Relocation reimbursement process for Hiring Departments

Here are the essential steps to apply for reimbursement relocation expenses related to a new hire’s move to Vancouver or the Okanagan.

This information is for Department Administrators supporting new hires through the process. These expenses are claimed from the Central Relocation Fund, the UBC fund that supports the relocation policy.

Relocation reimbursement process for hiring departments

The information in the grey boxes describes any action you need to take.

Step 1: Negotiate the terms of relocation

The hiring department negotiates the terms of relocation funding with the new hire using the following as general guidelines:

Central Relocation Fund Contribution Table
Policy HR6 – Relocation
Policy FM8 - Business Expenses

Step 2: Confirm the relocation terms

The Hiring Department confirms the terms of relocation funding with the New Hire in the Offer Letter.

Step 3: Contact the designated moving companies to obtain quote(s).

The New Hire will contact the moving company(ies) to obtain quotes. You may want to recommend the new hire obtain more than one quote. It is important that the New Hire is aware that only using one of UBC’s designated relocation and moving companies will ensure that they can access a reimbursement through the Central Relocation Fund.

Action: For QMM moves, please complete the appropriate section in the UBC Contact and Information Sheet (Downloads as a .DOCX). Then send this on to the New Hire to complete their section

(Note: The sheet is for QMM moves, but may be used as a resource for other moves.)

For the CAUBO vendors – which include AMJ Campbell and Armstrong – the New Hire will need to contact their relocation coordinator for any required documents that may need to be completed.

A reminder, new hires can choose to coordinate the move themselves without the help of a moving company, and still be reimbursed by the Central Relocation Fund for eligible expenses. If you have questions about this arrangement, please discuss this with the Relocation & Benefits Contact.

For QMM moves, please complete the appropriate section in the UBC Contact and Information Sheet. Then send this on to the New Hire to complete their section

(Note: The sheet is for QMM moves, but may be used as a resource for other moves.)

For the CAUBO vendors – which include AMJ Campbell and Armstrong – the New Hire will need to contact their moving company’s relocation coordinator for any required documents that may need to be completed.

Step 4: Moving companies connect with the New Hire to schedule a survey and provide quotes

A relocation coordinator from the Moving Companies will connect directly with the New Hire.

Action: We have prepared some Moving Tips for new hires. You may want to send this information to the New Hire to assist with preparing for the move.

Please note the New Hire may require disassembly and assembly of some of their household items. In these cases, the moving company may contract a third party to perform these tasks. Please be aware that the cost of assembly/disassembly is not eligible for reimbursement from the Central Relocation Fund.

Your department has the discretion to cover these expenses, but if you are not able to do so, then please discuss with the New Hire about either reimbursing your department for these expenses or paying them directly.

Step 5: Authorize the estimated quote

After the survey(s) are complete the new hire will select their preferred moving company – they should do so in collaboration with the Hiring Department. The chosen Moving Company will then send an estimated quote, so that you set up a purchase order in Workday.

Action: Once you receive the preferred quote from the moving company (or the New Hire if they received the quote directly), you can authorize the estimated quote by setting up a Purchase Order with Financial Operations in Vancouver.

To do this, submit a Purchase Requisition along with the quote from the moving company, and any other documentation to support the quote (e.g., email correspondence) in Workday.

For QMM moves only, please include contract #2022010327 in the Internal Memo field of the purchase requisition.

Financial Operations then sends the Purchase Order number to the Department Administrator and the moving company's relocation coordinator.

As changes may arise during the move, the moving company relocation coordinator may send revised quotes to the New Hire and the Department Administrator for approval. Once a revised quote is approved, the Department Administrator submits a change order in Workday to modify the Purchase Order.

Step 6: Complete the move and the final invoice

The moving company performs the relocation and sends a final invoice to UBC's Financial Operations for payment. 

Step 7: Claim other relocation expenses

For other relocation expenses, the New Hire will need to submit original invoices and receipts to the Department Administrator for payment or reimbursement of your eligible expenses. 

Hiring departments should also communicate to New Hires that some expenses are considered taxable benefits and will show up on their T4 statements.

Action:

Relocation expenses that are considered taxable benefits, such as customs and immigration expenses, should also be charged to spend category SC0081 employee relocation. Please track this information and provide it to Payroll. This will ensure that the taxable benefits are captured on the new hire’s T4 (the Statement of Remuneration Paid that they would submit to the Canada Revenue Agency when filing their taxes).

To process these benefits more easily, the New Hire will be asked to pay upfront for any third-party service providers (e.g. accountants, taxation & financial services, hotels, private health care provider, etc.). Then you can use the department's own budget to reimburse the New Hire for these expenses.

For more information on taxable benefits, please see the Canada Revenue Agency website on moving expenses or review our Frequently Asked Questions page.

Step 8: Process other relocation expenses step8

Once the New Hire has claimed other relocation expenses with the Department Administrator, the Hiring Department can now prepare and submit a reimbursement claim from the Central Relocation Fund: the UBC fund that supports the relocation policy.

Vancouver campus Hiring Departments: Submit an accounting journal through Workday (employees must have the Cost Center Accountant security role).

Attach the following to the journals as supporting documentation:

An original Relocation Reimbursement Claim Form (Downloads as a .DOCX file)
Copy of the invoices and receipts
Copy of the General Ledger Details for each expense

Please charge (or debit) to the following:

Program: PM000425
Ledger account: 6300 Supplies and Sundries, and
Spend category: SC0081 Employee Relocation.

If your department or faculty does not have anyone with Cost Center Accountant security role, please forward the Relocation Reimbursement Claim Form, a copy of the General Ledger and copies of invoices and receipts to the Relocation and Benefits Analyst.

Okanagan campus Hiring Departments: Submit an original Relocation Reimbursement Claim Form (Downloads as a .DOCX file), original invoices and receipts, and copies of the General Ledger Details for each expense to Finance Operations, UBC Okanagan in Kelowna.

If the original invoices and receipts have already been used for reimbursement to the New Hire, then you may submit backup copies.

Final notes for Hiring Departments and Department Administrators

Frequently Asked Questions

Look at our Frequently Asked Questions section for more of a selection of the most common relocation questions and answers.

Damaged or missing goods?

Moving companies do their best to ensure that moves and relocations go smoothly; however, with all the complexities associated with moving, there are times when items may go missing or get damaged in transit. Learn more about the Claims process for damaged or missing goods.

Original receipts

The Hiring Department should include original invoices and receipts in their reimbursement claims. If the original invoices and receipts have already been used for earlier reimbursement, then please submit backup copies.

Leaving UBC 24 months after relocation

Please be advised that if the New Hire voluntarily leaves UBC before 24 months, they will be responsible for reimbursing the university for the Central Relocation Funds paid on a pro-rated basis as per the relocation policy. The Hiring Department is responsible for calculating and collecting the reimbursement on behalf of the university.

Process checklists

If you would like to refer to a checklist as a summary of the process, please download the Relocation Process Checklist for Hiring Departments (PDF).

Note: The checklist is for QMM moves but may be used as a resource for other moves.

Workday resources

If you need help with processes related to Workday, visit the Integrated Service Centre.