Central Administrative Office Resources

Travel Policy FAQs

• Airfare:
  • Ensure that all tickets purchased are economy/coach. Tickets that are not economy class are not reimbursable. 
     
  • An itemized receipt showing all charges, base airfare, taxes and fees is required (receipt must show your full name, the last 4-digits of the method of payment, and the itemized expenses) and a credit card statement with extraneous information redacted and extra pages deleted. Expense entry into Concur also requires itemization.
     
  • Do not book with a third party travel agency. They frequently do not provide sufficient receipts which puts you at risk of not being reimbursed. Book directly with the airline or through Connexxus (Concur)
     
• U.S. Flag Air Carriers: There are several significant items you should be mindful of when booking international university business travel:
  • Under the Fly America Act, generally, only U.S. carriers shall be used for foreign travel reimbursed from federal grants and contracts, including NIH grants. The regulations advise that a U.S. airline is used even if a foreign airline would be less expensive, provide preferred routing, or be more convenient. There are limited exceptions in certain situations, such as the existence of an Open Skies Agreement and other exceptions that can be found in the Federal Travel Regulation Guidelines (FTR). Prior to booking your airfare, please be sure to review the info provided at the above-referenced website links; and if you have additional questions about the allowability of a particular flight, please consult with the CAO.
  • When scheduling any international travel that is federally funded, ensure that your travel is scheduled on a US flag carrier, if possible or on foreign air carriers that codeshare with a US flag carrier. Please note that in order for a flight to be considered “codeshare”, the flight number must begin with the two-digit airline code that relates to the US Carrier.
     
• Car Rental and Ground Transportation:
  • UCSB Pre-negotiated Agreements - UCSB has pre-negotiated car rental and hotel agreements with various vendors. To assure negotiated rates with the vendors, reservations should be made through the Connexxus or directly in Concur. More information about the Connexxus portal can be found on the Travel Accounting website.
     
  • You can rent up to an intermediate size car. 
     
  • If you do not book with Connexus/Concur when you rent a car with Enterprise/National/Hertz you will need to request the UCSB rate. Booking with Connexxus is recommended, that way you do not need to request the UCSB pre-negotiated rate.
     
  • Do not accept additional rental car insurance. It is not reimbursable as cars rented using UCSB's pre-negotiated rate already are covered by insurance.
     
  • Mileage Reimbursement Rate
    • If driving your personal vehicle, you may be reimbursed the standard per-mile rate (67 cents per mile effective January 1, 2024) based on the most direct route. The standard mileage rate includes fuel, as well as wear-and-tear on the vehicle. For any mileage claim, proof of liability insurance and license plate must be provided.
• Lodging:
  • UCOP G-28 Travel Policy limits lodging nightly rates to a maximum of $333/night when traveling in lower 48 states for less than 30 days. If the traveler is unable to secure lodging at $333 per night or less, exceptional approval is required. Complete the lodging limit justification form and attach it to your travel documents.
     
  • Lodging receipts must be itemized (room, tax, service, and any other charges listed separately). Expense entry into Concur also requires itemization.
  •  
  • Group Travel: The $333 limit is for the room not the individual. It would not make a difference if you were sharing the room with someone. It would still be a $333 limit per room.  it does not get doubled if you were to share.  Each person of the group is responsible for purchasing their own airfare, meals, bus and train tickets, and registration. If a hotel room is shared, one person sharing the room is responsible for purchasing the room and accounting can only reimburse an individual for an expense they incurred directly from a vendor, not another individual.
    • Upon return, please include on your worksheets who shared a room, who paid, who will be claiming reimbursement, and the same for any shared rental car, taxis, etc. Worksheets and documentation for each person involved in group travel do not have to be turned in all together, please turn in your own travel documentation as soon as possible.
       
    • Receipts:
      • Submit itemized receipts for all airfare, car rentals, domestic U.S. lodging, and conference registration regardless of dollar amount, or any other single expense of $75 or more. 
      • A valid receipt is a document that contains the following five IRS-required elements:
        • Name of the vendor (person or company you paid) 
        • Transaction date (when you paid)
        • A detailed description of goods or services purchased (what you bought) 
        • Amount paid Form of payment (how you paid – cash, check, or last four digits of a credit card)

      • If your receipt does not meet the criteria listed above, a credit card statement that clearly shows your name, transaction date, and total expense can be submitted to help support the insufficient receipt. 

      • If you lose your receipt, please fill out the Declaration of Missing Evidence form and include a credit card statement.

    • Business Purpose Documentation:
      • Documentation will be required by all travelers for travel status justification. This includes conferences agendas, photo badges, meeting invitations, follow up emails, etc. The following is a list of examples of sufficient documentation that will be required to submit with your travel reimbursement in order to substantiate the business purpose of the trip:
        • Conference or professional event - conference agenda,  presentation evidence, an image of your conference badge (with your name), or a certificate of attendance.
        • Meetings, reviews, or invitations to visit that do not have an official agenda or event announcement - please provide an email of invitation or plans of the visit. Complex travel itineraries should include a complete description of events and meetings.
        • Lodging explanation (location, incurred cost and persons) required for any travel-related reimbursements even when lodging is not requested to be reimbursed. 
• Do not book with a third party travel agency as they often do not provide sufficient receipts. Please book directly with the hotel.
   
• For foreign travel please see the U.S. Department of State's maximum lodging rate in the city and country you plan to visit.
   
• Meals and Incidental Expenses (M&IE):
  • When traveling within the continental U.S., the daily limit is $92.00. This limit is not a per diem! Only actual expenses can be claimed and reimbursed. Meal receipts are not required for domestic travel; however, if meal amounts look like they are rounded or the maximum meal amount is being claimed as a per diem for each day of travel, the Accounting department may request meal receipts as additional documentation.
  • The daily per diem limit when traveling internationally varies by location. Please see the U.S. Department of State's per diem rates.
    
     
• Travel Insurance: When traveling on business, faculty, staff, and students are covered under the UC Business Travel Accident Insurance Program. Travel outside California requires a completed insurance form before the trip to guarantee coverage. The form is not required when making reservations through Connexxus since enrollment in the insurance program is automatic.
   
• Travel Packages Purchased from Internet Vendors: Travel "packages" offered by Internet vendors typically do not include itemized expenses. Therefore, no business-related travel should be booked through such vendors unless the traveler has confirmed that each aspect of the package will be separately itemized (e.g., itemized hotel charges, airfare, car rental, etc.) to assure appropriate documentation for reimbursement.
   
• California State Funds Prohibited for Travel to 23 States:
  • AB 1887 prohibits the use of state funds to pay for travel to a state on the Attorney General’s list, unless an exception applies. It does not affect travel that is paid for or reimbursed using non-state funds.
  • States currently identified as Subject to the Travel Prohibition can be found on the UCOP website. 

• Please read over the FAQs for Reimbursees section above, if you have not already done so, for an overview of travel policy and to avoid making out of pocket purchases that can't be reimbursed. If you are unsure if certain expenses will be reimbursable review the G-28 travel policy and send any questions to cao-reimbursements@ece.ucsb.edu. It is best to confirm prior to travel to avoid incurring expenses that cannot be reimbursed or other complications.

• If you are traveling internationally check the daily per diem limit in the location where you are traveling. Your reimbursement will be capped at the U.S. Department of State's per diem rate for meals and lodging.

• Faculty: Travel on 19900 funds still requires the chair’s signature prior to travel. Please fill out a travel approval form with travel details and email it to your corresponding travel preparer.

• If your trip was cancelled, please try to get as much money back as possible, provide as much documentation and explanation of the cancellation, what you were able to receive back, and any cancellation fees that may have incurred.

• Please note that once you have incurred expenses and have returned from your travel you must submit your reimbursement as soon as possible. Reimbursement documentation needs to be submitted prior to the 45 day deadline. If documentation is submitted after the 45 day deadline it is left to the discretion of the Accounting office as to whether the expense will be reported as taxable income on the reimbursee's IRS form W-2.

Travel Advance

• If a traveler needs financial assistance with travel expenses prior to travel, a Travel Approval/Advance form can be submitted to the CAO under the following circumstances:
  • Traveler has incurred expenses that must be paid before a trip is completed and/ or traveler is not able to cover these costs up front
  • Travelers must submit original receipts to receive advance
  • The Travel Advance Request should be submitted at least 1 month before the start date of the trip
     
• If you are eligible for an advance fill out the Travel Approval/Advance form and save the receipts from the expenses you have incurred. 
   
• If you are not an active employee: email your Travel approval/Advance form and Travel Worksheet along with your receipts to cao-reimbursements@ece.ucsb.edu. You will need to be added to Concur as a guest traveler.
   
• If you are an active employee that is paid through UCPath: go to Concur and start a new Request (not a report). You can watch the following video in the knowledge base for instructions on how to create a request. 
  • Once you have entered all of the information and added your receipts please email cao-reimbursements@ece.ucsb.edu with your Travel Approval/Advance form and let them know you have an advance request in Concur that is ready for review.
    • If you submit an advance request without your administrative preparer's review the request will be sent back to you.
    • If you have not previously been in Concur please make sure you have set up your Preparer Delegate(s) under your profile settings.

How will you receive your reimbursement?

• If you are an employee that ALREADY receives your university paycheck via direct deposit, this should be the default method of payment. The reimbursement should be paid to the same account you receive your paychecks.
   
• If you are an employee and you DO NOT have direct deposit, but you would prefer to receive your reimbursement directly to your bank account, you will need to visit UCPath to set it up. If you do not want direct deposit a check can be mailed either to the department for pick up or to your permanent address.
   
• If you are not an employee a check can be mailed to the ECE Department or to your home address. If a check is mailed to the department we will notify you when it is received and you can come to pick it up. 

Prepare and collect your paperwork:

• Submit documentation in ONE email to cao-reimbursements@ece.ucsb.edu as soon as possible after your travel. If documentation is submitted after the 45 day deadline it is left to the discretion of the accounting office as to whether the expense will be reported as taxable income on the reimbursee's IRS form W-2.
• Fill out a travel worksheet (domestic | foreign) and gather all of your receipts/ backup documentation. See the "FAQs for Reimbursees" section above for information regarding sufficient receipts and back up receipt documentation
  • If you have not logged into Concur before:
    • Set up your Preparer Delegate(s) in Concur. Use the link to see a video on how to set up your preparer delegates. Note that when you search for your preparer delegate you will need to use their name not their email or title. This only has to be done in Concur one time.
    • Your Preparer Delegate is the ECE staff member who will assist you with your reimbursements.
    • Every reimbursement must be reviewed by a preparer delegate. The ECE Department will be returning any reimbursement submissions that do not include the involvement of one of our Preparer Delegates.
    • You will also need to verify your email in Concur in order to receive email updates about your reimbursement. Go to your profile and select profile settings. Under "Personal information" you can scroll down to the email addresses section. Next to your email select verify and complete the verification instructions in Concur.
      • Create an Expense Report in Concur (not a Request) 
        • Start at the Concur home page
        • Select the "+ New" tab
        • Select "Start a Report"
        • For travel reimbursements the policy should remain as "Travel and Entertainment Expense"
        • This includes reimbursements for conference registration fees where no travel occurred
        • The report type should match your type of travel. Choose from Travel Foreign, Travel in State, or Travel out of state
        • The dept should be ELEG if you are going to be using an ECE account. Type in "EL" in the search bar.
        • The FAU will be the project code/account number that your PI provides you with. Type in an asterisk " * " in the search bar, then the project code.
        • The Cost type section can be left blank
        • Sub account should be sub 5 for travel
        • Create the report
        • This will take you to a new page where you can start adding expenses and receipts.
        • If you have questions regarding how to use Concur please visit the Knowledge Base Portal. There are many instructional videos to choose from. If you have visited the knowledge base and have additional emails please email cao-reimbursements@ece.ucsb.edu with your questions.
           
      • After you have added all of the expenses for your reimbursement along with any back up documentation, you will need to email cao-reimbursements@ece.ucsb.edu or your usual administrative preparer.
        • The subject of your email should be formatted as follows: Travel-Last name, First name - Destination city, and state - conference/event name - travel dates
          • Ex. "Travel-La Pierre, Olivia - Los Angeles, CA - IEEE Conf. - 3/16/22-3/18/22
        • Attach one travel worksheet (Domestic/Foreign) per trip
        • In your email to the CAO please indicate that you have created an expense report and it is ready for review.
        • The CAO or your administrative preparer will review and make any necessary edits to your expense report. If additional documentation is required, you will be emailed. 
• Review the Travel Checklist (domestic | foreign) to assure you have all the required documentation for the Department to quickly and efficiently process your travel reimbursement request. When in doubt, it is best to submit all receipts.
   
• Declaration of Missing Evidence: filled out and signed by traveler when original required receipt(s) have been lost or misplaced. Not accepted for hotel, airfare, rental car, or registration receipts.
   
• Lodging limit justification form: Filled out when lodging nightly rates exceed the maximum of $333/night when traveling in lower 48 states for less than 30 days.
   
• Non-resident Aliens (NRS): the following is required for processing a reimbursement to an individual that is a Non-resident Alien (also known as a permanent resident or "green card holder") and non UC employee:
  • picture page of your passport copy
  • Visa page inside of your passport copy
  • I-94/arrival and department record copy (if available)
  • immigration documentation (e.g., J-1, F-1, B-1) copy
  • completed UCSB Declaration of Immigration Status by Non-U.S. Citizens
• NOTE: The following visa types are not eligible to receive any travel payments for expenses incurred in the United States: F-2, H-4, O-3, and P-4.

Concur:

Concur is the system we will be using to process reimbursements for travel expenses, business meeting/entertainment expenses, membership fees, and miscellaneous supplies expenses. To process your reimbursement please sign into Concur using your UCSB email. This will then take you to SSO sign in where you will use your NetID and password (Note: You must be an active employee that is paid through UC Path to log in). If you are not an active UCSB employee or you are not paid through UC Path please email all of your documentation to cao-reimbursements@ece.ucsb.edu so you can be set up as a guest traveler in Concur for your reimbursement to be processed.

Procedures

Reimbursements for active employees who are paid through UCPath:

• Please instruct any of your faculty or group members who are active employees (paid through UCPath) to set you up as their preparer delegate in Concur. Here is an instructional video regarding how Preparer Delegates can be set up. They will only need to set you up as their preparer delegate one time in Concur.
   
• After they have set you up as a delegate they will create a new Expense Report, upload their documentation, and email you their completed travel worksheet and meal log (if applicable) to let you know their concur report is ready for review.
   
• Review the documentation that the traveler entered in Concur.
  • Add any additional documentation to the traveler's report such as their meal log, additional approval forms, credit card statements, lodging limit justification forms, or missing receipt forms.
     
• If you have questions regarding what documentation is needed or if certain expenses are allowable please refer to G-28 travel policy. If you still have additional questions reach out to the CAO.
   
• Once you have fully reviewed the report and everything looks correct you can submit the report. You should then notify the traveler that the report is ready for them to approve. 
   
• When the traveler approves the packet this will send it off for approval from the account approver and DEA.
   
• If the account approver or DEA see that corrections are needed they can send the report back for changes. You will receive an email regarding the status change. Depending on the corrections needed you may need to request additional documentation from the traveler. Once the changes are made let the traveler know and resubmit. They will need to approve it again for it to move forward to the account approver and DEA again.
   
• When the report is approved by all parties you will receive an email notification regarding the status change.

Reimbursements for UC Guests or non-employees:

• If you have travelers who are not active employees (or they are employees who are not paid through UCPath) have them send you the following:
  • a completed guest traveler worksheet (if they traveled internationally they can fill out a foreign travel reimbursement worksheet)
    • The worksheets MUST be signed by the person requesting reimbursement via the UCSB DocuSign account in order to be accepted by accounting
    • Check funding to make sure a travel approval form isn’t needed as well
  • Meal log (if applicable)
  • All necessary receipts
  • Proof of attendance / conference badge
• Once you have all of the documentation you will need to request a new guest traveler profile through the service now portal for Concur. When the guest profile is created, you will serve as the guest traveler's preparer delegate and will prepare the reimbursement request on the traveler's behalf.

Additional forms and information can be found on the UCSB Business & Financial Services travel page

• To complete the required reimbursement worksheet you will need the following information:
  • Explanation why these items were not purchased on a University purchase order via the Gateway system
  • Account-fund to be used (Provided by your PI)
  • Dates purchases were made
  • Descriptions of Purchases and cost
    • Note: If you have made multiple purchases and have more than one receipt, please list the total cost of each receipt on its own line of the worksheet.
       
• Provide all itemized receipts.
  • Receipts must show your name, the total amount charged, and the last four digits of the card/account used for payment. All details must align.
    • If your receipt does not show the required information submit a credit card statement along with your packet
       
• If your request for reimbursement for goods and/ or services is in excess of $2,500, it requires additional justification and approval in order to be processed.
   
• For Federally‐funded purchases ≥$10,000 and non‐Federally‐funded purchases ≥$100,000 a completed Form A: Source Selection and Price Reasonableness will also be required. 
   

How will you receive your reimbursement?

• If you are an employee that ALREADY receives your UCSB paycheck via direct deposit, this should be the default method of payment. The reimbursement should be paid to the same account you receive your paychecks.
   
• If you are an employee and you DO NOT have direct deposit, but you would prefer to receive your reimbursement directly to your bank account, you will need to visit UCPath to set it up. If you do not want direct deposit a check can be mailed either to the department for pick up or to your permanent address.
   
• If you are not an employee a check can be mailed to the ECE Department or to your home address. If a check is mailed to the department we will notify you when it is received and you can come to pick it up. 

• Fill out a supplies reimbursement worksheet.
   
• Take a picture/scan receipts.
  • The entire receipt must be clearly visible.
  • A receipt is any document that contains the following five IRS-required elements:
    • Name of the vendor (who you paid). This cannot be an individual and must be a company.
    • Transaction date (when you paid)
    • A detailed description of goods or services purchased (what you bought)
    • Amount paid
    • Form of payment (how you paid – cash, check, or last four digits of a credit card)
    • A zero balance on any receipt or invoice

  • If your receipt does not meet the criteria listed above, a credit card statement that clearly shows your name, transaction date, and total expense must be submitted.

  • If you lose your receipt, please fill out the Declaration of Missing Evidence form and include a credit card statement.

• If supplies were purchased online and you only have a purchase confirmation or an invoice please include a packing slip, shipping confirmation or redacted credit card statement showing the last 4 of your account/card, your name, and the transaction details.
   
• After you have prepared all your documents and compiled them into one PDF, please email it to: cao-reimbursements@ece.ucsb.edu. If you normally work with a faculty admin assistant for your reimbursements, please email them your documents
  • In the subject line of your email please format it as follows:
    • Reimbursement type, Last name, First name, Date of Expenses (e.g. Supplies for XX, Smith, John, 03/10)

• The payee will submit their completed Supplies Reimbursement Worksheet, their scanned original receipts, and a packing slip, shipping confirmation, or redacted credit card statement showing the last 4 digits of their account/card, their name, and the transaction details .
   
• Go to UCSB’s Disbursements Application (Note: If the reimbursee is not a UCSB Employee use the Payment Request - Miscellaneous Form 5, see quick forms for example).
   
• Create voucher and save as a PDF.
   
• Combine all files including the voucher, worksheet, and supporting documentation into one PDF.
   
• Send the PDF reimbursement packet to the Department Approver for pre-review with “Pre-Review: DV######  in the subject line.
   
• The Department Approver will review the voucher, worksheet and supporting documentation. Once you receive an email confirming the packet is ready for signatures, you are ready to submit the packet through DocuSign.
   
• Go to UCSB DocuSign and send the approved packet as a new envelope. Refer to the DocuSign instructions resource or contact the CAO with any questions you may have.
   
• After the packet has been sent through DocuSign and all signatures have been collected, you will receive a confirmation email indicating the form is complete.
   
• Save the signed PDF and send it to the Department Approver in the same email thread as the pre-review of the same supplies voucher. You will need to change the subject line to “FINAL: DV###### for the Travel Approver to know the packet is complete and ready to send to Accounting.
   
• Save the complete PDF file for your records and keep track of reimbursements that you will need reimbursees to turn in original documentation for.

Additional forms and information can be found on the UCSB Business and Financial Services website under Accounts Payable