Travel Procedures 410.1 Page 1 of 10 PROCEDURE 410.1 Area: Finance Department Revisions Approved: SUBJECT: TRAVEL PROCEDURES A. TRAVEL PURPOSE 1. The purpose of travel shall be directly associated or in connection with University business. 2. Travel may be singular or group in (e.g., students) in nature. B. AUTHORIZATION 1. All travel on the behalf of the University must be properly authorized. 2. All travel must be charged to the traveler's organizational budget regardless of the purpose of the travel. 3. All travel is considered authorized if the applicable Organization Manager and Vice President have approved by signature a properly completed "Travel Requisition/Campus Leave Form" prior to travel with estimated travel expenses. (See attached.) a. Travel by Vice Presidents must be approved by the President. b. Travel by the President and Board of Trustee members will be approved by the university's Vice President for Administration and Finance. c. The "Travel Requisition/Campus Leave Form" must be processed by the Office of Purchasing prior to travel for all employees and Board of Trustee members.
Page 2 of 10 4. All travel must be singularly approved and/or authorized. Blanket travel approvals are not proper, nor acceptable (except for mileage reimbursements). 5. The travel must be approved and authorized prior to the date of travel indicated. 6. Only properly approved and authorized travel qualifies for reimbursement. C. REIMBURSABLE EXPENDITURES 1. Meal and food costs are reimbursable as follows: a. A daily maximum amount of $40.00 will be reimbursed to all faculty and staff employee travelers except the President and Board of Trustees members. Please note that the above amount is not a per diem, and the actual meal expense not to exceed the limits, must be reported. No receipts are required unless meals exceed $25.00 for the day. b. A daily maximum amount of $20.00 will be reimbursed for all student travelers (i.e., athletic teams, band, choir, student government, etc.) c. There is no maximum meal amount for executive travel. The President and Board of Trustee members only are denoted as executive travelers. Meals will be reimbursed based upon actual expense and are expected to be reasonable and prudent. A receipt is required for any meal that costs over $25.00. d. Non-group meal costs are only reimbursable when the travel involves an overnight stay or the distance traveled exceeds one hundred and thirty (130) miles round trip. The reimbursement is subject to paragraph "a above. e. Business meal costs are reimbursable if properly authorized by the President or the applicable Vice President on the Travel Requisition. (1) Business meal costs should be identified prior to the travel. (2) All reimbursable business meals must specifically identify the purpose, participants, and topic of discussion. f. Reimbursement of gratuities, including, but not limited to porter, housekeeping, and taxi, is authorized, but not limited to:
Page 3 of 10 (1) Actual cost up to a maximum of $5.00 per day for an overnight traveler on the day of travel departure and on the day of return from travel. (2) Actual cost up to a maximum of $2.50 per day for: (a.)an overnight traveler on any day of travel other than the day of departure or day of return. (b.)a traveler who is not traveling overnight. 2. Transportation Costs a. Airline travel for all travelers except the President will only be reimbursed at the coach rate. All travelers are encouraged to utilize various "Super Saver" fares. The President is authorized to travel "Business Class. (1.) All reimbursed airline travel must be evidenced by a receipt. (2.) The cost of University-paid airline expenses must be shown on the Travel Expense Report. b. Travel by personal automobile will be reimbursed at the standard IRS mileage rate. All travel mileage must be calculated to originate and end at the University except for Board of Trustees members. c. Miscellaneous transportation costs such as taxi, tolls, and parking fees must be evidenced by receipt if greater than $5.00 per item. Where a receipt/invoice is not generated by the applicable vendor, a letter evidencing review and approval by the Controller is required. d. The following rules apply to automobile rental: (1.) Discount companies must be utilized when possible. (2.) Insurance may be purchased at the employee's expense. (3.) The type and make of automobile should be commensurate with the traveling party. In no case will "luxury" car rentals be reimbursed unless the cost of the luxury automobile is less than an economy automobile at the same agency due to a special promotion. The final authority in determining the reimbursable amount will be delegated to the Controller.
Page 4 of 10 3. Lodging Costs a. Lodging costs are reimbursable as follows: (1.) Lodging costs are reimbursed at actual cost. (2.) Lodging costs do not include ancillary charges such as movies, etc. b. For all non-executive travelers, economy hotel/motel accommodations must be utilized. Employees using hotels such as Hyatt, Hilton, and Marriot, etc., will be reimbursed at the rate of no more than sixty-five dollars ($ 65.00) per day, unless a statement is included with the expense report that the conference/ business meeting was held at the hotel*. EXCEPTION: Hotel rates for organizational travel for groups such as the Band, Auxilliary Chorus, Athletic Teams and some individual employee travel may also be exempted from the $65/day maximum. These exemptions must be justified in writing based on the special circumstances requiring the higher rate such as competition site, safety, host hotel assignment and high cost of living areas. The Controller reserves the right to determine the amount to be reimbursed for lodging. Executive travelers are authorized to utilize lodging as appropriate to the activity. c. Lodging costs are only reimbursable when associated with travel of a round trip distance greater than 130 miles for non-executive travelers. Exceptions to this must be approved by the Vice President for Administration and Finance prior to the beginning of the trip. 4. Miscellaneous Living and Business Travel Costs a. Telephone costs are reimbursable when reasonable and pertain to University business (1.) All travel telephone costs for reimbursement must be identified on a schedule or properly denoted in correspondence to identify the party called and the purpose of the call. *The Director of Purchasing will monitor this when pre-payments are made to hotels and motels. 5 of 10
(2.) One personal call not to exceed $4.00 will be reimbursable upon the first and last day of travel. (3.) One personal telephone call not to exceed $4.00 per call will be reimbursable if made on the first and or last day of travel. (4.) Undocumented travel telephone costs will not be reimbursed. b. Laundry/Dry Cleaning is reimbursable when reasonable. 1. All travel laundry/dry cleaning costs are only reimbursable when an employee s stay is for more than one week, including a weekend. Laundry/dry cleaning costs must be evidenced by a receipt. 2. Undocumented laundry/dry cleaning costs will not be reimbursed. c. Other Costs (1) Other costs not specifically identified by this policy will be independently reviewed for propriety. (2) All other travel costs must be reasonable and evidenced by proper receipt. D. REPORTING REQUIREMENTS 1. All reimbursable travel must be identified on a Travel Expense Report. 2. The Travel Expense Report must be properly completed and mathematically accurate. 3. The Travel Expense Report must be properly reviewed and approved by the appropriate Organizational Manager. 4. The Travel Expense Report must be submitted to the Office of the Controller within 10 working days of the conclusion of the identified travel. Expenses for reports submitted later than 10 working days will not be reimbursed except in justifiable circumstances. 5. The check and a copy of the paid expense report will be returned to the traveler. 6. The travel expense report will be processed for payment within 7 to 10 working days after receipt by controller s office.
6 of 10 E. PAYMENT OF TRAVEL COSTS 1. Any costs which can be prepaid to an outside vendor will be processed as such. These items are considered as travel advances and must be cleared within 10 working days after the travel is completed. These include the following: a. Lodging costs (including room and tax only) b. Seminar registration fees c. Automobile rental costs d. Airline tickets 2. Cash advances can only be received by the following: a. Recruiters employed by the CSU Office of Admissions b. Coaches of varsity sports teams representing the University at away games c. Employees escorting student groups for University-related activities d. Coaches of university sports teams, Directors of the band and chorus when on a recruiting trip for the university. 3. A payroll deduction for employees will be made for all prepaids and cash advances that are not cleared within 10 days after the conclusion of the travel. Outstanding student and Board-of Trustees advances will be handled by the Vice President for Administration and Finance. F. RESPONSIBILITIES 1. Each traveler is responsible for proper travel reporting. 2. All receipts must have the vendor name and date and be mounted on a 8½ x 11 sheet of paper in date order. 3. The University's Finance organization has the ultimate responsibility to ensure that no travel expenditure is charged to the University unless it complies with this policy.
7 of 10 By approving (signing) the Travel Expense Report, the President or applicable Vice President certifies that she/he has reviewed all attached documents, that these documents support the expenditures noted on the Travel Expense Report and that the supporting documents are in accordance with this policy. The Office of the Controller will audit the Travel Expense Reports for mathematical accuracy, proper approvals, and spending limits (mileage, meal rates, hotels, rental cars, etc.)
TRAVEL EXPENSE REPORT 8 of 10 Organization Name Employee Name Organization Number Date of Travel Purpose Destination Total Amount Authorized $ TRAVEL REIMBURSEMENT INFORMATION Description Lodging POV Transportation* (Miles Driven ) Airfare/Train/Bus Auto Rental/Taxi Meals Telephone Parking/Toll Conf. Registration Other Total Date Sun. Mon. Tues. Wed. Thurs. Fri. Sat. Signature Date Prepaid by CSU Amount of Reimbursement Approval Date (Organizational/Vice President) ATTACH ALL RECEIPTS *POV mileage must be reported on POV Mileage Report form for multiple days and/or mileage reimbursement only.
CENTRAL STATE UNIVERSITY POV Mileage Report 9 of 10 Date Day From To Total Miles Driven Total Miles Driven X $ 0. Total Reimbursement $ Employee Name Signature (Please Print) Org. Name and Number Approval (Organizational/Vice President) Purpose
CENTRAL STATE UNIVERSITY CASH ADVANCE FOR TRAVEL FORM 10 of 10 On the day of, 19 at, Ohio in the County of, this agreement between Central State University, the employer, and, the employee, Social Security Number - -, was executed under the following terms and conditions: The employee has requested that travel funds be advanced in the amount of $ for expenses that will be incurred in the course of official University business travel to from, 19 to, 19. The employer shall pay an advance of travel expenses in order to provide the employee with lodging accommodations, meals, transportation, and/or miscellaneous items. In consideration, the employee agrees to submit a travel expense report (including receipts for all meals and miscellaneous expenses) and refund any amount advance in excess of the employee s actual allowable travel expenses within 10 working days of the return date. Failure to comply with this requirement within 30 days of the return date may result in action by the University to recover full amount of the funds advanced, including garnishing the employee s payroll check. This agreement shall be the authority to make such a payroll adjustment. If it become necessary for the employer to take other legal action to recover the funds advanced, the employee agrees to pay a reasonable sum as attorney s fees in such a suit. This agreement shall be governed by the laws of the State of Ohio. SIGNATURE: Employee Date VP Administration and Finance Date Controller Date