Fees and Expenses FAQs

Questions on External Examiner Fees, Expenses, P60 and Payslips

Some FAQs are provided below to help answer queries colleagues might have around the External Examining process (fee payments and expenses; P60, payslips, EE tenure).

FEES

Q. How are External Examiners fees calculated? 

A. External Examiners are paid once a year, after the main Board of Examiners meeting, once the Portico report has been submitted. The following paragraph is included in the appointment confirmation letter and also in the annual reappointment letter to all EEs:
The board fee for your professional services as an External Examiner for a Board of Examiners is approximately £75. You will then be paid £0.22, per ECTS (European Credit Transfer System), per student examined. The individual module fee will be divided amongst External Examiners if there is more than one External Examiner examining assessments. Departments who cover programmes such as, MBBS, Fine Art and PGCE / ITE, have local arrangements for the payment of External Examiners. We also implement fee bands, so your final fee will be rounded up or down accordingly.  

Q. Do External Examiners receive a P60 or payslips? 

A. External Examiners on UG Boards are taxed at source through HR payments and will recive a payslip and a P60 from HR. External Examiners on PGT Boards do not receive a P60 as they are registered at UCL as self-employed and are therefore responsible for declaring external examining income and paying any sums owed to the HMRC directly. Accounts payable can provide a remittance slip accountspayable@ucl.ac.uk (this will have brief details showing the amount and date of payment). 

Q. When are report fee payments processed and do External Examiners need to do anything to claim thier fee?

A. After the main Board of Examiners has met, and External Examiners have submitted their annual report on Portico, we will process the fee payment. EEs do not need to do anything further to claim their fee, we use the submission of the Portico report as our trigger to make the payment. We aim to process the fee payment within a month of the EE report being submitted on Portico. We use the payment details that EEs provided during their nomination process. If payment details are missing these will be requested from the EE, and this may delay payment being made. The Finance team will progress the payment as part of their payment schedule and EEs would normally receive payment by the end of the corresponding month.  

EXPENSES

Q. How do External Examiners claim their expenses?

External Examiners are permitted to claim reasonable expenses as required using the UCL General Expense Form (for external visitors) available here: www.ucl.ac.uk/finance/spending-money/policies-forms-info/forms-relating-expenditure. Please submit the completed claim form to examiners@ucl.ac.uk. 

Please refer to the rates from UCL Expenses Policy included below to assist with completing the expense claims.

Train Travel These should be standard class unless a heavily discounted first class ticket is booked significantly in advance of the date of travel

Business Mileage Cars - 45p per mile for the first 10,000 miles in a tax year and 25p per mile thereafter, Motorcycles - 24p per mile, Bicycles - 20p per mile.

Taxis Taxis may be used where there is a clear requirement or where they are the most economical practical means of transport.

Air Travel This should be booked using UCL's appoved travel provider, Clarity where possible. For flights of five hours or less, staff should book restricted tickets in economy.  For flights lasting five hours or longer staff may travel premium economy.

Hotel Rates The cost of a hotel in the UK should not exceed £190 including VAT (room only) in London or £130 including VAT (room only) outside of London. The cost of accommodation at or near the normal place of work wouldn't qualify as business travel and would therefore be subject to tax.

Meals whilst away overnight Breakfast: maximum of £11 receipted including VAT and service, un-receipted, £5. Lunch: maximum of £16 receipted including VAT and service, un-receipted, £5. Evening meal: maximum of £33 receipted including VAT and service, un-receipted £15. In line with the above, a maximum per diem (24-hours) of £60 receipted (£25 un-receipted).

Q. We have paid for the EE travel and accommodation, how do you reimburse departments?

A. Please email examiners@ucl.ac.uk with the EE name and UPI, Board code, breakdown of costs and dates and PTAE code. We will review your request and submit an IDJ.

Q. What EE expenses do you pay for centrally?

• External Examiner Expenses for one in-person visit e.g.

  • where a Board has been held in-person, or

  • an EE has been invited to view student exhibitions, or

  • an EE has been invited to meet students, or

  • for the purpose of induction

We will reimburse expenses for one in-person visit per year, in line with UCL’s expenses policy.

• EE Expenses for a one-off RtW check
  • All new UG EEs must have an in-person Right to Work check at the start of their appointment. We suggest that where possible, this visit is combined with an induction that includes an opportunity to meet staff and students. However, the expenses for this one-off RtW check will be reimbursed in line with UCL’s expenses policy, in addition to a one in-person visit for any of the above reasons.

• Overseas External Examiners – in addition to the above stipulations, if one 'in-person' visit is required, the Department should reimburse travel costs/expenses. Accommodation and subsistence expenses will be reimbursed in line with UCL's expenses policy.

• Please note that the above expenses, unless otherwise stated, will be reimbursed by the Academic Policy, Quality and Standards section, in line with UCL’s expenses policy.