Travel Guidelines - Before, During, and After

All rental cars must be reserved through one of the five UT Austin-contracted vendors: Avis/Budget, Enterprise/National, or Hertz. Please use the Rental Car Direct Billing Request to prevent out-of-pocket costs.

Please include the UGS Business Team (ugs.business@austin.utexas.edu) in your travel planning, in advance, for maximum savings and efficiency. Reimbursements take up to 3 weeks between the time you give us your complete travel documents and the day you receive a payment. You can only be reimbursed for your own expenditures.

Before You Travel

Request an RTA. Use the request page and create a "Travel Authorization Request"
Signature approval must be uploaded onto the request page
Once completed, assign the request to Teddie Owen (tlo335).
After these items are received and processed, a Request for Travel Authorization (RTA) number will be issued to reference your trip
You will receive an automatic confirmation email informing you of your RTA number. You MUST have an RTA before your travel using any university funding. There are NO exceptions.

D.C. and International

Additional approval is required for foreign and Washington, D.C., travel. Please see the Travel Policy to Restricted Regions for international travel information.

Other information to know before you travel:

Reimbursement limits for meals and lodging vary according to destination. Please ask the UGS Business Team about your specific spending limits before you leave.
If you're attending a conference, after you received your RTA confirmation, you can use the Procard to pay for registration (with your supervisor's approval).

While Traveling

When you travel, please save all receipts. If you are traveling on state funds, tips and gratuities are also non-reimbursable. Your reimbursement is contingent upon your receipts. They must be

Original
Itemized
Individual (for your own expenses, and not any other individuals)
Paid (every receipt must show that it has been paid)

Hotels

Present the Texas Hotel Tax Exemption form when staying in any Texas hotel. This will ensure you aren't charged state tax, which is NOT reimbursable. Also, make sure your hotel folio is paid out with a balance of zero to turn in with your reimbursements.

Meals

Please organize your meal receipts by date, label each receipt as breakfast, lunch, or dinner, and clip them together as a group. Alcohol is not a reimbursable expense. Learn about per diem limits.

Upon Your Return

Use your RTA number to create a "Travel Reimbursement Request" on the request page.
All receipts must be taped on an 8x11 piece of paper. Organize your receipts by date, and label each as breakfast, lunch, or dinner. We do not reimburse for alcohol or tips.
Scan your receipts onto the Travel Reimbursement Request page, and send the originals to the UGS Business Office. The request should be assigned to Teddie Owen (tlo335).

The UGS Business Team will process reimbursement. Depending on the account being used, you may need to physically sign the reimbursement paperwork. The UGS Business Team will let you know if this is needed.