 are to be submitted on a Check Request Form with the “Advance” box checked on the form, and must include Claimant and Authorized signatures.   No additional backup is needed.  Petty Cash Advances for amounts greater than $100 must be backed up with a memo describing what the advance is for, and must include Claimant and Dean (or AVP) signatures.

Use the chartfield that most closely defines what most of the anticipated purchases will be.  The account most commonly used for petty cash requests is 660003 – Supplies & Service.

How to Replenish Revolving Petty Cash

After purchases have been made, original or certified receipts must be submitted to the University Corporation with a new Check Request Form.  The Check Request Form will be used as a cover sheet for the settlement.  Check the “Settlement” box on the form, and indicate the Amount Due. (The cash-on-hand plus the receipts submitted should always equal the amount of the original petty cash advance.)

The reconciling Check Request must be backed up with the appropriate payment requests and original or certified receipts.  For example, parking and bridge toll receipts should back up a Travel Claim, while receipts for coffee for the department office should back up a Hospitality Claim.  More than one purchase can back up a single claim, as long as the required information is clearly communicated.

Once the settlement has been processed and approved by UCorp, a replenishing check for the amount of the receipts submitted will be issued to the Petty Cash custodian for revolving funds only. 

How to Settle a Short-Term Petty Cash Advance

After the purchase(s) have been made, a reconciling payment request must be submitted to UCorp for processing.  It is rare that the receipts provided will precisely equal the amount of the advance.  If the total receipts are greater than the amount of the advance, request reimbursement for the difference.  If the total receipts are less than the amount of the advance, the difference must be refunded through the Bursar’s Office and credited to the fund the advance was issued from.  A copy of the deposit transmittal and Bursar’s Office receipt must be included with the expense settlement.

Timeline

Advances are issued during normal check runs, typically occurring on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  Allow one business week for processing.

All non-revolving one-time petty cash advances MUST be settled by fiscal year end and no later than 90 days if issued in the last month of the fiscal year. Another non-revolving petty cash fund must be established in the month of July when the new fiscal year opens.

Revolving petty cash DOES NOT need to be settled at Fiscal Year End. Revolving petty cash fund should be replenished on a regular basis when the balance is low.

Change in Project Director

Any revolving petty cash advance must be settled prior to any change in Project Director or designee or Project Director leaving the university and a new revolving petty cash opened in the name of new custodian.