Approving Meetings and Entertainment

Last Updated: May 18, 2026 9:27:42 AM PDT

Read guidelines for approving meetings and entertainment, and find out how to establish and cancel approval authority.

Background: Because UC San Diego is a publicly supported institution, departments should spend entertainment funds prudently. Along with these guidelines, you can also refer to the Meetings and Entertainment Overview.

Note: Please review the Concur Event Type Approval Flow at the bottom of this page for a quick reference of the approvals needed for specific Event types. Approvals in Concur are automatically routed based on the Event Type, Attendees, Cost Per Person and other criteria.

Entertainment Guidelines

Before planning and approving entertainment, review the following guidelines:

Subject	Guidelines
Benefits to UC San Diego	Anticipated benefits should outweigh the costs. Explore alternatives that would be equally effective in accomplishing the desired objectives.
Frequency of occurrence	How often does the event take place relative to the nature of the event. If on a routine basis, it is generally ineligible for reimbursement.
What qualifies?	Not all occasions qualify as official entertainment. Before authorizing, ensure that expenses are allowable. See a summary of standard and special entertainment.
Funding	Some fund sources may not allow entertainment expenditures, so verify that available funds are appropriate for the expenses.
Appropriate amounts	Expenses should not exceed the per-person maximum for the meal type which includes tax, tip and services.
Tax issues	The IRS considers entertainment expenses as reportable income to the host/payee: Expenses are not substantiated with receipts ($75 or greater, or special entertainment in any amount). The expenses are lavish or extravagant for the type of function. The entertainment is not directly related to the employee's job. The official host (or other designated employee) is not present when the activity takes place.

Obtaining Approval

Standard entertainment: Can be approved by people who have delegated approval authority for University-sponsored entertainment and have submitted an Oracle & Concur Role Request form and attached a completed and signed Approval Authority for University Entertainment (PDF). Approval authority varies by department, but in general the following positions can approve meetings and entertainment, if officially delegated:

All campus units: The chancellor and the vice chancellor – CFO can authorize meeting and entertainment expenses for all campus units.
Vice chancellor areas: Vice chancellors and directors have authority to authorize meeting and entertainment expenses for all units under their jurisdiction.
School of Medicine: Department chairs, directors of institutes and organized research units, associate vice chancellors for health sciences and administration, and the associate dean of administration have approval authority for meeting and entertainment expenses.
UC San Diego Medical Center: The director of the UC San Diego Medical Center has approval authority.

Special entertainment: Entertainment that has either exceeded the maximum entertainment allowance or involves special occasions or spouses/ partners/ family members requires approval from someone with official delegation. In general the following positions can approve:

Chancellor (in all instances)
Vice chancellors (within their areas)

Note: The chancellor must approve further delegation of authority to approve special entertainment. This requires a specific delegation letter. Learn about the Delegation of Authority process on the Policy & Records Administration site and contact them for more details.

Exceptions: Special entertainment differs from approval for exception to policy. Only the director of Disbursements and Travel can approve exceptions to policy.

Canceling Approval Authority

To cancel meeting and entertainment approval authority:

Locate the departmental copy of the Approval Authority form for Standard Entertainment or Special Entertainment used to grant approval. If you cannot locate a copy of the form, or if your department didn't retain a copy, contact UC San Diego Travel and Entertainment.
Fill out and submit the Role Removal form via in Services & Support.

Approving Entertainment

Once approval authority has been obtained, Standard and Special Entertainment approvers are added to the approval workflow within their Financial Unit. Approvers use Concur to review and approve catering event requests and to review and approve event expense reports.

Routing is automatic and determined by the Chart of Accounts that is listed on the Concur Request/Expense Report and thereby drives the corresponding Financial Unit and additional entertainment approvals. User/delegates/approvers are now able to select their preferred approvers in an expense report. Please reference the How to Perform Tasks as an Approver in Concur Knowledge Base Article for more information on updating the approval workflow.

Please review this guide for a quick reference of the approvals needed for specific Event types.

Concur Event Type Approval Flow

Comprehensive University Event Approval Matrix
Event Type	Concur Business Purpose	Level of Approvals Required	Condition for Approval Type
Meeting Business, administrative, formal UC Attendees, On-Campus	Business/Technical Meeting	UCSD Mtg Coordinator/Host Approval	(Receipt of Concur Notification)
		Financial Unit Approver	—
		Special Ent. Approver	Meal over CPP
		Chancellor Designee	Meal 200% over CPP
Standard Entertainment Event/Business Mtg e.g.: Attendee Type: Non-UCSD Meeting Type: Off-campus Alcohol is provided	Business/Technical Meeting	UCSD Host Approval	(Receipt of Concur Notifications)
		Financial Unit Approver	—
		Department Head Approver	when meeting/event is social in nature
		Special Ent. Approver	Spouse/Partner Attendance; Meal over CPP
		Chancellor Designee	Meal 200% over CPP
Special Entertainment Employee-focused e.g.: Employee appreciation events External/fundraising events	Employee Morale Building	UCSD Host Approval	—
		Financial Unit Approver	—
		Department Head Approver	—
		Special Ent. Approver	—
		Chancellor Designee	Meal 200% over CPP
	Fundraising/Tickets	UCSD Host Approval	—
		Financial Unit Approver	—
		Department Head Approver	—
		Special Ent. Approver	—
		Chancellor Designee	Meal 200% over CPP
Programmatic (participant list not required) Activities that support UCSD's educational and community programs	Public/Community Service	UCSD Host Approval	—
		Financial Unit Approver	—
		Department Head	Spouse/Partner Attendance; Meal over CPP
		Special Ent. Approver	Spouse/Partner Attendance; Meal over CPP
		Chancellor Designee	Meal 200% over CPP
	Grand Rounds	UCSD Host Approval	(Receipt of Concur Notification)
	Grand Rounds	Financial Unit Approver	—
	On-the-Job Meals	UCSD Host Approval	(Receipt of Concur Notification)
	On-the-Job Meals	Financial Unit Approver	—
	Student Events	UCSD Host Approval	(Receipt of Concur Notification)
	Student Events	Financial Unit Approver	—

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