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This section provides details about expenses you may
have while traveling. Consider this a guide; the UCAR
Policy Manual should be consulted if questions or conflicts arise.
Per diem is a daily allowance paid to travelers to cover meals and incidentals while away from home. UCAR uses rates determined by the US Department of State. The per diem rate for each day is determined by the rate for the city the traveler spends the night in. Travelers will be paid 3/4 the per diem rate on the first and last day of a trip. Meeting planners may reduce per diem payments to travelers if meals are provided as part of the meeting. Because we use a set dollar amount each day to pay for meals and incidentals, travelers do not need to track and turn in receipts for daily meals or tips.
Claiming actual expenses: Travelers have the option of claiming reasonable actual expenses rather than per diem, if they feel the per diem allowance is inadequate. Receipts must be provided to claim actual expenses and justification may be required.
Reimbursable expenses: Travelers will be reimbursed for actual reasonable costs for lodging. Single-room accommodations should be requested. Travelers should ask for government rates, or lowest rates whenever they are available.
Arranging lodging: Employees are expected to make their own lodging reservations. This may be done directly by the employee or through Boulder Travel. Generally rooms will need to be secured with the employee's personal credit card. We may not use our UCAR purchasing cards for any sort of travel expenses. Employees must request a receipt upon checkout. Before submitting a lodging receipt for reimbursement, personal expenses must be noted.
Guests of Unidata, mainly Policy and Users Committee members, will not arrange their own lodging. Hotel arrangements will be set up by Unidata staff and direct billed to Unidata. The hotel will mail bills to Unidata, so guests will not need to submit hotel receipts unless they have incurred personal charges. If there are personal charges that need to be repaid to Unidata, guests should request a "folio" receipt upon checkout, note which charges are personal, and submit along with the rest of the trip receipts.
Staying with friends: If a traveler would like to stay with friends during business travel, that is fine. The traveler will be paid 1/2 the per diem rate each night as lodging reimbursement. (This is in addition to regular per diem. The per diem rate is simply used to calculate a fair value for lodging reimbursement.)
Type of vehicle: UCAR allows up to a full size car for travel. A larger vehicle may be allowed if needed to transport equipment or accommodate groups.
Hertz: UCAR has arranged special rates with Hertz Rental Cars and therefore prefers to go through Hertz whenever possible. Boulder Travel will reserve rental cars for travelers using the Hertz Gold Club or the Applicant Program. These two programs are set up to direct bill UCAR.
Insurance Domestic: UCAR's insurance policy covers rental cars for travelers and visitors while on UCAR business. Therefore, insurance offered by the rental agency is not necessary and not reimbursable. Any insurance offered by the rental company for domestic travel should be refused for UCAR business travel. If the vehicle is to be used for a combination of business and personal travel, the traveler is responsible for having adequate insurance for the period of personal travel either through personal insurance or the rental agency. For more detailed information, see UCAR Travel Reimbursement Policy 3-1-7.
Insurance Foreign: In many foreign countries, US insurance coverage is not acceptable. Therefore, acceptance of additional collision, liability, and theft insurance coverage is mandatory and reimbursable when rental cars are used outside the United States and Canada. If the vehicle is to be used for a combination of business and personal travel, the traveler is responsible for having adequate insurance for the period of personal travel either through personal insurance or the rental agency. For more detailed information, see UCAR Travel Reimbursement Policy.
Preventing problems: Rental cars should be visually inspected before rental and damage should be noted on the rental agreement. In the event of an accident, the traveler should immediately report the accident to the police, the rental car company, and to UCAR's Director of Contracts and Risk Management. Note the restrictions in the rental contract. Vehicles should be used in a manner that complies with the rental agencies rules.
Reimbursable expenses: Standard coach class or lower fares are to be used for domestic air travel on UCAR business. Travelers should secure the lowest airfares possible. Waiting until the last minute usually greatly increases the fare. Please make your reservations promptly. (Preferably 21 days in advance.)
The ticket you are issued will be nonrefundable. We ask that you take care to avoid canceling, changing, or missing flights as this incurs additional fees.
We prefer that you book an electronic ticket (e-ticket). This way, we will not have to FedEx paper tickets to you. If, for some reason, you would like a paper ticket, please make your arrangements significantly in advance for them to be received at Unidata's offices and then mailed to you.
UCAR travelers are required to use US air carriers whenever possible, regardless of cost or convenience. In the event that a US carrier is not available for a certain area, a foreign air carrier may be allowed. This rule also applies any single leg of a trip. The Fly America Act often brings up questions that should be directed to UCAR's travel department.
Travelers will be paid mileage for use of their personal vehicles to drive to and from airports. Currently the rate per mile is $0.585 (as of July 1, 2008). Travelers should include a note stating their mileage with their receipts when submitting a travel voucher so that this expense is not overlooked.
Reimbursable miscellaneous expenses are listed below. Miscellaneous expenses under $50 do not require receipts, but it is always best to provide receipts when possible. (For example, this rule allows travelers to be reimbursed for things such as cab fares where receipts are not always available.)
Telephone, Telegrams, Faxes: Any calls, telegrams, or faxes related to business will, of course, be reimbursed. In addition, travelers are allowed one reasonable "safe arrival" call, any necessary calls to family members in the event of itinerary changes, and one reasonable personal call for each week traveling. The traveler must provide an itemized list of such calls with each call identified as business, personal, safe arrival, itinerary change notification, or allowed personal call per week when submitting a voucher for reimbursement.
Ground Transportation, Tolls, Travelers' Check Fees: Taxi, shuttle, bus, etc. fares are reimbursable as well as tolls and Travelers' Check fees. Parking tickets and traffic tickets are not reimbursable.
Laundry: Laundry is reimbursed as a miscellaneous expense for domestic travel. For international travel, laundry is included in the per diem rate and not reimbursed elsewhere.
Dependent Care: Essential care for dependent persons is reimbursable with original receipts up to the daily per diem rate of the traveler's primary work location. This reimbursement is available when care is required outside the employee's normal working hours, when the traveler is the regular caregiver, and when other family members are unavailable to provide such services while the employee is away from home on UCAR business.
ATM Fees: ATM fees for cash travel advances are reimbursable.
Registrations Fees: Registration fees for conferences, workshops, meetings, etc. are reimbursable providing the travel has been authorized. If a traveler does not want to pay registration fees with personal funds, a check request can be made, or the travel arranger's UCAR purchasing card may be used. If the traveler uses a personal credit card, a travel advance can be requested to pay the credit card bill before finance charges occur.
Travelers may often want to add personal travel to business travel. This is allowed and, of course, the traveler will be expected to pay any costs associated with the personal part of the trip. When booking flights, travelers should request and submit a quote for the business portion only of their trip for comparison to actual trip costs (including the personal travel). Reasonable amounts of personal travel may be billed to UCAR and then reimbursed promptly. For example, it may be easiest to reimburse UCAR for a day or two of personal hotel charges if the hotel has already set up direct billing for the business portion of the trip. Remember also that rental car insurance is the traveler's responsibility during any periods of personal travel.
Travel advances may be issued for travelers who do not wish to use their own funds to pay for travel and then be reimbursed. Travelers may obtain an advance from an ATM using their UCAR sponsored Visa, if they have one, or by requesting the advance on the Travel Authorization Form. Advances requested on the Travel Authorization will be completed by a check being cut for the traveler. Such requests must be made at least one week in advance of travel. Advances cannot be greater than anticipated out of pocket expenses, as listed on the Travel Authorization, and may not exceed $1200 per month. Advances are then deducted from the total reimbursable expenses on the Travel Voucher Form. Advances must be processed within two weeks of completion of travel.
Employees may request a U.S. Bank Visa Credit Card for payment of travel costs and various other business expenses. Although the card is obtained with UCAR credit and with supervisor permission, it is the personal credit card of the employee and all transactions remain the employee's responsibility. The credit card is billed to and paid by the employee. Valid business expenses are reimbursed through travel vouchers and reimbursement requests.
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