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Prior approval for all business travel (whether or not it is funded), is required for a faculty/staff absence from campus for periods of half a day (4 hours) or more during normal working periods. This includes Aug 16 to May 15 for all faculty. If you have a summer teaching or admin appointment, it includes those dates as well. Additionally, for faculty, an RTA must be done whenever you will miss a class you are teaching, regardless of the purpose of travel (personal travel, medical leave, etc.). The reason is to document the “disposition of duties” plan. (If personal travel does not impact any classes, an RTA should not be completed.) Travelers should submit the REQ at least 7 days prior to departure for Domestic Travel and non-restricted Foreign, or 35 days before for Foreign Restricted-Regions. |
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Request for Travel Authorization (RTA)?
You must obtain a fully-approved RTA before your departure date. You will receive an 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.
once your RTA is final approved. Create a Request for Travel Authorization
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Request for Travel Reimbursement
Within 10 days after your trip, Create a Request for Travel Reimbursement
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Foreign Restricted Regions
Must complete all steps below at least 5 weeks before departure. Texas Global must approve your travel in advance and needs time to review.
See Current Restricted Regions List every time you plan foreign travel--it changes frequently.
You must still also route an RTA REQ to your area head. Attach the approval from TX Global to the REQ.
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Faculty Travel Grants (from the Graduate School)
Eligible faculty may receive up to $1400 per academic year for travel expenses to present original papers at scholarly and professional meetings. Read more about this policy in the UT Handbook.
Apply for the Faculty Travel Grant here: https://provost.utexas.edu/the-office/faculty-affairs/faculty-travel-grants/
After you are approved for funding, complete a Travel Authorization REQ as usual, noting “FTG acct” as the funding source.
After travel is complete, a Travel Reimbursement REQ as usual.
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Cash Advance for Travel
Cash advances are available for business travel in certain cases. To learn more, read: https://financials.utexas.edu/hbp/part-11/4-cash-advance-for-travel
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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
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(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
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
- Expense must be business related and have a paid itemized receipt
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.
Per Diem: The daily per diem rate is $51. It is broken out $8 breakfast, $13 lunch, $30 dinner. A full day per diem can be claimed if the traveler departure/arrival times encompass all three meals. The per diem will be adjusted if the traveler departure/arrival time does not. Example: Traveler departs at 5pm. The dinner $30 per diem can be claimed.
Transportation-General: Travel must originate from UT/Austin,TX. If traveler will be temporarily based at another location for business purposes at the start of the trip this information should be documented in the RTA. If the traveler will be temporarily based at another location for personal reasons the traveler should obtain cost comparison quotes for the transportation expense originating from Austin, TX from one of the contracted Travel Agencies or Expedia, Orbitz..etc .
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. It is recommended to book with Concur or Anthony Rravel as discussed in the link above, rather than paying out of pocket for later reimbursement. This ensures the fare is acceptable and can be reimbursed.
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
Personal Car: Using a personal car for in state business travel is allowable. The traveler must submit a location to location Mapquest to calculate mileage. Effective January 1, 2019 the mileage reimbursement rate will be 58.0 cents per mile.
Rental Car: Rental reservations must be made using one of the five contracted car vendors (Avis, Budget, Enterprise, National or 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 Michelle Belisle 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.
Business and Personal Travel
If a traveler plans on including personal travel during a business trip the Request For Travel Authorization/RTA must be documented with the dates of business versus the dates of personal travel. All travel expenses will need to be incurred by the traveler and submitted for reimbursement.
Travel expenses will only be reimbursed for the business travel dates. Transportation to and from the business destination are allowed. If a traveler is leaving the business destination and traveling to another destination for personal travel the transportation from the business to personal destination is allowed. Transportation from personal destination to UT/Austin is not eligible.
Airfare: A trip with business and personal travel dates cannot be direct billed. The traveler will have to purchase and submit for reimbursement. The traveler must obtain an official round trip airfare quote for the business dates of travel from one of the authorized travel agencies prior to the trip. The quote will be submitted by the traveler with the eligible travel reimbursement receipts to help support the reimbursement of the airfare ticket. UT will reimburse the traveler up to the quoted airline ticket.
Ground Transportation: Ground transportation during business travel dates are eligible.