/
Entertainment

Entertainment

Overview:

Please review the Handbook of Business Procedures entry on Entertainment 9.1.1. for complete details on entertainment expenditures and official occasions. Entertainment expenditures include food, beverages, facility rentals, flowers, invitations, and other expenses and must serve a clear business purpose. It is everyone’s responsibility to read, understand, and ensure compliance with University and College policies.

UPDATED PROCEDURES as of 3/31/26: Entertainment expenses must be signed by an approved signer based on the criteria below. Invoices/receipts need to be signed rather than the voucher coversheets according to the Office of Accounting.

Link to: Official Occasion Expense Form

Procedure for non-CBS units:

1. Determine who needs to sign the receipt/invoice

  • Did your chair/director host the event? Host can be any of the following:

their name is on the invitation,

they are running the meeting or event,

or they are being reimbursed for the event.

  • Is your chair/director being reimbursed?

  • Is the total amount of the entertainment expenditures over $5,000?

  • Is the account you are using a Dean’s office account (DLA/endowment)?

  • Is alcohol the primary expense? (Review the policy carefully for the limited scenarios where this is applicable. HBP 9.1.1.4.2c)

If the answer is YES to any of the above, the receipt or invoice needs to be signed by the Dean’s Office.

If the answer is NO to all of the above, the receipt or invoice needs to be signed by your chair/director.

2. Get a signature

For receipt or invoice to be signed by the Dean’s Office, submit your completed packet via SmartSheet. Once signed by a Dean’s Office delegate, submit the final packet to OA for payment.

SUBMIT HERE: Dean’s Office Entertainment and Official Occasion Expense Approval Request

Select one or more Reason for Submission options to make additional fields appear.

For receipt or invoice to be signed by your chair/director, you can FYA the document in Define, have the receipt/invoice signed digitally, or have them sign the receipt/invoice with their name and title clearly printed under the signature. Once signed by your chair/director, submit the final approved packet to OA for payment.

Procedure for CBS Units:

  1. Upload documentation (receipts, OOEF, contract/PO, etc) to your area’s CBS Submission Box folder.

  2. CBS will create the appropriate voucher, send for required signature (either chair/director, or Dean’s Office), and submit the final approved packet to OA for payment.

Resources:

Overview of procedure and policy changes from summer 2025:

  • OOEFs are no longer required to be signed or approved on their own. They must now be submitted with the payment voucher paperwork/documentation.

  • Cost per person limit is $100/person per meal or event, including food/beverage, alcohol, tax, gratuity, and required service fees (See HBP 9.1.1.4.2 and the OOE Policy Chart for more detail).

  • Accounts Payable in the Office of Accounting reviews voucher coversheets with entertainment expenses for your chair or director’s approval signature or an approval signature from the Dean’s Office, in some cases.

    • If you are attaching an OOEF to the payment packet for VPE, VP2, VP7, etc. that you submit to OA, then ensure the appropriate signature is on the coversheet.

  • As of June 1, 2025, the online OOEF system was retired.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Questions? 

Please contact la-finance@austin.utexas.edu