What are ESP's policies about spending for my class?

Budget

Each program has a pre-approved class budget (about $30 per Splash/Spark section and $50 per HSSP class). That means you can spend up to that amount without asking us for approval — unless you do something particularly egregious, or we are forbidden by law or MIT policy, we will reimburse you. You should contact us if you have any concerns or want to go over budget. We're often willing to increase a class's budget, but you should make sure to get approval first for the amount by which you'd like to increase your budget.

Non-consumable materials must be returned to be reimbursed

If your materials are not "consumable" materials, you must return those materials to ESP to be reimbursed. (Exceptions may be made only with the approval of the program directors.) "Consumable" supplies are any supplies used up during the class or given to students to take at the end of class. "Consumables" includes prizes given to students, food given out during the class, photocopying, etc..

How do I go about getting reimbursed?

There are two things you should keep in mind when making purchases for your classes.

By MIT policy, tax cannot be reimbursed.

By providing MIT's tax-exempt form to the cashier when checking out at a store, you can avoid paying tax. MIT students (and others with MIT certificates) can download the form themselves. Others should contact us to get a copy.

Remember to ask for proof of payment.

In general, you should provide original, itemized receipts that clearly indicate you paid. To reimburse you, by MIT policy we need both evidence that you actually paid the money (e.g., a receipt that shows "paid" or a credit card statement) and a listing of what you bought (e.g., an itemized receipt or a list you wrote out yourself with prices).

Instructions for returning receipts vary per program; consult each program's website for details.