Relocation Policy

• Purpose

This policy establishes Office of Research guidelines for the administration of lump sum relocation payments, payments for household moves, and payments for in-route travel expenses accrued during a relocation.

• Revision History

No revisions to date.

• Persons Affected

• Hiring officials in the Office of Research, including Office of Research Central, Office of Research Information Services, Human Subjects Division, Office of Sponsored Projects, Applied Physics Lab, WaNPRC, and OAW.

• The Office of the Vice Provost for Research.

• Policy

This policy is to ensure:

• That the Office of Research is in compliance with University of Washington and Washington State regulations.

• That the Vice Provost for Research, or designee, is the only official in the Office of Research authorized to approve relocation expenditure requests.

• That unit heads and/or hiring officials do not offer relocation payments to prospective employees before obtaining the appropriate approvals.

• That lump sum relocation payments are generally approved/offered for positions that are difficult to recruit.

• That payments for household moves are generally limited to a range of $1,500-$3,000.

• That units wishing to offer relocation payments have the available funds in the appropriate budgets to pay for these expenses.

• Definitions

• Relocation payments – for the purposes of this document, relocation payments include lump sum relocation payments, payments for household moves, and reimbursements for in-route travel expenses.

• Lump sum relocation payment – one-time payment of funds used when necessary to recruit a new employee or to retain a current employee who will have to make a domiciliary move in order to accept a University appointment. These payments will only be approved in rare circumstances and can only be paid out once the employee is on the payroll and has already begun employment. Visit UW’s Human Resource Office’s website for detailed information on eligibility criteria, processes, and restrictions.

• Payments for household moves – payments for moving household/personal goods. UW’s Purchasing Office has detailed information on eligibility, allowable expenses, and moving options.

• In-route travel expenses – reimbursements for in-route travel expenses related to a household move. UW’s travel office has detailed information on eligibility, allowable expenses, and travel options.

• Responsibilities

• Hiring officials are responsible for ensuring compliance to the rules, regulations, and processes outlined by this document, by Washington State, and the University of Washington.

• Hiring officials are responsible for discussing the terms and conditions with Central OR’s Finance Manager or Director of Operations prior to offer.

• Hiring officials are responsible for communicating the terms and conditions to potential recipients.

• Hiring officials are responsible for filling out the Relocation Incentive Payment Approval Request Form, the Relocation Incentive Payment Authorization Form, the A33 form, and travel reimbursement documents.

• The Office of the Vice Provost for Research is responsible for reviewing and approving requests.

• Procedures

• When contemplating relocation payments for prospective employees, unit heads and/or hiring officials will send an email with the following information to the Director of Operations and the Financial Manager:

• Position hiring for
• Name of potential employee, if known
• Proposed amount for in-route travel expenses
• Proposed amount for household move payment
• Budget number to charge the expenses to

Additionally, the following should be attached:

• A completed Relocation Incentive Payment Approval Request Form, if applicable.
• A draft offer letter stating that money allocated for the household move and relocation incentive payment must be repaid if the employee terminates their position within one year and/or engages in behavior that makes termination necessary.

• The Vice Provost for Research, or designee, will review the request.

• If approved, the Office of the Vice Provost for Research will forward the signed Relocation Incentive Payment Approval Request Form to the appropriate office. Additionally, unit heads and/or hiring officials can include information about relocation payments in communications and offer letters sent to the potential employee.

• If the employee accepts the position, unit heads and/or hiring officials can process payments through the following mechanisms:

• Household moves – completing the A33 form and sending it to the potential employee.
• In-route travel expenses – informing the potential employee about the limitations/restrictions and reimbursing them through the Travel Expense Voucher (TEV) process.
• Lump sum relocation payments – Lump Sum Relocation incentive Payment Authorization Form. Note – payment can only be made once the employee has an employee identification number and has begun employment.

• Content Creator

Financial Manager, Office of Research.      

• Effective Date

           April 1, 2010

• Other Resources

• Lump Sum Relocation Payment
  • UW’s Administrative Policy Statement (APS) 34.2
  • Human Resources Lump Sum Relocation Incentive Payment Information and Procedure page
  • Relocation Incentive Payment Approval Request Form

• Household moves
  • The Purchasing Office’s website on the relocation of household/personal goods
  • Request for Moving Expenses (A33 form)

• In-Route Travel Expenses
  • The Travel Office’s website on the in-route travel expenses