Expense Report (EXR) Cheat Sheet
1. All expenses related to a trip must be filed in one EXR. Splitting will require refiling.
2. Header Description should include travel purpose and [event name – city – period] for each event and explicitly state if key expenses (airfare, hotel, meal) are not claimed. Mention “No other expenses will be claimed” if applicable.
3. Expenses are only eligible for the event period + the day before and after. E.g., conference July 2-4 - only expenses incurred between July 1-5 can be claimed.
4. Conference: Attach program cover page and other relevant pages to substantiate the event, location, period, sessions, and your presentation (if applicable).
5. Private meeting (co-investigators): Include email or research notes which mention the event, participants, and period. Identify participants in item description for meal.
6. For non-travel claims, City should be “Mtl” (NOT Montreal). Start Date and End Date should be the same as Request Date. They should not be the date on a receipt.
7. Boarding passes are required if EXR contains no receipt from destination. Similarly, if your name is not in the conference program, your name badge should be included.
8. An original receipt with date, item, vendor info and indication of payment received (zero balance, “Paid in full”, last 4 credit card #, etc.) is the ultimate proof of payment. If a receipt is unavailable, include 1) invoice with purchase description and 2) proof of payment like card statement, credit slip or copy of a processed cheque.
9. In Minerva, the “Transaction amt” must match the receipt amount and currency. Do not net out any unclaimed amount or apply exchange rate for this entry. If there is any amount not claimed, enter that in the “Deduct non-McGill expenses” box and explain in the item description what you have excluded (ineligible per tri-council rule, personal, etc.) If the receipt is not in CAD, use either the Minerva default exchange rate (Bank of Canada) or your credit card rate if the statement is available as proof.
10. Claimant affiliation with PI must be specified for research fund charges. E.g., Graduate Student, Research Staff, Collaborator, Visiting Researcher.
11. Airfare must be economy. If upgraded with points, please specify in item description.
12. Flight receipt must contain the itinerary. Please pay attention to the flight time when claiming Per Diem. E.g., trans-Atlantic flights provide meal and therefore Per Diem shall not be claimed for the duration. If the return flight arrives before evening, dinner is not eligible. Similarly, meals cannot be claimed when a conference provides them. If, say, a reception only provides hors d'oeuvre and drinks, please explain this in the item description of the in-lieu meal claim.
13. Per Diem rate Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner (in CAD): Within Canada ($10/$16/$28); Outside Canada ($12/$21/$37)