Non-SU Payees (visitors) are invited to Stanford from around the world to speak, collaborate and study. Visitors from the United States will provide documentation regarding tax status to be reimbursed for eligible expenses that meet the university criteria. Visitors may also receive honorarium payments when they meet the criteria for honoraria.
- For honorarium payments, refer to Topic Overview: Paying Honoraria.
- For information on inviting foreign visitors to Stanford University, refer to Topic Overview: Foreign Visitors.
Letter of Invitation
A formal letter of invitation should be provided to the visitor to summarize the terms of the visit. Visitors should be advised that they are expected to adhere to Stanford’s Travel Guidelines regarding class of flight, lodging costs and meal costs. Departments may utilize the Visitor Travel Policy Letter Template to summarize these policies and tailor the content as needed. The letter should include the following components:
- Purpose of the visit
- Period of time when the visit will occur
- Payment offered, including any applicable tax obligations for honoraria or payment for services.
- Travel expense reimbursement policies. To review Stanford policy further on these items, refer to Administrative Guide Policy 5.4.2: Business and Travel Expenses.
- The payment and reimbursement process that will be utilized for this visit
- Advise visitors who the department contact is regarding any questions about their visit.
Stanford's Travel Guidelines
Payment Types, Methods and Requirements
Visitors are reimbursed out-of-pocket expenses for customary and eligible travel expenses.
- Digital Payments can be used to reimburse domestic visitors for non-tax reportable travel expenses less than or equal to $1,000. To learn more, visit the Digital Payments Topic Overview on Fingate. This method does not require setting up the visitor in the Supplier and Payee Request Portal.
- Otherwise, submit an expense report for a Non-SU Payee (visitor) which will result in a reimbursement to the payee. This method requires that the payee is set up in Stanford’s supplier database. Department administrators may request a new payee record after verifying that the payee does not already have an existing record in the Supplier Query and Request Portal. Generally, when a new account is requested, information such as Social Security numbers or other tax ID numbers, bank account information for electronic payment and any necessary forms and information for tax purposes are requested.
Staff can arrange honorarium payment to non-Stanford employees by submitting a Non-PO Payment Request in the Expense Requests system. Honorarium payments are subject to tax and therefore require specific documentation before payment can be made. This documentation must be submitted by the new payee (or authorized agent) via the secure Payee Request Portal.
