FIN 421–03: Participant Payments

To permit payments made to or on behalf of non-ASU employees who are participating in a sponsored project-funded workshop, conference, seminar, symposia, or other short-term training or information-sharing activity

University policy

Participant expenses must be specifically approved in the sponsored budget and relate specifically to costs associated with attendance at a sponsored workshop, conference, seminar, symposia, or other short-term training or information-sharing activity.

Participants do not provide services but rather engage in a sponsored activity whose goals can only be met by such participation. Small stipends may be paid, but these should be relatively modest amounts, in the $100 range. Larger stipends indicate a “quid pro quo” or an equal exchange of money for effort.

Although participant costs must be approved by the sponsor, sponsor classification of certain costs as participant costs does not always mean ASU can treat those costs as participant costs. Participants who are ASU employees must be paid through Payroll using additional pay. Participants who are ASU students may need to be paid using the Student Support codes for Financial Aid purposes. Individuals providing services, such as giving a lecture or presentation, need to be paid and/or reimbursed as independent contractors or guest lecturers and not as participants.

A payment request to a participant must include the participant’s name and home mailing address, and a completed Participant Certification form must accompany the payment request. Payment requests must also be accompanied by documentation of the sponsored event justifying the expense. Such documentation may include a brochure describing the event, an attendance list, or other project-specific documentation that adequately explains the allowability of the payment to that person.

Participant expenses may be paid directly or by a reimbursement made to the individual. Participant travel expenses will be paid using the participant expenditure codes as indicated in the Participant Expenses Code Names, Code Numbers, and Definitions table.

Prepaid Airline Tickets

Participants may make their own airline reservations, pay for their tickets, and then request reimbursement from the university. Projects may also use one of the university’s contracted travel agencies for prepaid travel of participants and other university guests. (See the Financial Services Travel Page for a listing of contracted travel agencies.) To purchase a prepaid airline ticket, the university department must process an internal purchase order (PO), using object code 7400 07, participant travel. Before the airline ticket can be issued, a screen print of the PO, along with a completed Prepaid Airfare for Non-ASU Travelers form, must be faxed or delivered to the contracted travel agency. The dollar amount of the prepaid airline ticket should not be included on the participant’s expense reimbursement claim. If the participant fails to attend the event, it is the project’s responsibility to make sure that the prepaid ticket is canceled and the money refunded.

Direct Payment of Hotel/Motel

Instead of the participant paying hotel charges personally, a project can request that the university pay the hotel directly for the participant’s stay. The department should request that the hotel bill ASU. When the invoice is received, the project should process a payment voucher (PV) to pay the hotel. The project is required to keep the hotel invoice on file and available for review for five years after the end date of the project. The PV document number should be listed by the project on the participant’s expense summary. The dollar amount of hotel/motel charges is not, however, to be included on the participant’s expense reimbursement claim.

Reimbursement Payments

Reimbursement checks normally will be mailed to the participant’s home address after the participant has visited the campus.

Coding of Meal Reimbursement

The participant’s expense object codes are to be used only for the participant’s meals. Expenses incurred by ASU faculty and staff to host a participant are coded to the food object code, 7390 06. (See FIN 420–02, “Business Meals, Food, and Related Expenses,” for more information.)

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