Entertainment Policy-OOEF

Policy and Procedure Introduction:

All entertainment expenses, funded by a university account, associated with an: official occasions; administrative/business meetings and business meals; on-the-job meals requires an Official Occasion Expense Form (OOEF) and must serve a business purpose. This includes entertainment expense charged to a Procard card or incurred as part of an approved travel request. The physical OOEF form itself will not need to be signed but will need to be completed with the other data and included as part of your supporting documentation. Most OOEFs will be processed after-the-fact, the only prior approval required related to OOEFs is if you plan to serve alcohol on campus in a non-licensed facility. More details surrounding this approval can be found on the Provost Office’s website. You cannot use core CNS funded 19 accounts including start-up, retention, AUF, and ICR accounts. State funded 14 and 20 accounts also cannot be used for entertainment expenses. Some grant accounts do not allow entertainment expenses, please check with the PI regarding their grant account.

A reimbursement or vendor payment request for an entertainment expense cannot be processed without a completed OOEF. Reimbursement requests submitted more than 60 days after the expense, if approved, will be treated as taxable income. The request for reimbursement must be final approved by the university's accounts payable (AP) office within 60 days of the expense in order to remain non-taxable. Entertainment expenses not complying with UT's Handbook of Business Procedures 9.1.1. can be returned and declined. AP has the right to deny reimbursement request for any expense out of compliance or deemed inappropriate. Per CNS policy, exceptions requests for exceeding $100 per person WILL NOT be approved. Per CNS policy, alcohol is NOT allowed at any undergraduate student event. Alcohol is allowed at graduate student recruiting events, however there is a two-drink maximum per person.

OOEF Process Overview :

After your event takes place, gather your documentation: pre-approval documentation (if needed), and itemized paid receipt which you’ll use to complete an OOEF form. This completed OOEF form will become part of your supporting documentation. There should be one OOEF per event where the participant information and purpose of the event are identical. You can follow the below guidance to determine if a blanket OOEF is appropriate for recurring entertainment expenses during a fiscal year.

Blanket Official Occasion Expense Form (OOEF):

Blanket OOEF are only acceptable when all of the below conditions are met:

an event is part of a recurring series over a period of time such as a semester or fiscal year
total annual budget amount does not exceed $5,000
the title and purpose of each event is identical for each occurrence
the “host” and core audience/group of the events are the same for each occurrence

Please see "When to Use a Blanket OOEF" document for assistance completing the OOEF.

For assistance on completing the OOEF form itself, follow the guidance provided the College of Natural Science’s “tips for processing OOEFs”. Please note, the electronic routing and approval process related to entertainment payment requests and OOEFs will be handled behind the scenes by the business services team.

Initiating an OOEF as a Student or Faculty Member:

When you are planning to have an event or meeting where you anticipate having entertainment expenses please send your department or program administrator the below details in advance so that the may have the data required to complete an OOEF on your behalf.

Account Number for the expense
Event Name
Event Date(s)
Event Location/Place (if on campus, confirmation if alcohol was served on campus)
Purpose of the Event (brief description outlining the business justification for the expense)
Total Actual Cost
Participant Information (For groups 10 and under include all participants Name, Title, and affiliation. For groups of 11 or more provide the name of each group, example 50 department faculty, staff, and undergraduates.)

Entertainment Guidelines:

Some general guidelines are listed below, but you are encouraged to read the Handbook of Business Procedures 9.1.1. in its entirety for guidance.

Tips are only reimbursed up to 20% of the subtotal of the bill, unless a higher tip percentage is mandated by the venue or restaurant. Those instances will be need to be outlined in the request form and will be considered case-by-case.
Itemized receipts must always be included. Proof of payment is required when no credit card receipts are available. Proof of payment can be credit card statement, cancelled check, or receipts showing "paid" status if cash was used.
The per person limits include the cost of the goods plus any tax, tip, and service fees
Alcohol may not be the primary expenditure (less than 50%)
If alcohol is provided at such an event, the university requires a TABC-licensed caterer/bartender be used
Prior approval is required when alcohol is being served on campus and must be attached with completed OOEF

SoHE Meal Limits:

All faculty, staff, and students will only be reimbursed up to the set CNS limit ($100/person) for entertainment expense from SoHE account. These per person limits include food/beverage, alcohol, tax, gratuity, and required service fees. Exceptions, if granted, required approval by the dean or vice president.

SoHE OOEF Process Overview:

Before your event, only if you are serving alcohol on campus in a non-licensed facility obtain pre-approval from the Provost Office’s website to do so.
After your event, send the necessary data and itemized paid receipts or invoices to your department or program administrator for processing.
Once the OOEF is completed, department administrator will gather the supporting documentation and submitted via the Invoice and Receipt submission instruction to initiate the entertainment payment request process. Please remember you must submit one request per vendor/payee.
The Business Service Team will review the submitted Entertainment Payment Request Form and process the payment or reimbursement.

If you have any questions about payments related to an event, please send an email to he-business_services@utlists.utexas.edu.

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