Accounts Payable & Travel Accounting Update for May

[Accounting and Fiscal Services]

May 2026 Accounts Payable Prepare for Fiscal Year End Fiscal year-end close is right around the corner. Please keep in mind that invoices for products and services rendered before June 30, 2026, must include a valid purchase order for payment to be processed. The purchase order must have the following: PO must be open and not expired. PO must be fully approved and finalized. PO must have enough funds to pay all open invoices through June 30, 2026. PO must be amended and finalized prior to June 30, 2026. Important Note: Please notify Accounts Payable (AP) once your PO has been approved and finalized so AP can process invoices prior to the June 30th deadline. Please send all invoices/payment inquiries to accounts...@uci.edu. Travel Accounting CTS Ghost Card Holders, Department Fiscal Officers & Accounting Reviewers Delinquent Unreconciled CTS Expense Clearing Process AP Travel Accounting is reaching out to departments requesting authorization to clear/delete delinquent unreconciled UCI CTS Ghost Card expenses in the Kuali Financial System (KFS). These requests apply to both current and former employee CTS Ghost cardholders. Attached to the email request will be an authorization form and an Excel spreadsheet summarizing the detailed list of applicable transactions. Please review the spreadsheet carefully. There is a dedicated section on the form to address expenses related to former employees. Important Notes About the Clearing Process When a CTS Ghost card is used for booking air or lodging reservations, the department default account number is charged immediately. There will be no transfer of funds or additional charges associated with this process. The purpose is solely to eliminate the delinquent transactions in KFS. CTS Ghost cardholders receive an email notification whenever a new charge is posted in KFS. To prevent similar issues in the future, reminders will be sent more frequently to cardholders and, if needed, to another departmental contact such as the fiscal officer. Next Steps If you are contacted by AP Travel Accounting, please review the attached spreadsheet for outstanding transactions. You should then complete the authorization section on the form, including any information regarding former employees and Return the completed and signed form to Margaret Carreras, AP Travel Accounting, by the deadline date in the email. Travel Accounting Close CTS Accounts When Employees Transfer/Separate When a CTS Ghost cardholder transfers to a new department at UC Irvine or terminates employment at UCI, departments are required to email travel-a...@uci.edu to initiate the closure of the account with the bank. Travel Accounting should be informed as soon as possible, preferably at least two weeks before the cardholder’s final day in the department. All CTS expenses need to be reconciled in KFS prior to the cardholders’ last day in the department. Department Officers - Please contact your department's HR coordinator to verify the process of closing the CTS Ghost card and Corporate Travel card for employees who are transferring or terminating. This measure is intended to prevent potential fraud. Travel Accounting How to Generate a List of Card Holders in Your Unit Did you know that campus organizations can generate a list of all open CTS accounts and corporate cards in their group using a KFS Decision Support report? Log into ZotPortal and navigate to the Finances tab. You can find the TEM Profile Report in the Travel & Event Management portlet, under Arranger Tools. Within this report, users can filter by Organization Code and Card Type (i.e., “CORP” for Corporate Card, or “CTS” for the CTS Ghost Card Account). This report is updated each night. If any accounts on this report need to be closed, please send an email to travel-a...@uci.edu  On a related note, if your unit needs to track the CTS or Corporate card expenses within your unit, the TEM Arranger Dashboard can be used by anyone with the TEM Organization Profile Arranger role assigned. For additional information on the TEM Arranger Dashboard and how to use it, please see our website. For assistance with accessing or navigating Decision Support reports or the TEM Arranger Dashboard, please contact the experts at the KFS Help Desk by emailing k...@uci.edu Travel Accounting Sponsorship/Donations: Payment on Disbursement Voucher with Reason Code Q Donations or sponsorship payments must be made directly from UCI to the vendor only. This type of payment should never be an out-of-pocket expense. Donations and sponsorship payments may be made on a Disbursement Voucher (DV) using Reason Code Q. Use these guidelines to donate or make a sponsorship payment: Create a KFS Disbursement Voucher (DV), Reason Code Q. Onboard the payee in PaymentWorks. Use the assigned vendor ID number in the DV. Include a letter, email or invoice from the organization requesting UC's support and a description of what UC will be supporting. Include your transmittal letter. The letter must be on University or UCI Medical Center letterhead and addressed to the vendor. It must also include: Statement that the contribution/donation is made "on behalf of UC". Name and title or occupation of the recipient must be included on the letter. Business justification describing how UC will benefit from making the contribution/donation. Dollar amount of sponsorship or donation. Example Transmittal Letter Route the DV for exceptional approval. ALL payments under this category require exceptional approval. Approval must appear in the DV route log.  Please note that payments made under this category may need to be reported for tax purposes. This applies to all payees except corporations. Travel Accounting Taxi/Car Service/Ride Share: Uber & Lyft Upgrades Ride share services are a popular choice for travelers, and Uber is a UC’s recognized preferred supplier. Before using a ride share service, please visit UC Irvine’s Uber for Business page and the Lyft ride types overview. And please use the Expense Type Code “TX -Taxi/Car Service/Ride Share” when preparing your reimbursement.   Upgraded Rides To stay in compliance with University of California policy, business travelers should avoid using upgraded ride types. Based on the UC Policy G-28 Travel Regulations: “Transportation expenses shall be reimbursed based on the most economical mode of transportation and the most commonly traveled route consistent with the authorized purpose of the trip.” Upgraded rides such as Priority Pickup, Uber Comfort, Uber Select, Uber Black & Uber SUV, and Lyft’s Extra Comfort, Black, and Black SUV, require an explanation in the Notes and Attachments tab and exceptional approval in the route log PRIOR to Travel Accounting review as an exception to policy. Allowable Ride Types There is no cap for the fare, but for single riders, the UberX and Lyft Standard are appropriate, normally seat up to four passengers, and would be a reimbursable expense. Anything higher for a single rider would require an explanation and exceptional approval in the route log PRIOR to Accounting Review.  Larger Rides In some cases, there can be a valid business purpose justifying a larger ride such as UberXL & XXL or Lyft XL and XXL. Some examples include when The traveler is riding with a group of students/colleagues for UC business. The single rider has excess baggage due to carrying research equipment/business supplies & materials The traveler is on an international trip longer than several days requiring excess baggage. If a similar justification applies, please add the Business Purpose in the Notes and Attachments tab and exceptional approval will not be required. Disability or Medical Conditions If there is a recently signed medical note on file with the department to accommodate a disability or medical condition requiring an upgrade, priority pick up, or larger ride, please include a note in the TR eDocument. Do not attach in scanned images and include the exceptional approver in the route log PRIOR to Accounting Review. Other Considerations There is no limit on ground transportation. If the ground transportation is for a bona fide UC business and the department heads and budget and funding source approves this type of expense, the traveler may be reimbursed. Good Stewardship Be accurate and ethical. Report actual costs honestly. Be prudent. Avoid unnecessary or excessive expenses. Stay mission focused. Expenses must serve a clear business purpose. Follow the UC Policy G-28 and IRS regulations. Reimbursements must not be considered taxable income, see page five of the policy. Use the Corporate Travel Card. Pay for travel-related expenses with the UCI Corporate Travel card whenever possible. Choose the best value. UC reimburses for the most economical and commonly used travel options.

UC Irvine Accounting & Fiscal Services 228 Aldrich Hall | Irvine, CA 92697-1050 | accounting.uci.edu

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