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For Faculty & Staff Academic Personnel Procedures
For Faculty & Staff Academic Personnel Procedures
| Moving (Removal) Expenses | | Print | |
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UC Santa Barbara has a generous removal package for new faculty. Full details are available from the Office of Academic Personnel. This supplemental information is intended to help faculty members plan their move and avoid moving expenses that cannot be reimbursed by the University. New faculty members joining a Letters and Science department are allocated a set amount to cover the anticipated cost of their move. When the department chair contacts a faculty member to discuss a hiring offer, the faculty member should be prepared to communicate the amount required to establish residency at UCSB. Most moving companies will come out and inspect belongings to provide a cost estimate without charge. In the absence of a firm estimate from a reputable moving company, the department chair, in consultation with the dean, will establish the amount of removal allowance. This amount, which cannot be exceeded, is intended to cover all the costs of moving personal and professional materials to Santa Barbara. The allowance thus may be used for packing, freight, and insurance of normal household goods, and transportation of the faculty member and her or his immediate family to Santa Barbara. Under University policy, the following expenses are not normally eligible for reimbursement: • transport of primary automobile • transport of household pets • movement of belongings from more than one physical location • overtime deliveries • any unusual charges A request for exception to this policy will be considered if submitted to the divisional dean in advance of the move. Such a request should clearly indicate the special circumstances that justify an exception to policy. You should be aware that University policy specifically prohibits reimbursement of costs incurred for the following: • transport of trailers, boats, or motor vehicles other than the primary automobile; • transport of belongings related to commercial enterprises engaged in by the employee; • transport of building materials. Exceptions to policy with regard to removal expenses must be authorized by the Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic Personnel. Staged moves are especially problematic, and the faculty member should note that the removal allowance covers a single move from just one physical location. Many faculty members are unaware of the high cost of storing household goods for a short period of time. Although the quoted weekly/monthly storage costs may be low, it typically costs $1,000 or more for the labor associated with unloading the moving van and fork-lifting the goods onto the storage pallet. Similar costs are involved in reloading the van for final delivery to the faculty member’s home. Unless the faculty member is prepared to incur storage costs at personal expense, it is necessary to have a move-in location established prior to having goods loaded onto the moving van. Regrettably, the University may not reimburse temporary living expenses, i.e., lodging and meal costs incurred in the Santa Barbara area while waiting for the new residence to become available. Costs related to the connecting and/or disconnecting of utilities are similarly not covered by the moving allowance. New faculty members who elect to drive their own automobile to transport themselves and their household members, household goods, or personal effects, will be reimbursed for transportation costs under either of the following: • actual out-of-pocket expenditures for the moving trip, such as gas, oil, repairs, parking, and toll fees (receipts required); OR • parking and toll fees plus 14 cents per mile. (The University mileage rate for official business does NOT apply for moving.) Also, meal expenses reimbursed while traveling en route by car from the old residence to the new residence are taxable and will be included in your gross income as taxable wages. Reimbursed travel by air coach is not taxable income. A small balance in the removal allocation sometimes remains after all moving-related expenses have been paid. This sum cannot be reallocated or used for another purpose. Any funds not expended for moving will revert to a central College account. Detailed information on the moving process, including the moving companies approved by the University, is available from UCSB Purchasing. |