Paying Someone

If someone has a receipt and is looking to get reimbursed, please see instructions under "Buying Something." This section is for paying someone for a professional service (i.e. paying someone for their intellectual, artistic, and/or other talents; NOT for anything tangible, such as an actual piece of art, equipment, etc.). If you are paying an external vendor for something other than a professional service (such as equipment or facility rental), please refer to Paying for Other External Services.

There are different forms and processes for Paying Someone depending on the amount being paid, the type of service, and their affiliation with Brown. Please note, any contracts or requests for payments usually take up to 10 business days - please plan accordingly. Also, changes made to a contract using an eraser or white-out are not allowed, and the SAO will not be able to process the contract.

The SAO has attempted to simply the process by providing the following tree of questions:

1. Is the person(s) a current employee or student at Brown?

- IF YES, you must pay the person through payroll. Please talk with SAO before making any arrangements or agreements. NOTE: If you are paying a student performer (DJ, band, etc.) and the payment will be under $200, please continue.

Very important! - Federal law requires all students employed on campus to complete an I-9 form within 3 business days from the date employment begins. Inform potential employees of this as early in the hiring process as possible.

- IF NO, please continue.

2. Does the person or group have a social security number or a US federal ID number?

- IF NO , please talk with the SAO before making any arrangements or agreements.

- IF YES , please continue.

3. If the person or group is using a social security number (not a federal ID number), to the best of your knowledge (you should ask the individual or group) will the person be paid more than $2000 for this calendar year from Brown?

- IF YES, please talk with SAO before making any arrangements or agreements. They must be registered as an independent contractor with the State of Rhode Island. This will take extra processing time (approx. 10 business days) if they are not already registered.

- IF NO, please continue.

4. If the individual or group has their own contract or agreement, do what you can to encourage them to accept the Brown Student Organization Contract or Guest Speaker Payment Authorization, if applicable (more details about both below). Any contracts other than these two Brown forms must be reviewed by the Office of the General Counsel, which can take up to another TWO weeks.

- If they insist on using their own contract, please review the contract to be sure you agree with all terms; if there are any you do not agree with, please negotiate those with the contractor in advance (the SAO can help you if the contractor is not being responsive). Once you agree with all the terms, bring the contract to the SAO for review. We will review to ensure the contract is fair and appropriate and confirm you have adequate funding. After the contract is reviewed and Brown and the contractor agree to all the terms, the contract must be signed by both parties. Original signatures are required. Contracts for events on campus are NOT valid commitments on behalf of your organization unless they are countersigned by the SAO Director (without the SAO Director's signature, the contract is between the individual that signed the contract and the contractor). Please allow up to two weeks for review of anything other than Brown standard contracts, plus the standard ten (10) days to obtain a check. Otherwise, payment may not be available to the individual or company on the date of service.

- Otherwise, please continue.

5. Is the person a guest speaker?

. IF YES, please complete a "Guest Speaker Payment Authorization" and bring it to the SAO for processing. If you are planning on bringing someone to campus that may be considered a notable speaker, please let SAO know in advance so the appropriate departments can be notified.

- IF NO, please continue.

6. Please complete a " Student Organization Contract ."

If the person does not have a W-9 on file with Brown (SAO can check on this for you if the person is not sure), you'll also need a W-9. Send the Contract and W-9, if applicable, to the performer. You can fax or mail the contract to them; however, they must return the signed contract by mail as we need the original signatures. They can mail it directly to Donna Hustler (address on the back of the contract) or to you and you can bring it to the SAO.