Finance and Administration Resources

The EarthLab Finance and Administration team supports our programs with grants (and other funding) management, financial services and human resources. If you have any questions, please reach out to us directly (as listed below) or as a team at earthfa@uw.edu.

Payments to Individuals

Paying individuals can be complicated, but it doesn’t have to be! Here are some steps to take to ensure you are successful.

Please use the flow chart below as a guide for paying individuals with University of Washington funds. Refer to the FAQs for more information.
Please note there may be exceptions to the scenarios outlined below depending on the individual’s current or former employment relationships with the University, citizenship status, or other external factors that may impact the method in which we can pay them.
Before committing to paying an individual, please check with the EarthLab Finance & Administration team to confirm the individual is eligible for payment.

*This requires creating a temporary position in Workday, which goes through the UW approval processes and can take two weeks or more to complete. **Please reach out to the Finance & Administration team to confirm if the company is a registered supplier.

Frequently Asked Questions

What if the individual I would like to pay is not a US citizen?

Paying non-US citizens from the UW depends on the individual’s visa status and where the work is done (in the US or remotely). Please reach out to the Finance & Administration team if you have specific questions for the individual you would like to pay. For more information on making payments to a foreign national: https://finance.uw.edu/globalsupport/overview-of-payments

What are the types of payments that are not paid as Payments to Individuals?

Please find a list of types of payments that do NOT go through Payments to Individuals: https://finance.uw.edu/ps/how-to-pay/payments-to-individuals#Types%20of%20Payments%20that%20Do%20Not%20Go%20Through%20P2I

I’m unsure if the individual I would like to pay should be hired as an employee or paid as a contractor:

To determine the classification for this individual, please consider the nature of the relationship, including who is directing or controlling the work, the period of time for the work, whether the person should be provided employee-type benefits, etc. For more information, please visit: https://finance.uw.edu/tax/fed-taxes/employee-independent-contractor

What if the individual I would like to pay is a former UW employee?

If the individual was a University of Washington employee in the past, they should not be hired to perform similar tasks or work as an independent contractor. If you would like to pay them for different tasks and they were an employee within the last year, one option is to hire them as a temporary employee. Please work with the Administrator to do so.

Can I pay this individual ahead of time?

The University generally may not make payment in advance of performance. Payment in advance for goods or services is generally prohibited by Washington state law.

If the individual can be paid through a company and I know the company has never worked with the university before, how can I start the registration process for Ariba?

Please have the company fill out this supplier registration form to start the registration process: https://finance.uw.edu/ps/info-for-suppliers/registration-form . When they complete the form, please direct them to choose “Yes” they do have current business with the university and to list a member for the Finance & Administration team as their UW department contact. If they do not follow these steps, the registration process will be delayed. If they are a foreign supplier, please reach out to the Finance & Administration team with the contact information of the supplier to begin registration.

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