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UPS5 forms can be found on the HR Forms webpage. Please see below for further information and FAQs.

 

What is UPS5 and what can it be used for?
UPS5 can be used for the payment of participants involved in Research Studies and clinical trials relating to scientific and medical research where they are required to take part in tests, be measured or interviewed. It should not be used in situations where the person in question was simply helping at an event.

It should be used to pay individuals only, not those already on the University payroll. These should be processed via Concur expenses.

What are the benefits of using UPS5?
It is easier and quicker to process payments using UPS than via cash or cheque. Participants are sometimes more likely to help again if they are paid quickly without issue and they also receive a remittance advice for the payment and have no need to find their way to a bank to cash a cheque into their accounts. You also do not need to request or keep petty cash in the department or buy in vouchers.

What are the tax implications?
HMRC has agreed that the amounts paid are not taxable under PAYE provided that they are not significant. The University is not able to give advice on the taxation position of individual volunteers.

How do I get help using the UPS?
Visit the HR department's UPS website.

Do we need any special access to UPS?
No - if you are already processing payments via UPS you need no further access or functionality - just choose the code SE06 in the system when processing the payment for UPS5.

Do I need to split items out onto different lines on the form?
Yes, split each visit/session onto its own line by date and categorise each line. Travel and subsistence costs should also be separately detailed. If you require more lines than are available in the payment details box, print further copies of the second page of the UPS5 form and have each copy of the page signed when filled in.

Do I need to attach receipts to the form?
Yes if receipts are required/provided these should be attached before the form is given to the authoriser.

Why is it so important to be accurate when entering the details into UPS?
Duplication of a user record in UPS can cause delays and extra work, leading to frustration for those involved. Search for the user on UPS to make sure they do not already exist on the system. NI number or date of birth are good fields to search on, beware of different spellings or contractions of names e.g. Jonathan, Jonathon, John, Jon.

If you find that the user exists on the system already, check that the details on the system and those on the form match exactly (e.g date of birth, bank details). If required, make edits to the existing record, DO NOT create a new record.

What happens after the details are recorded in UPS?
They need to be sent for authorisation, and all paperwork (form and any receipts) passed to the authoriser. Please consider the workload of authorisers and submit in good time for the cut off dates where possible.

How often are BACS payments made?

UPS payment run details can be found on the payroll website https://www.finance.admin.cam.ac.uk/payroll/payroll-deadline-dates

Could we have a form that can be filled in digitally rather than by hand?
This is being looked into as a possibility as it could minimise risk of errors being transcribed into UPS from the form.

Why do the participants have to provide gender and date of birth as mandatory?
These are required fields by HMRC and therefore by the CHRIS system. If these are not provided then the individual cannot be set up on CHRIS to be paid.

Why are the only gender options Male or Female?
HMRC's systems currently only recognise these two choices when processing records.

Must we ask for/obtain the person's NI number?
No - this is an entirely optional piece of information. The reason we recommend it is only to prevent the duplication of records within UPS, as it is a unique number to search for the person to see if they are  alreay  entered  in  the system. If you do not ask for the NI number, then just make sure you are extra careful when searching for the person already in the system.

Can we get reports on UPS5 activity?
Yes - a report can be run on the SE06 payment code for your department - contact the CHRIS helpdesk for this.

Can I overspend on a grant using UPS?
Yes - this will appear as a funds check failure, the same as it would for a cheque payment through CUFS.

Do we keep the paper forms after keying in?
Yes - keep them securely in your department as you do with all other paperwork containing personal details, or scan them in and then destroy the paper copies.

If we load a person to UPS in order to pay them for taking part in an 'experimental subject' which is the correct 'status' to select?
As long as you use the right element code i.e SE06 this is fine, but the best status would be self-employed.

 

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