Shared Services Frequently Asked Questions

Payments to Faculty and Staff
•  What can I be reimbursed for?
•  Do I need original receipts?
•  What do I do if I have lost my receipts?  Can I still be reimbursed?
•  What is the current mileage rate?
•  May I pay for services out of pocket and get reimbursed by the College?
•  My co-worker is ill and the office wants to send flowers, may I?
•  How do I request a cash advance? 
•  I am traveling to a foreign country and will be riding on buses, in taxis and eating from small establishments, many of which do not offer receipts.  What do I do for reimbursement?
•  I need special clothing for my research project, is that allowable? 
•  I have funds through the Dean of Faculty’s office, how do I gain access to the funds?
•  How do I review my project expenses?
•  Who has access to my project numbers?
•  When are checks printed?
•  If I send an invoice to A/P on Monday will the check be included in that Thursday’s check run?

Payments to Students
•  How do I request a check to pay to a student?
•  Are there any special rules I need to follow if I am requesting a check for an international student?
•  When are checks printed?
•  If I send an invoice to A/P on Monday will the check be included in that Thursday’s check run?

Payments to Vendors
•  Who should I contact if I have a question regarding a payment?
•  Can I include a registration form in the envelope with the check?
•  What if I need a check to a vendor to be picked up or returned to me?
•  What if I would like a description written on the check to explain what is being paid?
•  What do I do with a credit invoice?
•  I need to pay a speaker who is from another country, are there any special forms I need to complete?
•  We would like to reimburse a volunteer for purchasing some items for a College sponsored event, what form should we use?
•  Is the College required to pay sales tax on its purchases?
•  How do I notify a vendor that the College is exempt from Massachusetts sales tax?
•  What do I do if Massachusetts sales tax is charged on a purchase?
•  Is the College exempt from paying sales tax in any other state besides Massachusetts?
•  What payments are subject to the Massachusetts performer’s tax?
•  Who is considered a performer? 
•  Can a performer be exempt from the performer’s tax?
•  When are checks printed?
•  If I send an invoice to A/P on Monday will the check be included in that Thursday’s check run?

Purchasing Card
•  Who can get a purchasing card?
•  Can the purchasing card be used for travel or at a restaurant?
•  What can the purchasing card be used for?
•  When are Accounting Code Detail reports due to Accounts Payable?

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Payments to Faculty and Staff
•  What can I be reimbursed for?
You may be reimbursed for valid and reasonable College business expenses, ie: business lunch meetings, travel to a conference, research supplies.  Please refer to the Accounts Payable policy for more information.

•  Do I need original receipts?
Yes, we require original receipts. Refer to Accounts Payable policy.

•  What do I do if I have lost my receipts?  Can I still be reimbursed?
Please make every effort to retain your receipts.  If you have lost a receipt please contact Joanne Thornton at Ext. 2803 to discuss the matter.

•  What is the current mileage rate?
Please refer to the travel and expense report.

•  May I pay for services out of pocket and get reimbursed by the College?
No, due to tax reporting obligations, the College must make all payments directly to a service provider. 

•  My co-worker is ill and the office wants to send flowers, may I? 
Gifts, floral arrangements and fruit baskets are generally not considered a valid business expense and cannot be paid for by the College. Please refer to the Accounts Payable policy. It is appropriate for an office to take up a collection to pay for them directly.

•  How do I request a cash advance?
Complete the cash advance request form and submit to Shared Services.

•  I am traveling to a foreign country and will be riding on buses, in taxis and eating from small establishments, many of which do not offer receipts.  What do I do for reimbursement? 
Please make every effort to get receipts wherever possible.  When a receipt is not available in a foreign country, please keep a log of your expenses and include it with the receipts received.

•  I need special clothing for my research project, is that allowable?
It depends on whether the clothing can be worn every day or if it is a specialized item that can only be used for your research. Every day clothing is not reimbursable.  An example of specialized clothing is a pair of gators used to cover your legs to avoid snake bites while in the jungle.

•  I have funds through the Dean of Faculty’s office, how do I gain access to the funds?
Funds are assigned specific project numbers by the Controller’s Office.  You will be given access to those numbers via the online Financial Reporting Suite.

•  How do I review my project expenses?
Project expenses are available via the web.  You will be given access to your project numbers when the award is set up.  You can access your account(s) via the online Financial Reporting Suite.

•  Who has access to my project numbers?
Project number access is given to you, the Dean of Faculty’s Office, and the Controller’s Office. Academic Coordinators may also have authorization if you send permission in writing to Kiku Ichihara in the Controller’s Office.

•  When are checks printed? 
Per office policy, checks are issued each Thursday during a standard operating week. This schedule may be modified when necessary for business weeks containing a holiday or other events.

•  If I send an invoice to A/P on Monday will the check be included in that Thursday’s check run?
The office strives to include all invoices received by our office that are currently due into the check run, however the timing of the receipt of invoices, volume of invoices received in any given week and staffing levels may prevent this at times. Therefore, the receipt of an invoice to our office prior to a check run does not guarantee its inclusion in that specific week's run. For that reason it is advised that invoices are approved and sent to the office as far in advance of their due date as possible. 

 

Payments to Students
•  How do I request a check to pay to a student?  
Complete a Request for Student Payment form and send it to Accounts Payable Box 2221.

•  Are there any special rules I need to follow if I am requesting a check for an international student? 
Yes, payments to international students are subject to unique federal income tax reporting and withholding rules and vary depending on the type of payment being made.  For details on requirements, please follow the procedures in Fellowships and Grants, or Prizes and Award for the specific payment you are making.

•  When are checks printed? 
Per office policy, checks are issued each Thursday during a standard operating week. This schedule may be modified when necessary for business weeks containing a holiday or other events.

•  If I send an invoice to A/P on Monday will the check be included in that Thursday’s check run?
The office strives to include all invoices received by our office that are currently due into the check run, however the timing of the receipt of invoices, volume of invoices received in any given week and staffing levels may prevent this at times. Therefore, the receipt of an invoice to our office prior to a check run does not guarantee its inclusion in that specific week's run. For that reason it is advised that invoices are approved and sent to the office as far in advance of their due date as possible.

 

Payments to Vendors
•  Who should I contact if I have a question regarding a payment?
See the who to ask table on our Accounts Payable homepage.

•  Can I include a registration form in the envelope with the check? 
Yes, paper clip any papers you would like to include with the check to the payment request.

•  What if I need a check to a vendor to be picked up or returned to me? 
In accordance with the Accounts Payable policy, all checks should be mailed to the vendor’s address.  Occasionally exceptions to this rule may be approved for legitimate business reasons.  Requests for special mailing instructions or pick-up must be clearly noted on the payment request.

•  What if I would like a description written on the check to explain what is being paid?   
A short description can be included on the check stub.  Please clearly mark your request and the description on the invoice.

•  What do I do with a credit invoice?  
A credit invoice should be submitted just like an invoice to be paid.

•  I need to pay a speaker who is from another country, are there any special forms I need to complete?
Yes, payments to non-U.S. citizens are subject to unique federal income tax reporting and withholding rules.  For details on the procedures the College is required to follow, please visit the Paying International Visitors for Performing Services page.

•  We would like to reimburse a volunteer for purchasing some items for a College sponsored event, what form should we use? 
You may use an Amherst College travel and expense report.  After the travel and expense report is approved, attach the original receipts/expense documentation and send to Accounts Payable at Box 2221.

•  Is the College required to pay sales tax on its purchases? 
No, as a Massachusetts tax exempt 501(c)3 organization, the College is exempt from paying Massachusetts sales tax on purchases.

•  How do I notify a vendor that the College is exempt from Massachusetts sales tax?
The purchaser should provide the vendor with the College’s Form ST-5, Sales Tax Exempt Purchaser Certificate and a copy of Form ST-2, Certificate of Exemption. Contact Jim Czelusniak in the Controller’s Office for a copy of these forms.

•  What do I do if Massachusetts sales tax is charged on a purchase?
It is the responsibility of the purchaser to notify the vendor at the time of purchase that the College is tax exempt.  If tax is charged, the purchaser should notify the vendor and request a refund.

•  Is the College exempt from paying sales tax in any other state besides Massachusetts? 
Yes, the College has applied for exemption in states where purchases are made on a regular basis.  Contact Jim Czelusniak in the Controller’s Office for information on a particular state.

•  What payments are subject to the Massachusetts performer’s tax?
A payment to a performer that exceeds $5,000 AND the cost of the entire event exceeds $10,000 is subject to the performer’s tax. See Massachusetts Tax Withholding on Payments to Performers for more information.

•  Who is considered a performer? 
A performer includes a business or person that provides any of the following service; competing, demonstrating, exhibiting, entertaining or educating an audience, making a public appearance, or endorsing merchandise. 

•  Can a performer be exempt from the performer’s tax? 
Yes, if eligible, a performer can file a form PWH-WW to claim exemption or form PWH-RW to reduce the taxable amount.  It is the performer’s responsibility to complete the form and file it with the Massachusetts Department of Revenue at least 10 days before the date of the performance.

•  When are checks printed? 
Per office policy, checks are issued each Thursday during a standard operating week. This schedule may be modified when necessary for business weeks containing a holiday or other events.

•  If I send an invoice to A/P on Monday will the check be included in that Thursday’s check run?
The office strives to include all invoices received by our office that are currently due into the check run, however the timing of the receipt of invoices, volume of invoices received in any given week and staffing levels may prevent this at times. Therefore, the receipt of an invoice to our office prior to a check run does not guarantee its inclusion in that specific week's run. For that reason it is advised that invoices are approved and sent to the office as far in advance of their due date as possible.

 

Purchasing Card
•  Who can get a purchasing card?
A full-time employee who is past their probationary period may apply for a card once authorized by their Department Head.

•  Can the purchasing card be used for travel or at a restaurant?
At this time, it may not be used for any type of travel or meals.

•  What can the purchasing card be used for?
The purchasing card can be used for office and other types of supplies.  Please refer to the Cardholder guide.

•  When are Accounting Code Detail reports due to Accounts Payable?
Please follow the schedules noted here for completing the Accounting Code Detail reports.