What is a REQ/Travel Reimbursement Request

The primary purpose of a REQ/Travel Reimbursement Request is to allow a traveler to submit itemized/paid receipts for an approved business related trip. A completed/approved RTA (Request for Travel Authorization) must be on file. Please see the Travel page for information on submitting a RTA.

  • A Travel Reimbursement must be submitted within 10 days of trip completion.
  • A reimbursement submitted after 60 days from trip end date is subjected to IRS regulations and Safe Harbor rules that require a written explanation as to the reason for the lateness. These require additional levels of approval and may be denied or reported as taxable income to the payee.
  • Travel expenses must be accrued by the traveler. A traveler cannot claim expenses for another person's travel.

Please review the Handbook of Business Procedures/Travel for detailed information regarding travel rules and policy.

PROCESS

  1. Access the online Travel Reimbursement Request REQ.
  2. The system will list all approved RTA Travel.  Select the trip you wish to request a reimbursement for.
  3. Complete all applicable fields.  Traveler must enter expenses for reimbursement.  Attaching the receipts does not translate into a reimbursement request if the expenses are missing on the form.  The Finance Office cannot fill this in for you.
  4. Airfare reimbursement only: The statement "online selection is best value as consistent with institutional priority" is required in the REQUEST NOTES for reimbursement consideration.  
  5. Upload itemized/paid receipts in PDF or JPEG form, assign to the appropriate category, and add relevant comments. Note: PDF files that are too large or JPEG images not in best quality will not open and view correctly.  The attachments must be clear in order to process a reimbursement.  The request will be returned to the traveler if attachments are not viewable.  See the TIPS section below for further assistance.
  6. Once completed ASSIGN the form to Theatre and Dance Finance Team Group (00259) .  

How to create the REQ/Travel Reimbursement Request online form:

Click on TRAVEL REIMBURSEMENT REQUEST

Enter the Traveler EID and select the appropriate RTA or enter the RTA number (TV###), select CONTINUE

The TRAVEL REIMBURSEMENT REQUEST page will appear and will have a REQ# assigned.  You will now see this REQ in MY REQUESTS.



Add ATTACHMENTS.  Receipts must contain the itemized purchase and payment information.  If a receipt does not indicate method of payment please check with the vendor for a complete receipt.  If one is not available please attach the credit/bank statement that lists the matching transaction.

Transportation Receipts:

Airfare/Direct Billed:  Final itemized itinerary receipt with cost information.  Do not add as a line item expense since you will not be reimbursed.

Airfare:  Final itemized itinerary with proof of payment.  If this is an exchanged ticket the original itemized/paid ticket is required for proof of payment.

*Airfare related expenses for class upgrade, seat upgrade, airline club, or early-bird check in are not reimbursable. See Travel Planning Tips

Ground Transportation: Public transportation, train, taxi, or other paid transportation receipts should include date, location, destination, payment.  Tips up to 20% of subtotal are eligible for reimbursement.

  • UBER/LYFT/Other Car Service/TAXI Receipts should be organized and file named by day/destination. Example: 102517 Airport to Hotel.  Each receipt must match a entered expense. 
  • If you have multiple ground transportation receipts you can organize them by date/destination and scan them as one file.  File name them as Expense/Date Range. Example:  Ground Transportation 102517 to 103117

Mileage:  Mapquest with destinations. 

Lodging Receipts:

Hotel/Airbnb/HomeAway:  Folio must contain itemized dates of stay, room rate, applicable taxes, fees, and payment information.  Lodging expenses for a single occupant standard room or one bedroom rental are eligible for reimbursement.

Travel Websites (Expedia/Priceline/Hotels.com):  The vendor invoice should include the same information as a folio: itemized dates of stay, room rate, applicable taxes, fees, and payment information.  Note that travel insurance is not reimbursable.

Other Receipts:

Baggage Fees: Baggage fee itemized paid ticket or airfare receipt.  One baggage fee per destination trip is eligible.  A round-trip flight can include one fee to destination and one fee to return destination.

Telecomm Expenses:  Hotel Wifi or purchased public wifi is eligible for business related telecommuting. 

Conference Fee: Itemized invoice with proof of payment.  A card/bank transaction line item is not eligible without proof of registration.



REQUEST NOTES:

Communicate any pertinent information. 

TRAVEL INFORMATION:

Verify Dates of Travel, Destination and add Departure/Arrival Times

ADD EXPENSES:

Select the expense type from the drop down box and enter information for each claimed item.  The Traveler must complete this section in order to claim an expense.  Uploading a receipt does not translate to a claimed expense unless entered in this section.

Meals:

Per Diem: The daily per diem rate is $51.  It is broken out $8 breakfast, $13 lunch, $30 dinner.  A full day per diem can be claimed if the traveler departure/arrival times encompass all three meals.  The per diem will be adjusted if the traveler departure/arrival time does not.  Example: Traveler departs at 5pm.  The dinner $30 per diem can be claimed.

Once all expenses are entered verify the items as they appear in each section.  You can remove an item by selecting the X at the end of the expense.  You can add more expenses via the drop down box.

The expenses will calculate and appear as an Estimate Total.

Verify the Estimate Total, select Reimbursement Method (Direct Deposit or Mailing Address), and add any relevant Expense Notes.

Select – CONTINUE to assign document for approval


Travel Reimbursement Request: Assign

Choose Assignee

Assign To:  Group

  • Assign to Theatre and Dance Finance Team


Assignment Note

  • Provide information to Assignee regarding request. 


Click – ASSIGN


Once your REQ has been assigned you can track it via the HISTORY tab across the upper end of the REQ or via the homepage.


When the REQ reaches the Finance Office and has been submitted to the Office of Accounting for approval the requester will be able to track their reimbursement in the REQ, below Attachments a REQUEST INFORMATION section will appear with confirmation of approval and a link to WHERE’S MY CHECK











TIPS

Attachments:

PDF

Email: If you need to save an email as a PDF receipt or as documentation it must be saved as a PDF from the Print version. While in the email select PRINT. When the pop up screen or option opens up select SAVE AS PDF and file name accordingly. Different email programs offer different print options. If you use a non-UT email you may need to Google how to save the email as a Print Version PDF.

Multiple Small Receipts: Taxi receipts can be organized by date/destination as a single 8x11 page and scanned to create one PDF. The Faculty Ricoh machine provides dimension parameters to help lay the receipts appropriately for scanning.

Multiple Page Receipts: Companies like UBER/LYFT provide email receipts per transaction. You can submit them individually or as one packet. The receipt must be saved or printed as a one page receipt. When in the email select PRINT, when the pop up or screen option opens reduce the size from 100% until it is reduced to 1 page. Save as PDF or Print. If you have Adobe Pro or another PDF software you can group the receipts in one document. The Faculty Ricoh machine provides the ability to scan multiple pages into one PDF. File name accordingly.

JPEG

Images can be captured with a smart phone or tablet. Lay the receipt as flat as possible on a neutral surface. Try to capture the image of the receipt only. Crop the image so that it is clear and contains the receipt only. Images tend to pixilate if they are too small or too big. If you can capture a clear image up front this will prevent having to ask for a better image.

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