LSESU is a registered Charity, which means that we have to abide by particular standards on how we spend our money and how this is logged – this is why we have to be robust with monitoring how Club and Society money is spent and how this is audited.

Your Club or Society has its own account that sits within the SU's overall bank account. There are two main ways to use this money:

  • Reimbursements
  • Invoice Payments

Scroll down for more information about these processes, including what evidence you'll need to submit. Our financial process are also described in more detail in our online Managing Finances training module.

NEW FINANCE SYSTEM FOR CLUBS and societies

*(19/12/25)* We gave a brief heads-up on this in the past couple of newsletters, but are now happy to share some more information on the new expenses platform that we’ll be introducing for Clubs and Societies in January 2026:

  • The platform is aptly named ‘Student Expenses’, and is both app and web-based.
  • Attached is quick start guide which provides an overview of how it looks and works.
  • This webpage incudes some helpful resources and frequently asked questions.
  • You can also find a playlist of short trainings / video walkthroughs for this here.

​Next Steps

  • We’re currently in the final stages of confirming some finer details with the SU’s Finance team and the supplier, so you won’t be able to fully register yourselves just yet, but ahead of doing so we’d recommend that you have a play around with the demo login (which you don’t need an account for), so that you can familiarise yourselves with the platform in general, and also spend some time reviewing the webpages and guides attached / linked above.

  • Once we’re back in January (w/c Monday 5th), we’ll then be proceeding with getting this fully live, with the start-date for this new system pencilled in for Monday 12th. We’ll also follow-up with you again at this point to provide more information on you getting registered.

  • In line with that, and to give you a bit more time to submit any outstanding claims for payment through the current system, we’ve extended the deadline for this from 12pm on Monday 5th to 12pm on Monday 12th instead – the first two payment dates in January being Monday 12th and Monday 19th.

  • Anyway, thanks for bearing with us here, as we appreciate the lack of direct access to your balances at any given time has not been the easiest situation to navigate when budgeting. We’re excited to alleviate this with the new platform now, though, so please do take some time to go over the resources mentioned, and let us know if you have any questions that come up in doing so!

Payment Timeframes

Our SU Finance Team make weekly payment runs.

Anything received after 12pm on a Monday, will be processed in the following week's payment run.

Reimburse

There are two ways to be reimbursed, if someone in your committee purchases something for the group:

  • 'Pay & Reimburse' system
  • Payment Request Form

You can scroll down for more information about these methods.

'Pay & Reimburse' system

How to submit an expense claim: 

1. Head to your group's LSESU webpage, and scroll to the bottom where you'll see a 'Pay & Reimburse' section.

  • Clubs can be found on the LSESU Sports Clubs webpage
  • Societies can be found on the LSESU Societies webpage

2. Click on the 'Click here to claim your expenses' button.

3. Click on the 'New Money Request' button.

4. Complete the form as necessary, making sure to upload evidence as well. 

5. Click on 'Submit'.

 

From there your claim will be sent to your President/Treasurer's email, and they'll be able to approved/reject it as necessary.

Once approved, it will then come to SU and we'll be able to approve or reject it as necessary.

From there you'll be able to track the status of all your requests and see any comments that have been made as part of the process too.

Payment Request Form

Alternatively, you can complete a Payment Request Form, for payments that are over £500, made in international currency or from an international bank account, or if you are facing issues with the 'Pay & Reimburse' system.

Please complete this form, ensure it is signed by your treasurer, then email it to either su.societies@lse.ac.uk or su.sport@lse.ac.uk along with your payment evidence.

 

This chart may help you to decide which method to use for each payment!

 

 

Evidence

For all reimbursements, we require both of the following for each payment:

  • Photos of the receipts and/or order confirmation
  • A screenshot of the payment(s) on the payees online banking or bank statement. (All other transactions can be blanked out for privacy, as long as we can see the payments being reimbursed)

Top tip: Always ensure you obtain a receipt for any purchases you make. If one isn't provided automatically, please ask the shop/ restaurant for one!

Invoices

You can also pay someone directly from your LSESU account by submitting an invoice. Request an invoice from the company you want us to pay, and upload this to the 'Pay & Reimburse' system. For invoices over £1,000, please email it to either su.societies@lse.ac.uk or su.sport@lse.ac.uk. We can pay invoices in a foreign currency, but please be aware that international transactions usually incur a fee, which will be charged to your club or society.

Submitting an invoice using the 'Pay & Reimburse' system

  • Request type is ‘Pay Supplier’.
  • payable to is ‘Third Party’ for anyone outside the institution.
  • Enter bank details of the supplier as directed- double check these are correct!
  • Upload the invoice as evidence.

All invoices must:

  • Be correctly addressed to LSE Students' Union, Saw Swee Hock Student Centre, 1 Sheffield Street, London, WC2A 2AP
  • Include the suppliers details (name, address, e-mail)
  • Have an invoice date
  • Have an invoice number
  • Include a VAT number (if applicable)
  • Include details and dates of services
  • Have a correct total on invoice
  • Include the suppliers bank account details

If your invoice exceeds £10,000 please allow at least two weeks for this as this needs to be escalated to senior management.

If you have an invoice which has already been paid, please submit it alongside a payment request form and proof of payment, and the payee of the invoice will be reimbursed.

Important things to remember

Club or Society money cannot be used to reimburse items or social that are only for your committee or select members.

  • Club or Society money cannot be used to reimburse items or social that are only for your committee or select members. 

  • Any spending on events should only happen once an event form has been approved. Unfortunately, we're unable to reimburse expenses for events that haven't yet been approved.
  • We are unable to approve reimbursements of alcoholic spirits.

  • Please don't spend more than £50 of your own money if planning to reclaim! 

  • Societies are not permitted to have external bank accounts. 

Processing payments

To ensure your payment requests are processed, you’ll need to have the funds available in your group account, and have everything signed off by your Treasurer (or by your President if you are submitting a request as Treasurer of your group).

The SU aren't able to authorise claims which would take your group's balance below £0, so please ensure you have the money in your account to cover any costs.  If you’re using ticketing income to cover the cost of an event, please ensure these are set up far enough in advance so that the income can be used for making payments.

Paying coaches or officials

All coaches and officials should be paid by invoice where possible. If is is not possible to invoice officials, you can either:

  • Submit a payment request form alongside an Officials Payment Receipt to su.sport, or
  • Submit an Officials Payment Receipt through the 'Pay & Reimburse' system.

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