CONTROLLER'S OFFICE
Travel Procedures
Last update: 02/01
These procedures have been prepared to familiarize University employees with the travel laws of the state of Florida and to provide a quick reference to policies and procedures relating to the reimbursement of travel expenses.
The travel manual provides specific instructions for the preparation of travel authorization requests (TAR), voucher for reimbursement of traveling expenses (travel vouchers) and other related documents. University policies and procedures concerning the reimbursement of travel expenses are explained at length in the sections listed below.
The reimbursement of travel expenditures must be in compliance with Section 112.061, Florida Statutes. Requests for travel reimbursement not in compliance with this section of the law will not be processed by the State Comptroller.
State law and University policy require
that an approved Travel Authorization Request (TAR) be filed prior to the
date of travel. Travel expenditures will be reimbursed only upon submission
of an approved "travel voucher" prepared after completion of the trip.
OUTLINE
OF PROCEDURES
The University
official travel agency, located on the University Park Campus, will
assist travelers with reservations and other travel plans. The UTA will
not issue tickets or rental car vouchers without first verifying that the
Controller's Office has processed your TAR.
TRAVEL
AUTHORIZATION REQUEST (TAR)
When traveling to a convention or conference a copy of the agenda or program must be attached to the TAR. The agenda must show the cost of registration fees and any meals or lodging included in the registration fee. If this information is not available in the agenda, other relevant documents must be attached to the TAR providing such information. Meal allowances will not be reimbursed for meals included in the registration fee.
Time of Submission
The TAR must be submitted to the
Controller's Office at least seven (7) days prior to the date of travel.
Blanket TAR: A blanket TAR may be set up when an employee performs numerous trips to the same destination or for vicinity travel. The TAR must include the name and social security number of the traveler, destination and the estimated total amount to be reimbursed for the period covered by the TAR. A blanket TAR may be set up for a fiscal year or shorter period; however all blanket TAR's will expire at the end of the fiscal year (June 30). A new blanket TAR must be issued to cover the new fiscal year. The TAR number must be submitted on all travel vouchers. TAR's are not necessary for vicinity travel.
Instructions for Preparation
of a TAR
The following are specific instructions
for preparing a TAR:
OFFICIAL
HEADQUARTERS: This is the place where the traveler is officially assigned
to work, i.e. FIU - University Park.
SOCIAL
SECURITY NUMBER: Verify the traveler's social security number before
submitting TAR to the Controller's Office. If the traveler does not have
a social security number, as is the case with most foreign travelers, use
the passport number.
DEPARTMENT
NUMBER: The number of the department to which the travel expenses will
be charged. SUFFICIENT FUNDS MUST BE AVAILABLE IN THE ACCOUNT BEFORE
A TAR CAN BE PROCESSED. If more than one department is funding the
travel, identify all departments and allocate total cost of travel to each
department.
ADDRESS:
Department's
building and room number.
TELEPHONE:
Telephone
number where the traveler or traveler's secretary can be reached during
working hours.
PURPOSE
OF TRIP: State clearly the purpose of the trip, for example, to discuss
procedures for preparation of annual reports with members of other universities,
The purpose of the trip must be for the official business of the University
and for the benefit of the State.
CONFERENCE/CONVENTION/WRSHP/SMNR:
Check
this item if the trip is to attend a conference, convention, workshop or
seminar. Also, include on this line a statement describing the benefit
to the State. Attach to the TAR a copy of the agenda. If not available
at the time the TAR is prepared, it must be attached to the "Travel Voucher".
THE NAME OF THE ORGANIZATION MUST BE PROVIDED IN FULL; DO NOT ABBREVIATE.
EXPENDITURES
REIMBURSED FROM OTHER SOURCES: Check
this line if the University will be reimbursed by another agency or individual
for travel expenses incurred in connection with the trip. Indicate the
source
OTHERS
GOING TO THE SAME DESTINATION FOR THE SAME PURPOSE: Name of other University
employees attending the meeting or event. If more than three individuals
are attending the same meeting or event, include a statement justifying
the benefit to the State.
CASH
ADVANCE: If traveler is entitled to receive a cash
advance, it cannot exceed 80% of the estimated travel expenses paid
by the traveler.
DATE
AND HOUR OF DEPARTURE: Indicate the date and hour of departure.
DESTINATION:
List all cities included in trip. If travel is local, write "vicinity".
DATE
AND HOUR OF RETURN: Indicate the date and hour of return.
ESTIMATED
COST: Include in this section the total cost of the trip identifying
each cost separately: per diem/hotel & meal allowance,
mileage,
common carrier, rental car and incidental expenses. Identify each type
of incidental expenses i.e. registration fee, parking, taxi, etc.
TOTAL
ESTIMATED COST: Add all amounts and show total here.
SUPERVISOR'S
SIGNATURE: TAR must be approved before it can be processed and before
airline ticket can be released by the University Travel Agency. Travel
exceeding 30 days must be approved by the President.
TRAVEL
ARRANGEMENTS
University
Travel Agency
The University's official travel
agency will assist the traveler in making reservations with the airline,
hotels and car rentals. The agency's telephone number is 348-6490.
The traveler must provide the travel agency with a TAR number (not the form, just the TAR number). The travel agency is required to verify that the TAR has been processed by the Controller's Office before releasing the tickets. The traveler is responsible for picking up the tickets during normal working hours from the UTA within 10 days of reservation and from the Administrative Affairs Offices at the North Miami Campus.
It is very important for the traveler to verify the information on the airline ticket and car rental voucher to make sure that dates, cities and other relevant data are correct.
Common Carrier
The State has entered into
a contract with some airline carriers that provide reduced fares between
certain cities (major city pair rates can be found on the Controller's
Travel
Section home page). The University is not authorized to reimburse travelers
for a higher fare between those cities unless the carrier can not accommodate
the traveler. In those situations the travel voucher must indicate the
reason for using a different carrier or purchasing a ticket with a higher
fare. We strongly suggest that travelers use the University's travel agency
to avoid incurring expenses that will not be reimbursed by the University.
The State will only reimburse economy class airline travel. When extenuating circumstances exist, the traveler may be reimbursed for a higher class; however, this must be explained and documented on the TAR or travel voucher and approved by the traveler's supervisor.
Traveler's preparing to secure first class accommodations must advance the difference between economy and first class rate to the Travel Section of the Controller's Office prior to receiving their tickets. A statement must be attached to the travel voucher indicating that the difference in rates was paid to the University.
Prepaid Airline Tickets:The University's travel agency can issue directly to any airport an airline ticket (one-way or round-trip) for a traveler. This type of ticket is called a prepaid ticket (PTA) and is most often used for consultants, speakers, and candidates for University positions traveling form an airport other than in South Florida.
The airlines charge a fee for the issuance of prepaid airline tickets. This charge is assessed to the department listed on the TAR.
A properly authorized TAR must be on file in the Controller's Office prior to issuing a prepaid ticket.
Cancelled Airline Tickets: The traveler, or department personnel, must return promptly to the UTA airline tickets that are not used due to cancellation of the trip. Failure to return the cancelled airline ticket promptly will create a charge to the department for the cost of the airfare.
Receipts: The last copy of the airline ticket must be filed with the travel voucher.
Car Rental
The State of Florida has entered
into a contract with AVIS Corporation for the rental of cars to individuals
traveling at state expense. The contract applies to rentals originating
at the airport and not exceeding 105 miles per day on the average. If a
traveler rents a car from a company other than AVIS the State will only
reimburse up to the amount stipulated on the contract with AVIS. To avoid
incurring unallowed expenses it is strongly encouraged that all travelers
arrange to rent cars through the University's travel agency.
The contract between the State and AVIS is not designed to provide vehicles for travel between cities. The University has contracted with Enterprise Rent-a-Car for travel between cities, or within the county that do not originate at the airport.
The State of Florida will only reimburse travelers for the rental of compact cars. An exception to this rule is normally allowed when the automobile is shared with other travelers resulting in a savings to the University.
Before driving away from the rental premises, the traveler should examine the car to make sure it is not damaged. If the car is damaged , the traveler should notify the rental company and request another car or a written statement from a representative of the company acknowledging that the car was damaged when delivered to the traveler.
All accidents are to be reported
to the car rental company. Any forms or reports prepared by the police
or car rental company should be turned in to Environmental Health and Safety.
Automobile Insurance: Insurance coverage is included for car rentals under the contract agreement with AVIS. The University will reimburse travelers for the cost of collision damage insurance purchased for vehicles rented from a company other than AVIS. The University will not reimburse the traveler for the purchase of personal liability (bodily injury, property damage or other type of insurance).
The contract with AVIS includes collision damage for business related travel only. If AVIS allows personal use of vehicles at state rates, collision damage coverage will not be included in the rate.
Mandatory Use of Seat Belts: All occupants of State rented vehicles are required by law to use seat belts while traveling in such vehicles. Failure to use seat belts may result in disciplinary action or reduced worker's compensation benefits in the event of an accident.
Fuel Reimbursement: Travelers will be reimbursed from AVIS for gasoline purchased while renting a car under the terms of the contract with the State of Florida. The gas ticket must be turned in at the AVIS counter at the time the car is returned. The company will give the traveler a cash refund at that time.
Travelers renting vehicles from a
company other than AVIS must submit the gas ticket with the travel voucher
if the car rental company does not reimburse the traveler for gasoline
purchased. The cost must be included as an Incidental Expense.
The State will reimburse at the rate of single occupancy only, unless the room is shared with another traveler. If the room is shared with another traveler and the traveler is being reimbursed for the actual cost of hotel accommodations, the University will reimburse half of the total cost of the room to each traveler. The traveler should request the hotel to issue a receipt to each room occupant.
The original itemized hotel receipt must be filed with the Travel Voucher. The State will not reimburse without a receipt. A copy of the credit card charge slip is not acceptable. Only the cost of the room (including tax) per night will be reimbursed. Personal calls, meals or any other charges included in the hotel bill are not reimbursable.
THE UNIVERSITY CANNOT MAKE DIRECT PAYMENTS TO HOTELS FOR ROOM ACCOMMODATIONS. State law requires that (except in special instances) all travel expenses incurred by an individual while on State business, including hotel accommodations, be reimbursed to the traveler.
The traveler is responsible for canceling
hotel reservations when a trip is cancelled or the dates changed. Th traveler
will be personally liable to the hotel for any charges or penalties resulting
from failure to give proper notice of cancellation.
REGISTRATION
FEES
The traveler must submit the following documents to the Travel Desk at least three weeks prior to the due date for the registration fee:
Optional entertainment included on the registration form is a personal expense and cannot be reimbursed by the University.
The University cannot approve the
reimbursement of individual memberships to organizations.
VOUCHER
FOR REIMBURSEMENT "TRAVEL VOUCHER"
Upon completion of the travel, the traveler must prepare a "travel voucher", sign the voucher, obtain the supervisor's approval, and submit to the Controller's Office for payment. The travel voucher must include original receipts for hotel room, car rental, airline ticket, and incidental expenses.
Instructions for Preparation
of Travel Voucher
The travel voucher form provides
general instructions on its reverse side. The traveler should refer to
those instructions and become familiar with them. The following are specific
instructions for completion of the "travel voucher":
PAYEE:
Type
name of traveler
TAR
#: Show the TAR number
HEADQUARTERS:
City/campus
in which the traveler's assigned office or place of work is located. If
traveler is stationed in another city for a period of 30 continuous workdays,
such city will become the official headquarters and traveler will not be
allowed to receive further per diem or subsistence after said period unless
specifically approved by the University President. If traveler is not a
University employee, headquarters is his/her place of employment or city
of residence.
SOCIAL
SECURITY NUMBER: Traveler's social security number; or passport number
of traveler if a foreigner without a social security number.
APPROPRIATION:
Account number(s) to which the travel expense will be charged.
DEPARTMENT:
Name
of the department to which the traveler is assigned.
DATE:
Enter,
on a separate line, each day that the traveler is away.
TRAVEL
PERFORMED FROM POINT OF ORIGIN TO DESTINATION: The first line will
show the city where the travel originated to the traveler's destination
while the last line ill show the reverse. Show the traveler's location
each day. For example, if a traveler whose headquarters is Miami spends
three days in Chicago and two days in New York starting May 1, this column
(and date column) will look as follows:
PURPOSE
OR REASON: State the purpose of the travel. If attending a conference
or convention, state the benefit to the State. The name of organizations
must be provided in full; do not abbreviate.
HOURS
OF DEPARTURE AND RETURN: This is the time that the traveler leaves
home or place of work to commence travel. When traveling by air the State
Comptroller will normally allow two hours prior to departure time for domestic
travel and three hours for foreign travel.
PER
DIEM OR MEALS: This is the allowance that a traveler is authorized
to receive to cover the cost of meals and hotel accommodations. The per
diem allowance is set by State law under Section 112.061, Florida Statutes.
Each day's expenses, including per diem or meals, should be listed on a separate line. For example, if the total cost of hotel accommodations for two days was $120, you will show $60 each day under the column "per diem or meals". Do not lump together the daily meal allowance and the daily cost of hotel. You will need to use two lines for each day when claiming a meal allowance and reimbursement for hotel accommodations.
If travel expenses are paid by others, or exceed the department's travel allowance, type COMP on the appropriate line where the cost would have ordinarily been shown.
If the registration fee includes meals, the traveler is not authorized to claim such meals. Meals provided by concession funds of universities in the Sate University System must also be deducted from the daily allowance.
Per diem or meal allowance is not authorized for travel within the county of the traveler's headquarters.
MAP
MILEAGE CLAIMED: Report mileage between two cities when traveling by
car. Add up this column to arrive at the total number of miles traveled.
Do not include fractions of a mile. Annotate the result at the bottom of
the column. Multiply the total number of miles by the mileage allowance.
($0.29 as of 1/1/96) The result should be placed at the bottom on the last
line of this column.
If riding with someone else, or using a University owned vehicle, the traveler is not entitled to a mileage allowance.
A traveler will not be reimbursed for mileage or other transportation expense when the cost of the trip is paid by another, or when riding with another traveler who is claiming the mileage allowance.
When traveling by airplane this column should show the initials of the carrier on the day of travel. The initials of the car rental company should also be included here is the traveler rents a car.
VICINITY
MILEAGE CLAIMED: Miles traveled within the county. Mileage for travel
outside of the county must be reported in the column titled "Map Mileage".
Follow the same procedure described above to arrive at the total allowance.
INCIDENTAL
EXPENSES: Report here the cost of incidental expenses such as taxi
fares, parking, tolls, etc. Include on this column the cost of airfare
and car rental if paid by the traveler.
Incidental expenses must be identified separately and reported on the line for the day incurred. Receipts must be filed with the travel voucher. If a receipt is not available, the traveler must attach to the travel voucher a signed statement certifying that the expense was incurred. The type of expense, date incurred and amount must be disclosed on the statement.
Add up each column separately and include in the block titled "TOTAL" the sum of the columns for per diem, mileage, and incidental expenses. If a cash advance was obtained, subtotal all expenses claimed, deduct amount of cash advance and insert amount due traveler.
PAYEE
SIGNATURE AND TITLE: Before signing this line, the traveler must read
the certification statement included just above the signature line.
SUPERVISOR
SIGNATURE AND TITLE: Traveler's supervisor must sign this line.
TRAVEL
PERFORMED BY COMMON CARRIER OR STATE VEHICLE (See reverse side of travel
voucher): Include in
this section the airline ticket number, points of travel, cost of airline
ticket and initials of airline company. Also include here the same data
for car rentals. If traveler pays for the airfare or the car rental, omit
the amount. In those instances the amount is shown in the "Incidental expenses"
column. If using a state owned vehicle, include the vehicle number.
MAKE SURE TO INLCUDE THE TAR NUMBER ON ALL REIMBURSEMENT VOUCHER FORMS. THIS WILL FACILITATE THE PROCESS AND EXPEDITE YOUR REIMBURSEMENT.
Non-Reimbursable Expenses
The following are examples of travel expenses which are not reimbursable:
 Tips |
Personal
telephone calls |
|
Personal
travel insurance |
Personal
expenses |
|
Rental
car insurance options |
Mileage
between home and official place of work |
|
Personal
laundry while in travel status |
Fines
for traffic violations |
A traveler is not authorized to be reimbursed for expenses incurred beyond the time required to complete the official business of the University. The travel voucher must show "personal" on the days that the traveler was on personal business.
The contract with AVIS includes collision damage for business related travel only. If AVIS allows personal use of vehicles at state rates, collision damage will not be included in the rate.
If cities where personal travel is
conducted are included in the airfare, the traveler must send to the Travel
Desk a check, payable to the University, to cover the personal portion
of the airfare, before the airline ticket can be released.
PER
DIEM AND MEAL ALLOWANCES
The current per diem within the continental United States is $50 for each day of travel.
The per diem rate for foreign travel varies with each country. Travelers should contact the Travel Desk to determine the authorized per diem rate for the country of destination.
The following are steps to compute the per diem allowance:
Step 1- Determine class of travel
| CLASS A: Continuous travel of 24 hours or more away from official headquarters. |
| CLASS B: Continuous travel of less than 24 hours requiring overnight absence from official headquarters. Cannot exceed four quarters. |
| CLASS C: Travel for short trips not requiring overnight absence from official headquarters. |
Travelers on Class C can only be reimbursed for the meal allowance. Refer to step 4.
For purposes of calculating per diem, the day is divided into four quarters. For class A travel, the first quarter of the day starts at 12:01 AM. For class B travel the quarters are determined on the basis of 6-hour cycles, beginning at hour of departure from the official headquarters. For example, if the traveler leaves his headquarters at 10:00 AM the first quarter of the day is from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM, the second quarter from 4:01 PM to 10:00 PM, etc.
The traveler is entitled to be reimbursed
one fourth of the authorized daily rate of per diem for each quarter of
the day that he/she is away from the headquarters.
| Per diem
for May 1: ($50 per diem allowance times 3/4 of the day or
75% since on this day the traveler was away from headquarters three quarter
of the day)
|
|
| Per diem for May 2nd through May 5th: ($50 times 4 full days that traveler was away from headquarters) |
|
| Per diem for May 6th: ($50 times 1/2 of the day, or 50% representing the number of quarters that the traveler was away from headquarters on this day) |
|
| TOTAL PER DIEM ALLOWANCE |
|
| Breakfast: |
|
When travel begins before 6AM and extends beyond 8AM |
| Lunch: |
|
When travel begins before 12 noon and extends beyond 2PM |
| Dinner: |
|
When travel begins before 6PM and extends beyond 8PM |
| Breakfast |
|
| Lunch |
|
| Dinner |
|
| Total Meal Allowance: |
|
| Breakfast |
|
| Lunch |
|
| Dinner |
|
| Total Meal Allowance: |
|
| Breakfast |
|
| Lunch |
|
| Dinner |
|
| Total Meal Allowance: |
|
AUTOMOBILE
TRAVEL
Costs of operation, maintenance and ownership of a vehicle are the responsibility of the traveler. The University is not authorized to reimburse a traveler for repairs or other related costs incurred while traveling on official business of the University.
Mileage
Allowance:
Travelers using their own
automobiles are authorized to be reimbursed $.29 cents per mile.
Mileage
to Airport:
Travel
Route:
Reimbursement
A reimbursement voucher for vicinity
travel can be submitted to the Controller's Office once per quarter, during
the month first two weeks of Sept., Dec., mar., and June, or when the amount
exceeds $100.00.
CASH
ADVANCE
The
trip must be at least three days long
The
trip must be out of State
The
amount of cash advance must be at least $300, but the advance must not
exceed 80% of the total per diem and incidental expenses as computed on
the TAR. Airfare, car rental and registration fees which can be paid directly
by the University are not taken into consideration when establishing the
total per diem and incidental expenses.
The
travel advance must be from one funding source only
A
"Cash Advance Form" must be submitted with the TAR to the Travel Desk at
least three weeks before the date of travel
Traveler
must submit a Travel Voucher within 10 days from day that the trip was
completed, along with a check for funds owed to the university.
Advances
not settled within 30 days will be transferred to Accounts Receivable for
collection. Additional fees may be assessed by outside collection agencies.
MISCELLANEOUS
Foreign Travel
State laws and University policies
described in this manual apply equally to travelers visiting foreign countries
with the exception of the rate authorized for per diem.
The State of Florida authorizes the same per diem allowance used by the Federal Government for foreign travel. The authorized per diem allowance for major cities in the world is published by the Department of State in a monthly publication titled "Maximum Travel Per Diem Allowances for Foreign Areas". The traveler should contact the Travel Section to determine the authorized per diem for the country of destination.
The traveler has the option of claiming the flat per diem rate authorized by the Department of State, or claiming the actual cost of the hotel plus the meal allowance. The meal allowance is calculated using the same rate used for travel in the United States.
Receipts issued in foreign currency must show a computation converting the amount into US dollars. All claims in the Travel Voucher must be in US dollars.
Credit Cards
University employees may apply for
a "corporate credit card" with Citicorp Diners Club, or American Express.
In accordance with the contract agreement, the credit card must be used
exclusively to charge expenses incurred while traveling on the official
business of the University, such as hotel rooms, and dinners.
The card holder is responsible for all charges on the account. Full payment is due upon receipt of the bill; however the company will not assess interest until the second billing.
The University encourages employees who will travel on University business to apply for a corporate credit card. Application forms may be obtained in the Controller's Office and returned to that office for processing. Approval of the application is the decision of Diners Club or American Express. The card will be mailed directly to your home address within two weeks.
Worker's Compensation
University employees may be eligible
to receive worker's compensation for injuries incurred while traveling
on official University business. Claims and requests for further information
should be directed to the University's Personnel Office.
