Preparing for payment to a guest

This information is valid for guetst who only need reimbursement. If the guest is to receive a fee or honorarium, please see the section about contracts.

All proposed costs must be authorized by the budget manager before the process is initiated. Assess whether the trip is required or can be solved by a digital presence.

UiB uses "Payme" (“Betalmeg”), a self-service portal delivered by DFØ (The Norwegian Agency for Public and Financial Management) for registering travel reimbursement claims and expense claims from external guests.

Please make the following assessments:

• What travel costs shall be covered for the guest?
• Will both travel and accommodation be covered?
• Will meals be covered? If so, a daily allowance is preferrable to reimbursement by receipt.
• Is a maximum budget for travel expenses agreed? The cheapest alternatives and public transport should be used if possible.

This is the process:

1. The hosting department sends this information letter to the guest. (Template with Norwegian and English text which you can adapt and paste into an email.)
2. Register the guest using this form. (At some departments this is done by the administration. Please ask your local administration if in doubt.)
3. An enquiry is created in UiBhjelp using the information from the form. The enquiry is received by an operator in the University salaries section.
4. The salaries section will send the guest an email with a form for collecting personal and bank information.
5. The salaries section receives the completed information from the guest, registers access to the portal for non-employees (Payme/Betalmeg) and sends an email with instructions for logging in and registering their claim.

Note: If you need to correct information given in the form, please update the enquiry in UiBhjelp in the normal way. Do not submit the form a second time.

If your guest is to receive a fee or honorarium, please ask the contact person at your department or faculty for advice. There will be someone at the department authorized to requisition contracts.

Travel and reimbursement

If the guest is to claim a reimbursement of travel and/or other expenses in addition to receiveing a fee or honorarium, it is not necessary to request separate access to Payme. When the guest is registered as a recipient of a fee or honorarium, they will automatically get access to Payme.

This information does not apply for stipends for UiB employees. Please see information about stipends to UiB employees (in Norwegian only).

All propsed costs must be approved by the budget manager before the process is initiated.

To pay a stipend, a letter of invitation must be in place, specifying the following:

• Full name of the guest
• Stipend amount (broken down over the estimated duration)
  • Accommodation costs
  • Travel expenses
  • Other living costs
• Accounting information (cost centre/subproject)

The letter must be signed by a manager with budget allocation powers at the cost centre in question. Use this template for the letter of invitation.

The tax authorities decide whether the stipend is exempt from or subject to tax, based on the curriculum, the stipend amount and duration. The guest must apply to the tax office to get a Norwegian "D-number" and tax deduction card as soon as possible after arrival. Book an appointment with the public tax office.

Stipend for stay: 

Bachelor and Master students can receive a stipend up to a fixed maximum amount without being subject to taxation. For guests above Master level, the parts of the stipend covering accommodation and travel can be paid exempt from taxation.

This is the process:

1. Register the guest using this form. (At some departments this is done by the administration. Please ask your local administration if in doubt.) 
2. An enquiry is created in UiBhjelp using the information from the form. The enquiry is received by an operator in the University salaries section.
3. The salaries section will send the guest an email with a form for collecting personal and bank information.
4. The controller at the department allocates the stipend to receipts and payments made. Please note that the allocation must be confirmed by budget manager before being submitted. 
5. The salaries section receives the allocation form and makes the payment.

Note: If you need to correct information given in the form, please update the enquiry in UiBhjelp in the normal way. Do not submit the form a second time.