Purchases & Reimbursement

LSSO Student Reimbursement

If members of an organization incur out-of-pocket expenses (under $250), the process for submitting a student reimbursement is as follows:

Complete the LSSO Student Reimbursement Form within two weeks of the expense being incurred.
Students will need to complete event information and upload a digital copy of their receipt(s) outlining expenses.
Students will be reimbursed through direct deposit. Payment will be paid on the next biweekly paydate via the payment election (check/direct deposit) in Workday. Student should log into Workday to ensure address, payment election, bank information, etc. are accurate.
Reimbursement requests for non-approved events, or non-approved reimbursable services/items will be denied.

Examples of Reimbursable Expenses

Questions regarding reimbursable expenses, especially if the LSSO will incur a large, out-of-pocket expense over $250.00, must discuss the expense with the Dean of Students Office before incurring the expense. Doing so will avoid incurring a non-reimbursable expense or having a lengthy wait before reimbursement. Most of reimbursement restrictions are University-wide restrictions, and the Law School is prohibited from allowing exceptions.

Goods: Office supplies, photocopying, art supplies, films, stickers, and fabric.
Services: Engraving, screen printing, printing, taxi, ride-share, and parking expenses, tickets to events, and rentals related to approved events.
Food: Candy, cookies, etc. for approved tabling; Snacks, food at approved LSSO events.

Alcohol Expense Reimbursement

LSSOs must receive approval from the Dean of Students Office to receive reimbursement for any alcohol or alcohol-related purchases, bar tabs, or social event expenses. For such events, students must complete the Off-Campus and Non-Standard Event Form at least three weeks prior to the event.
All student reimbursements are limited to $250 per student per event. Please note: the policy allows alcohol to be reimbursed at a 50/50 ratio with food. In other words, reimbursement for $15 of alcohol would also require a purchase of $15 of food. Alcohol reimbursement can be lower than food. For example, a reimbursement for $5 of alcohol and $15 of food.
In order to receive reimbursement, students must submit an itemized receipt that shows all items purchased, and a credit card/other final receipts, which shows the completed purchase. Reimbursements cannot be provided with a credit card receipt only.

Please note that LSSOs are not required to offer alcohol reimbursement to guests. It is up to the LSSO to budget appropriately and decide what type of reimbursements they want to offer guests, if any.

Alcohol Purchases

Alcohol is not permitted at LSSO events that take place at a private residence or apartment, at the Point or any other location outside of the Law School that does not have a licensed and insured bar tender. Whenever alcohol is served on campus by students, the students who are serving must be UCARE Certified. Additionally, a UCARE Certified faculty or staff member must be present the entire time. Please review the information on Getting UCARE Certified.

If you need the Law School to order an alcohol delivery on your behalf, please contact Juan Vicente Nuno (jnuno@uchicago.edu) with your order information at least 2 weeks prior to your event date. In addition to reimbursements, LSSO leaders work with the Dean of Students Office to purchase alcohol on their behalf, either through a restaurant, bar, or other vendor.

Examples of Expenses that Are Not Reimbursable

Not all goods and services are eligible for reimbursement. Several categories of non-reimbursable expenses have caused problems for LSSOs in the past. These include:

Gifts/Donations: LSSOs cannot be reimbursed for gifts given to guests, outgoing leaders, outside organizations, or others. If an organization hosts a VIP speaker for whom a gift may be appropriate, please contact the Dean of Students Office.
Personal services (unless accompanied by appropriate documentation): For example, if a LSSO pays a cellist $50 to play at a reception, the cellist must submit an invoice and a W-9 rather than a receipt. For details about what satisfies this requirement, please contact Juan Nuno (jnuno@uchicago.edu) before incurring the expense.
Speaker honoraria: The rationale for not paying honoraria is that speakers are honored to be asked to speak at the Law School. There are no exceptions to this rule.

Insurance on rental cars: Any student who rents a car for official University business (including student organization business) must rent the vehicle from National Car Rental. Students do not need to purchase the rental company’s insurance policy because the vehicle will be covered under the University’s insurance policy as long as all appropriate paperwork is completed. Contact the Dean of Students Office for the appropriate paperwork. Please note that it takes a minimum of two weeks to process a request for University insurance, so make sure that paperwork is submitted well in advance of the anticipated travel date.

Travel arrangements purchased with miles or points

The University can only reimburse for travel arrangements (e.g., plane tickets, hotels, etc.) purchased with actual funds, such as cash or credit card. The University cannot reimburse travel arrangements made using frequent flier miles or points.