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Do you need help with your UCSD cell phone? See the information below.
This information has been updated with questions that help clarify changing UCSD policy regarding the use of cell phones for business. See Using Cell Phones for UCSD Business for more information.
Q: Why is the university changing its cell policy again?
A: The IRS approved a temporary suspension of UC’s imputed income and cash allowance cell phone policy that was in place June – September 2009. The suspension has been approved for October 2009 – January 2010 as it is expected that Congress will approve legislation that would remove cell phones from the IRS listed property rules.
This would relieve campuses from having to report cell phone income and permit incidental personal use of UCSD provided cell phones. As a result of this suspension, UCSD’s cell phone policy, (that, for the most part, was in place prior to June) will be reinstated. Further, UC is authorized to petition for an extension until legislation is passed.
Q: I have a UCSD-provided cell phone. Do I need to take any action?
A: Campus Payroll has taken action to cancel the imputed income that was added to your taxable earnings. You will no longer receive the cash allowance reimbursing you for the payroll withholding taxes associated with the imputed income.
Do not use your business phone for anything other than incidental personal use and reimburse UCSD for any personal use resulting in incremental charges to UCSD.
Q: I lost my cell phone. What do I do?
A: Immediately contact your provider and suspend your cell number to prevent it from being used fraudulently. You then have a few options:
Q: What do I do if my cellular phone is not working properly?
If these strategies don't work, take your cell phone to a service center for replacement or repair. Sometimes it's best to purchase a new phone, because repair costs can be as high as the cost of a new phone.
Q: How do I get my cell phone repaired?
A: The providers are responsible for repairs of defective phones that are still under warranty, so take your phone to a local service center.
Q: How do I disconnect my cell phone and what do I do with the phone?
A: To disconnect your cell number and account, submit a Cell Phone and Service Request Form. If your cell number is still in a contract agreement, there will be an early disconnect fee, usually $150.
The phone itself belongs to your department or index that purchased it. It can be kept and reused at a later date, or sent to Surplus Sales. If the phone is damaged or outdated, it can be thrown away, but the battery must be sent to EH&S (Environment, Health and Safety) for disposal.
Q: Can I upgrade or downgrade my rate plan anytime?
A: Yes, there are no penalties for upgrading or downgrading rate plans with most providers, except possibly AT&T (formerly Cingular). If you have a contract with AT&T, upgrading or downgrading your rate plan will renew your contract for one year.
Q: Can I upgrade my phone and keep the same number?
A: Yes, as long as you remain with the same provider. If you change providers, your cell number will change and charges may be incurred (see Cell Phone Activation and Customer Service Rates).
Q: I am a supervisor, how do I know which is the appropriate plan for an employee?
A: A plan must reflect the number of minutes needed by employees for business purposes. Once a plan has been acquired, departments (supervisors) must review the monthly cell phone statements to confirm that the business use of the phone is appropriate for the number of minutes included under the plan and that any incremental costs incurred by personal use are reimbursed by the employee.
Q: What happens if I exceed the number of minutes available under my UCSD service plan? What about excess data charges for e-mail and document downloads, etc?
A: Most of UCSD’s cell phone carriers provide plans with pooled minutes and/or rollover minutes to absorb excess minutes due to temporary spikes in phone usage. If your plan does not include pooled and/or rollover minutes, your department will ask you to review the cell phone statement and note the business purpose for each call exceeding your plan minutes. Any personal calls associated with the excess minutes must be reimbursed at the excess minute rate even if the personal use was incidental.
If there will be an ongoing increase in your business usage, ask your department to consider increasing the number of minutes under your plan. Excess data charges would be handled in the same manner if your plan does not provide for unlimited data usage and depending on the individual carrier and billing details, you might be requested to substantiate usage so that your plan can be reassessed.
Q: If I use my personal cell phone for UCSD business, can I be reimbursed for those calls? If so, how is the amount for my reimbursement calculated?
A: You are eligible for reimbursement of your business calls if you incur additional charges by exceeding your monthly plan minutes. You will need to provide your department with:
You cannot be reimbursed either for business calls made within your plan minutes or for a percentage of total calls made for the month.
Your reimbursement will be calculated at your plan’s excess minute rate, up to the number of minutes for business calls exceeding your plan limit for the month. For example, assume you have 50 minutes of business calls in total for the month but you exceed your plan minutes by 30 minutes in business calls and incurred overage charges of 40 cents per minute or $12.00 (30 x 40 cents). Your reimbursement would be limited to $12.00 since you incurred only 30 excess minutes for business calls. You cannot be reimbursed for any personal calls billed at the excess minute rate.
If you regularly exceed your plan minutes because of business-related calls, you should ask your department to consider purchasing a cell phone and service plan for your business use.
Q: If I travel to another country for business, will I be reimbursed for the cost to upgrade the service plan on my personal phone?
A: If you need to purchase additional coverage for a business trip, you can claim this expense when you submit your MyTravel expense report.
Q: Can I add a business phone to an existing family plan if it is cheaper than receiving a new phone and getting a new number under a UCSD contract?
A: Employees cannot be reimbursed for the purchase of personally owned cell phones as UCSD policy requires that an employee use phones purchased by an approved UCSD purchasing method with UCSD funds.
Q: Can I add personal options such as an additional family plan, text messaging, or accessories to my UCSD-provided phone if I reimburse my department for these expenses?
A: Only cell phone services and accessories required for official business purpose can be used with UCSD-provided cell phones and must be acquired by an approved UCSD purchasing method with UCSD funds.
Q: What about reimbursements for the personal use of other types of electronic services such as Internet services for UCSD business?
A: Employees might be reimbursed for Internet, fax, text messaging, data, or similar services when it would be impractical or not cost-effective for UCSD to purchase the resource. However, the service must be installed at the request of the university and used exclusively for UC business. If a service is already in use for personal purposes and no incremental expenses are incurred by the employee, reimbursement is not allowed.