News and Updates

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In-Store Tax Exemption

Purchases made within or shipped to the state of Alabama are exempt from state sales tax if they are charged to state funds (Chart A). Several merchants around Tuscaloosa have specific requirements for allowing purchases to be made without sales tax. Please visit the Tax Office’s website for specific instructions on making purchases with the following vendors: Dollar General, Hobby Lobby, Best Buy, Target, Wal-Mart, Office Depot, and Dollar Tree. In some cases, action is required before shopping in-store.

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to pcard@ua.edu.

Relocation/Moving Allowance Reminder

Relocation/Moving Allowance Reminder

There are two options for the timing of moving allowance payments:

  1. Prior to Employment Start Date: If the moving allowance is paid in advance of the employment start date, no taxes are withheld at the time of issuance. However, applicable taxes will be withheld from one or more regular paychecks once the employee is active on Payroll. The Tax Office will notify the employee by email in advance of the taxation. The taxable moving benefit can be found at the bottom of the paystub located within MyBama in each period where taxation occurs. The number shown on the pay stub is the amount of benefit that is being taxed in that pay period, not the amount of taxes being deducted. The tax deduction amounts will vary depending on the employee’s individual tax bracket and filing status.
  2. After Employment Start Date: If the moving allowance is paid after the employment start date, the payment is processed through Supplemental Payroll. For this option, applicable taxes are withheld at the time of payment with no impact on subsequent paychecks.

For further details, refer to the following website links:

A/P – Spending Policy – Section 9.0 Relocation/Moving Expenses:

Setting Up a Concur Delegate

Concur allows the user to set up a delegate for Travel, Request, Expense, and Invoice Modules.  Delegates are employees who are allowed to perform work on behalf of others.  You can add a delegate to your Concur user profile and assign certain permissions to that delegate, enabling them to perform specific tasks on your behalf.  This does not remove the user’s responsibility to review and submit the request or report.

U.S. Bank’s 24-Hour Customer Service

The U.S. Bank Customer Service number (800-344-5696) listed on the back of all UA P-Cards is a valuable resource for cardholders. In addition to activating your card, reporting a card lost/stolen, and finding out why your purchase has declined, you can find out the following:

Current Balance: The amount that has been charged in the current cycle.
Current Available Credit: The amount you have left before reaching your cycle limit.
Monthly Credit Line: Your monthly/cycle limit.

Review the helpful tips for communicating with U.S. Bank. Feel free to reach out to P-Card Services at pcard@ua.edu with any questions.

Travel & Invoice: Flight Comparisons

When reviewing flights on both Concur and external booking sites, some travelers contact us, stating that cheaper flights can be found outside of the system.  When researching these instances, we typically determine that the traveler is not comparing the same fare/class of ticket.  Concur does not automatically display the lowest basic fares, as these are not “Best Practice” fares for business travel.  They often come with few benefits and many restrictions. When we review “apples to apples” fares between Concur and the external booking sites, the Concur rate is typically the same or cheaper than the external site.  Accounts Payable is happy to review any variances you see between Concur and external sites.

When do I use the Entertainment Expense Form?

Section 6.3 of the UA Spending Policy details the documentation required for any entertainment expenditures.  Completing the Entertainment Expense Form will ensure that the following is documented in accordance with UA Policy.  If you can include all required information below in the Concur Expense Report or Concur Invoice, the Entertainment Expense Form does not have to be attached.

  • Identification of the person or group to be entertained, including the relationship of the persons in attendance to the particular aspects of the University program that will be benefited. This information includes titles, committee names, the field of interest of the person or group being entertained, the reason for inviting the visitor(s) to campus, and other relevant details.
    • For entertainment of small groups (10 or fewer), the names of all persons attending must be shown.
    • For entertainment of 10 or more individuals, only the name or names of the honored guest or guests must be indicated, with the number of persons attending.
  • A statement as to the reason or purpose of the entertainment, including the purpose and benefits of the program to the University must be clearly indicated and understood by anyone outside the department reviewing the voucher.
    • If the function that included the entertainment is held away from the University campus, an agenda for the function must be attached.
    • If entertainment includes only UA employees, an explanation as to why it had to occur at breakfast, lunch, or dinner is necessary.
    • The date and place of entertainment.

As a reminder, entertainment events can include meals and refreshments at UA functions if the meals and refreshments are incidental to the meeting or training. The primary purpose of the meeting or educational/training session in which the meal or refreshments are provided or consumed shall be directly related to the business of the University.

Travel & Invoice: International Airfare Booking

Please remember that due to the availability of local carriers in various countries and locations, international airfare bookings are exempt from the Concur booking requirement.  These bookings must still be paid for with a UA P-Card.   Travelers do not need to reach out to Accounts Payable for prior approval of international bookings outside of the Concur system.  All domestic air travel is required to be booked through Concur or Christopherson Business Travel using a UA P-Card.

P-Card Out of Office Tips

It’s almost summertime at UA, and many faculty and staff members are traveling for both business and pleasure. If you are planning on going out of town for an extended period of time, a little preparation can go a long way in preventing any disruption in p-card usage for you and your department.
If you would like for P-Card Services to temporarily suspend your card while you’re traveling, you can email pcard@ua.edu and let us know when you’ll be out of town. It would also be a good idea to assign a delegate in Concur in case anything comes up while you’re out.

Whether you’re a cardholder or an approver, it’s a great idea to download the Concur Mobile app so that you can quickly prepare, review, and approve reports on the go. Instructions for setting up Concur Mobile can be found on the Concur website.

If you’re traveling to a location where cell service or internet service are unreliable, please contact pcard@ua.edu prior to your trip so that we can help you and your department come up with a plan for preparing, reviewing, and approving reports in your absence.