Fayetteville Policies and Procedures  332.1 

Agent Advance

Policy

Agent advances may only be used for University-supported activities and programs requiring special payments outside of the normal procurement process.

Procedures

Each of the required forms may be found on the Controller’s Office website or the Fayetteville Policies and Procedures website. Original signatures must be provided on these forms.

Establish an Agent Account

An employee must sign an Agent Agreement form to act as an agent of the University. This form supplies the necessary agent information and includes the terms of the advance. In order to remain eligible to receive advance, each active agent must sign an agreement form each 12 month period.

An accounts receivable cost center number will be assigned to each new agent. Notification of this cost center number will be sent to the agent and the contact person. Once this accounts receivable cost center number is established, it will remain unchanged until either the agent submits a request to close it, or the agent terminates employment.

Request the Agent Advance

Submit the completed Agent Request for Advance form to the Controller’s Office. To ensure the availability of funds, submit the request at least five working days prior to the activity.

Notify the Controller’s Office if the dates of the activity indicated on this form are changed. The due date of the Expenditure Report is based on these dates.

The agent is deemed to be personally responsible to the University for the amount of the advance until such time as the money is returned and/or the Controller’s Office receives an acceptable Expenditure Report.

Complete/Submit the Expenditure Report

The agent must file the final Expenditure Report with the Controller’s Office no later than thirty days after the completion of the approved activity. For activity spanning two calendar years, an interim Expenditure Report must be filed by the the last working day in December. For activity spanning two fiscal years, an interim Expenditure Report must be filed by the last working day in June.

Return of excess funds
In the event that the original agent advance was greater than the expense total, the agent must remit the difference to the Cashier’s Office, 214 Arkansas Union When completing the deposit transmittal, the agent should use the accounts receivable cost center number (not the cost center to be charged), the account number 00130010, and the category AcctsRec. Submit a copy of the deposit receipt with the Expenditure Report form.

Reimbursement of personal funds expended
In the event that the original agent advance was not great enough to cover all expenses, a refund check for the difference will be generated payable to the agent.

Receipts
The original receipts should be attached to the Expenditure Report. In the event that a receipt is lost, the agent or participant involved should complete the Affidavit of Lost Receipt form.

Meal per diem
In cases where students or other members of the group are given a daily allowance to cover meals not processed through the Travel Office, the agent should prepare a list of the name and SSN (or University ID numbers) of the participants and the amount received by each participant (including the date and particular meal(s) paid). Each recipient must sign the list for the amount received, which will serve as a receipt to be included with the agent’s Expenditure Report. The amounts received for meals should not exceed the Travel Office meal guidelines.

Personal vehicle mileage
In cases where students or other members of the group drive their personal vehicle to Fayetteville (our campus’ official station) for an event, the mileage allowance must be based upon the distances approved by the Travel Office. A statement, acting as a receipt and included with the agent’s Expenditure Report, should be prepared listing the names and SSNs (or University ID numbers) of each driver, the city point of origin, the vehicle license plate number, and the amount claimed. Each driver should sign signifying receipt of those amounts.

Participant payments
If the agent provides cash payments to participants for research or other purposes, the agent should utilize the Participant Payment form, which itemizes the information necessary for tax compliance, etc. Two options to this form are posted for agent convenience. Alternative presentations of or exceptions to this form must by approved by the Controller's Office prior to the agent activity.

Incomplete Reports
The agent will be contacted if the Expenditure Report is incomplete or if the information is not sufficient to make proper accounting determinations.

Canceled Trips

In the event a trip is canceled, the advance check should be returned or repaid to the Cashier’s Office within five days. Departments should notify the Controller’s Office of a canceled trip.

Payroll Deduction

The University of Arkansas is authorized to withhold the full amount of any past due advance from any payment(s) due the agent, including payroll checks. If such a deduction occurs twice within a twenty-four month period, the employee will not be eligible for agent advances for the next twenty-four month period.

Record Retention

Agent records are held in the Administration Building for approximately 10 years. Prior to storage, appropriate information will be forwarded to the NRA Compliance coordinator and/or Tax Compliance. Once the necessary reporting is completed, social security numbers will be redacted from the documents. Agents should not store documents containing social security numbers in their departments. Agents should follow the Institutional Review Board protocol for document retention.

Exceptions

Any exceptions to any provisions of this policy must be submitted in writing at least two weeks prior to the beginning of the trip and must be approved by the Associate Vice Chancellor for Finance.

Revised May 8, 2017
Reformatted for Web May 28, 2014
Revised August 18, 2010
February 14, 2005