Finances

On this website you will find all important information related to the finances of the student body.

Your contact person for all questions relating to this topic is the finance department, which you can contact by sending a mail to . As the bureaucratic language in the student body is German, all documents are unfortunately only available in German. We are currently working on annotated versions of all documents to make them more accessible. Should you have any questions, please reach out to us.

The submission of annual budget reports is now only permitted through this online form!

General information

The budget and economic management of the student body is based on the Haushalts- und Wirtschaftsführungs-Verordnung der Studierendenschaften NRW (budget and economic management regulations of the student bodies in NRW) and the Finanz- und Haushaltsordnung der Studierendenschaft in Verbindung mit der Beitragsordnung (financial and budgetary regulations of the student body in Paderborn in conjunction with the fee regulations).

In the fee regulations, the semester fee is set, which all UPB students must pay each semester. With the exception of the social fee to the Studierendenwerk, the semester fee is managed by the AStA on the basis of a budget plan. The current annual budget plan can be found here:

To the annual budget plan

Subsidies

Each financial year, funds are set aside in the budget plan to subsidize study trips, educational trips and excursions as well as cultural events organized by student groups. All groups of UPB students are eligible to apply, even if they are not recognized as an initiative or belong to a student council.

Applications must be submitted to the AStA (as a pdf-file via mail to the AStA finance department), including the following components:
  • description of the excursion (including the schedule) or cultural event including the schedule
  • objective or explanation of why the excursion or cultural event is important for the fulfillment of the tasks of the student body
  • brief introduction of the organizing group
  • tabular cost calculation including the funds requested by the AStA

The usual subsidy is €500 for cultural events and €1000 for excursions. Please contact the finance department to find out whether funds are still available in the respective financial year. This application should therefore be sent sufficiently before the start of the event to allow for a review. Late applications may be rejected. Please note that subsidies can only be granted by reimbursing the costs after the event. An application for reimbursement and all corresponding invoices must be submitted.

In addition, the AStA reimburses initiatives and student councils for participation and travel costs for up to two participants at conferences. Please ask the AStA finance department in advance whether a reimbursement is possible (with regard to the available budget and eligibility of the respective conference). A signed confirmation of participation issued by the organizers is required to reimburse participation fees.

Information for initiatives and project groups

Initiatives recognized by the student parliament are entitled to a budget of €250 per year to carry out their tasks. Project groups are entitled to the budget estimated in the annual budget plan on the basis of their budget application.

See below (section “Refund process”) for information on how to use the budget.

All initiatives and project groups are obligated to write an annual budget report. The guidelines (currently still in German) to help with the writing can be found here:

Guidelines for the annual budget report

Information for Fachschaftsräte (student councils)

In accordance with Section 36 (1) of the Finanz- und Haushaltsordnung (FHO – Financial and Budgetary Regulations), the Fachschaftsräte receive 10% of the general AStA fee for the fulfillment of their tasks. All information on the budgetary and economic management of the Fachschaftsräte can be found in this guide:

Guide to the finances of the Fachschaftsräte

The corresponding Richtlinie für die Erstellung von Rechenschaftsberichten and both the Kassenanordnung and the Haushaltsplan can be found here. All documents are currently only available in German.

Reimbursement process

There are basically two ways of claiming student body funds: by submitting invoices for payment to the AStA and by applying for reimbursement of costs incurred.

If you have any questions or uncertainties, you should always contact the finance department in advance to prevent problems.

Invoices

Invoices can be submitted by email to the finance department or in print to the AStA. In the email or on the invoice, it must be made clear that the invoice is to be paid from the budget of the initiative/project group etc. In the case of project groups, the budget title must also be indicated.

Reimbursement request forms

To request a reimbursement of costs an Antrag auf Kostenrückerstattung has to be submitted. Digital receipts and invoices can be submitted by email to the finance department, printed receipts and invoices should be submitted to the AStA in the original or as a high resolution scan.

Please note the following:

  • Reimbursement is only possible with complete payment receipts or invoices. Receipts showing only the date and time of payment and not listing the articles are not eligible for reimbursement.
  • The receipts should be numbered and attached to the application in the correct order.
  • Expenses for Pfand (bottle deposit) are not reimbursed, they must be deducted from the reimbursement amount.
  • For hospitality expenses (food and drink), a hospitality receipt must additionally be submitted (see below)
  • For the reimbursement of travel expenses, an application for reimbursement of travel expenses must be submitted instead (see below).

Hospitality expenses

Whenever food and/or drinks are made available to members of the student body or guests free of charge, this constitutes hospitality for which a Bewirtungsbeleg (hospitality receipt) needs to be filled out.

If the event at which the hospitality costs are incurred is not open to the public and more than half of the people catered for are members of the institution, project group or initiative of the student body providing the hospitality, a separate explanation must be submitted on the hospitality receipt explaining why the event is necessary for the fulfillment of the student body’s tasks.

Travel expenses

For travel expenses incurred, the Antrag auf Reisekostenerstattung (Travel expense refund form) has to be filled out and submitted, with which the travel expenses are settled in accordance with the provisions of the Landesreisekostengesetz (LRKG – NRW State Travel Expenses Act).

Professional fees

For the payment of professional fees (payments for artists, technicians, authors, etc.) for events, concerts, lectures, etc., the Honorarabrechnung (refund form for professional fees) needs to be filled out.

Important: This is not a legally binding contract; the decision to grant the fee is made by the finance department.