Skip to header Skip to Content Skip to Footer

Direct Pay

Travel & Direct Pay

The Direct Pay Module is for reimbursing employees, students, and non-employees for approved purchases and other allowable payments, such as memberships, sponsorships, and ARAMARK catering. However, the use of personal credit cards for business expenses is strongly discouraged. Employees are encouraged to utilize university-approved purchasing methods to ensure compliance with applicable policies and avoid potential reimbursement complications. For more details, please refer to 05.151 Function of Purchasing Services and General Purchasing Policies.

See Expenditure Guidelines for payments allowable in Direct Pay module. All goods and services should be submitted in uShop as requisitions.

Visit the Controller's Website for all Direct Pay Forms

Direct Pay News

Emburse Direct Pay Invoice Module

The Emburse Direct Pay Invoice Module went live on July 1st, 2020. The Invoice Module takes the place of Emburse AP Check Requests.

When to Use Emburse

Types of Direct Pay transactions include but are not limited to:

  • ARAMARK for catered events
  • Barnes & Noble (UNCW Bookstore)
  • Dual Employment (when UNCW has “borrowed” an employee from another state agency)
  • Employee, student, and non-employee reimbursement for approved purchases
  • Event Sponsorships
  • Memberships
  • Stipends for non-employees (example: New Hanover County teacher training)
  • Refunds
  • Utilities

Additional Notes:

All on-campus catering events must be purchased through ARAMARK. Any catering or food purchases brought on campus for an event that exceeds $500 must have a waiver from ARAMARK and be included as support documentation with the Emburse Direct Pay Invoice. Contact Courtney Samuelu with Business Services with any ARAMARK questions.

Off-campus purchases of food must comply with all UNCW policies including but not limited to the Business Entertainment policy 05.107.

On Campus Non-Travel Events

This applies to events that could be defined as either internal (i.e., includes UNCW employees and/or students) or external (i.e., includes participants outside UNCW). These events are not considered Business-Related Entertainment governed by policy 05.107.

All on-campus catering events $500 and over must be purchased through ARAMARK. Any catering or food purchases brought on campus $500 and over must have prior written approval from ARAMARK and included as support documentation in Emburse. See Business Services Forms website.

On-campus events, including alcohol, are subject to UNCW policy 5.303 Alcohol Policy and must be catered by ARAMARK.

Account Codes for on-campus non-travel events:
  • 921810 - Contracted Food Svc (used when ARAMARK is catering an on-campus event)
  • 932290 - Misc Food Products & Prepared Food (used for on-campus events when food cost is under $500)
Reminders

Expenditure Guidelines

We have created Expenditure Guidelines, located on the Accounts Payable website, in an effort to help campus determine what's submitted in uShop and what's submitted in Emburse. We have also included information about inter-agency transfers and wire transfers for those transactions that require either of those payment methods.

Registration Fees for Virtual Conferences and Webinars

(Revised 9/1/2020)

Many event organizers have moved their conferences to a virtual or webinar format. By attending an event online, employees are not in travel status and do not need to submit a pre-approval in Emburse Travel.

Not being in travel status also means the UNCW card cannot be used to pay for registration fees for online/virtual conferences or webinars. Please use one of the following methods to pay registration fees for virtual conferences or webinars using account code 928530 Registration Fees-Non Travel Status:

  • Use a departmental UNCW card to prepay the registration fee to the event organizer.
    • Be sure to comply with approvals required by your Divisional Budget Officers (DBO) and/or Business Officers.
    • Transactions are reconciled in WORKS using account code 928530 Registration Fees-Non Travel Status.
  • Submit a direct pay invoice in Emburse Direct Pay to prepay the registration fee to the event organizer.
    • Support documentation includes the registration confirmation.
    • Use account code 928530 Registration Fees-Non Travel Status located under the Services tile in Emburse.
  • Pay by personal credit card and request reimbursement by submitting an invoice in Emburse Direct Pay after the event has taken place. This option should be used only when the first two options are unavailable.
    • Support documentation includes the registration confirmation and approval email from the applicable DBO.
    • Use account code 928530 Registration Fees-Non Travel Status located under the Services tile in Emburse.

GIFT CARD GUIDELINES

Please review the Gift Card Guidelines and Procedures (PDF)

Gift cards are a convenient method of providing a gift to an employee, student or non-employee.  Most often they are used to

  • encourage participation in research and surveys
  • acknowledge an employee’s service or retirement
  • say “thank you” to a conference participant or volunteer
  • award a prize to a student in a campus competition

No matter the reason for a gift card, the IRS considers gift cards to be cash equivalents and therefore may be taxable to the recipient.  For that reason, there must be a clear audit trail of the purchase and distribution of the gift cards. Please contact Joanne Ferguson if you have questions about the guidelines or procedures.

Important Dates

The deadline for an expense report or direct pay invoice in Emburse is 10:45 a.m. on Fridays.

Expense reports must be completed correctly, approved by all parties and have all the necessary documentation and comments attached by this deadline.

Resources

Emburse Resources

Resources

 

STUDENT PAYMENT TYPES

This table reflects the most common payment types made to students:

Student Payment Types
Student Payment Type Route to Financial Aid? If 'No', Route to: Eligible as Participant Support Cost Expenses?
Fellowships and Scholarships.
Paid to an individual to support the pursuit of study or research (may include lodging, meals, and other travel expenses)		 Yes No
Research Studies/Training Grants
An agreement that provides a coordinated opportunity for research studies or training for students; a non-service stipend, not compensation		 Yes Yes
Employment Compensation
Research Assistant or Teaching Assistant positions held by students		 No Payroll No
Prizes/Contests open to UNCW students and the general public No Emburse/Chrome River Invoice-Direct Pay No
Travel for University Business
Ex. Student is presneting or actively participating in a coference or competition on behalf of the University (not for student's benefit)		 No Emburse/Chrome River Expense-Travel No
Reimbursement of Expense for University Business
Ex. A student purchases supplies that retain functional value after the student's activity/research is complete and remains in UNCW posession		 No Emburse/Chrome River Invoice-Direct Pay No

For more information regarding Fellowships and Scholarships, please contact Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid


For more information regarding Participant Support Cost expenses, please contact your department’s Grants and Contracts Officer in SPARC.