The university has established consistent eligibility standards for technology allowances in alignment with state laws and regulations. The revised policy also includes standards for issuing university-owned cell phones.

The revised 9.17 Technology Allowances and University-owned Cell Phones policy is effective July 1, 2026. Highlights of the policy are listed below. 

Technology Allowances

• Technology allowances are standardized monthly amounts paid to an employee for necessary business-related technology expenses, including the use of home internet and personal cellular devices.
• Technology allowances are provided only to employees working in states or jurisdictions where such payments are required by law or regulation.  
• Currently, these locations include:
  • California
  • Illinois
  • Iowa
  • Montana
  • New Hampshire
  • North Dakota
  • South Dakota
  • Seattle, WA
  • Washington, D.C.
• This list is subject to change based on updates to state and local laws and regulations.  
• Eligibility is automatically determined using UAccess Employee records and reassessed quarterly. Individual payment requests are no longer required.
• Employees are responsible for updating their business address via UAccess Employee Self Service and receiving approval for any change in their official work location in accordance with the Out-of-State Guidelines.  
• The allowance amount is $60 per month, prorated by FTE (full-time hours worked by an employee), and is applied to the second paycheck of every month for those who qualify. This amount is not specified by law and may be adjusted in the future.

University-owned Cell Phones

• University-owned cell phones are provided to employees only in limited circumstances outlined in the revised policy.
• These include:
  • Safety and Emergency Response: When a cell phone is individually assigned or rotated among employees to support safety or emergency response duties, such as employees of the University of Arizona Police Department and Office of Public Safety.  
  • Hotline or Customer Service Line: When a cell phone is used exclusively to operate a university-sponsored hotline or customer service line.
  • Critical Utility Operations: When a cell phone is used to operate software that monitors and controls industrial processes for critical utilities that must be monitored 24/7.  
  • Continuity of Work: When a shared cell phone is rotated among employees to support continuity of communication between shifts or with new employees, e.g., when a record of ongoing text and voicemail communications must be maintained.
  • Research: When a cell phone is used to provide an internet connection for data collection for research.  
  • Privacy and Security: When the university must be able to ensure privacy or security requirements for cell phones are followed, such as when there is an Institutional Review Board requirement.
• Units can choose what to do with deactivated phones from the following options.
  • Surplus: Once the cellular plan is deactivated, units can work with Surplus Property Services to release university-owned cell phones.
  • Repurpose: Units can repurpose deactivated phones for employee business use while in areas with Wi-Fi coverage. This allows employees to continue to access work-related applications, such as Teams and Zoom, while connected to Wi-Fi.
• Units must complete a university-owned cell phone request form for all current and future phone contract purchases that meet the revised policy requirements.

Note: By July 1, 2026, units must cancel any phone contracts that do not meet the new policy requirements, even if a cancellation fee applies.