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Business Meals

Generally, meal expenses that do NOT involve an OVERNIGHT stay are NOT reimbursable. (If you want to be reimbursed for meals while on overnight travel, see the Per Diem section under Travel.) The exception involves Business Meals-- which usually should be with at least one other non-UMW employee --for the purpose of discussing official State business. Meals for family members, significant others, etc. are NOT allowable. The Commonwealth establishes maximum amounts for business meals that are found on the Approval for Business Meal Form (link for form is highlighted below).

Business Meals are allowed when:

  • The meal involves a substantive and bona fide business discussion that is documented on the Business Meal Form.
  •  The President or designated signer approves a completed Business Meal Approval Form in advance. (A list of ALL persons by name involved in the meal AND THE REASON FOR THE MEAL MUST be included on this form. If the meal or function is open to the campus or a specific group, identify the group name and include an approximate number.)
  • An ORIGINAL, ITEMIZED receipt showing all items purchased for the meal is provided. (Credit card slips with only a total are NOT acceptable.)

The University of Mary Washington will not pay for alcohol, and if alcohol is served, you should ask for it to be on a separate bill.

NOTE: Delivery costs and a reasonable tip (defined as NO MORE THAN 20% of the meal expense EXcluding alcohol) are allowed as long as the final total does not exceed the allowable rate shown on the Business Meal Form.

 

To use the UMW Finance Card to pay for a Business Meal, follow these procedures:

  1. Complete a Business Meal Form with appropriate signatures (link for form found highlighted below).
  2. Take the completed Business Meal Form to the Cashier* and ask the Cashier* for a UMW Finance Card.
  3. The Cashier* will take your signed Business Meal Form and give you a Card.
  4. After you have made your purchase(s), you should IMMEDIATELY submit the UMW Finance Card and ALL ORIGINAL, DETAILED, ITEMIZED receipts to the Cashier*.
  5. The Cashier* will review on-line the swiped charges made on the Card and will require receipts for all transactions on the Card during the time you had the Card checked out. If charged expenses contain alcohol or if the expense exceeds the allowable rates listed on the Business Meal Approval Form, you will be asked to deposit the "overage" immediately. The overage must reimbursed to the University at the Cashier's office in Lee Hall. If you fail to produce a receipt for a charge on the Card, you will be asked to make a deposit to UMW for the charge.  The Cashier will give you a receipt and will attach a copy of the receipt to the paperwork to show the overage was paid by you.  Any disputes will be handled with the Accounts Payable Manager or Assistant Vice President for Finance. If you refuse to repay UMW for an inappropriate expense, Accounts Payable will file paperwork to have the money withheld from your paycheck and you will not have the privilege of using this Card again.
  6. The Cashier* will submit all forms and receipts to the Accounts Payable Office. If Accounts Payable finds any unallowable expenses or any "overages" that the *Cashier missed, Accounts Payable will ask you to deposit money at the Cashier's Office in Lee Hall. Accounts Payable will attach the receipt of your repayment/deposit to the credit card statement as proof of money deposited. If you refuse to deposit the money, Accounts Payable will file paperwork to have the money withheld from your paycheck and you will not have the privilege of using this Card again.

*At CGPS, the Fiscal Assistant handles this function.

business meal form

Download Excel version
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In the event that the UMW Finance Card was not available, you may use your personal credit card and request reimbursement (see Reimbursements). If you use your own credit card, you will be reimbursed in accordance to the Business Meal regulations up to the maximum allowed amount on the Business Meal Approval form.


You may NOT use your departmental credit card (SPCC) for business meal expenditures.

Depending upon the business establishment's set-up with VISA, the charge may go through, but State regulations say that business meals are NOT allowable expenditures on the SPCC. If you use your SPCC to pay for a meal, you personally will have to reimburse UMW for the expense by going to the Cashier to deposit the money. The Cashier will need the Banner FOAP from you. Attach the receipt (of your reimbursement to UMW from the Cashier) to the SPCC log for the inappropriate SPCC expenditure. You may then submit for proper reimbursement (see Reimbursements ) for the expense. Exception: You may use your SPCC for purchases made through Sodexho Company and at grocery stores, but you MUST have a copy of the completed and signed Business Meal Form attached to your SPCC log along with a detailed, itemized receipt.

Business Meals outside the realm of breakfast, lunch or dinner

Ice cream socials and coffee breaks, for example, ARE allowed, but there is no category for them under the state per diem regulations, so we simply "lump" those under the appropriate "meal" allowance based upon the time of day of the coffee break/ice cream social.  This is the only choice we have, as the state does not have a "snack" per diem. It's reasonable that an institution of higher education would have ice cream socials, for example, and "snack-oriented socials" are therefore allowed. 

UMW uses the time table below based upon a generally accepted business practice of restaurants.

Breakfast:  up until 11:00 a.m.
Lunch:      11:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Dinner:      3:30 p.m. - until

Examples

EXAMPLE #1: There is a coffee break at 10 in the morning, so the coffee break would fall under the breakfast portion of the per diem.  It would not be allowed under the lunch per diem.  If the break happened at 11, we would allow it under the lunch per diem.  If the ice cream social takes place at 4 pm, we would allow it under the dinner portion of the per diem.  If the ice cream social is at 2pm, we would allow it under the lunch per diem.

EXAMPLE #2: The example below is a situation where meals are provide all day as detailed below.

Breakfast at 7:00 am
Coffee Break at 10:00 am
Lunch at noon
Break at  3:00 pm
Dinner at 6:30 pm

THIS IS HOW UMW WOULD ALLOW IT:

  • The ONE breakfast per diem would be allowed for the breakfast AND coffee break COMBINED. 
  • The ONE lunch per diem would be allowed for the lunch AND the break at 3:00 COMBINED.
  • Obviously, the one dinner per diem would be allowed for dinner.

Call the Accounts Payable Manager at 654-1226 with questions.

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