Department Resources

The Department has recently installed new copy machines.

Existing copy codes should work on these machines, and scanner email preset button settings have also been transferred. 

If you were able to print to the copy machines before, you should still be able to do it using the current print drivers installed on your computer.  However, the new drivers will need to be installed at some point.  To get the new drivers installed, put in a ticket to Campus Shared Services IT via this link:  CSS IT Ticket  (you will need to calnet authenticate).

 - If you encounter problems with the new machines, please report them to CNR Facilities - cnrfa_mgmt@berkeley.edu and cc the front desk at pmbdesk@berkeley.edu.

- If a machine needs more paper or ink refills, please contact the front desk at pmbdesk@berkeley.edu or X2-9999.

- To log out of a copy machine please press "Reset" & "C clear" buttons simultaneously

To contact CNR Facilities (Jonathan Rennella) please call 510.664.4881 or email rennella@berkeley.edu. Please cc the PMB Front Desk on all emails so we're in the loop.

T&E policy on reimbursement requests - 45-day submission deadline
There is a UC system policy that requires both travel and entertainment reimbursement requests to be submitted no later than 45 days after the completion of travel or, for entertainment, the date of the expense, as specified by the IRS in Publication 463 to ensure we maintain our Accountable Plan status. For the past two years, the reimbursement system has been sending courtesy notifications to employees and their approvers, to remind them of this policy whenever a reimbursement was submitted outside of the 45-day window, so at this point, awareness of this policy should be widespread. For travel with a return date of July 1, 2021 or later, or for an entertainment event with an end date of July 1, 2021 or later, we will begin strictly enforcing this policy and any exceptions will be treated as taxable income, which would result in the employee's being subject to withholding on those reimbursements.
 
 

Students, faculty and staff all use the Direct Enter Process for reimbursements. Learn more at the regional services website about the form, then read on here for departmental guidelines.

There are 3 categories of reimbursements: Travel, Entertainment, and Other

Travel: For all travel related expenses including but not limited to airfare, rental car costs, gas, lodging, meals, conference costs, etc. 

Entertainment: For entertainment purposes including but not limited to seminar meals, refreshments for department events, etc. 

Other: For all other items that can be reimbursed like technology, tools, training course costs, etc. 

Reports must be signed by the PMB department manager before uploading.

 

Required Documents for all Reimbursements: 

Detailed Attendee List 

- Each attendee should have his/her title and affiliation annotated

- The list should be in alphabetical order by last name

- The list should be numbered 

Tip: If you host an open-event, please provide a sign-in sheet, so folks can add this information when they arrive. 

Itemized Receipt 

An itemized receipt is required for reimbursement.  

Tip: Some restaurants do not automatically provide this, but they usually can provide one if you ask for it.

Chartstring

An appropriate chartstring is required for sending the money from the correct account to the payee. Ask Joanne Straley or PMBdesk (via email) if you don’t know the chartstring you need. 

Reimbursement Policy for Spouses & Family

We cannot reimburse for spouses or family members of students/staff/faculty (including those who work at UCB) without an exception which must be approved by the PMB Chair and the CNR Dean. However if employees wish to bring family members please ask for a separate receipt and pay separately for the family members. It is easiest just to keep the guest list limited to people specifically affiliated with PMB. 

If the family member's attendance is for a legitimate university purpose, we can request an exception to the allowable entertainment expenses policy. If you have any special circumstance, please let us know and we can talk about how to handle it.

Faculty may take up to six people to dinner including the host and the Seminar Speaker.

The maximum allowed amount for each dinner guest is $81 per person, including tax and tip. If you go over that amount you can choose to simply be reimbursed up to the limit or request an exception to the University's meal reimbursement policy.

Alcohol can be reimbursed by specific chartstrings that allow this - ensure that the chartstring you are using allows this before submitting the reimbursement request 

T&E Reimbursement Process 

Please see below for the specific process to get reimbursed:

1. Reimbursement for taking Seminar Speaker to lunch or dinner.

2. Reimbursement for Grad Student Weekend - mileage, meals or supplies.

3. Reimbursement for a lab or the department.

1. Seminar Speaker Lunch or Dinner Reimbursement

Proof of payment is required.  The university requires this to ensure that we are reimbursing the person who actually paid for the meal.  Additionally, if your tip is hand-written on the receipt, you will still need to provide proof of payment to confirm the total paid (bank statement).  If your receipt has all expenses (including tip), your name, and the last four digits of your credit card printed on it, that counts for proof of payment.  Otherwise, a copy of this transaction from your credit card website will also work (please make sure your home address and all but the last 4 digits of your credit card number are blacked out).  

The lunch reimbursement limit is currently $45 per person, including tax and tip.  This is usually not a problem for the speaker lunches, but please do keep this limit in mind.  

Go to reimburse.berkeley.edu and log in using your Calnet ID.  Since speaker lunches and dinners fall under the entertainment category, select "Create Reports" under Entertainment. If you are submitting it for yourself/someone else for the first time, use the "Find Payee using employee or student ID number" search tool. Otherwise they/you should be in the "Select a previously entered payee" drop down menu. Ensure "Home Department" is set to MEPMB and choose Cassia Stepak as the preferred approver for Entertainment and Dan Parnas as the approver for Travel. Fill out the rest of the form as directed (should be straightforward however if you have additional questions feel free to reach out to PMBdesk). Make sure to upload pictures of the receipts and enter the chartstring, which may need some experimenting to figure out which numbers go where. (A useful resource for this is this website: https://controller.berkeley.edu/chartstring) 

At the end,  in the "Submit for approval" box, click on the link "expense report" and download the summary report of the reimbursement. Sign in the payee box and email the signed copy to Joanne for approval. Joanne will be able to submit this and click on "Submit these expenses for approval". 

2. Reimbursement for Grad Student Weekend

For entertainment reimbursements, the process is the same as above.

For travel costs reimbursements, such as mileage or gas, please see Direct Entry for Travel Reimbursements.

3. Reimbursement for a Lab or the Department

Spending for a lab or the department should be approved either by the PI or PMB Department Manager.

Please keep all receipts for processing.

 

Questions?

Please contact PMB Front Desk, at pmbdesk@berkeley.edu

 

Contact IT client services for all issues with university computers.