Dependent Care Spending Account Reimbursement
When submitting a claim for reimbursement, you are responsible for the expenses being acceptable to the IRS, and the receipts must include the proper information.
The Benefits Office maintains records of your payroll reductions and your requests for reimbursement so that you can be paid up to the amount of money in your account.
If your request exceeds the amount of money you have in your Dependent Care Spending Account, the Benefits Office will keep that request and continue to pay off of that request as money becomes available in the Dependent Care Spending Account. You can request up to your annual pledge at any time. In order to comply with IRS regulations, dependent care expenses cannot be reimbursed until after the service has been provided.
REIMBURSEMENT INFORMATION AND RULES:
- Request for Reimbursement Forms or the Employee Self Service site must be used when you file for reimbursement for your expenses.
- You may file for reimbursement at any time during the year, but no later than the last working day in April of the next year. You may request reimbursements weekly, monthly, semi-annually, or annually, whichever is the most convenient for you.
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Your spending account reimbursements will be direct deposited to the same institution and account where your monthly paycheck is deposited. If you wish, you may use a different institution and/or account for your spending account(s) payment. You can make that change in the University Employee Self Service site under the Payroll Direct Deposit section: https://login.uiowa.edu/uip/login.page?service=https://hris.uiowa.edu/portal/ or by filling out the following paper form: http://www.uiowa.edu/hr/payroll/forms/ddfpbt.pdf and submitting it to the Payroll Office at 120 University Services Building, Suite 30.
- Claims are generally processed by the Benefits Office within seven to ten (7-10) days of receipt.
- If there are problems with the documentation attached, reimbursement will take longer. We pay direct deposit claims daily, but because of claim volume, we cannot guarantee claims received on a certain day will be processed on that day's payment cycle. In addition, if the University or banking system is closed for holidays, the payment will be delayed to the next appropriate business day.
REIMBURSEMENT PROCESS
At the time you turn in your Request for Reimbursement form, you must attach documentation to justify the expenses. You are responsible for the expenses, and the documentation of those expenses, being acceptable to the IRS. Canceled checks cannot be accepted as receipts. The Benefits Office will retain all documents. Please keep a photocopy of the documents sent to this office for your records.
In order to comply with IRS regulations, dependent care expenses cannot be reimbursed until after the service has been provided.
The receipt can be a formal receipt or a handwritten document. The University Benefits Office has created a receipt template(PDF) to use if you so choose.
The following information is required on each receipt:
- dates of care--not date paid
- name of provider
- provider Social Security Number or Tax Identification Number
- total amount paid
- signature of provider
- indication that the receipt is for child care
- indication of who paid for or received the services
You must sign each hard copy reimbursement form you submit.
Special note on day-camps: In order to comply with IRS regulations, dependent care expenses cannot be reimbursed until after the service has been provided. If you pay for the entire summer and want to be reimbursed monthly, make sure the receipt is written so the charges are divided into monthly increments – otherwise you cannot be reimbursed until the camp is over.
We accept direct submission through the Employee Self Service site, in-person drop-off, campus or U.S. mail, FAX transmissions to (319) 335-2776, and/or electronic transmission of claims through attachments to an e-mail to benefits@uiowa.edu. If you submit your claim by e-mail, the scanned copies of the reimbursement form and the documentation must BOTH be attached. You cannot send the reimbursement form and mail the receipts – they must come together. PDF is our preferred format for electronic submissions (please try to keep the file size below 2MB).
If you choose to submit directly through the Employee Self Service site, it will:
- allow you to quickly see if claims have been paid and, if not, what the specific problem is.
- eliminate the need for you to make copies of your claims - claim information will be stored in the Self Service system and can be easily accessed at anytime for your record-keeping.
- help save resources by reducing paper flow.
To submit a claim through Employee Self Service, simply log into the site and select, "Spending Account Recap/Forms." Add your items to the appropriate form type, attach your supporting documentation, and submit. You can access detailed instructions in the "Online Sending Account Guide" reached by clicking "Help" when you are on the "Spending Accounts" page of the Employee Self Service site.
The hardcopy claim forms have also been improved. You can now use your University ID number, Employee ID number, or your Social Security number for identification on the forms. The new forms are available in the "Spending Accounts" area on the Benefits Forms web site.
REIMBURSEMENT PAYMENT
Your spending account reimbursements will be direct deposited to the same institution and account where your monthly paycheck is deposited. If you wish, you may use a different institution and/or account for your spending account(s) payment. You can make that change in the University Employee Self Service site under the Payroll Direct Deposit section:
https://login.uiowa.edu/uip/login.page?service=https://hris.uiowa.edu/portal/ or by filling out the following paper form: http://www.uiowa.edu/hr/payroll/forms/ddfpbt.pdf and submitting it to the Payroll Office at 120 University Services Building, Suite 30.
REIMBURSEMENT FORM and LINK TO EMPLOYEE SELF SERVICE FOR DIRECT SUBMISSION