Moving and Relocation

Overview

Employees may be eligible for reimbursement of moving or relocation expenses. Moving expenses may be taxable. After reading the definitions below, be sure to check policy for more details when considering whether to pay for moving or relocation expenses.

Definitions

Moving expenses are authorized expenses incurred by a continuing academic appointee in moving to a different UC campus at the request or direction of the university, or by transfer. These expenses are reasonable costs of moving household goods and personal effects to a new residence. Such expenses also include the cost of travel to the university location for the individual and his/her immediate family.

Removal expenses are authorized expenses incurred by an academic appointee newly hired to the University of California system in moving to the Davis area.

Relocation allowance payments can be made to senior staff, and are intended to offset higher living costs in a new location; they are not intended to reimburse or offset the actual or presumed costs of moving from one location to another.

The total value of relocation allowance payments may not exceed 25% of an appointee’s annualized base salary. Payment is generally made monthly through the payroll system over a four-year period, with 40% of the allowance paid in the first year, 30% in the second year, 20% in the third year and 10% in the fourth year.

Additional terms include House Hunting, Sign-on Bonus, and Temporary Living Expenses.

Methods

An employee can handle moves in one of two ways:

Use a university agreement to arrange for moves; the university will pay the vendor directly
Pay for expenses ahead of time and seek reimbursement from the university

Questions?

If you have questions pertaining to moves or relocations, contact:

mytravel@ucdavis.edu
(530) 757-8888