Government Department Reimbursement Procedures
Expenditures for research, conference travel, or other allowable expenses may be reimbursable
as Georgetown University business expenses. Please pay special attention to the following rules
when requesting reimbursements. The rules may appear cumbersome and bureaucratic. But the
more you follow the rules, the easier it will be to process your request, and the sooner you will
be paid. Full policy disclosures can be found on the Financial Affairs web site:
http://financialaffairs.georgetown.edu/policytc.html
ALLOWABLE EXPENSES:
 Typical allowable research expenses are: books, supplies, professional memberships
and subscriptions, registration fees, transportation (air, car, train, bus, cabs, subway,
parking), lodging (hotel, motel, inn, or hostel), and meals.
 Not all expenditures are reimbursable. Examples of unallowable expenses include
first-class travel, cellular phones and computer purchases. Please ensure that your claims
for reimbursement are consistent with the list of allowable university expenditures. This
list is not exhaustive and there are allowable expenses not covered in it.
 Paying directly through Georgetown. Some expenses can be paid directly by
Georgetown so you do not need to pay up front and then seek reimbursement.
o For example, usage of the Georgetown Travel Online (travel.georgetown.edu)
system means that you can charge your business travel expenses directly to your
funding source (just make sure to forward the itinerary and explanation to the
financial administrator for reconciliation purposes) AND receive the automatic
benefit of being registered with the International SOS system for emergency
medical assistance and security services if traveling abroad.
o Also, if you intend to use your funds for academic services such as indexing, etc.,
you can route the payment request through the department as opposed to paying
for the services yourself and then seeking reimbursement. Some services may
require a contract first, so it is important that you check with staff before making
any commitments using Georgetown funds.
 Reimbursement of expenses for spouses, other family members, or friends while
accompanying an employee on University travel or at business meals are NOT allowed.
MEMORANDUM:
 All reimbursements must be accompanied by a signed memo indicating the business
purpose of the expense(s).
 BUSINESS PURPOSE: For each receipt, a precise explanation of the activity and its
purpose must be included. The explanation must answer the questions of who, what,
when, where and why. For example, this may include listing origin and destination for
any transportation receipts and including the name of all participants at a business lunch
and the subjects discussed.
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COST BREAKDOWN: Memos must include an itemized list of the costs, broken
down by category (lodging, meals, cabs/parking/subway, airfare, registration, books,
supplies, memberships, subscriptions). You can use the department’s cost breakdown
spreadsheet to list your expenses or include the list in the memo.
FUNDING SOURCE: Please indicate if you are seeking reimbursement from a
particular account or source of funding. If your reimbursement comes from a nonGOVT funding source, you will need to submit your reimbursement to the appropriate
department; we cannot process reimbursements from other department accounts.
RECEIPTS:
 Georgetown University requires original and detailed receipts. If you lose the original
receipts, you must submit copies with an explanatory memorandum. For credit card
purchases, you may also submit a copy of your statement listing the charge if a receipt
is not available or lost.
 All receipts must show the proof of transaction information: payment amount, payment
method and date. Payment method is often indicated by the last 4 digits of the credit
card used. In some cases, this will result in a double receipt- one with the itemized list,
and one proving payment, often with signature. Email confirmations do not constitute as
receipts unless the above information is provided. You may be required to submit a copy
of your credit card statement if the payment method is not listed on the receipt.
 All original receipts must be taped on 8.5” x 11” sheets of paper. Receipts that are
loose, paper-clipped, or stapled will not be accepted. Please tape receipts to only one
side of the page, being careful NOT to tape over writing on the receipt. Please organize
the receipts according to the category. For example, do not tape taxi receipts with meal
receipts on the same sheet of paper.
RECEIPTS – ADDITIONAL RULES:
 TRAVEL: Airfare and train reimbursements require that you keep and submit all
original boarding passes and original purchase receipts as evidence that travel has
actually taken place.
 MEALS: Receipts for meals must be itemized. You must submit both the itemized list
of food and drink and the cash or credit card receipt, plus a list of all attendees and
statement of the purpose of the meal. Only the ITEMIZED RECEIPT for meals will
be accepted, receipts with the total only will not be honored.
 MILEAGE: If you are seeking reimbursement for business mileage use of your
personal vehicle, please note that as of January 1, 2014, reimbursement rate for this
cost is 56 cents per mile. You will also need to include a printed out map evidencing
the distance in miles traveled. Please note that this rate is inclusive of gas. Gas
expenses are only permitted for rental cars.
 FOREIGN CURRENCIES AND LANGUAGES: Receipts in non-U.S. currency must
indicate the type of currency and date of the transaction. Please list the amounts in the
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foreign currency on the memo. We will calculate the U.S. currency amounts using the
exchange rate on the date of the transaction. If the receipt is not in English, write a brief
translation of the item/service on the receipt.
SALES TAX: Sales tax will not be reimbursed on purchases if those purchases could
have been made through other Georgetown University processes. For example, tax will
not be reimbursed on the purchase of personal office supplies at a retail store. We will
provide a copy of the University’s Tax Exemption Certificate so that you avoid paying
sales taxes on your expenses.
CONFERENCE TRAVEL:
 All reimbursement requests for Departmental funding of conference travel must be
accompanied by the Conference Travel Reimbursement Request Form, along with the
documentation listed on the form (abstract of Paper or Poster presented and breakdown
of costs incurred). Pending continued availability of funds, maximum allowed for the
year is $1,200 per faculty member.
 Please note that the Department can only reimburse for the following types of conference
related expenses: transportation, accommodations and registration fees. However you
may use your research account to cover any other related business expenses (for example
meals) and/or any overages beyond the amount the Department provides.
SUBMISSION: Submit receipts, memos, and other required documentation to Mihaela David,
Administrative Coordinator, within 30 days of the expense or return from travel (exceptions may
be granted upon request). Mihaela David is available to answer questions related to
reimbursements. She can be reached at md573@georgetown.edu or (202) 687-5198.
Reimbursement requests not adhering to above policy will be returned and significant
delays may result. Providing that all necessary documentation is submitted properly,
please allow 2 weeks from submission for payment to be processed.
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