Paying Individuals

You pay an individual in Buyway, using the Direct Pay Request - Reimbursements and Individuals form, for one of three reasons:

  • Providing a service as a vendor.
  • Reimbursement of a purchase.
  • Refund of a payment received by the university (this excludes tuition-related payments).

You pay individuals who provide service one-time, specific services to Miami through Buyway. Examples include: speakers, consultants, disc jockeys, etc. These services differ from ongoing work (which is covered under Human Resources's hiring process.

When paying a single person as a service provider, that individual is acting as an independent contractor for the University. Accordingly, you must follow all listed steps for hiring and paying that individual. We cannot process payments without completion of these steps. We suggest that you allow plenty of time for this process when planning services. You must submit these forms for each occurrence unless all dates are listed on the agreement.

Process for Paying Independent Contractors

Reimbursements in Buyway pay back individuals for personal payment they made for University-approved purchases. For example, paying back employees who makes appropriate purchases for a department, but use their own form of payment, rather than Buyway or a P-Card.

In certain cases, you may submit a request for a refund of payment through Buyway. Refunds return a portion of a payment to the individual. An example is refunding a study abroad trip fee to a student who has paid the fee, but cannot attend the trip.

Please note: You will need to provide an explanation for the refund in Buyway.

Providing a Service

You pay individuals who provide service one-time, specific services to Miami through Buyway. Examples include: speakers, consultants, disc jockeys, etc. These services differ from ongoing work (which is covered under Human Resources's hiring process.

When paying a single person as a service provider, that individual is acting as an independent contractor for the University. Accordingly, you must follow all listed steps for hiring and paying that individual. We cannot process payments without completion of these steps. We suggest that you allow plenty of time for this process when planning services. You must submit these forms for each occurrence unless all dates are listed on the agreement.

Process for Paying Independent Contractors

Reimbursements

Reimbursements in Buyway pay back individuals for personal payment they made for University-approved purchases. For example, paying back employees who makes appropriate purchases for a department, but use their own form of payment, rather than Buyway or a P-Card.

Refunds

In certain cases, you may submit a request for a refund of payment through Buyway. Refunds return a portion of a payment to the individual. An example is refunding a study abroad trip fee to a student who has paid the fee, but cannot attend the trip.

Please note: You will need to provide an explanation for the refund in Buyway.

Required Documentation Guide

The table below provides a quick guide to the documentation you will need to pay for common services that individuals provide.

Documentation Required Based on Payment Type
Payment Type Documentation (Required) Documentation (Optional)
Honorarium Professional Services Agreement, OPERS Pamphlet from event
Other Services Professional Services Agreement, OPERS None
Stipend Professional Services Agreement, OPERS None
Prize/Award Notice of award None
Research Subject Participation Human Research Subject Payment form None
Reimbursement Reimbursement Certification and Approval Form, Itemized receipt. Hosting Form (if applicable), copy of bank statement.