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Travel and Reimbursements

Short-Term Operating Advances

Policy Statement

 Harvard only permits a short-term operating advance (STOA) account for human subject payments or short-term projects where use of other payment methods is not feasible. Under a STOA, Harvard cuts a check to an individual (custodian) who manages and disburses the funds on behalf of a project; the custodian must return any unused funds to Harvard by 30 days after the end date of the project.  Harvard requires all tubs that request or maintain STOAs to do the following:

Fellowship Payments and Reimbursements for Students and Non-employee Postdocs/Fellows

Policy Statement

Per the IRS, a fellowship is an amount paid to or allowed for the benefit of an individual to aid in the pursuit of that individual’s own study or research. At Harvard, we use the term “fellowships” to refer to a host of payments: awards, stipends, grants, and allowances. Fellowships are generally gross income to the recipient, unless they are qualified payments for required tuition and fees for a degree program.

Staff Mobile Phone Policy

Policy Statement

As of September 1, 2016, the University will adopt the current Staff Mobile Phone Policy pilot program as a permanent policy. The University will continue to evaluate the policy periodically and may introduce changes for both new and existing staff in the future.  Individual Harvard schools or units may have implemented more restrictive policies; staff should refer to local policy for more information.