Monthly Closing Deadlines

The October 2025 period in the general ledger has closed.  The current and future month-end processing deadline schedules are located at Monthly Closing Deadlines.

Activity Number Approvers & Smart Bills

We have recently added new functionality to the Smart Bill module that allows Expense Managers to assign additional approvers at the Activity Number level.  For instructions on adding Activity Number approvers, please refer to the PantherSoft Fundamentals Manual.

This enhancement is designed to streamline the approval process and help distribute the workload more efficiently among approvers.

If an Activity Number Approver exists for a department, that person will have access to review and approve the Billing Activity Number of a Smart Bill only for the activity numbers assigned to them.   

For any questions, feel free to contact Financial Systems and Support Services at (305) 348-7200 or email controller@fiu.edu.

Enhancement to the Smart Journal Tool

The Smart Journal tool, which is designed to verify available cash and facilitate cash transfers, has been enhanced to include the use of Fund code 453.  We encourage all users to make full use of this tool instead of relying on the paper form. 

For any questions, feel free to contact Financial Systems and Support Services at (305) 348-7200 or email controller@fiu.edu.

Upcoming Enhancement to Requisition Approval

In the next week or so, we are releasing the Activity Number Approval feature for requisition.  This enhancement allows Expense Managers to assign Activity Number Approvers for their departments.  These Approvers will be able to approve requisitions charged to their assigned activity numbers. 

Stay tuned for more details!

For any questions, feel free to contact Financial Systems and Support Services at (305) 348-7200 or email controller@fiu.edu.

Foreign Travel Transactions Can No Longer Be Deleted

Effective immediately, users cannot delete any Foreign Travel Authorizations (TAs) or Expense Reports (ERs) that have been submitted for approval.

This update helps ensure we maintain a complete record of all international travel requests, support accountability, and comply with all applicable regulations.

A new status ‘International’ has been added for foreign TAs and ERs.  When a foreign TA or ER is submitted for approval and later returned or withdrawn, its status will change to ‘International’.  Documents in International Status can be revised and resubmitted but cannot be deleted.

Foreign TAs and ERs that remain in Pending status (not yet submitted for approval) can be deleted.

Please note that this change does not apply to domestic travel documents. Domestic Travel Authorizations and Expense Reports submitted for approval can still be deleted.

For any questions, feel free to contact Financial Systems and Support Services at (305) 348-7200 or email controller@fiu.edu.

Travel News

The Travel Department is currently processing expense reports submitted on Sept 8, 2025. Due to the significant increase in travel activity and volume of submissions over the past few months, processing times have been extended.

We previously requested your patience as our staff works diligently to address the backlog, and we sincerely appreciate your continued understanding during this period. Please be assured that all expense reports are being reviewed and processed in the order received to ensure accuracy and compliance with University and State regulations.

In the meantime, we encourage departments to review all supporting documentation and attachments included with each expense report to confirm that required materials have been submitted.

For your convenience, the FIU Travel Reimbursement Checklist is available to help ensure that all documentation aligns with the FIU Travel Policy and Procedures.

We appreciate your cooperation and patience as we continue our efforts to streamline processing and maintain compliance standards. If you have any questions, please contact the Travel Department for assistance.

Requirements for Non-Employee Travel

Effective November 2025, all Non-Employee travel must include the prefix “On Behalf of [Traveler Name]” at the beginning of the Travel Authorization (TA) and Expense Report (ER) descriptions.

This change is being implemented immediately to promote consistency, transparency, and facilitate the quick identification of non-employee travel by the Controller’s Office and other auditing units.

Required Description Format Examples:

• On Behalf of Panther Roary
• On Behalf of Dr. Roary Panther

Please ensure all future non-employee TAs and ERs adhere to this format. Failure to comply may result in processing delays or a return for correction.

Travel News – Important Reminders

•  Employee Signature Requirement

Expense reports must be signed by the employee listed at the top of the report. This can be done via DocuSign or using the Print and Sign option.

•  Receipt & Documentation Requirements

Ensure all receipts and supporting documentation are legible and uploaded prior to submission to avoid reimbursement delays. Departments are strongly encouraged to use the [Travel Reimbursement Checklist] to verify that all required documentation is included.

•  Combine Files into One PDF

All documentation should be scanned and uploaded as a single PDF file rather than as individual pages.

•  Ride Receipt Annotations

For Taxi, Uber, Lyft, or shuttle services, the pickup and drop-off locations must be clearly noted on the receipt (e.g., “home to airport”, “airport to hotel”).

•  P-Card or PO Usage Notations

If expenses were paid using a university credit card or purchase order, this must be clearly annotated on the corresponding receipts prior to submission.

•  Use of FIU Procurement Systems

To ensure compliance and efficiency, the University’s procurement system must be fully utilized for all operational needs, including travel, equipment, supplies, rentals, food, and furnishings. Departments should coordinate with Purchasing Services and Credit Card Solutions as needed.

Requirements for Athletics

All expense reports related to Recruiting and Professional Development must include a Per Diem Form to support per diem or actual meal claims. This form is required and must be attached as part of the supporting documentation of the expense report.

To streamline compliance, FIU has developed the following template:

• Per Diem Reimbursement Template

This template is mandatory to ensure compliance with the FIU Travel Policy and to facilitate accurate and timely reimbursement.

Important International Travel Compliance Reminder

Effective March 1, 2025, if you depart on an international trip prior to full Travel Authorization (TA) approval, a confirmation of which is emailed to you, there will be no reimbursement of travel expenses paid by you from personal funds, and repayment from the traveler to the University for expenses paid with University funds will be required. Further, an employee may be subject to discipline and/or restrictions on international travel privileges. Regardless of whether a proxy assists in the TA process, the traveler is responsible for verifying that the TA is fully approved before departing on the trip and will be held accountable if it is not.

Please reference the full memorandum, which also includes details from previous notifications.

Travel Authorization

An approved Travel Authorization (TA) is a traveler’s permission to incur expenses and travel on behalf of Florida International University. Without an approved travel authorization (TA), the payment of travel expenses on behalf of the University, using the procurement card, or by the traveler is prohibited. This includes FIU employees, FIU students, and others who travel on the University’s behalf. The Authorization must include all known or projected travel expenses, a descriptive business purpose, and the correct trip start and end dates, as well as the business destination(s). It must also provide an estimated trip cost.

Requirement for Domestic and Foreign Travel

All expense reports must include a Meal Reimbursement Breakdown Template to support per diem or actual meal claims. This template is required and must be attached to the supporting documentation of the expense report.

To streamline compliance, FIU has developed two distinct templates:

• Domestic Meal Reimbursement Template
• Foreign Meal Reimbursement Template

Travelers are required to use the appropriate template based on their travel destination and include the completed form in the expense report documentation.

This template is mandatory to ensure compliance with the FIU Travel Policy and to facilitate accurate and timely reimbursement.