Before official travel, faculty must submit an RTA to the department for approval. If the traveler has not received a Request for Travel Authorization (RTA) email, the travel may not have been approved.
Access the Online Travel Reimbursement Request REQ
**UT has moved to the online system for requests and reimbursements. The request and receipts must be uploaded to the REQ system for processing **
Travel Planning, Guidelines, and Limits:
Handbook of Business Procedures/Travel: This section provides the rules governing reimbursement; daily limits, allowable and disallowed expenses.
https://financials.utexas.edu/hbp/part-11-travel
Travel Management Services: This website provides guidance with travel planning and offers information for direct billed airfare and rental cars.
Student Travel: This sections covers faculty/student travel
REQ Submission
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1. Fill out the Travel Reimbursement Request REQ.
Reference the Request for Travel Authorization (RTA) email
- Name of Traveler
- RTA number – TV0XXXXXXX
- Departure Date and Time
- Return Date and Time
- List all reimbursement items and dollar amounts
- DO NOT include items not to be reimbursed in the expenditure section. If necessary please add NOTES to communicate particulars.
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2. Receipts must be uploaded directly to the REQ system.
*This can be done as PDF attachments or scan. Create a seperate scan/pdf for each type (airfare, transportation, lodging, miscellaneous) in order to prevent too big a file size. Small receipts (taxi, gas, tickets, parking, etc) should be grouped in as many on a standard size paper and scanned as one sheet.
Include original itemized/paid receipts for expenses related to:
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3. ASSIGN to Patricia Semenov no later than two weeks after returning from travel.
>>Travel must be submitted within 60 days of travel end date<<
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The following is a partial list of non-reimbursable expenses:
- Travel Insurance
- Travel upgrades
- Alcoholic beverages
- Any expense not related to official state business
- Dry cleaning or laundry
- Excess baggage charges for personal belongings
- Expenses related to the operation of a personally owned vehicle
- Kennel expenses for a pet
- Locker rental for baggage storage
- Rental of videotapes for personal entertainment
- Sales and use taxes if the law provides an exemption
- Tips or gratuities (state accounts only)
For more information about travel and reimbursements, visit the Travel Section of UT's Handbook of Operating Procedures.
General Information
Transportation
- Air: Business-related airfare can be direct billed through Anthony Travel or Corporate Travel Planners or directly purchased by the traveler. For more information visit Travel Management.
- Air: Personally purchased airfare must contain an itemized travel itinerary and detailed payment receipt. Travel Insurance and upgrades are not reimbursable.
- Rental Car: Charges for liability insurance supplements, personal accident insurance, safe trip insurance, and personal effects insurance are not reimbursable. A collision damage waiver or a loss damage waiver is reimbursable unless the waiver is included in the contracted rental rate.
- Mileage: 53.5 cents per mile effective January 1, 2017 - MapQuest point-to-point must be submitted for mileage claim. Indicate if using a personally owned or leased motor vehicle.
- Taxi or Mass Transit: Tips may be reimbursed using local accounts up to 15%. Tips may not be reimbursed using state accounts (14 or 20 accounts).
Lodging
- Requires an overnight stay
- An itemized hotel folio must be submitted (including Foreign Travel and online bookings)
- Hotel Folio/Receipt must indicate: Traveler, single occupancy charges, dates, itemized charges, payment method and $0 balance.
- Traveler must certify phone/internet hotel charges as business expenses if requesting reimbursement.
Meals
- Requires an overnight stay
- Traveler must indicate either per diem or submit itemized/paid receipts, not both.
- Standard Per Diem rate is $51 (Breakfast $8. Lunch $13, Dinner $30)
- If claiming actuals, receipts are required for all meals requested and must be itemized: indicate date/time, tip, total and payment method. If actuals are more than the standard daily Per Diem a business justification must be noted for actuals versus per diem.
- Tips may be reimbursed using local accounts up to 20%. Tips may not be reimbursed using state accounts (14 or 20 accounts).
Other Expenses
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What's Your Question?
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How do I request a REQ/Request for Travel Authorization?
- Log on to the UT Direct portal, Requests Home site. https://utdirect.utexas.edu/apps/services/requests/
- Complete the Travel Authorization Request electronic form. For instructions on filling out the form and assigning it an Area or Division Head review the Create a Request for Travel Authorization.
- REQ/RTA routes as follows: Traveler > Assign to Area Head > Assign to Division Head > Assign to Finance Office (Patricia/ps3496)
** To locate a EID, in the Assign tab select “Assign to UT EID”, in the EID field select the question mark button to search for the person/EID, enter EID in field.**
- Travel is approved once the traveler receives the UT generated email with the subject: Request for Travel Authorization (RTA) TV######### approved. See image.
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How do I request a Faculty Travel Grant?
- Eligible faculty may receive up to $1200 per academic year for travel expenses to present original papers at scholarly and professional meetings. https://gradschool.utexas.edu/faculty/faculty-travel-grants
- While completing the REQ/Request for Travel Authorization Form, under Traveler Information, select “YES” to Will a Faculty Travel Grant be used to pay for part or all of the travel?
- The REQ will auto populate the FTG account 30-0006-6051. The traveler must add a second account per FTG rules as a precaution to direct billed transportation over the approved grant amount. This second account could be Area/Division Travel, Research & Travel, or any other travel eligible account accessible by traveler. If traveler anticipates only using up to the $1200 in FTG enter $1 for the second account. Per FTG rules not adding a second account is not an option. The FTG will not be considered without one.
- Route the REQ/Request for Travel Authorization as instructed and complete the FTG application via the Graduate School site.
- The Finance Office will certify the RTA information directly to the FTG.
- The FTG has been approved once the traveler receives an email directly from Lisa Jaskolka with the subject line: Faculty Travel Grant Approval Notice – FTG Approval. See image
- If the traveler has not received the approval email prior to the travel departure date please contact Patricia Semenov immediately to ensure all steps were executed accordingly.
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How do I request a Cash Advance for Travel?
- A currently appointed employee may be eligible for a cash advance for travel if any of the following circumstances apply:
- Travel is to an Isolated Region
- Travel is more than one week
- Traveler is accompanying students are part of a Study Abroad program
- Travel is accompanying a Student Trip
- Financial Hardship (traveler has no credit card)
- 2. A Cash Advance Request must be submitted no less than 10 business days prior to the travel dates and cannot be submitted without an approved Request for Travel Authorization (RTA)
- Once the Request for Travel Authorization email has been received the traveler completes the Travel Cash Advance Request Form, print on letterhead, and submit to the Finance Office, Patricia Semenov.
- Within the form the Department Reviewer is Lizeth Salinas, 512-232-5317, Lizeth @austin.utexas.edu
- Department Contact is Patricia Semenov, 512-232-7978, patricia.semenov@austin.utexas.edu
- Cash Advance checks are held for pick-up in MAI 132 on the date check needed in the form. The traveler will need to take a ID and sign a promissory note.
- Cash Advances follow the same Travel Reimbursement guidelines and requirements except that they are due no later than two weeks after the date of travel ended.
- Unused funds must be returned to the University upon completion of the trip.
- Traveler will need to submit the REQ/Travel Reimbursement form via the Request Forms system, same as standard travel, with eligible paid receipts. The Finance Office will create the Cash Advance Reconciliation and notify traveler if funds are due back.
- Traveler will need to sign the Reconciliation form and submit a check for funds made out to the University of Texas at Austin.
- If travel expenses equal or are over the received Cash Advance the traveler will sign the reconciliation form, no funds will need to be returned.
- Failure to follow the Cash Advance for Travel guidelines and meet the expected reconciliation date may result in a denial of future Cash Advance Requests.
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Travel Rules and Guidelines
It is the responsibility of the traveler to comply with UT rules, guidelines, or restrictions governing business travel.
Handbook of Business Procedures/Travel contains information regarding allowable expenses and limits: https://financials.utexas.edu/hbp/part-11-travel
Travel Management Services (TMS) offers pre-trip and planning information for contracted travel agencies, airfare/rental car, flight upgrade policies/requests, International travel/restrictions: https://travel.utexas.edu
International Travel Policies, including Restricted Regions: https://world.utexas.edu/risk/policies
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Travel Planning Tips
Travel expenses may only be submitted after travel has been completed. UT offers a direct bill/payment option for airfare, rental car, and conference registration fee only. Travel Insurance is not reimbursable.
Airfare: Flights may be booked via the Travel Management Services site with contracted Travel Agencies or directly by the traveler via an online reservation tool or airline.
- First, business, any other premium class, or seating upgrade will not be approved without a pre-approved exception request. See the TMS website for instructions to submit.
- EarlyBird Check-in and airline club fees are not reimbursable.
- Airfare tickets purchased as a ticket exchange will require proof of purchase for the original flight.
- Airfare cancellation or change charges are reimbursable only if incurred due to a business-related reason or a reason listed on the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, Textravel page. https://fmx.cpa.state.tx.us/fmx/travel/textravel/except/unrelated/index.php
Rental Car: Rental reservations must be made using one of the five contracted car vendors (Avis, Budget, Enterprise, National, Hertz). Theatre & Dance currently has a direct billed account with Enterprise and Avis only. The TMS Rental Car site can provide more information for direct billing other vendors and overall policies/fees. https://travel.utexas.edu/travelplanning/rentalcars
Conference Registration: The department procard can be used to pay a conference registration fee for an approved RTA. Contact Patricia Semenov for more information.
Lodging: All lodging expenses; deposits/payments are to the traveler.
- If a room is shared the traveler/payment information must be listed on the final folio. The traveler will only be reimbursed their portion of bill.
- Room upgrades and lodging access fees (gym, laundry, entertainment, concierge) are not reimbursable.