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 more information, 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. For example, CA nonresident withholding of 7 percent is required for honoraria payments that total over $1,500 in one year made to non-resident recipients who come to California to fulfill their services. For more information, refer to withholding on nonresidents on the State of California Franchise Tax Board website.
- 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
Requirements for Payment
Payments are made via Oracle and the Non-SU Payee (visitor) must be set-up to be able to receive a payment. 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 database. 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.
Customary travel expenses are reimbursed by submitting an expense report for a Non-SU Payee (visitor), which will result in a reimbursement to the payee for eligible out-of-pocket expenses. 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.
