Getting Reimbursed Domestic Travel
- Domestic Travel Reimbursements
- Personal Vehicle Use
- Reimbursable Travel Expenses
- Non-Reimbursable Travel Expenses
Domestic Travel Reimbursements
Upon return from your travel, please submit the following original receipts to your department travel planner as soon as possible:
- Airline receipts and itinerary
- Rental Car receipts
- Gasoline receipts
- Bus, Taxi, Train receipts
- Lodging receipts
- Registration receipts (if paid by the traveler)
- Other miscellaneous business expenses (i.e., phone calls, internet access at hotel)
Meals are reimbursed based on the established per diem. Meals and lodging are not reimbursed without an overnight stay. Beginning 5/5/2014, the University will reimburse 75% of the total meal rate regardless of the departure or arrival time for the first and last day of travel.
Your department travel planner should create the appropriate travel reimbursement document in PeopleSoft for your review and certification. An electronic document will be routed to Accounts Payable for approval. The supporting documents should be sent to the Accounts Payable Travel section for review. Corrections and/or adjustments to your travel may delay final approval.
Per IRS Publications 463 and 535, reimbursement requests should be processed within a reasonable period of time in order to avoid becoming a taxable payment to the traveler. 60 days is the generally accepted standard recommended by the IRS.
PUBLICATION 463Personal Vehicle Use
State guidelines allow for reimbursement to a UTEP travler for mileage incurred in a personal vehicle to conduct state business.
Reimbursements may not exceed the product of the actual number of miles traveled for business and the maximum mileage reimbursement rate. The mileage reimbursement rate is inclusive of all expenses associated with the traveler's use of his or her vehicle.
- Please visit the State website to see the current state mileage reimbursement rate.
- Mileage distances can be calculated using the mileage calculator on the State website or the travel website MapQuest.
- Maintain a Mileage Reimbursement Log.
State guidelines require UTEP to minimize the amount of travel expenses reimbursed by ensuring that each travel arrangement is the most cost-effective considering all relevant circumstances. When a traveler elects to use their personal vehicle for official UTEP travel, a "Constructive Airfare" quote and a "Constructive Rental Car cost" comparison must be provided. Constructive Airfare and Rental Car quotes are used to determine the lesser cost of reimbursing mileage or airfare.
- A constructive airfare and rental car quote are required for all mileage reimbursements, except for the following:
- Approved by a doctor or the American Disabilities Act
- No commercial airfare or rental cars available
- Facilitate research projects
- Constructive airfare and rental car quotes can be obtained by:
- Requesting a quote from one of the UT System Contracted Travel Agencies
- Printing screens from a "Preferred" online booking tool.
- The Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts Rental Vehicle vs. Mileage Reimbursement Calculator may be added to the constructive car rental cost comparison to take into consideration the cost of fuel for the rental car.
Please note: The University will reimburse the traveler for the lesser of the constructive airfare quote, the constructive car rental quote, or or the mileage. Fuel receipts will only be reimbursed when they are associated with a rental car.
Domestic Reimbursable Travel Expenses
The following are examples of the most common "reimbursable" travel expenses:
- Lodging receipts (including certain taxes)
- Rental car receipts (including gas)
- Registration receipts (paid by the traveler)
- Parking receipts
- Taxi receipts
Maximum domestic per diem meal allowances vary throughout the continental United States. These can be accessed using the U.S. General Services Administration.
Please note: Meal and lodging expenses will not be reimbursed without an overnight stay.
Non-Reimbursable Travel Expenses
The following are examples of the most common "non-reimbursable" travel expenses:
- Tips or gratuities
- Alcoholic Beverages
- Texas state occupancy taxes
- Dry cleaning or laundry
- Expenses not related to official state business
- Additional rental car insurance purchased with state contracted rental car agencies
Please note: Other business supplies or merchandise purchased should not be included in your travel reimbursement. These may be submitted as a separate item for reimbursement.