Approving Meetings and Entertainment
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 guide 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:
|
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.