Meeting and Entertainment Expenses

Important Considerations

Timing: Starting the event planning process as early as possible will ensure that suppliers and payments are in place without exceptional/rush work. The complexity of events often leads to delays, additional approvals, and rework—building time for that is critical.

Allowable Expenses: Know the policy on costs related to meals, light refreshments, room rentals, and equipment.

Unallowable Expenses: Extravagant expenses, personal celebrations, and political contributions are among the never-allowable expenses.

Exceptional Expenses: Your event will require additional approval for exceeding maximum limits or special circumstances.

Maximum Meal Expenses: Policy dictates specific per-person limits for different meal types. For max meal rates, visit Maximum Meal Expenses.

Receipts: You are obliged to collect and remit original, itemized receipts for all expenses.

Attendees: The list of attendees with titles will be used to determine policy requirements and pricing allowances for your meeting or event.

Approvals: Policy requires review and approval from authorized individuals with budgetary authority.

State and Federal Funds Restrictions: These funding sources generally do not cover alcoholic beverages and require adherence to specified limits.

Contract and Grants Funds Restrictions: Allowable spend based on the terms of the grant or contract.

Use of Other Funds: Endowments and gifts must comply with donor restrictions.

Contracting with Vendors: Work with Supply Chain Management to review and approve contracts. Use BearBuy for on-campus catering and facility rentals supplier sourcing.

Individual Reimbursements: Use only if necessary, subsequent reimbursement requests must be submitted through MyExpense and are subject to policy restrictions and approval.

Required documentation: All expenses require detailed receipts, missing receipts will require exceptional documentation and approval. Many events require specialized procurement forms, completed and approved prior to deposits.

UCSF Health ONLY: Please contact your approver for details on allowances before planning morale building and retirement related events.

Pre-Event Planning:

Determine allowable expenses and identify any exceptional expenses needing approval.

Obtain necessary approvals and ensure compliance with fund source restrictions.

Prepare guestlist and estimates on attendance.

For UCSF Campus departments, contact Supply Chain Management for vendor contracts, or assistance with supplier terms and conditions.

• Find information on facility rentals on the Facility Rental page (UCSF Campus departments only)

Determine if you need to make a deposit.

Complete any documentation or forms required, and get those items approved.

During Event:

Ensure meals and refreshments meet the policy requirements.

Document any additional expenses that arise, collect itemized receipts and attendee information.

Post-Event:

Submit any reimbursement documentation and receipts through MyExpense within 45 days.

For UCSF Campus departments:

• Learn about Facility Rental Payment Guidance
• Review BearBuy reporting to ensure POs and payments are closed/complete.

Here are some common meeting and entertainment allowable expenses. Always check current UC policy to ensure compliance.

University Employee on Travel Status – Entertainment expenses incurred while an employee in on travel status should be itemized and submitted with the Travel Expense Report to ensure that the meals associated with travel are separate from those meals associated with hospitality. Entertainment expenses should not be used to "cover the difference" between the actual expense and the maximum daily travel allowance should the traveler exceed the limit.

Prospective Donors, Employees and Student Appointees – The University may provide meals and light refreshments at an event to promote the good will of prospective donors, or to prospective employees and students who are under consideration for positions that required specialized training and/or experience of a professional, technical, or administrative nature.

Visitors, Guests and Volunteers – The University may provide meals, coffee and other light refreshments if the hospitality is necessary to the conduct of official University business to visitors from other educational institutions, members of the community, University employees visiting from another work location, medical center visitors and similar guests, campus volunteers, and research subjects.

Business Meetings – Reimbursement of expenses for meals or light refreshments provided in connection with business meetings involving University employees are allowed when the expenses benefit the University and are reasonable and appropriate to the purpose and nature of the business being conducted.

Employee Meals – The University may furnish meals to certain employees during work hours when the employees are required to be at their work stations during a normal meal time. These meals can be provided when the department requirements necessitate that meals be provided as a condition of the employee's appointment.

• The University may provide meals or light refreshment to students in support of the University's educational program, such as:
• Meals or light refreshments provided in connection with a class, study hall or other academic-based activity
• Meals or light refreshments in connection with student orientation programs, commencement
• Meals or light refreshments provided in connection with a student government meeting, association meeting or other student meeting

Student Meals – The University may provide meals or light refreshment in support of the University's educational program, such as:

• Meals or light refreshments provided in connection with a class, study hall or other academic-based activity
• Meals or light refreshments in connection with student orientation programs, commencement
• Meals or light refreshments provided in connection with a student government meeting, association meeting or other student meeting

Stocking of Meeting Supplies – Bulk purchases of food, beverages, and related items may be accumulated in connection with official entertainment functions and other activities in order to simplify the planning of individual events and to take advantage of favorable pricing on quantity purchases. An Inventory Record for Quantity Purchases should be maintained by the department. Purchases should be limited to the amount that will be used within the fiscal year.

All expenses related to meeting and entertainment will require approval from an individual who has been given approval authority and has a signature card on file with Accounts Payable or was granted an “authorized approver” role in MyExpense. 

Only select individuals throughout the campus have been delegated this authority (Chancellor, VCs, Deans, plus a few high-level other employees). Review the UCSF Travel and Entertainment Approval Matrix to determine who has exceptional approval for your area. 

Exceptional approvals are submitted to Accounts Payable using the Supplemental Form for Contracted Facility Rental and Exceptional Meeting & Entertainment Expenses.

Following are some typical meeting and entertainment aspects which require exceptional approval. Be sure to check current
UC policy to ensure compliance:

• Meals provided to prospective employees.         
• Meals associated with the recruitment of student athletes and scholars. 
• Employee Morale-Building Activities (holiday gatherings, annual staff gatherings)              
• Meals provided to employees as part of a morale-building activity, including retirement and recognition receptions, etc.
• Meals provided to prospective donors.   
• Meals provided to visitors from other educational institutions, members of the community, medical center visitors, or employees from another work location where the purpose of the activity is social or recreational.          
• Tickets provided to prospective donors, employees, or student appointees in connection with an entertainment event.    
• Meals provided to a spouse or domestic partner.            
• Cash contributions related to an entertainment event.

Here are some common meeting and entertainment aspects which are not allowable expenses. Always check current UC policy to ensure compliance.

Per current policy, the following expenditures are not allowed:

• Expenses related to an employee's birthday celebration, wedding, anniversary, or other personal occasion are not reimbursable.
• Contributions in connection with any event sponsored by an organization associated either directly or indirectly with a political party, campaign, candidate, or group engaged in an attempt to influence legislation, elections, referenda or similar activities.
• Meals taken with individual colleagues at the same work location generally may not be reimbursed by the University unless the business purpose of the meal could not be conducted during working hours.
• Expenses for routine meetings involving University employees.
• Undocumented expenses.

Meeting & Entertainment Frequently Asked Questions

BearBuy Meeting & Entertainment Expenses Payment Request Form

Catering information: America to Go

Photo and Video Services

Note: The resource links above apply only to UCSF Campus departments.