Administrative services

Please ensure spending approvals have been received prior to expenditure commitment and all requirements specific to external funding agencies have been met!

Requests for Internal Funding:

Requests for financial support from the Faculty for special events or projects should be submitted to the Dean's Office using the BUDGET/SPONSORSHIP REQUEST FORM. The completed form with budget plan should be submitted to the Dean for approval. Once approval is received, a copy must be submitted to Financial Services.

Expense Reimbursements:

Expense Reimbursements may be claimed when you have ALREADY PAID for an item and need reimbursement. Supplier invoices should be submitted to the Finance Office for payment directly to the vendor.  All expense claims should be submitted for reimbursement on a timely basis: within 3 weeks is our standard policy.

Process for submitting an expense reimbursement claim:

  • Receive all necessary approvals for expenditures in advance of purchase
  • Gather all your ORIGINAL RECEIPTS (INCLUDING BOARDING PASSES)
  • Complete EXPENSE REIMBURSEMENT CLAIM FORM
  • Attach all original receipts
  • Sign the “Signature of Claimant” field
  • Obtain required supervisors signatures (not applicable to Faculty)
  • Make sure you have included your first and last name, as well as your mailing address
  • Submit form and all attachments to Financial Services Desk, Room 211, 140 St.George Street

Invoice Payment Processing:

Process for submitting an invoice for payment:

  • Receive all necessary approvals for expenditures in advance of purchase
  • Ensure Goods and Services have been received in good order
  • Sign, or receive authorizing signatures, indicating that it has been approved for payment
  • Indicate project name or budget that item is to be paid from
  • Attach all packing slips
  • If Vendor has not charged HST, please ensure the SMALL TRADERS CERTIFICATION form has been completed and is attached
  • Submit to Financial Services desk, Room 211, 140 St.George Street, for processing
  • You CANNOT pay student wages in this way

Guest Lecture / Honoraria Payments:

Guest Lecture Payments are issued through the payroll process as T4A payments. These types of payments are classified as Taxable Income but no deductions are made up front. Recipients will receive a T4A form at year end and will need to claim the income on their taxes. Payments to Non Residents (those who do not have a Canadian Social Insurance (SIN) number) will have an automatic 15% withholding tax applied unless they apply to Revenue Canada for a "Waiver of Withholding Tax."  See form for specific details. Waiver applications must be submitted to Revenue Canada 4-6 weeks PRIOR to the speaking engagement.

Process for submitting a Guest Lecture / Honoraria Payment Request:

  • Complete GUEST LECTURE PAYMENT FORM
  • Be sure to include Social Insurance Number and Birth Date of Recipient
  • If recipient is Canadian resident but is not registered to charge GST/HST, please ensure the SMALL TRADERS CERTIFICATION form has been completed
  • Ensure all fields have been completed including Authorizing Signature field
  • Submit form to Financial Services desk, Room 211, 140 St.George Street,
  • If recipient is US- or International-based and does not have a SIN card please consult with payroll personnel 6 weeks PRIOR to speaking engagement
  • The FORM gives amount guidelines for standard course lectures. If you wish to take the speaker to lunch, or give them a present instead of payment, the same amounts apply. (Use the Expense Reimbursement Form)

Transportation /Visitor Arrangements:

Travel Arrangements can be booked through Avenue Travel, the official U of T Travel Services Provider.  Our Avenue Travel contact is Phil Hucker who can be reach at philatavenuetravel [dot] ca or phone 416-644-6573.  If the travel is to be billed directly to the Faculty, please use the following process:

  • Contact Avenue Travel, make your booking and let them know that charges will be billed to the Faculty
  • Complete a Travel Authorization Form
  • Obtain necessary approvals (Supervisor / Grant Holder)
  • Submit to Financial Services desk, Room 211, 140 St.George Street,  for final approvals and submission to Avenue Travel
  • Once Travel Authorization Form has been received by Avenue Travel, travel arrangements will be finalized and tickets will be emailed

Hotel reservations may be made with the Holiday Inn at 280 Bloor Street West, 416-968-0010.  To receive the UofT discount, let them know at the time of your booking that  you (or your visitor) will be visiting the UofT. When accommodation is to be invoiced to the Faculty, call and make the reservation letting them know that room charges and local calls are to be billed to the Faculty and that a Billing Authorization Form will be faxed in. Once you have made the reservation, email the following information to the Financial Services desk, Room 211, 140 St.George Street,  who will then submit a Billing Authorization Form:

  • Guest Name
  • Arrival Date
  • Departure Date
  • Confirmation #
  • # of Guests
  • Reason for visit
  • Applicable grant or project budget

Casual / Student Hiring Guidelines:

A prospective employee must have, and be able to provide a copy of, a current Social Insurance Card (SIN). US and International students must also submit a copy of their current work/study permit. Foreign students are typically allowed to work on campus but must apply to Service Canada for a Social Insurance Card. Please refer to servicecanada.gc.ca for application information.

When hiring someone who is not enrolled as a full-time student the following guidelines apply:

  • All positions expected to last six months or more with an expected FTE of 25% or more may need to be posted as a staff-appointed term position.  If this situation exists please consult with Faculty HR office before continuing
  • Positions expected to last less than six months may be filled using a “Casual” designation

Process for hiring Casual Workers:

  • Written Job descriptions are to be posted to the Faculty Job Site
  • Applicants are interviewed by prospective supervisor
  • Once hiring decision is made, please consult Faculty HR Office for assistance with issuing a Casual Offer Letter and payroll setup 

Casual employment form

Payroll Rates and Budget Calculations:

The United Steelworkers, Casuals Unit, Local 1998 (USW Local 1998) represents casual administrative and technical employees at the U of T. The USW Casual Wage Rate, effective July 1, 2010, is set at a minimum wage of $12.00 per hour. Casual pay rates are determined based on the experience of the worker and the complexity of the work. 

The following equation should be used when calculating overall payroll cost:

Hourly rate of pay x number of hours to be worked x 4% vacation pay allowance = Total Gross Pay to Employee

An additional 10% of the gross amount will be charged to your account for employer share of WCB, CPP and EI benefits (to be remitted to the Government). For example, if you hired someone for 10 hours of work at a rate of $15.00 per hour your effective cost would be:

10 hours x $15.00 per hour = $150.00 + 4% Vacation pay = $156.00 x 10% benefit rate = $171.60 total cost to your fund.

Note: When paying someone who holds an appointed position with the U of T please calculate the benefit rate at 23.75%.

Research Grant Application Process:

There are many different types of research funding available.  If you are interested in applying for research funding, please review the U of T Research Services Website (www.research.utoronto.ca) for a detailed list of funding opportunities. All Contracts and Research Grant proposals must be initially approved by the department and by Research Services. If you need assistance with budget planning or have any concerns regarding space requirements, the Faculty Business Officer is happy to assist.  Once you are ready to submit your application, the Faculty Application Process is as follows:

  • At lease five (5) working days prior to internal Research Services Submission Deadline -  Complete RIS/BLUE Form and submit with copy of your completed application to Faculty Financial Services office
  • Budget will be reviewed and proposal will be forwarded to the Dean’s Office for Departmental signatures
  • Once approvals have been finalized, proposal will be released for forwarding to Research Services
  • Research Services will review and advise when proposal is ready for pick up and submission

Budget Preparation:

The Tri-Agency Financial Administration Guide provides a great review for eligible expenses when developing your budget plan. The guide can be found online:  http://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/Professors-Professeurs/FinancialAdminGuide-GuideAdminFinancier/index_eng.asp This serves as a great memory/idea aid when projecting expenses.

Otherwise, here is a list of some items that might be included in a budget plan:

  • MA / PhD/ Other Research or administrative assistance (see Payroll Rates and Budget Calculations section above)
  • Computer and other Equipment for PIs and RAs (not limited to but may refer to U of T Computer Store for sample pricing: http://www.uoftbookstore.com/online/
  • Computer Software is now purchased through Ushop or the U of T Bookshop. The following website will provide great pricing:  http://www.utoronto.ca/ic/software/.  Other appropriate sources may also be consulted
  • Travel Expenses for Principal Investigator as well as students/staff /collaborators working on project. Travel rates vary greatly depending on the destination but items for consideration are:
    • Airfare
    • Accommodation
    • Meals (or, if claiming a per diem, then $55.00 CAN per day within Canada, or $75.00 CAN per day for US and International travel)
    • Taxi
    • Conference Registration / Memberships
    • Guest speaker fees
    • Incentive honoriaria to experimental subjects
       
  • Will the project be hosting a Conference or Workshop
  • Publications or Memberships required for project completion
  • Expenses regarding communication and deliverables
    • Publishing
    • Design work
    • Printing / Paper / Postage
       
  • Website development / hosting
  • Teaching Release Stipend
  • Space requirements
  • General supplies
  • Special Phone/Internet requirements
  • Courier
  • Faculty expense recovery (i.e. equipment use /admin & computer support/ server space) when allowed by sponsor

Office Supplies Order Form:

Faculty, staff, and PhD students may use the following online form to order office supplies and equipment.  Complete and submit this Office Supplies Order Form

Your Financial Services Team:

Susan Brown – Assistant Dean Administration – susan [dot] brownatutoronto [dot] ca – 140 St. George Street, Room 211 – 416-978-8588

Alfredo Gonzalez – Financial Assistant - alfredo [dot] gonzalesatutoronto [dot] ca – 140 St. George Street, Room 211 – 416-978-6383

Kathy Shyjak -  Business Officer – kathy [dot] shyjakatutoronto [dot] ca – 45 Willcocks Street, Room 323 – 416-978-2883

 

PhD conference travel award application