Honorarium Information
April 6, 2023
We often see honorariums used incorrectly when processing payments. An honorarium should be sent to a person in lieu of reimbursing specific expenses. Consider it like a speaking fee or a consulting payment.
These are some cases we see that are NOT an honorarium: teaching a class, paying a contract for a speaking engagement, or giving an honorarium to a company.
Processing a payment to an independent contractor requires the OnBase Worker Classification Form. When paying an honorarium, the last question is selected 'yes' and no additional review of the activity by Human Resources Compensation is required. For additional information, please visit the Add a Supplier web page regarding information on honorariums.
Questions about how to classify a payment? Contact Human Resources Compensation at contractor_request@northwestern.edu or Vendor File Management at vendorprocessing@northwestern.edu.