60 Day Rule FAQs

Contact: Controller's Office, (205) 996-1277

Q: What type of reimbursements does the "60 Day Rule" apply to?

A: The 60 day rule applies to travel reimbursements.

Q: How does this rule work?

A: The travel reimbursements that are to be paid through Accounts Payable via a Payment Request must be filed within 60 days of the date that the travel expenses were incurred.

Q: Can a travel request be approved for payment through Accounts Payable via the payment request form if it is submitted after the 60 day period?

A: No. Travel requests after 60 days must be submitted on the ACT form. Please see the Payroll Services website for more details for payments for non-accountable travel.

Q: Are there any exceptions to the 60-day rule?

A: If the traveler submitted their receipts to the department within the 60-day time period, but the reimbursement was not processed due to departmental oversight, a memo signed by the Department Chair and School Dean indicating why the oversight occurred and what actions have been taken so that it won't happen again can be faxed into Optidoc as supporting documentation. With this additional information, the payment can still be made through Accounts Payable. Read an approved signature listing of the people that can sign travel requests after 60 days.

Q: What additional approvals are needed when processing a travel request after the 60 day time period that is made through Payroll?

A: Approval by the applicable Dean (if payment is by a school), Hospital Finance (if payment is by the Hospital), or the Executive (if payment is by neither a school nor Hospital) must be submitted to Payroll Services. The payment is processed as a non-accountable travel nonrecurring element in Oracle on an ACT document.

Q: Is there an approved signature listing of those people that can sign travel requests after 60 days?

A: Yes; see the approved signature listing.