To provide University of Tennessee employees with a basic overview of the University’s fiscal policy and procedure development.

To provide policies and procedures relating to budgets and budgetary control.

To provide policies and procedures relating to budgets and budgetary control of current unrestricted funds.

To establish fiscal responsibility for reconciling and reviewing University funds.

To provide guidance for identifying, maintaining, preserving and destroying university records while complying with applicable laws and regulations.

The purpose of this policy is to define fraud, waste, and abuse and the procedures and responsibilities for preventing, reporting, investigating, and resolving known or suspected instances of such behavior.

To provide reporting requirements for cash shortages and losses of equipment or other university property when employee involvement is not suspected.

To provide information related to the university’s insurance coverages, restrictions on procuring insurance, and guidance on filing a claim. This policy does not apply to group employee insurance such as health, dental and vision.

This policy ensures compliance with state and federal laws related to University employees utilizing UAS on university property.

To provide policies on reporting and disposing of unclaimed property.

To provide policies and guidelines for the fiscal operations of university service centers and recharge centers that will assure compliance with sound accounting principles and government regulations. This policy addresses the establishment of service centers and recharge centers, billing rates, costing issues including equipment, limitations on sales, and compliance responsibilities.

To provide policies regarding the department head’s responsibility for approving financial and human resources transactions and guidelines for delegating approval authority.

To provide policies on copyright compliance and on the use, duplication and distribution of copyrighted materials for instructional purposes.

To re-designate The University of Tennessee (“University” or “UT”)as a Hybrid Entity and establish general policy related to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (“HIPAA”).

To provide policies and procedures for administering grants and contracts, including budgets, proposals and applications, cost sharing, subcontracts, and salary allocation.

The purpose of this policy is to provide policies and procedures for distinguishing between direct and indirect (Facilities and Administrative/F&A) costs on grants and contracts. This policy will address federal, federal flow-through and non-federal projects. Several reference material documents are also included.

The purpose of this policy is to provide policies and procedures for charging salary to sponsored projects. This policy will address federal, federal flow-through and non-federal projects.

To provide guidance regarding the salary rate limitation of federal projects.

To ensure compliance with federal costing and cost-sharing requirements as set forth in the OMB Uniform Guidance. This policy establishes procedures for recording cost share expenditures in the university’s accounting and effort certification systems for sponsored projects.

To ensure compliance with federal requirements as specified in OMB Uniform Guidance §200.430 (i) Standards for Documentation of Personnel Expenses. This policy provides guidance for documenting personnel expenses through the university’s process of effort certification on sponsored grants and contracts.

This policy provides guidelines to ensure the timely allocation of charges or credits to the correct WBS element or cost center.

The University of Tennessee (UT) is committed to providing high quality technical work to our sponsors that is conducted with the highest moral and ethical standards and to conduct all business and related professional activities in good faith and with fairness, integrity, and respect for others. UT believes that compliance with applicable laws and regulations is an essential condition for performing effective work under sponsored agreements. Therefore, all employees who participate in sponsored activities are subject to this Code of Business Ethics for sponsored projects. In addition, federal contracts that include FAR clauses 52.203-13 and 52.203-14 are subject to the additional requirements listed in section 3 and 4 below.

This policy sets forth the responsibilities at various stages in the subcontracting process.

To ensure compliance with sponsor program income requirements, including identifying program income in proposals and in the accounting system, using the program income appropriately, and reporting it to the sponsor, if required.

To provide policies and procedures on recording, collecting, and writing off accounts receivable and returned checks.

To provide guidelines and procedures on receiving and depositing money.

This policy provides the requirements and guidelines for all credit card processing activities at the University of Tennessee, including debit card processing and e- commerce activities. The policy addresses protection against the exposure to and possible theft of account and personal cardholder information and the compliance with credit card company requirements for card information that is stored, processed, or transmitted on the university’s information technology resources. The referenced credit card company requirements are known as the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCI DSS). Compliance with the PCI DSS and this policy is mandatory for all university departments/merchants and entities processing credit, debit, or e-commerce payments directly or indirectly.

To provide guidelines for University employees who handle third-party funds, funds that don’t belong to the university.

To provide policies and procedures on the purchase, distribution, tracking and accounting for gift cards and gift certificates.

To provide policies and procedures on the acceptance and administration of gifts to the University. Donor gifts are solicited in the name of the University or a related University Foundation depending upon the wishes of the donor.

To provide guidelines related to the university’s Indicia Licensing Program, promotions, and sponsorships.

To provide policies and procedures on vending and solicitations on the university campuses.

To ensure proper reporting of Unrelated Business Taxable Income (UBTI)

This policy establishes the necessary guidelines and requirements for University units wishing to create Endowments and Quasi-endowments. The objective is to ensure University funds are invested in assets appropriate for their intended duration and purpose, and that the University can properly manage the liquidity of its Consolidated Investment Pool (CIP).

To provide departments with the policies for obtaining goods and services.

To outline authority and responsibilities of university personnel regarding drafting, reviewing, and signing contracts.

To provide guidelines on departmental purchases from campus bookstores.

To provide policies on the purchase of memberships and subscriptions.

This policy provides guidance to departments regarding the University’s ability to sponsor external non-profit organizations. This policy also communicates to departments that the University is prohibited from making cash donations to non-profits because state law does not allow such donations.

To provide policies on employee services between the university, other public colleges and universities, and state of Tennessee agencies.

To provide guidelines on the payment of a moving stipend for newly hired faculty and staff members.

To provide guidelines for efficiently paying the university’s non-payroll obligations while ensuring compliance with IRS regulations and establishing proper internal controls to prevent fraud, waste and abuse.

To provide policies on the methods of prepaying outside vendors for goods and services.

To provide guidelines on the use of internal transfers for conducting business between university departments by ensuring the timely allocation of charges or credits to the correct WBS element or cost center.

To provide guidance on establishing, maintaining, and reimbursing petty cash funds.

To provide policies and procedures to departmental personnel on the use of university procurement cards.

To provide policies and procedures to departmental personnel on the use of university travel cards. Obtaining a travel card is optional and is intended to reduce the out-of-pocket burden for employees, and guests who travel on behalf of the university.

To outline the policy for payments to students when the payments are for non-employment purposes.

To comply with US Department of Education regulations. Payments such as awards, prizes and gifts to enrolled students in recognition of academic pursuits or achievements must be reported to the Office of Financial Aid when paid for non-employment purposes.

To ensure that student payments are made in accordance with Internal Revenue Service tax rules and regulations.

To ensure compliance with applicable rules and regulations of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and other governmental agencies related to the proper classification of an individual providing services to the University.

To ensure that adequate definitions and property controls are in place over “sensitive” non-capital equipment items that do not meet the University’s thresholds for financial reporting purposes.

To provide directions for university employees who are responsible for recording moveable capital equipment assets and safeguarding both movable equipment assets and “sensitive” non-capital equipment items [See FI0600 – Equipment – Sensitive Minor].

To provide policies and procedures for the transfer, sale, and other methods of disposal for university surplus property.

To provide all university officials involved with the receipt, use, or disposition of gift personal property with guidelines for disposal of such property, including sale, donation, exchange, or trade.

To provide policies addressing capital outlay projects, responsibilities of the university officials who manage such projects, and basic requirements of applicable state agencies.

To comply with TCA 49-14-104, and to provide oversight for discretionary expenditures made by or for the President or Chancellors.

Subject to this policy and its associated procedures, the University will either directly pay for, or reimburse travelers for, travel expenses that are necessary for the traveler to facilitate University business purposes.

To provide policies and procedures for the payment and reimbursement of expenses for Entertainment, Group Arranged Events, and Food Expenses for UT Sponsored Conferences and Seminars.

To provide employees with an understanding of acceptable behavior regarding personal gifts offered by vendors, potential vendors, customers, potential employees or any other outside individual or organization. The policy is also intended to provide departments with guidance in giving employees work related awards. This policy does not apply to gifts to the University through our fund raising efforts. Those gifts are covered underFI0315 – Gifts. This policy doesn’t apply to gifts at retirement receptions. They are governed by FI0720 – Retirement Receptions. This policy also does not apply to health care professionals at the University’s Health Science Center and their interaction with health care vendors. These guidelines are addressed in the Health Science Center’s fiscal procedure FI0126-H – Conflict of Interests, Interactions between Health Care Professionals and Industry. Campuses have the option to establish more restrictive policies and procedures.

To provide guidance for events held for retirees.

To provide policies and guidelines on the use of university vehicles maintained by the campus motor pools. While utilizing campus motor pool vehicles, users must observe any policies and procedures developed by a campus motor pool.

The University recognizes that cellular telephones, smart phones, data plans, and the ability to remotely connect to the Internet are routinely needed by various employees to efficiently perform their University responsibilities. The purpose of this policy is to provide guidelines for obtaining these services. Campuses and units have the option to establish more restrictive procedures with respect to this policy.

To ensure that the tax laws are observed with respect to taxable fringe benefits provided to university employees. To also provide guidance that informs university campuses and institutes of their responsibility to appropriately notify the System Payroll Office of taxable fringe benefits provided to employees and to facilitate proper withholding and reporting of payroll taxes.

The purpose of this policy is to ensure compliance with applicable tax laws with respect to graduate fee waivers provided by the University. Graduate fee waivers provided to individuals other than benefits-eligible employees and graduate assistants are not qualified under The University of Tennessee Section 127 – Graduate Educational Assistance Plan (UT127PLAN.pdf) and may represent additional income to those individuals. University campuses and institutes are responsible for capturing and reporting the value of these fee waivers to the System Payroll Office to facilitate the proper withholding and reporting of payroll taxes.

The purpose of this policy is to provide guidance to university departments in complying with the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA). The Act requires the university to offer health insurance to all employees, including temporary and student employees, who work 75% time or greater. The Act provides methods for calculating an employee’s percent of effort, time that this effort must be measured and the length of time that insurance must be provided.

The purpose of this policy is to provide University departments guidance for processing payroll in an accurate, timely manner with sufficient internal controls and to provide guidance to employees for reporting hours worked, leave used and other payroll related transactions. Links to applicable human resource policies are provided and these policies should also be consulted for additional guidance and information.

To provide guidance on the setting of faculty salaries for employees who continue to hold faculty appointments after their Supplement-Based Administrative Appointments have concluded in accordance with university policy BT0012.