There are only a few circumstances under Yale policy in which it is allowable to pay an individual. Gifts or gift cards may not be purchased with university funds.
Types of payments to individuals and entities that are allowable under university policy include honoraria for participants of Yale events, travel reimbursements for invited guests, and professional services, such as research assistants, editors, translators, etc.
Yale students may not receive honoraria, but are eligible for prizes and awards. Yale student employees are paid via Yale’s internal system, S.E.O. Please work with our Registrar if you wish to hire a student. There are set rates of hourly pay for job categories, although you may opt to pay a student in a lump sum for a project.
*Important!* Before committing to pay any individuals or entities external to Yale, please know that there are several steps involved, and paperwork required in order to set them up in Yale’s system with a supplier record. This includes Yale students, in some circumstances. If the individual or entity does not provide the required documents, they cannot be paid. Yale’s specifications are very specific. Yale is especially particular when it comes to paying a foreign individual or entity.
• There are federal restrictions for certain individual visa types on receiving honoraria or reimbursements, if they are physically present in the U.S.
o Here is the link for the International Payment Tool, if you wish to look into visa restrictions.
o These restrictions do not apply to work that is done online, as long as the foreign individual or entity is not physically present in the U.S.
• Yale will only pay foreign individuals or entities via wire transfer, (unless they have a US Bank account.)
• Please consult with the business office before committing to paying any foreign individual or entity, and we will start the process of creating a supplier record, and getting it approved for payment.