FINANCIAL SERVICES DIVISION
MEMORANDUM
To: Campus Community
From: Laura Kennedy, Associate Vice-President (Financial Services)
Date: June 7, 2011
Subject: Electronic Funds Transfer – Employee Reimbursements
The implementation of electronic funds transfer (EFT) was identified as a priority through the Service
and Process Enhancement Project (SPEP) at the University of Saskatchewan. The purpose of SPEP
was to develop recommendations for service and process enhancement while ensuring the most
effective and efficient use of resources at our university. Additional information regarding SPEP is
available at: http://www.usask.ca/spep/about/index.php
In Phase I, EFT was identified as a priority through initial assessment of university administrative
functions. It is now being pursued in Phase II, within one of three identified areas of focus.
The goal of the initiative is to implement electronic funds transfer as an efficient way to pay
reimbursements to staff and to process payments to selected vendors. Through the efforts of Mike
Sander, Director, Payroll and Payment Services, Financial Services Division (FSD), employee
reimbursements will be paid electronically effective June 15, 2011.
How will the new process work?
 Effective June 15, 2011, all reimbursements to staff will be electronically deposited to the same
bank account as their current payroll is deposited.
 Reimbursement claims will continue to be processed on Tuesdays and Fridays of each week.
Funds will automatically be deposited in employees’ bank accounts by the next business day (or
the following day depending on the employee’s financial institution).
 On the day of processing (i.e. Tuesday or Friday), employees will be notified via e-mail that a
payment will be deposited to their account, with details of the payment outlined in an attachment
to the e-mail.
What won’t change?
 Only the payment method is changing. All forms and approval requirements remain the same,
including: supporting documentation for travel claims / cheque requisitions, etc. must be
submitted for employee reimbursement claims. (Review and improvement of the travel claim
process is the subject of another SPEP initiative which will be undertaken within the next few
months).
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University of Saskatchewan
Financial Services Division
Financial Services Division
http://www.usask.ca/fsd
email: laura.kennedy@usask.ca
105 Administration Place
Phone 966-6627, Fax 966-8351
Campus Community
June 7, 2011
Page 2
Advantages of the EFT process:
 From a “customer service” perspective, this method is convenient for staff as they will no longer
have to visit the bank to deposit cheques. Also, staff will have a readily accessible record of
reimbursements and when they were processed, eliminating the need for them to track down
payments.
 From an overall university perspective, the EFT process is a sustainable alternative resulting in a
reduction of approximately 2,000 paper cheques per month. Staff within colleges / units may also
notice a reduction in terms of handling campus mail.
 From an FSD perspective, the new process will result in minimal savings of staff time (about two
hours a week), and staff efforts will turn to other processes / initiatives within the unit.
Next steps:
 Electronic funds transfer will be implemented on June 15, 2011 for all employee reimbursements.
 The process will be expanded to include qualifying vendors during the next few months. Not all
vendors will be paid through electronic funds transfer, as it takes time to establish the vendor bank
account set-up. Frequency of payments and availability of discounts for early payment are factors
that will be considered in determining which vendors to contact.
Should you have any questions regarding the EFT process, please contact Mike Sander by e-mail at:
mike.sander@usask.ca.
Regards,
c. Mike Sander, Director, Payroll and Payment Services
University of Saskatchewan
Financial Services Division
Financial Services Division
http://www.usask.ca/fsd
email: laura.kennedy@usask.ca
105 Administration Place
Phone 966-6627, Fax 966-8351