Fayetteville Policies and Procedures 332.1
Agent Advance
Policy
Agent advances may only be used for University-supported activities and programs requiring special payments outside of the normal procurement process.
Procedures
Each of the required forms may be found on the Controller’s Office website.
Establish an Agent Account
An employee must sign an Agent Agreement form to act as an agent of the University.
This form supplies the necessary agent information and includes the terms of the advance.
It is not necessary to complete this form more than once.
An accounts receivable cost center number will be assigned to each new agent. Notification
of this cost center number will be sent to the agent and the contact person. Once
this accounts receivable cost center number is established, it will remain unchanged
until either the agent submits a request to close it, or the agent terminates employment.
Request the Agent Advance
Submit the completed Agent Request for Advance form to the Controller’s Office, ADMN
316. To ensure the availability of funds, submit the request at least five working
days prior to the activity.
Notify the Controller’s Office if the dates of the activity indicated on this form
are changed. The due date of the Expenditure Report is based on these dates.
If the timeframe of the activity exceeds 6 months, an expenditure report must be completed
for the work to date for each 3 month period, or at June 30, as deemed necessary by
the Controller’s Office.
The agent is deemed to be personally responsible to the University for the amount
of the advance until such time as the money is returned and/or the Controller’s Office
received an acceptable Expenditure Report.
Complete/Submit the Expenditure Report
The agent must file the final Expenditure Report with the Controller’s Office no later
than thirty days after the completion of the approved activity.
Return of excess funds
In the event that the original agent advance was greater than the expense total, the
agent must remit the difference to the Cashier’s Office, 101 Silas Hunt Hall. When completing
the deposit transmittal, the agent should use the accounts receivable cost center number,
the account number 00130010, and the category AcctsRec. Submit a copy of the deposit
receipt with the Expenditure Report form.
Reimbursement of personal funds expended
In the event that the original agent advance was not great enough to cover all expenses,
a refund check for the difference will be generated payable to the agent.
Receipts
The original receipts should be attached to the Expenditure Report. In the event that
a receipt is lost, the agent or participant involved should complete the Affidavit of Lost Receipt form.
Meal per diem
In cases where students or other members of the group are given a daily allowance
to cover meals, the agent should prepare a listing of the name and ssn of each participant
and the amount received by each participant (including the date and particular meal(s) paid).
Each recipient must sign the list for the amount received, which will serve as a receipt
to be included with the agent’s Expenditure Report.
Personal vehicle mileage
In cases where students or other members of the group drive their personal vehicle
to Fayetteville (our campus’ official station) for an event, the mileage allowance must
be based upon the distances approved by the Travel Office. A statement, acting as
a receipt and included with the agent’s Expenditure Report, should be prepared listing each driver, the city point of origin, the vehicle license
plate number, and the amount claimed. Each driver should sign signifying receipt of
those amounts.
Incomplete Reports
The agent will be contacted if the Expenditure Report is incomplete or if the information
is not sufficient to make proper accounting determinations.
Canceled Trips
In the event a trip is canceled, the advance check should be returned or repaid to the Cashier’s Office within five days. Departments should notify the Controller’s Office of a canceled trip.
Payroll Deduction
The University of Arkansas is authorized to withhold the full amount of any past due advance from any payment(s) due the agent, including payroll checks. If such a deduction occurs twice within twenty-four month period, the employee will not be eligible for agent advances for the next twenty-four month period.
Exceptions
Any exceptions to any provisions of this policy must be submitted in writing at least two weeks prior to the beginning of the trip and must be approved by the Associate Vice Chancellor for Finance.
Reformatted for Web May 28, 2014
Revised August 18, 2010
February 14, 2005