Effective September 1, 2025, the university will discontinue employee reimbursements for cell phone and other mobile technology plans, and will eliminate purchases of mobile technology equipment that is not used exclusively for university business.
Mobile Technology Payment FAQ
Why is the university discontinuing mobile technology reimbursements?
The university has been reviewing various expenses as it makes plans to address budgetary shortfalls. The mobile technology reimbursements represent a $900,000 yearly expense. Mobile technology plans with unlimited calls, text, and data have become far more common than when the reimbursement was first introduced. We also discovered many of our peer institutions have already discontinued these types of payments. This cessation represents a significant savings to the university that can help us address our structural budget deficit.
Does this change affect only reimbursements from Education and General (E&G) funds?
No, the cessation of employee reimbursements applies to all Funds and Fund Types.
Does this impact units who have purchased devices for work purposes only (i.e., duty phones)?
No. Such purchases are still permitted.
When an employee’s mobile technology reimbursement is discontinued, do they have to accept work-related calls, texts, or emails on their personal device?
No. The university may attempt to contact the employee on their personal cell phone or other personal device, but the employee may choose not to answer and defer to the use of teams calling, chat, and email on a university computer during work hours.
When an employee must be reachable for work purposes, and chooses not to use their personal device, units may purchase and assign the employee a separate phone that may be used only for business purposes.
When is this change effective?
This change will take effect September 1, 2025. Employees who receive reimbursement payments will be notified of the change via a message to their UO email address.
What do unit budget managers and accounts payable staff need to do to implement this change?
Units need to stop processing mobile technology reimbursements by September 1, 2025. The August payment will be the last one allowed.
Units that currently provide mobile technology or services directly to employees via direct payment to a vendor (not via employee reimbursement) need to review these arrangements and either (1) confirm that the technology or services are used solely for business purposes (no personal use), or (2) transfer responsibility for the cost of the technology or services to the employee, or (3) stop providing the technology or services.
Business Affairs will follow up with unit budget managers to ask for information or provide guidance as necessary.
Does my unit need to process new Mobile Technology Access and Payment Option Request (MTAPOR) forms for the FY26 (July and August) payments?
No, any FY25 authorizations will remain in effect until August 31, 2025.
What if an employee works in a state that requires technology reimbursements for remote employees?
Business Affairs will work with Human Resources to identify any employees who work in these states and reach out to their units to inform them to continue processing reimbursements.
Will Business Affairs review mobile technology purchases and reimbursements after September 1 to ensure compliance with the new policy?
Yes, the university will conduct regular reviews of payments to confirm compliance with the new policy standards.
Any additional questions can be directed to Kelly Wolf, AVP/Controller, at kbwolf@uoregon.edu.