1. All travel involving overnight lodging must be approved in advance of the travel by the individual (e.g., Provost, Vice President, Dean, Director) responsible for the budgetary source of funds from which the expense is to be paid.

2. After approval, the Travel Authorization form can be forwarded to the Accounts Payable office if the department wishes to encumber the amount of the travel.

3. The approved Travel Expense Report section of the Travel Authorization and Travel Expense Report form certifies the propriety of all expenses listed as actually necessary to the performance of official university business. Upon completion of the travel, the white copy of the Travel Expense Report form, along with appropriate itemized receipts, should be forwarded to the Accounts Payable office for reimbursement within 60 days of completing the trip. This form is to reflect all expenses related to the travel, including prepaid expenses (with a reference to the form used to make the prepayment) that may have been made utilizing a procurement card or departmental purchase order (See 5601.4(d) below). Receipts of all expenses documented on the travel expense report must be attached to the form. It should be noted that missing receipts and other missing documentation to support travel expenses constitute the single largest factor in necessitating the return of the expense report to the college/unit and delaying the travel reimbursement. In addition, the business purpose of the trip must be documented within the expense report. This can be performed by including a copy of the conference itinerary, including the appropriate portion of the conference program, or any other means that clearly describes the business nature of the trip. A copy of any conference registration and itinerary is required to substantiate the dates of the conference and any included expenses such as meals. The travel expense report must be approved by the traveler's supervisor. Reimbursement requests submitted later than 90 days after the travel has been completed must be approved by the Provost or appropriate Vice President and may, due to IRS regulations, become taxable income to the employee.

4. A Travel Expense Report must be submitted even if all expenses have been paid by the university through the use of a procurement card or other means and even if no personal reimbursement to the traveler is required. The report is needed to ensure compliance with university travel policies.

All travel expenses shall be paid by the traveler and submitted for reimbursement on the Travel Expense Report form. However, payment and reimbursement for airline tickets and conference/ workshop fees may be made in advance of the travel. All conference/workshop registrations must include the portion of the conference/workshop program that details the business purpose and the various expenses included as part of the registration fee. This section of the conference/workshop program must also be submitted with the completed Travel Expense Report.

1. The university has a procurement card program whereby individuals or departments may be issued a university credit card for the purchase of goods and services for official university business expenses [refer to Wright Way Policies 5301.6 (Expenditure Guidelines) and 5401.7 (Purchasing from External Vendors)] and 5901 (Procurement Card Guidelines). Travel expenses, including airline tickets, conference fees, and hotel accommodations, may be charged to the procurement card. Currently, the limit for each travel procurement card transaction is $1,500, with a $5,000 monthly limit. Whenever possible, use of the procurement card for travel expenses is strongly encouraged. The procurement card is available to all university personnel upon departmental approval. Applications may be obtained in the Office of the Controller or at https://www.wright.edu/internal/finserve/procard.html. On all receipts submitted with the travel expense report that were paid using a credit card, the traveler must clearly indicate whether the credit card is a personal card or a Wright State University procurement card.

2. If a department wishes to have a prepaid ticket forwarded to another city for use of a guest of the university, this request may be arranged through the university's preferred travel agency. The department can purchase these tickets using their university procurement card. In this instance, a Travel Authorization form is not required.

3. In order to receive reimbursement for airfare or conference/workshop fees that have been paid in advance by the traveler, the employee must submit an approved departmental purchase order (DPO) or purchase requisition (for an amount greater than $1,000) to the Accounts Payable office, along with appropriate documentation. Alternatively, the traveler can attach appropriate documentation to an approved DPO or purchase requisition, send the approved form to the Accounts Payable office, and have the vendor paid directly.

4. When a traveler has prepaid expenses included on the travel expense report, the traveler must include with the expense report an itemized listing of those expenses that total to the amount of prepaids listed on the face of the report. The template form to be utilized for this itemized listing can be found at the back of this travel policy (Appendix D) and at http://www.wright.edu/administration/finanserv/forms.html. This form must be used to document all prepaid expenses.

5. While the university's general policy prohibits cash advances, there are very unusual circumstances in which certain international trips (and in rare instances domestic trips) require the use of significant amounts of cash as the only means of payment. This would be when neither credit cards, checks, nor other electronic means of payment are accepted by the various vendors. In those limited instances, the traveler must fill out a Request for Travel Advance form which can be found at the back of this travel policy (Appendix E) and at http://www.wright.edu/administration/finanserv/forms.html. This form documents the request and circumstances requiring the need for a cash advance. The primary business manager of the college/unit must approve the request, and the form should be attached to either a departmental purchase order (if under $1,000) or requisition (if greater than $1,000). The advance is to be treated as a prepayment and accounted for as such when filling out the travel expense report at the conclusion of the trip. The advance will be charged to the travel FOAP and any excess cash at the conclusion of the trip will be submitted to Accounts Payable with the expense report where it will be deposited back to that same FOAP. All travel advances are the personal responsibility of the traveler. As this provision is to be used only in very limited circumstances and is not simply an option of convenience for travelers, business managers in conjunction with the Office of the Controller will have final determination as to the need for an advance.

The following allowable living expenses are university guidelines. The Provost or appropriate Vice President or Dean can impose additional limits or restrictions.

1. Lodging

   Exceptions to these lodging guidelines will be made only when approved by the Provost or by the appropriate Vice President or Dean.

   1. Employees are asked to avoid "luxury" type suites or hotels whenever possible (unless they are the site of a conference). The employee should ask for the best corporate or academic rate available.

   2. Travel agents are often able to arrange discount room rates for Wright State travelers, except where blocks of rooms are reserved for a conference or workshop.

   3. Lodging can be claimed only if the travel destination is 30 miles or more from the employee's home or from the employee's primary work location, whichever mileage is less.

      1. An employee authorized to travel on official university business may claim reimbursement for lodging cost not to exceed the single room rate, including tax. The authorizing department has the final determination as to the amount of the reimbursement, subject to the above limitation.

      2. Receipts for lodging must be submitted with the Travel Expense Report form.

      3. Reimbursement for noncommercial lodging in a private dwelling is limited to $15 per calendar day. The employee must provide some form of receipt.

2. Meals

   1. Consistent with IRS regulations, employees may not be reimbursed for meal expenses unless traveling on overnight status. When the traveler is off campus on one-day trips, meal expenses are the responsibility of the traveler.

   2. Reimbursement is permitted when the employee is engaged in legitimate business activities with nonemployees of the university. Appropriate documentation (receipt with business purpose, persons in attendance, amount, date, etc.) is required.

   3. Allowable rates for meals when employees are on overnight travel status are based on prevailing IRS regulations. When overnight travel requires a portion of a day, employees can claim reimbursement for meals according to the following allowable rates. Receipts are not required. Effective January 1, 2009, the rates are as follows:

      1. Breakfast $7; must be on authorized travel status prior to 8 am.

      2. Lunch $10; must be on authorized travel status prior to noon.

      3. Dinner $18; must be on authorized travel status prior to 5 pm and return after 7 pm.

      4. The above allowable rates include tax and gratuities.

   4. However, when traveling to a "high cost area," as defined by the Internal Revenue Code, Section 274, the following rates can be claimed. Receipts are not required.

      1. Breakfast $9; must be on authorized travel status prior to 8 am.

      2. Lunch $11; must be on authorized travel status prior to noon.

      3. Dinner $23; must be on authorized travel status prior to 5 pm and return after 7 pm.

      4. The above allowable rates include tax and gratuities.

      5. The "high cost areas" included in this policy are: Atlanta, GA; Atlantic City, NJ; Baltimore, MD; Boston, MA; Chicago, IL; Denver, CO; Dallas, TX; Detroit, MI; Houston, TX; Indianapolis, IN; Las Vegas, NV; Los Angeles, CA; Nashville, TN; New Orleans, LA; New York City, NY; Newark, NJ; Newport, RI; Orlando and Tampa FL; Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, PA; Phoenix, AZ; Providence, RI; Salt Lake City, UT; San Diego and San Francisco, CA; Seattle, WA; St. Louis, MO; Washington, DC; and all destinations outside the continental United States.

         If the actual travel location happens to be a suburb or location adjacent to one of the above cities that the traveler believes is still within the “high cost” locality as defined by the Internal Revenue Service, it is the traveler’s responsibility to provide substantiation of that fact by attaching documentation to the travel expense report demonstrating that fact.  However, this does not extend to other cities or areas not specifically identified in this policy.

   5. When meals are included in a conference or in air fare, no reimbursement for those meals will be permitted as part of the per diem rate. When a conference provides hors d'oeuvres as a meal, it is the traveler and supervisor's judgment as to whether it is sufficient sustenance to be considered a meal.

   6. Expenses incurred for entertainment or alcoholic beverages are considered personal and are not reimbursable.

   7. Some conferences assess a separate charge for meals or banquets that are provided during the period of the conference.  When these meals are offered at the conference site with the expectations that all conference participants are to attend, these cost will be reimbursed in lieu of the standard per diem charge.  If the meal is offered at an off site location, the cost will be reimbursed only if the traveler can demonstrate the business purpose or relationship to the conference consistent with 5601.6(c)(3) of this policy.

3. Miscellaneous Living Expenses

   1. Expenses incurred for laundry, dry cleaning, and pressing can be reimbursed if the employee is on continuous travel status in excess of one week without returning home.

   2. Expenses incurred for special purchases essential for the fulfillment of the travel or work assignment can be reimbursed upon approval by the head of the employee's department.

   3. Costs for conference excursions or other optional events are allowable only if they are for business or scholarly purposes.  These items must be pre-approved by the supervisor and chair/director, and a description of the excursion provided with a memorandum documenting the business purpose must be attached to the travel expense report.  It is expected that very few of these offerings meet these business criteria. Almost all are principally for social and/or recreational purposes and should be the responsibility of the traveler. Personal phone calls are limited to one call per day while on authorized overnight travel status. Reimbursement of personal phone calls for excessive time/number of calls is at the discretion of the department. In addition, other types of phone charges relating to items such as faxing or modem usage while conducting university business can be reimbursed.

      Reimbursement of miscellaneous expenses as described in this section can be claimed in addition to the maximum allowed for lodging and meals while an employee is authorized to travel on official university business. Such expenses must be itemized separately on the Travel Expense Report form and be accompanied by receipts.

4. Tips

   Reasonable attempts should be made to obtain receipts that are provided.  Reimbursement for tips without receipts will require an itemized list of the tips provided, including the amount and purpose of each tip. Tips for meals, however, are provided for in the per diem reimbursement discussed in 5601.6(b) of this policy.  Additional tips for meals are not subject to reimbursement.

5. Extended Travel Days

   When a traveler extends his or her trip in excess of the number of days of a conference by either arriving to the travel destination early or staying later than the end date of the conference in order to conduct additional university business, it is imperative that the traveler document with a memo or similar documentation the business nature of the extension with an explanation of its purpose, other third parties involved, itemized receipts of additional expenses as allowed by this policy, and approval by the supervisor/business manager denoting agreement with the extension as a proper Wright State business expense. If available, attach agendas and/or itineraries as a part of this documentation. However, as part of the original travel purpose the traveler may arrive at the destination the day before or depart the day after a conference, if starting and/or ending times of the conference necessitate such scheduling. While not preferred, this will be acceptable with supervisor approval.

Any requests for exceptions to this policy should be submitted in writing to the Provost or responsible Vice President, describing the circumstances that justify an exception. Exceptions must always satisfy the requirement that the expense was actual, necessary, and reasonable under the circumstances.