Faculty Development Reimbursements
Employees may request reimbursement for out-of-pocket business expenses by submitting an Expense Report in Workday. Reports must be submitted within 60 days of expense, or upon returning to campus from a trip.
Faculty Development Account (FDA) Spending
If you receive FDA funds to pay for expenses related to professional development, please review the Faculty Development Account (FDA) policy.
Faculty Development Accounts are Carleton funds that must be spent in a manner consistent with College policy and IRS guidelines for business expenses. FDAs were established at Carleton to enhance faculty benefits without creating additional taxable income. Professional Development Account spending rules must be consistent with other business expense rules or they will become reportable as taxable income.
The overarching rule of thumb is that business expenses are allowed, while personal expenses are not. The distinction between business and personal expenses is in most cases obvious, but areas that have caused confusion in the past are clarified below:
- Family or companion expenses: Funds cannot be used to offset the costs of having a spouse/partner or dependent travel with you, nor can they pay for family or pet care in your absence.
- Home office: Funds can be used to furnish or improve your office at the College, but cannot be used to furnish or improve a home office. Employees should coordinate the purchase of office furnishings with the Carleton Facilities department.
- Computing hardware: FDA funds should not be used to purchase computing hardware unless specifically pre-authorized by the Office of the Provost. All computing hardware purchases made with College funds (including FDA funds) should be made through Information Technology Services (ITS). Printers, monitors, hard drives, and accessories are considered computing hardware.
- Computing software: ITS coordinates and purchases all computing software, please contact them to ensure appropriate licensing requirements and educational discounts are applied.
- Ownership of equipment: Any equipment purchased with FDA funds is property of the College.
- Cell phones; MP3 Players; iPhones; iPads, etc.: Electronic devices with a mix of personal and professional use cannot be purchased with FDA funds even though they are increasingly used in the classroom and for research. See Computing Hardware (above) for iPads.
- Internet connectivity fees: The cost of connecting to the internet from home or while traveling for business is not a covered expense.
- Child Care: The IRS does not identify child care as a business expense. Carleton does sponsor a flex spending benefit program for child care expenses which allows an employee to set aside pre-tax dollars for dependent care expenses.
Documentation
Whenever reasonable and practical, itemized receipts are required for all expenses including meals, hotel, airfare, etc. Documentation of the date; cost; location; persons attending and business purpose is required by the IRS in all circumstances.
Please monitor your professional development account in Workday.
All Employee Travel and Reimbursement Policies located on the Business Office website apply to FDA spending. Excluded purchases should not be charged to the college, submitted for reimbursement or charged to the Carleton VISA. Employees may elect to claim these as un-reimbursed business expenses on their personal income tax return as advised by their personal tax professional.
FAQs on Faculty Professional Development Accounts
If these funds are intended to support my professional development activities, why are there limitations concerning how the funds are spent and specifications regarding documentation requirements?
Development Accounts (FDAs) are Carleton funds that must be spent in a manner consistent with College policy and IRS guidelines for business expenses. FDAs were established at Carleton to enhance faculty benefits without creating additional taxable income. Conceptually, this gives both the employee and the college more “bang for our buck”.
Why are original, itemized receipts the required documentation for expenses rather than a daily per diem rate reimbursement?
Faculty Development Account spending rules must be consistent with other business expense rules or they will become reportable as taxable income. The IRS requires documentation of the date; location; cost; persons attending and business purpose of an expense. Most of this is documented by the itemized receipt
Why can’t I be reimbursed for child care, for instance, when it is provided for my use during a professional conference?
The IRS does not identify child care as a business expense. Carleton does sponsor a flex spending benefit program for child care expenses which allows an employee to set aside pre-tax dollars for dependent care expenses.
What are the guidelines for dining and beverage expenses?
Meals for employees while away on College business will be reimbursed including one alcoholic beverage if this is your chosen beverage with a meal. Dining expenses should be in alignment with the standard per diem rates (determined by location) found on the government website. The College does not reimburse on a per diem basis, however the meals and incidental expense rates for federal government employees provide a reasonable standard. In cases of reimbursement request for business meals for others (guests of the college) indicate the attendees along with the business reason for the meal.
Can I submit a receipt for a cup of coffee and doughnut at the airport?
Yes, if you are traveling for business purposes and are within the per diem guidelines for the area in which you are traveling.
What should I do if I lose a receipt or if I cannot obtain an itemized receipt?
In most cases, vendors are familiar with the receipt requirement for businesses and will provide a receipt. Most vendors also have the ability to provide a replacement receipt. For those unusual situations where a receipt is not available, documentation of the date; location; cost; persons attending and business purpose of an expense is required to fulfill IRS business expense reporting requirements.
Managing your Budget
Your budget information can be viewed in Workday.
Carryover Funds
Unspent FDA funds will carry over from one academic year to the next. Carryover funds will post to your account in September, they are available to spend in advance of that date. If you accumulate a large carryover balance over several years, you may be asked to explain the plan for your funds. Upon retirement, any balance remaining in your account will be returned to the Office of the Provost.
Tax Exempt
Carleton College is exempt from paying Minnesota sales tax on the purchase of sales and goods in the state of Minnesota. However, we must pay certain taxes, such as hotel and restaurant taxes. The college will not reimburse individuals for sales tax paid for equipment and supplies. Please present the Certificate of Exempt Status when making qualifying purchases.
Carleton Purchasing Card
Charge against your faculty development account using your Carleton Purchasing Card. To obtain a card, visit the Purchasing Card Program web-page and follow the steps to initiate a new card request.
On-campus Charges
Make internal charges such as Bookstore or Printing/Mailing. Simply give your faculty development account number at the time of your order.
Questions?
Kara Lloyd
klloyd@carleton.edu
507-222-5934