Travel

Travel Authorization and Planning

Prior approval for all business travel is required for absences from the campus (or other designated headquarters) for periods of half a day or more during the normal working period, whether or not there is a cost to the University. This includes travel during the first/last week of classes and final periods, regardless of individual course assignments.

Request for Travel Authorization

Please note that no travel expenses can be reimbursed until after travel is complete.

A Request for Travel Authorization (RTA) must be filed with the department at least two weeks prior to domestic travel, four weeks prior to international travel. Faculty who will be missing a class must specify a professor who will be handling their class while they are away. TAs are not authorized to cover your class. The online RTA form can be found here. 

As with all travel expenses, airfare cannot be reimbursed until travel is completed. 

For further information, consult the college's extremely helpful site or the Travel Policies in the Handbook of Business Procedures.

Travel Funding

Research Funds

Faculty Travel Grant

Now available through online application! Check out the graduate school's web site for travel grants for details. The purpose of the travel grant is to support presentation of the applicant's original research or creative effort. Attending a meeting or chairing a session does not qualify nor does accepting an invitation to present a seminar or giving a colloquium at another university. The RTA form must be filled about before applying. Before beginning the application, be sure to gather 1) your abstract (not exceeding one page in length) of the paper or presentation to be given and 2) either a copy of the meeting program showing your name, paper or presentation topic, and date or a letter from the meeting organizer accepting your paper or presentation and confirming your part in the program. Applications must be completed and submitted with your RTA form no later than two weeks before your scheduled trip.

Expenses Prior to Travel & Direct Billing

Direct Bill

To avoid carrying the out-of-pocket expense you can book travel to be direct billed via one of the state-approved travel agencies: Anthony Travel (1-800-684-2044), Corporate Travel Planners (1-800-906-3002), or Concur.Travelers may use an online reservation tool (e.g., Expedia, Orbitz, Southwest.com) in addition to the university’s online tool, Concur to book air travel. The reimbursement for commercial air transportation may not exceed the cost of the lowest available airfare. First class, business class, or other premium class airfare will only be reimbursed at the coach class rate, unless Travel Management Services has issued an approved exception request.

Request for Travel Reimbursement

Submit my Reimbursement

The College now employs an online submission system for travel reimbursements. You may even be able to begin adding information while still traveling to better track your cabs, etc. Please note that this online form creates a draft, routed to Aubrey, and should not be considered finalized.

Please note that travel reimbursement requests must be submitted no later than 30 days after your last approved travel date. You must have an approved RTA prior to travel in order to receive any reimbursements.

A list of items for which receipts are required is available here.

University employees are EXEMPT from Texas State hotel occupancy taxes when traveling for University business. The University cannot reimburse any Texas State occupancy taxes unless the hotel refuses to honor the exemption certificate (see above).

Meals are normally paid by meal allowance (per diem), currently $36 on state funds and $41 on local funds. No meal receipts are required to receive meal allowance. Please see the Dean's Office memo for a specific break down.

The University of Texas cannot reimburse a split bill (such as hotel) that does not have the UT payee's name; we will not accept private invoices for split bills--it is up to individual travelers to reconcile any private agreement.

Please include a copy of your itinerary, or let us know your flight departure and arrival times so we can make adjustments according to this policy. Unless told otherwise, default times will be based on your airfare receipt.

Upon return to Austin, receipts must be turned in for reimbursement via uplaod in the submission system (see above) or in hard copy. Expenses that can be reimbursed include, but are not limited to:

• Lodging (original hotel bills are required showing itemized room rate and taxes, and showing a zero balance)
• Meals (at current per diem)
• Registration fees
• Parking fees
• Cab/Bus/Train fares (receipts are not required (but recommended) if travel within the city, receipts are required for travel between cities)
• UT Business telephone calls and UT business internet service (reimbursed via the hotel bill)
• Hotel occupancy taxes (reimbursed via the hotel bill)
• Gasoline for personal car (if not claiming mileage reimbursement)