New guidance on alcohol expense claims

Subsistence claims for alcohol will no longer be allowed from 1 April 2024, as we bring our expenses policy into line with external guidance.

This means expenses claims for food and drink purchased by all staff, students and visitors travelling on University business after this date cannot cover alcohol costs.

Any subsistence claims for alcohol purchased after 1 April will be rejected. Colleagues will therefore need to remove the cost of the alcohol from their claim before submitting it.

Alcohol costs incurred before 1 April will still be reimbursed.

Why has this change been made?

In November 2023, the UK Government funding body UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) updated its conditions to exclude alcohol as a permitted cost for its funded projects. This includes many research projects involving Reading academics.

To ensure our University expenses guidance is clear and consistent, the University Executive Board has agreed to reflect this change across our wider expenses policy.

This will make processing claims more efficient and avoid confusion for colleagues. It also brings us into line with other institutes who already exclude alcohol as an eligible expense.

Exceptions

Reasonable alcohol costs can still be claimed back for business entertaining and hospitality events not funded by UKRI.

The University Expenses policy will be updated accordingly and can be found in the policy section of the Finance website.

If you have any queries please contact Darren Francis, Head of Transactional Services.