Funding requests and evidence

Overview

Learn the rules and processes around submitting funding requests, appealing a funding refusal and checking the evidence required. You can also get more information using the IPSA funding handbook.

You can also complete IPSA Online tasks on attaching evidence and receipts to reimbursement requests and submitting requests in simple and advanced mode.

Watch our webinar discussing managing funding requests in IPSA Online.

Regulatory standards and guidance

To make a funding request, you must:

Use IPSA Online
Have requests approved by an MP or their IPSA proxy
Provide evidence at the time of submitting the request

As best practice IPSA recommends all funding requests are submitted within 60 days of the cost being incurred. Submitting funding requests in good time maintains up-to-date budget data in IPSA Online and helps good budgetary performance aligning with our regulatory principle of value for money.

IPSA may provide other payment methods in its guidance including any requirements MPs must meet to use those methods. Read more guidance on bills IPSA can pay without a funding request.

Find out more about payment cards.

IPSA reviews reimbursement requests as part of its regulatory responsibilities. Some checks take place before a request is paid while others are carried out afterwards.

We assess requests to ensure it complies with the Funding Scheme for MPs and the relevant regulatory guidance. We also verify that the evidence provided meets the standards set out in our Funding Handbook. If further evidence is required, we may contact you to request it.

IPSA provides support to MPs and their staff to help them understand how the rules and principles apply to their funding requests. This support is available through the Scheme, our website guidance and through contact with your named account manager and payroll officer. However, any advice given does not constitute a decision to approve or reject a funding request. A formal decision can only be made once a request is submitted with all required supporting evidence.

If a submitted request falls outside the Scheme, it will not be paid. You will be notified of this decision in IPSA Online and you may request a review if you disagree. See guidance on appealing a refusal.

Where we refuse a request or agree to only a partial repayment, we will inform the MP or staff member and provide the reasons for our decision.

IPSA also carries out reviews of past funding requests. If we identify any errors that require correction, we will contact you through your account manager.

Our funding handbook (previously called ‘evidence requirements’) is designed to support MPs and staff who purchase goods and services with IPSA provided funding via either reimbursement, the payment card or our other services.

Our funding handbook outlines what evidence we need for each expense type. This does not include funding requests for disability or applied-for additional funding. For information about these, contact your account manager.

For support on what information should be included on an invoice, see the government-produced guidance.

To comply with the principle of accountability, MPs and staff members must ensure reimbursement forms and payment card transactions are completed accurately to ensure good budget management.

When submitting reimbursement forms or reconciling payment card transactions in IPSA Online, certain services require the service supply period to be recorded in months. If the supply period spans multiple months, all months should be included.

Example 1

A utility bill dated 28 May with a supply period of 25 April to 24 May. Select April as the start month and enter 2 months (April and May).

Example 2

A utility bill dated 1 July with a supply period from 1 June and 30 June. Select June as the start month and enter 1 month (June only).

Read our five top tips for travel and mileage funding.

Read our five top tips for advertising, contact cards and newsletter costs.

Read our five top tips for bought-in services.

When creating a funding request, there are three levels of ‘errors’ you may come across:

Inline errors

These happen when you forget to complete a mandatory field (those with a red asterisk) and an error message will appear as soon as you click out of a field or when you attempt to submit the funding request.

Soft stop errors

These errors occur after you have submitted the funding request on IPSA Online. IPSA Online will check the funding request when it is submitted and will send an alert that something is not quite right (e.g. you may have forgotten to add a receipt) – but you can still force through the funding request (you may have already sent an invoice for the year with another funding request). Soft stops you may encounter include:

'Selected budget exceeded'
'Lease for a selected address has expired'
'Hotel and subsistence limits exceeded'
'No receipt attached'

Hard stop errors

Like soft stop errors, these happen after you have submitted a funding request. These errors must be corrected before you can resubmit the funding request (e.g. travelling on the wrong journey type). Hard stops you may encounter include:

'Not valid – train fare limit exceeded' – this means you are trying to request funding for more than the anytime standard fare. You must reduce the amount requested to the anytime standard fare to submit your funding requests.
'Budget type – person-type correction' – this means you are attempting to request funding from a budget you are entitled to receive funding from (e.g. a staff member who is attempting to receive funding for a cost allocated to the accommodation budget).
'Budget type – address-type correction' – this means you have added the wrong address to a funding request (e.g. adding your office address for an accommodation cost).
'Person – travel reason correction' – this means you have selected an incorrect journey type for your travel.

Where IPSA determines either to refuse a funding request or to allow only part of the amount requested, MPs may ask IPSA to review its determination.

You can ask for a review of a refused or part-funded request if you believe:

the rules and principles have been applied incorrectly;
an administrative error has been made by IPSA; and/or
you have further evidence to support your funding request.

Find out more about requesting a funding refusal review and requesting for repayment.

Upon receiving a request for review, we will review whether the original decision was properly made, referring to any further evidence submitted in support of the funding request. Following a review, we will then:

Confirm or change the amount allowed under the original decision.
Notify the MP of our decision.
Arrange payment of any additional amount now allowed.

No staff member of IPSA involved in making the original decision will be involved in any review. If you disagree with our decision, you can ask for the outcome to be reviewed by the Compliance Officer for IPSA. IPSA Will make any payments or adjustments necessary to give effect to the decisions of the Compliance Officer, provided that all relevant appeals on the matter have been withdrawn or determined and it is no longer possible for there to be a further relevant appeal. MPs and staff members should submit refusal review requests in a timely manner within 60 days of the request being refused.

Using IPSA Online

This task has 25 steps.

Note!
To make a reimbursement claim, open IPSA Online.
Before you begin you will need:
- details of the costs you are claiming
- your receipts
Remember to use Add information if you need to add further comments to your claim. This can be found towards the bottom of the screen.
Step1
From the main menu select Your employment.
Step2
Select Expenses.
Step3
Select Reimbursement claim (MP).
If you work in a MP’s office, you can claim your own expenses by selecting Reimbursement claim (Staff).
All subsequent steps are the same.
Step4
In the On behalf of resource box, select who the claim should be paid to – this box only appears if you are the MP or Proxy.
Step5
In the Reference box, type a short description applicable to all lines on the claim form.
The description should be something you can use to easily identify the claim at a later date (for example, when looking to access a draft claim).
As such, try to avoid references that could be applied to more than one claim (for example, "Payment card reconciliation") and instead make each reference unique (for example, "Payment card reconciliation – October 2022").
Step6
Select Add expense from near the bottom of the screen.
Step7
Select an Expense category. You can start typing the expense and a list of possible expense categories is displayed.
Alternatively, select the drop-down arrow to see the full list and then select the relevant category.
Step8
Use the Calendar icon to select the date the expense was incurred.
Step9
Add a Description for the expense.
Content included in this field will be published in line with our Publication Policy.
If any comments are intended solely for IPSA, please use the Add information field described in Step 14.
Step10
Add the Amount of the expense that you are claiming for.
Step11
Select the Chevron icon at the end of the expense line.
The chevrons open additional fields that are required for that particular expense.
Step12
Use the Spacebar on your keyboard to see a list of all the relevant budgets, addresses, stations, airports etc. Alternatively, you can start typing the specific value you want to select
Depending on the type of expense being reimbursed, you may see a different set of options for completion.
The example displayed in the accompanying screenshot is a claim for reimbursement for air travel.
Step13
Repeat steps six to 12 until all expenses have been added.
An expense claim should not be more than 20 lines long.
Step14
On all mileage claims, you will need to include details of each stop (including postcode) on your journey.
Select Add information towards the bottom of the screen.
Type your comments in the pop-up box.
Please make sure to reference which line on the claim each comment refers to.
Please do not include these details in the description field of the claim line.
Step15
You must now add receipts to each claim line and then submit the claim.
To do this, visit the right-hand menu, under the heading Expense overviewand select Receipts.
Step16
In the pop-up window that appears select Upload receipts in the bottom left of the screen.
Once uploaded, select the line you want to add the receipt to, and then select Match to receipt.
Step17
If you want to delete a claim line, select the entry you wish to remove.
Step18
Select Delete expense.
Step19
To copy a claim line, tick the entry you want to replicate.
Step20
Select Copy expense.
Repeat until you have all the lines you need.
Step21
When submitting a claim, make sure you have attached all relevant evidence.
Step22
Make sure you check your claim for errors before submission. It may not always be possible to withdraw or amend it before payment is made.
Step23
Select Submit in the bottom left corner of the screen.
Step24
A pop-up window will appear informing you the claim has been sent for approval and displaying the claim form reference number.
Select OK.
Step25
The Claim Form will remain open. You will need to close this by selecting the X at the top of the expenses tab.

For further information, visit Adding receipts to a claim.

IPSA Online allows you to add receipts to claims electronically.

You can upload your receipts in three different ways:

through IPSA Online
via the mobile app
by emailing ipsaonlinereceipts@theipsa.org.uk via your PDS account

Receipts will be uploaded to the account of the person/email they are sent from.

Note!
Make sure you have all the receipts you want to upload to hand, and open IPSA Online.
Step1
When you are in a Reimbursement Claim Form, save receipts in Your documents with a name that will help you identify them at a later date.
Step2
Make sure the images are clear so IPSA can read them. The maximum size image for receipts is 100mb.
Step3
In the receipts section on the right-hand side of the screen, select Upload receipts.
Step4
A new window will open, select the Upload receipts icon.
Step5
Select the document you want to upload.
Step6
Select Open.
Step7
The receipt is added to the Receipt bank.
Step8
Repeat steps two to four until you have uploaded all receipts.

Once you have uploaded your receipts, you need to add them to a claim.

Note!
Make sure you have loaded all the receipts you want to add, and open IPSA Online.
Step1
With your claim open, select the Available icon in the Receipt bank on the right-hand side of the claim.
Step2
Use the Arrows to navigate to the relevant receipt.
Step3
Tick the Checkbox next to the matching claim line.
Step4
Select Match to receipt.
Step5
Repeat steps two and three until all claim lines are matched to receipts. Select the X icon to close the Receipt bank.
Step6
You can add multiple receipts to one claim line.
Step7
If you need to attach the same receipt to multiple lines, upload the receipt as many times as required.
Step8
You can now Submit the claim.

When dealing with claim approval, you can approve or reject them using two formats:

simple mode
advanced mode

These views are available in quick or full view.

Simple mode allows you to approve or reject the entire claim with one or two clicks of the mouse.

Note!
You will need information about the claim you are being asked to approve to hand, and have IPSA Online open.
Step1
Select the task you wish to complete.
Step2
The General section will give you a summary of who raised the claim and its reference.
Step3
The Workflow log section gives you information on the path the task took to reach you and any comments people have added to the task.
Step4
The Expenses section gives you a quick summary of each claim line.
Check them carefully, once approved the expenditure is your responsibility.
Step5
The Expenses details section gives you detailed information on the highlighted expense in the Expenses section above.
For claims with multiple lines, selecting different lines in the Expenses section will display different information in the Expenses details section.
Check this carefully for each line, once approved the expenditure is your responsibility.
Step6
Select the Approve button. The task is now complete.

When dealing with claim approval, you can approve or reject them using two formats:

simple mode
advanced mode

These views are available in quick or full view.

Simple mode allows you to approve or reject the entire claim with one or two clicks of the mouse.

Note!
You will need details of the claim to hand, and have IPSA Online open.
Step1
Select the task you wish to complete.
Step2
The General section will give you a summary of who raised the claim and its reference.
Step3
The Workflow log section gives you information on the path the task took to reach you and any comments people have added to the task.
Step4
The Expenses section gives you a quick summary of each claim line.
Check them carefully, once approved the expenditure is your responsibility.
Step5
The Expenses details section gives you detailed information on the highlighted expense in the Expenses section above.
For claims with multiple lines, selecting different lines in the Expenses section will display different information in the Expenses details section.
Check this carefully for each line, once approved the expenditure is your responsibility.
Step6
Select Send for correction.
Step7
Type an explanation as to why the claim is being sent back to the staff member for correction.
Step8
Select the Send for correction button. The task is now complete.

When dealing with claim approvals, you can approve or reject them using two formats: simple mode or advanced mode. These views are available in quick or full view.

Advanced mode is useful when you have multiple lines of claims some of which you wish to approve and some you wish to reject.

Note!
You should have details of the claim to hand, and have IPSA Online open.
Step1
Select the claim you wish to complete.
Step2
The General section will give you a summary of who raised the claim and its reference.
Step3
The Workflow log section gives you information on the path the task took to reach you and any comments people have added to the task.
Step4
The Expenses section gives you a quick summary of each claim line.
Check them carefully, once approved the expenditure is your responsibility.
Step5
The Expenses details section gives you detailed information on the highlighted expense in the Expenses section above.
For claims with multiple lines, selecting different lines in the Expenses section will display different information in the Expenses details section.
Check this carefully for each line, once approved the expenditure is your responsibility.
Step6
Along the bottom of the screen, select Advanced mode.
Step7
In the Expenses section, select the check box of the line or lines you wish to approve.
Step8
Select Submit anyway directly below.
Step9
Select Send for correction.
Step10
In the Workflow log, type an explanation as to why each line is being sent back to the staff member for correction.
Step11
When all lines have been addressed, scroll to the bottom and select Save. The task is now complete.

Sometimes claims will be returned to you for amendment because they appear to fall outside of the scheme rules but you may wish to submit them with reasons. For example, there may be a good reason you missed the 90-day limit.

In these cases you can send the task back to IPSA with a comment explaining why you are submitting the claim.

Note!
Before you start you should have details of the claim, and IPSA Online open.
Step1
Select the claim you wish to complete.
Step2
The General section will give you a summary of who raised the claim and its reference.
Step3
The Workflow log section gives you information on the path the task took to reach you and any comments people have added to the task.
Step4
The Expenses section gives you a quick summary of each claim line.
Check them carefully, once approved the expenditure is your responsibility.
Step5
The Expenses details section gives you detailed information on the highlighted expense in the Expenses section above.
For claims with multiple lines, selecting different lines in the Expenses section will display different information in the Expenses details section.
Check this carefully for each line, once approved the expenditure is your responsibility.
Step6
Select Submit anyway.
Step7
Type an explanation as to why the claim is being submitted without correction.
Step8
Select the Submit anyway button. The task is now complete.

In these cases you can send the task back to IPSA with a comment explaining why you are submitting the claim.

Note!
Make sure you have the details of the claim to hand, and have opened IPSA Online.
Step1
Select the task you wish to complete.
Step2
The General section will give you a summary of who raised the claim and its reference.
Step3
The Expenses section gives you a quick summary of each claim line.
Check them carefully, once approved the expenditure is your responsibility.
Step4
The Expenses details section gives you detailed information on the highlighted expense in the Expenses section above.
For claims with multiple lines, selecting different lines in the Expenses section will display different information in the Expenses details section.
Check this carefully for each line, once approved the expenditure is your responsibility.
Step5
Along the bottom of the screen, select Advanced mode.
Step6
In the Expenses section, select the check box of the line or lines you wish to submit.
Step7
Select Submit anyway.
Step8
Select the check box of the line or lines you wish to send back to correct.
Step9
Select Send for correction.
Step10
Select Send for correction directly below.
Step11
In the Workflow log, type an explanation as to why each line is being sent back to the staff member for correction.
Step12
The lines that were sent for correction will appear in your Task manager with Correction in the title.
Step13
When all lines have been addressed, scroll to the bottom and select Save. The task is now complete.

The MP Expenses Cost Report enables you to view receipts and other evidence attached to past claims.

The report also allows you to view any notes you have written in the “Add Information” section of a claim.

It is available to MPs and business costs proxies.

Note!
Open IPSA Online.
Step1
Navigate to the Time and Expenses tab on your IPSA Online main menu.
Step2
Click the chevrons to the right of the shared folder listed under Your Employment and select the MP Expenses Cost Report.
The report may take a couple of minutes to load.
Step3
The report lists all the completed claims made against your IPSA budgets.
Step4
Use the report filters to find the claim that you want to view in more detail.
You can do this by selecting the column heading/s you want to filter by.
The filters provide an option to search for a specific item or to select from a list of all possible options.
Step5
To filter by transaction number you must search for the precise transaction number to generate a result.
Step6
When you have located the transaction for which you want to view the attached evidence, select the transaction number.
Step7
This opens a separate Transaction Details page.
Step8
The Comment box displayed on this page includes any comments made in Add information when the claim was submitted.
Step9
To access any documentation attached to the claim, select the third tab: 3 – Expenses.
Step10
Select the specific claim line listed in the table under Expense items.
You will still need to select the claim line even if there is only one line on the claim.
Step11
A Workflow Log will appear.
It displays any comments made by the originator of the claim or the validator when submitting, approving, or returning the claim on IPSA Online.
Step12
If evidence was attached to the claim, the paperclip in the top right corner of your screen will show as blue and be available to select.
Step13
Select the blue paperclip to open the document folder linked to this claim line.
Step14
To download a copy of the document to your device, select Actions and Print.
Step15
When presented with the Print screen, from the ‘Destination dropdown list select Save as PDF and then Save.

When you create a reimbursement claim on IPSA Online, you have the option to either complete all sections of the claim there and then or save it as a draft to return to at a later time.

The following guidance outlines how to save a claim as a draft and how to then access any draft claims you have saved.

Note!
Open IPSA Online.
Step1
To save the claim as a draft and come back to it later, select Save as draft.
Step2
To access your draft claim, select Expenses and either Reimbursement claim (MP) or Reimbursement claim (Staff) – whichever function you created the original claim under – as though you were going to enter a new claim.
Step3
Instead of selecting Add expense, select View expenses at the bottom of the claim page.
Step4
A box will open that displays a list of claim pages.
Step5
Make sure that the Registered for field contains the staff member’s or MP’s name to which the claim relates.
Step6
Please also ensure the date range that has been input goes back far enough to bring up your draft claim.
Step7
You can use the status column to identify your drafts.
Select the draft claim you want to open up.
You can also use View expenses to view any past claim forms you have submitted and that have been approved. These can only be viewed, not edited.

This guide has 17 steps.

Note!
Before you start, collect all your travel receipts and evidence of travel, and open IPSA Online.
Remember to use Add information if you need to add further comments to your claim. This can be found towards the bottom of the screen.
Step1
On the menu, select Your employment.
Step2
Select Expenses.
Step3
Select Reimbursement claim (MP).
If you work in a MP’s office, you can claim your own expenses by selecting Reimbursement claim (Staff).
All subsequent steps are the same.
Step4
In the On behalf of resource box, select who the claim should be paid to – this box only appears if you are the MP or Proxy.
Step5
In the Reference box, type a short description for this claim – this should be something to easily identify the claim at a later date.
Step6
Select Add expense from near the bottom of the screen.
Step7
Select an Expense category. You can start typing the expense and a list of possible expenses is displayed.
Alternatively, select the drop-down arrow to see the full list and choose the relevant category.
Step8
Use the Calendar icon to select the date the expense was incurred.
Step9
Add a Description for the expense.
Content included in this field will be published in line with our Publication Policy.
If any comments are intended solely for IPSA, please use the Add information field described in Step 14.
Step10
Add the Amount of the expense that you are claiming for.
Step11
Select the Chevron icon at the end of the expense line.
The chevrons open additional fields that are required for that particular expense.
Step12
Use the Spacebar on your keyboard to see a list of all the relevant budgets, addresses, stations, airports etc. Alternatively, you can start typing the specific value you want to select
Depending on the type of expense being reimbursed, you may see a different set of options for completion.
The example displayed in the accompanying screenshot is a claim for reimbursement for air travel.
Step13
Repeat steps six to 12 until all expenses have been added.
An expense claim should not be more than 20 lines long.
Step14
On all mileage claims, you will need to include details of each stop (including postcode) on your journey.
Select Add information towards the bottom of the screen.
Type your comments in the pop-up box.
Please make sure to reference which line on the claim each comment refers to.
Please do not include these details in the description field of the claim line.
Step15
You must now add receipts to each claim line and then submit the claim.
Step16
In the pop-up window that appears select Upload receipts in the bottom left of the screen.
Once uploaded, select the line you want to add the receipt to, and then select Match to receipt.
Step17
Select Submit form.

For more information visit Uploading receipts and Adding receipts to a claim.

An inline error is flagged as soon as you click out of a mandatory field without filling it in correctly.

The relevant field is highlighted red with an exclamation mark next to the field as well as at the top and bottom of the screen.

Note!
Open IPSA Online.
Step1
If you are unsure of where the error is, select the Error bar at the bottom of the screen.
Step2
A list of errors is displayed. Select an error to move to the entry field.
Step3
To fix the error, complete the required field.

After submitting a claim form, IPSA Online will run a number of automatic checks on the claim.

This could result in the form being sent back to you for clarification or amendment a few minutes after sending it.

A soft stop will be shown by a small numbered icon appearing on your task icon in the top right-hand corner.

Note!
Open IPSA Online.
Step1
Select the Task manager icon to view the task list.
A drop-down task list appears, select on the relevant task. The task list summarises what the issue is.
The task will now be displayed. From here you can decide to submit anyway or amend the claim to fix the soft stop error.
Step2
The Information bar at the top of the screen displays why the claim has been sent back to you as a task.
To submit anyway, add a comment explaining why you want to submit.
Select Submit anyway.
Step3
To amend an error, select Send for correction.
Step4
Select OK on the pop-up that appears and close the task.
Step5
Select the Task manager icon to view the task list.
Step6
A drop-down task list appears, select the relevant task. The task list summarises what the issue is.
The claim is loaded and displayed on screen. This allows you to make changes and resubmit.
Step7
Amend the claim as needed.
Step8
Select Send for approval.
Step9
A pop-up window will appear informing you the claim has been sent for approval. Select OK.
Step10
The claim form will remain open. You will need to close this by selecting the X at the top of the expenses tab.

After submitting a claim form, the system runs a number of automatic validation checks on the claim.

This could result in the form being sent back to you for amendment a few minutes after sending it if the claim breaks any of the rules set out in the Scheme.

Check your task list in IPSA Online three to six minutes after submitting. This will notify you of any errors.

Note!
Open IPSA Online.
Step1
A hard stop will be shown by a small numbered icon appearing on your Task manager in the top right-hand corner.
Step2
Select the Task manager icon to view the task list.
Step3
A drop-down task list appears, select the relevant task. The task list summarises why the claim has been returned to you.
In this screengrab, the example used is Budget type – address type correction.
Step4
The claim is displayed. You can now edit and resubmit the claim.

The Direct Payment Correction Form allows you to raise any issues you have with any payments or funding request you make to IPSA.

Changes cannot be made to funding request dates.

Note!
Open IPSA Online.
Step1
From the main menu select Forms.
Step2
Select the Direct Payment Correction Form from the list.
Step3
Type a description in the Form description field using the format: MP Name – Form Number – Date Submitted.
Step4
Enter the transaction number the query relates to. You can find the transaction number on the MPD Expenses Details report.
If the transaction you wish to amend is with a direct supplier, you can find the transaction number on the MPD Direct Payments by MP report.
Step5
In the Sequence field type the line number of the claim the issue relates to.
Step6
In the Issue field explain the change you are requesting or what is wrong with the payment so that IPSA can investigate and deal with the problem.
Step7
Add any relevant evidence using the Paperclip icon.
Step8
Select Submit form.

You may request a review of a funding request if it has been rejected by IPSA.

It's important to remember you only have two weeks to request a review of the funding request, because the review is completed in the system we will not be able to review it after two weeks.

After two weeks, the cost would have to be submitted as a new funding request.

Note!
Open IPSA Online.
Step1
Select the icon to open the Task Management Quick View.
Step2
Decide if you want to view in the Quick view or Full view.
Step3
In your task list, a claim review task will appear as MP request review?
Step4
From your task list, select the Claim review task. It will display the basic information of the claim.
Step5
On the right-hand side the Workflow log will show you each stage the claim has been through, including why it was rejected.
Step6
The Expenses section will show you which lines have been rejected.
Step7
Select Request review to begin the review process.
Step8
A free text box will appear. You can use this to explain why you think this claim should be reviewed. Provide as much information as you can.
Step9
Select Request review.
Step10
Select OK.

Is this page useful?

Contact IPSA

To get additional support, contact us.

Funding requests and evidence

Overview

Regulatory standards and guidance