Traveling using Grant Funds

1. Use the mileage calculator (found in Concur) or attach an odometer log as a receipt. The travel diagram may be helpful to review.
2. Be sure the mileage claimed matches what is shown on the map or odometer reading. (Sometimes the mileage calculator does not match exactly what is on the expense line. This is a system error, but it should not be more than a few miles difference).
3. Travel dates on the odometer log or expense header must match dates on the expense lines.
4. Mileage and fuel cannot be claimed for the same trip.
5. Use the Travel (CBT) Card for rental car fuel. If a CBT card is used to purchase fuel on a trip, ‘gasoline’ must be claimed instead of mileage.
6. Out of state mileage requires additional documentation. Email on Kevin.Ashmore@tamuc.edu

1. An overnight  stay is required  for travel meals to be claimed.   However, a business meal in travel status does not require an overnight stay. Receipts are not required  for individual meals in travel status, but are required for business meals.  When traveling on a Sponsored project, you will need to keep your receipts and may attach them in Concur for your convenience.
2. We do not reimburse for alcoholic beverages.
3. Tips are allowable  up to 20% of the cost of the meal.
4. We do not pay per diem, but will reimburse the actual cost of meals.  Receipts are not required in Concur, but must be kept if expensed to a Grant or Sponsored Project.
5. We do not reimburse above the listed GSA rate for meals.  If an employee pays for their meal as well as another employee's, you must note this on the expense.
6. Business meals require a receipt to be attached in Concur and a list of attendees. Business meals are considered meals in which the traveler  pays for the meal of anon-employee while discussing business on the university's  behalf.   Other employees may attend.

1. Currently we allow up to twice the listed GSA rate for lodging.
2. We do not reimburse for state tax on lodging within Texas. Present the Hotel Tax Exemption Certificate when you check in. We do reimburse for county, city, or other taxes. Lodging out of Texas is eligible for reimbursement of all taxes since we are only exempt within Texas.
3. The hotel receipt must be printed after your payment and show a $0 balance due.
4. Hotel expenses must be itemized in Concur to show the separate cost of hotel room and taxes for each night. Parking, meals and internet fees are sometimes included in the hotel receipt itemization, and can be reflected on the hotel itemization. There is a way to “add another expense”. We do not reimburse for personal expenses (laundry, movie rentals, etc}.

1. Airfare is easily booked in Concur on the University Airfare Card, secured by a Travel Request in Concur, which must be completed and approved prior to booking a flight.
2. Using a personal credit card to purchase airfare outside Concur requires a receipt for reimbursement.
3. Be careful of excessive baggage fees. Most baggage fees are $25 per bag, but Spirit airlines may charge more. Generally, one checked bag fee is reimbursable. Oversize bag fees require business justification in order to be reimbursed.

1. Tips are currently reimbursable (at no more than 20%) for meals only, not tips to taxis or porters.
2. The only expenses which do not require a receipt are travel meals, airfare booked with the university airfare card, personal car mileage, and expenses marked as personal. All other expenses require documentation.
3. Use only local accounts for travel reimbursements (unless a state account is allowed by special rules).
4. It is acceptable to mark an out of pocket expense as a "Personal Expense" and not be reimbursed. However, all charges made on the CBT or airfare card must be processed as a valid expense. If the expense is not something we can reimburse, the traveler will need to make a deposit to the account funding the travel and attached the deposit receipt to the expense report.
5. Remember to assign or attached the Travel Request to the expense report and to designate the expense category from the Request for each expense.
6. It is not necessary to mark the ‘grant’ field ‘yes’ on the expense Report or Request header if using a grant account. It might delay routing.
7. For travel on a Sponsored Project, it should be clearly stated how the travel is pertinent or necessary to the project or include a description that mirrors the budget item. For travel on an IDC account, the purpose must be related to research.

Required documents (see list below) must be attached to the form and information on the form completed before any office approves, signs and forwards to the next level for approval. If not, it will be returned to that office as incomplete.

1. Detailed proposal including the approximate cost, the purpose of the trip and the benefit to the state/university.
2. Detailed day-by-day itinerary with anticipated outcomes.
3. Explanation how the individual’s teaching assignment(s) will be covered while on this trip.
4. Verification of Required Training (completion notice or transcript from TrainTraq) to show that training has been successfully completed within 12 months of the requested trip. The two courses required are:

• International Travel Safety: Safe Passage (Course 2111728 in SSO TrainTraq)
• Export Controls & Embargo Training – Basic Course (Course 2111212 in SSO TrainTraq)

Note: Requests must be submitted to the President’s Office at least 45 days prior to proposed travel.

1. Foreign travel is defined as travel outside the United States, U.S. Territories and Possessions, Canada and Mexico.
2. A Travel Request must be completed in Concur if airfare will be booked in Concur.
3. Airfare for Foreign Travel on a federally funded project must comply with the Fly America Act, that is the carrier must be designated a US Flag Air Carrier. Compliance with the Fly America Act is satisfied when the U.S. flag air carrier's designator code is present in the area next to the flight numbers on the airline ticket, boarding pass, or on the documentation for an electronic ticket (passenger receipt). Contact ORSP if a US Flag Air Carrier flight is unavailable for your travel.
4. It is the responsibility of every system employee and student to check their foreign destination for any Travel Warnings/Alerts when requesting approval for foreign travel. Travel Warnings, as defined by the U.S. Department of State, are issued to describe long-term, protracted conditions that make a country dangerous or unstable. Using Concur will identify countries with Travel Warnings.
5. Hotel and Meals in Foreign Countries: For foreign travel location applicable rates, please obtain current rates from the State Department at https://aoprals.state.gov/web920/per_diem.asp
   
   Links
   Fly America Act
   US Flag Air Carrier
   Foreign Travel