1. Expenses claims

Read an overview of rules, how to submit an expense claim, and what to claim.

General rules

• Please make an effort to be clear and tidy.
• Please attach all necessary backup documents to your expense claim form, including receipts, bank/card statements (where required) for each item claimed, and any other document you feel is necessary. This will reduce the time it takes to process your claim. Additionally, to help us process your claims, please provide details of your receipts on the Expense Breakdown sheet.
• Only actual incurred costs, supported by proof of payment, can be reimbursed.
• Detailed instructions can be found in the official University of Edinburgh Policy [see 'Downloads' at the bottom of this page].

Examples of acceptable expenditure

• Reasonable expenses incurred in pursuit of UoE (which, in this case, means the Software Sustainability Institute) business will be reimbursed. Certain items of expenditure are subject to specified limits and conditions, as set out in the official policy.
• Before arranging your travel, please read the UoE Sustainable Travel Policy, which explains how to minimise our carbon footprint.
• Travel should normally be by the cheapest means of transport. Business or first class flights are not permitted.
• Taxis are permitted.
• AirBnB is allowed but discouraged. Please double check the Policy or get in touch with your SSI contact.
• Alcohol will not be reimbursed.
• We cannot book travel insurance on your behalf.
• Equipment and subscriptions that support online activities are allowed; note this does not cover the purchase of computers, laptops, tablets, monitors or printers.
• Limit paying by cash as much as possible and alway obtain a receipt for cash payments.
• For SSI Fellows, see also eligible expenses for SSI Fellowship funds.

Proof of payment

• For each item claimed, a detailed payment receipt must be provided.
• When purchasing goods or services from a VAT registered business, a VAT receipt must be provided.
• Credit or debit card receipts are not sufficient on their own. An accompanying itemised receipt is necessary.
• Hotel booking confirmations are not accepted as proof of payment, even if they show an advance payment. Instead, a VAT invoice should be obtained after the stay and provided.
• Likewise, an online order confirmation is not accepted as proof of payment, even if it shows an advance payment. Instead, a VAT invoice should be obtained and provided.
• An extract of your credit card/bank account should be presented in the following cases:
  • For hotel bookings
  • For Non-GBP transactions
    • Where payments are made in another currency and to be reimbursed in GBP
    • Where payments are made in any currency and will be reimbursed to a non-GBP account e.g. Euros/US Dollars

Submitting a claim

• SSI Fellows should submit their expenses claims on lowFAT.
• Other visitors should email their claim to finance@software.ac.uk.
• Expenses claims must include the completed and signed Expenses claim form, the Expenses Breakdown sheet, and the accompanying receipts (the receipts should be submitted as a single PDF file. Paper receipts should be scanned and attached).
• Any original paper receipt should be stored safely as we may require it to be posted to us for audit purposes. If all receipts in the claim are native digital, there will not be a request for paper originals.
• When possible, please try to group all expenses relating to one event in a single submission.
• All expense claims pertaining to a funding request should be submitted via lowFAT by the fellow, including payments to non Fellows.

Foreign currency

• You should avoid using cash for a foreign currency payment, it is preferred if these transactions are made via account transfer or credit/debit cards. You must provide both the detailed payment receipts and the relevant extracts from your bank/card statement showing the conversion.
• If you don’t have a GBP value from your bank statement, please indicate the foreign currency (as per the receipt). See the instructions for currency conversion on the expense claim form.

Expenses claim form

If your university is based in the UK and will claim directly from the Software Sustainability Institute (SSI), please do not complete this form. Please contact SSI finance for assistance on this, because the payment will be made by a purchase order and invoice and it might take 10-12 weeks to set this up. Please make sure you contact SSI finance 3 months before you are starting the work as the University of Edinburgh would not allow work to begin before the Purchase order is received. 

For all other claimants, please carefully follow the steps below to ensure smooth processing of your expense claim.

• Please complete sections 1 – 4.
• Please insert your supplier number in the relevant box in Section 1 of  the form. You can find your supplier number on your Profile in lowFAT.
• Insert your Name and Home Address (not your Work Address).
• Make sure you have filled out your bank details correctly and clearly.
• In Section 3, Select ‘Non-staff Expenses’ as the Payment type.
• In Section 4, in the question ‘For the purpose of’, please insert the lowFAT ID of the expense claim, your name and the reason for the claim. E.g.: 777 J Smith - Travel to London for RSECon.
• Don’t forget to sign and date the claim form. An electronic signature is fine.
• Save the form in the current MS word format, with the following name:
  • LowFAT ID-Initial Family name. E.g.: 777 J Smith

2. Advance booking

• In certain cases, we can book more expensive travel and accommodation for you, such as long-haul flights.
• There are limitations to our capability of booking travel for you, due to the administrative overheads that this process generates.
• If you would like to discuss your case, please email fellows-management@software.ac.uk

3. Invoicing the SSI

• You will be required to send an invoice to the SSI if you are to be paid for a service provided by you directly to the Institute and where you are not claiming an expense that you have paid to someone else e.g. an honorarium for a lecture. 

In this case, invoicing the SSI (the UoE) involves the following steps:

• Prior agreement of the amount to be paid
• Setting you up as a supplier on the University finance system
• Receiving a quote for the exact amount, dates and reason for payment
• Creation of a Purchase order
• Submission of an invoice
• Important note: you cannot start working for the SSI until you receive confirmation from SSI finance (finance@software.ac.uk). 

Downloads

Expenses Claim Form

Expenses Policy